Remembering The Great Pope John Paul II

John Paul II Peak (Gran Sasso, Italy) shown above and John Paul II on his nature walk

"John Paul II, we miss you!" Imagine him smiling at us from Heaven as we chant this over and over again. He watches from above everything that is happening in the world and he is praying for us even as we blog.

As we skim through the magazines and books that bear images of his 27-year pontificate, we cannot help but miss him. His childlike smile that could sometimes send playful messages, his silver hair that often got windblown during a papal mass, his right hand on his forehead telling you he was in deep communion with his Creator, his baritone voice that could send a communist regime to its collapse, his kisses for babies and his facial caresses for the youth, his stooped posture and expressionless face while his hands gestured a blessing to all people, the only expression of love he could make as he suffered from Parkinson's disease.

While we still mourne his passing (and I am sure that many still do, including the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI), we are consoled daily with the gift of God in Pope Benedict XVI. It is truly a gift to have a pope for this is through whom God reveals his Fatherhood to all the world. This is through whom He reveals His love affair with man - His marriage to His bride, the Church. What a wonderful thing to be a part of!

So, let us look first to God, let us look to His Vicar on earth and let us look to His saints in Heaven.

Pope John Paul II, pray for us!