POPE JOHN PAUL II: A SPIRITUAL TEACHER
FOR THE AGES
From humble beginnings, Karol Josef Wojtyla of Wadowice,
Poland rose to become one of the most influential world
leaders in human history. As the 264th pope, John Paul II
used his immense moral and spiritual authority, extensive
writings, and personal charisma to connect with a billion
Catholics, especially the youth, around the world. As a
lasting legacy, he pursued reconciliation across long-standing
cultural and spiritual divides within and outside the Church.
He advocated multi-faith and multicultural understanding,
tolerance, and solidarity to uplift the human condition
of the disadvantaged, disenfranchised, and oppressed everywhere.
With amazing courage and at great personal sacrifice, he
challenged the faithful and powerful during his long papacy
and extensive travels to transform their faith, energy,
and institutions for the service of mankind.
With his passing, a rare light has gone out. A great humanitarian,
voice of conscience, and fearless champion for basic freedoms,
rights, and human dignity has departed from the world stage.
His wisdom and friendly spirit that brought unimagined joy
to many at a critical time in history will be greatly missed.
The beloved teacher having righteously labored, radiating
God's universal Love, and inspiring many across the diverse
cultural and spiritual spectrums, has triumphantly crossed
the threshold into life eternal. May his passage be paved
with prayers and the Lord's Light on his journey "Home."
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
MEDITATION:
Thank you Holy Father, for inspiring us and urging us all
to collectively usher a new "Renaissance of Spirit"
where Light, not Darkness; basic freedoms, human and sacred
rights and not denials, deprivations, and inequalities;
and hope and healing and ending of all suffering guide our
labors and prayers.
Thank you for reminding us to recognize and celebrate our
shared humanity as One God's children and to strive to make
the dream of a world-at-peace a possible reality.
Thank you Lord, for sharing with us this enlightened messenger,
John Paul, who dared us towards a higher calling and reminded
us the true mandate of living our faith is extending love
and dignity to all God's children.
Now John Paul returns Home with unmatched offerings of accomplishments
and service to mankind. May his soul rest in peace.
Here
are some thoughts that crowd my spirit as I share my emotions
and reflection about the magnificent Pope John Paul II:
As I reflect on the passing of His Holiness, the beloved
Pope John Paul II, my heart is full with sadness and also
immense gratitude for his life and legacy. He was a great
messenger of hope and healing at a troubled time In human
history. Yet he exuded boundless joy to all, within and
outside the Catholic Church of which he was a shepard and
moral leader.
As a follower of Sikh faith, I admired Holy Father's efforts
to reach out to other faith traditions. He reminded and
inspired us all to widen the "Circle of Light and Love"
that may embrace all God's Children. I find echoes of Sikh
spirituality in John Paul's universal moral teachings, especially
in his message of love, inclusion, compassion, and preservation
of human dignity, justice and equal rights, and assurance
of basic freedoms of people everywhere. He pursuaded the
faithful and powerful to this humanitarian and moral universal
cause.
His personally leading three interfaith peace pilgrimages
to the medieval hill town of Assissi and affirming and recognizing
sanctity of all faiths and diverse cultural traditions resonated
with people in many lands. Throughout his extensive
travels, his amazing courage, spiritual exuberance, and
symbolic acts reflected that humanitarian spirit. The message
and challenge of John Paul on its own momentum continues
to widened the Circle of Light and Love in many lands and
cultures. He reminded us as the true mandate of living our
faith. He challenged the mighty to responsible governance
that safeguards human freedoms and improve human conditions.John
Paul was, and will remain, a spritual teacher and moral
force for the ages. We celebrate this rare soul who now
joins all the righteous warriors, noble saints, and all
the wisdom of Ages in the Court of the Lord. His light and
legacy will guide generations to come who may not believe
that the like of him walked the earth and enjoyed the affection
of billions at a time of so much global conflict and challenge.
Thank you John Paul for touching us with your magnificient
spirit.
Pope John Paul belongs to all mankind and we all mourn his
passing and feel diminished by his absence this day. He
offers us a living testimony that how one man can one blessed
soulcan change the course of human history and the texture
of the human universe.
He lives in our hearts and mind and his awesome legacy.
His life and spirit, and incredible achievemnets will contiue
to inspire humanity through the times and events yet to
come.
With prayers and blessings,
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
April 04, 2005
His Holiness John Paul II has not only been the head of
the Roman Catholic Church as its Pope, but has been a spiritual
Light for people of all faiths. He has been a voice of conscience
and a tireless fighter for human dignity and freedoms for
the suffering and struggling people around the world. More
than any Pope in recent centuries, His Holiness has been
a bridge-builder and has encouraged and participated in
interfaith dialogues among people of diverse faiths.
Among his followers, His Holiness has been the most visible
leader to occupy the spiritual throne of St. Peter. For
the rest of the spiritual world, His Holiness is a powerful
symbol, personal example, and a great inspiration as he
reminds us that faith must serve to uplift human spirit
as well as human condition. Honoring the civic and sacred
rights, recognizing as the Sikh faith commands that “every
living being is a repository of Divine Ligh,” and assuring
the divinely-blessed dignity of each living being is the
key to universal peace and fulfilling the letter and spirit
of faith. He has been an exemplary teacher and perhaps one
of the most influential living being on this Earth at this
time.
We join millions of people of every faith and culture and
religious tradition whose lives have been touched by this
Good Shepard of the Lord, and in the spiritual sense as
a Holy Father to all mankind, for his speedy recovery. We
pray to God Almighty that He restore our beloved John Paul
II to full health and may he continue to guide mankind in
the matters of the true meaning and spirit of faith. The
Holy Father, with incredible courage and at great personal
sacrifice, has lived, demonstrated, and nurtured the universally-revealed
foundation of Faith as Love for all living beings. This
is our time to pray and ask for God’s Love and healing
touch for him as he has done for all of us over the past
84 years.
Indianapolis. Feb. 25, 2005
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
