Spiritual
Notes of Robert
Four blessed
popes 1958-2005
at Home2b.nl
1958-1963 John
XXIII
1963-1978 Paul
VI
1978 John Paul
I
1978-2005 John
Paul the Great
Totus tuus.
During 47 years the Roman Catholic Church has had
the blessing of wise and religious men,
who were able to bring more world peace,
more human rights, more willingness for
dialog with other religions.
I remember the day that John XXIII
was called out to be pope. Vatican watchers were
expecting
no miracles from the cardinal of Venice.
How wrong they were.
After being carried into the Saint Peter cathdral,
he abolished many overdone ceremonies.
At last a pope understood why John Hus from Prague
rejected the old faith in 1412.
At the time Hus was burned and the verdict stated him
to be a follower of Wycliff
(which he was without doubt, something to be proud
of!).
This verdict on
John Hus and him being burned
became an avalanche called Reformation
and Protestant churches.
Is this why cardinal Roncalli from Venice
called himself John XXIII, exactly the same name
as the pope who condemned John Hus in 1412?
I think so, because John XXIII did the same
as the former John XXIII had done in 1409,
which is calling together a concilium, Vaticanum II.
Vaticanum II was a miracle
of enormous significance,
because Vaticanum II was the start of
a new beginning for the church.
John XXIII died as maybe the most popular men ever.
John XXIII has been beatified not so long ago.
Certainly he has to be called out a saint
Paul VI had the difficult task to fulfill
Vaticanum II and he did in 1965!!
The result was and is again a miracle.
Did you read the documents of Vaticanum II?
Those documents are so refreshing.
Paul VI started to travel.
Famous are his visits to the United Nations (1965)
and the Holy
Land (1964).
Paul VI visited
all continents and called out
for World Peace and Social Justice.
In 1971 in Manilla they tried
to kill him, but he survived.
Paul VI also did away with much overdone ceremonies.
In 1971 Paul VI recognized
Mother Theresa from Calcutta as a living saint,
by giving her the John XXIII peace price.
1978 was the year of John Paul I.
He reigned 34 days as a pope.
Many people have expressed doubts about his death.
All we know is,
that we missed the opportunity
to know this very special man and his abilities.
It seems that he started some reforms.
In my opinion
we were left behind as orphans
by this untimely death. People are asking
for his beatification too.
If there has been any evil in the death of John Paul
I,
it has been
revanched by the miracles
done by John Paul II,the Great, the man from Poland,
who has called out for World Peace,
for reconciliation, who said sorry to everybody
done wrong by Christianity.
His respect for other religions
was shown in the praying together of
many religions in a circle of holyness.
John Paul II escaped an attack upon his life in 1981.
In his healthy years he was a great man.
In his illness John Paul II was even greater.
John Paul II showed us how to live in pain,
with his replaced hip, his painful knees,
his illness of Parkinson and his failing voice.
The last evening of his live
he has blessed the world through the open window
of the bedroom where he would die some hours later.
His voice failed to say the words.
But we knew that he was saying farewell
by blessing us and the world.
Respect he taught us for the handicapped
and for people living in illness.
He had the respect and love of millions.
Even 47 years were not enough discuss all issues:
the role of non clerical volunteers in the church;
equal rights for women;
the epidemics of new illnesses and what to do;
euthanasia;
birth control;
fundamental rights for mammals, sea animals, birds;
abolishing torture and death penalty;
saving rainforests and deep ocean life;
equal distribution of resources;
and more.
I met John Paul II in 1985 and 1987
three times and I was very impressed
by his spiritual personality.
We are living in a remarkable time and
we better be on the look out for more
miracles to come.
Four popes who will be saints,
will certainly give us miracles of world
peace.
With the election of Pope Benedict the series of
blessed popes came to an end.
Back to normal it seems.
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Updated August
18, 2012
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by Robert and Susan
