Death of a Pope

Before I write another word, let me get this out in the open. I am not Catholic and have never been Catholic. I have no axe to grind with the Catholic Church. That being said, please read everything here with that in mind.

The election of a Pope does not occur very often. I recall two of them in my lifetime. History says that there have been five Pontiffs in my years on earth. I do not recall the elections in 1958 and 1963. I do recall 1978 when the present Pope came into power. I remember the sense of tragedy felt by my friends in the Roman Catholic Church when Pope John Paul I died just thirty days after taking office. It was in that aftermath that Pope John Paul II assumed the office of the papacy. It is apparent that the man has had a tremendous impact on folks worldwide.

However, I would be out of line if I did not mention that I am not aware of a great amount of his work. The simple reason is, as stated above, I am not a Catholic and have put no more import in his words than I would the words of the leader of any Christian denomination. And, to be totally honest, I do not listen all that closely to the statements made by leaders of most Protestant denominations. It probably is a fault of mine, but I see myself as focusing on my local church and its various connections with little time to read all that denominational leaders are saying. This is not to say I disagree with them. It is to my shame that I see most of what they do as usually irrelevant. My behavior would betray me if I said otherwise.

If you will forgive my weaknesses in that area, I do think there are some lessons I can learn from the now deceased Pope John Paul II.

I should respect those who have gone before me. I thought about calling this “respect for tradition,” but backed off because the word “tradition” is so loaded. I serve a non-traditional church. That does not mean that we are not aware of and respect the two millennia of the church history prior to us and the previous 1,500 years of Jewish history that is foundational for everything we do. I actually make a lot of use of the writings and comments before my time. I do think we must beware the danger of disrespect. We can become so closely focused that we think all that matters is what we are doing and forget what has happened years before we were on the scene. The tremendous work of those ahead of us should be respected.

I have an impact on other human beings. Pope John Paul II has had a tremendous impact on people worldwide in the last 27 years. In many areas he has gone places Popes before him never even attempted. As I watch my Roman Catholic friends mourn in the upcoming days, it is a great reminder of the impact we each have on others around us. Do you realize that you have an impact? Who in your life is observing you? Is it a child? A co-worker? A family member? Someone is watching you. Someone is learning from you how to treat other humans and how to serve God. You do have an impact.

I should make the most of my opportunities. It makes little difference what I think or feel regarding Pope John Paul. I am aware that he sought to make the most of the opportunities that came his way. That appears to be true before and after his election to the Papacy. What a reminder for me and you! We should make the most of the opportunities presented to us as well.

I intend to pray for my Roman Catholic friends in the upcoming days. Among other things, I will pray that they will see the message of Jesus and feel his forgiveness and grace. I will pray that they will grow in, or begin, their relationship with Jesus Christ.