Pope John Paul II

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle that paves the way for Pope John Paul II to be beatified. The miracle, which was unanimously approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 11, 2011, signifies the final step in the beatification process. According to the Congregation, there was no natural explanation for the healing of Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre (member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards) from Parkinson’s disease.

Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 at the age of 84. During his funeral Mass, many in the crowd were heard shouting, “Santo Subito!”—“Saint Immediately!” Shortly after his election as the successor of JPII, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the mandatory five year waiting period for the process of sainthood to begin had been waved. Since that time, the Vatican has been advancing, rather rapidly, through each of the steps.

The beatification ceremony, which will be presided over by Pope Benedict XVI, is set to take place on May 1, 2011.

If you are expecting to travel to Rome for the ceremony, buy your tickets now! This gathering is expected to be one of the largest the Vatican has ever seen; hotels and airplane tickets are going to be extremely hard to come by. If you are unable to attend, you can count on viewing the ceremony on television and the internet.

On a personal note, I have always been inspired by Pope John Paul II. Throughout his pontificate, the late Papież always encouraged young people to consider giving their lives to the service of the church. He always told us that God was calling us to serve; God was calling us to give of ourselves; God was calling us to love. His most inspiring words were straight out of the gospel: “Be not afraid.”

The late pontiff showed all of us, young and old, how to live a truly Christian life. Throughout his life, the Polish Pope enountered multiple obstacles that would have been cause for others to simply give up. However, through all of it, he carried on, persevering in prayer and service to God.

Even in the end, when he was close to death and extremely weak, he desired to serve the people entrusted to his care. Despite his inability to speak, he came to the window in the papal apartment and showed his love for the crowds that had gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

As he is brought one step closer to sainthood, let’s all pray that Pope John Paul II continues to inspire us to persevere in love of neighbor and service to God.

Resources:

The full decree is available here: http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=454138

For more information on the process of beatification and canonization:  http://www.ewtn.com/JohnPaul2/cause/process.asp