April 7, 2005

When Pope John Paul II was elected to be the successor of Saint Peter by his brother Cardinals in 1978, I was four years old. My generation has “grown up” in his pontificate. As a small child, I remember repeated images on TV of him descending from an airplane and kissing the soil of many foreign lands. I thought of the Pope as “the man in white who traveled everywhere and kissed the ground”.

Even though I have since had the chance to see the Holy Father “in real life” at World Youth Days and other wonderful events, something about the image of the Pope stooping to the ground to kiss it left a lasting impression on me. As a child I thought, “Maybe he’s very happy to get there!” And indeed, he probably was! But more deeply, a kiss is a sign of reverence. A priest kisses the altar when he enters the sanctuary. A kiss is a sign of peace. To kiss the ground is a sign of profound humility. The Pope was kissing the ground, but he was showing his reverence for the people of every land and nation. He was showing his solidarity with every other human being. He was bringing the Gospel to every corner of the earth – taking very seriously Jesus’ final words to the apostles “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt 28:19)

I owe the Holy Father a debt of gratitude. His life as a Shepherd, as a Teacher, and mainly as a Father has formed me. My religious vocation, in some way, is a fruit of his pontificate. This community that I’ve joined is itself a fruit of the Holy Father’s pontificate! The “debt” that we owe Pope John Paul II can only be repaid by living-out the message for which he poured out his life. The message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A message meant to find a home in every human heart. Every human heart. Pope John Paul II did not “stay-put” in the Vatican, but rather, like Saint Peter before him, he went out into the darkness of the world to bring the Light. Even if our travel itinerary never matches that of the Holy Father, we can ask ourselves, “Who has God given me to love?” “Who has God given me to serve?” “How is God expecting me to shine in my little corner of the world?”

Our Pilgrim Pope is on his final journey and I imagine he will stoop down to kiss the ground once more, only this time it is the ground of the “eternal shores” of our Heavenly Homeland – and Our Lord will lift him up saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Sr. Clare Marie Matthiass, CFR
Local Servant, Our Lady of Guadalupe Convent, Bronx, New York

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