Pope John Paul II: Once more, with feeling

Chiara Lubich, 83, visionary founder of the Focolare Movement and one of the closest persons to the late Pope John Paul II shares, in the following piece her fondest memories of the pope. As a contemporary of Pope John Paul II, Chiara lived through the same angst and despair of the Second World War from which the Focolare (Italian for family fireplace) movement was founded. Focolare is now present in 182 nations (some of them Muslim), and claims two million members and sympathizers. CNN Vatican analyst John Allen says one of the reasons the members of the Focolare movement are treasured by the pope "is that they have never soft-pedaled their Catholic identity."

This is her tribute:

Truly a great Pope, a great saint has left us! How I wish we could return to the times when saints were proclaimed by the consensus of the people. The youth would be in the front lines!

I, too, can personally bear witness to his saintliness. Often, after an audience with him, I was left with the impression that heaven had opened before me. I found myself directly united with God in a very profound union with him, without intermediaries. This was because the Pope is a mediator. When he has joined you with God, he steps aside. I think I have understood in a much deeper way the specific charism of the Pope. He holds the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 16:19) not only for wiping out our sins, but also for opening up heaven to us, by leading us to union with God.

Perhaps this is what explains the joy, the enthusiasm, the attraction that the Pope has always held for young people, and for the millions of men and women of every race, culture, religion and belief whom he has met all over the planet. And what about all the historic changes that he has brought about in these 27 years? This Pope communicated God, and God "makes all things new." As the burden of his suffering became heavier, this presence of God in him became stronger, up to the last moment of his life.

In his homily for the 25th anniversary of his pontificate, John Paul II wanted to share with the whole Church his intimate experience as Peter’s successor. He confided how that same dialogue, which had taken place between Jesus and Peter, was repeated daily within his own heart: "Do you love me? Do you love me more than these?" Although aware of his human fragility, he felt that Jesus himself was encouraging him to respond, like Peter, with trust: "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you!"

What comes to my mind at this time are the private audiences with him, often during lunch in his home; his presence at our large public events; his personal letters full of warm affection and his thoughtful phone calls during recent years, on St. Clare’s feast day and this year for my birthday, during which he wanted to convey his best wishes to me. All these moments are milestones in our movement’s history.

Now, at the moment of the Holy Father’s death, we are in awe and thankful for such great love. At the same time, we are grateful to God for having been able to be close to him, to help him as sons and daughters, and, in my case, as a "sister," as he referred to me in his last letter.

A few days after his election, wanting to get to know me, he invited me to participate at his Mass in his private chapel. On that day, he became aware, from a map I had brought to him, of our movement’s expansion. In the following years, he came to know with great joy about our "Focolare people," as he called us, wherever he traveled throughout the world. He expressed many times that our presence gave him comfort and support during his apostolic trips.

Another very significant episode goes back to Sept. 23, 1985, when just before leaving an audience with him, looking to the future, I dared to ask him: "Would you think it possible that any future president of the Focolare Movement might always be a woman?" "Yes," he answered, "if only it could be so!"

There are other episodes that regard our movement directly which also express the Holy Father’s "greater love."

Through his suggestion, bishops belonging to different Christian Churches for years now meet regularly to strengthen their ministry with the spirituality of unity, a spirituality already shared by many Catholic bishops. The Pope approved their bond, not a juridical one, but a spiritual bond with the Work of Mary.

We are amazed at seeing what the Pope has accomplished for the Church and for humanity. His papacy had such magnitude, such bearing and influence that only time will reveal its full impact.

The providential and crucial role he played in the fall of the East European communist regimes is evident. He had to undergo that painful attempt on his life when he, like the grain of wheat, nearly died in order to bear much fruit. It is part of a mysterious plan of God which gave the Pope, miraculously saved, back to us and bound him forever to Our Lady of Fatima.

How can we not remember his courageous initiative for peace by inviting the representatives of the world’s major religions to gather in Assisi not just once, but twice? This was a true masterpiece of his pontificate, which marked a turn in the history of interfaith relations.

And how could we forget his festive gatherings with young people? These World Youth Days more than once stunned the whole world with their extraordinary impact and worldwide participation. The youth of our movement had intuited the Pope’s unwavering trust in them and they recognized in him their leader.

Yes, we can be proud and grateful to the Holy Spirit for having given us such a Pope as John Paul II for so many years, and we are sure that the Church will soon recognize him as a saint.

Upon awakening after his tracheotomy, the Holy Father wrote on a piece of paper, "I’m always Totus Tuus (All Yours)." The news reached everyone in the world. His motto addressed to Mary, "Totus Tuus," was the truth he lived by. This truth embodied him with a distinct Marian feature and made him so great and so loving, so high and yet so close to everyone an authentic "servant of the servants of God."

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