This morning before the sun rose, I woke up to watch the Pope's funeral. It is part of the morbid fascination I have with death, obituaries and funerals. I can't explain why, but it is just something that I've always done.
After I drifted off a few times, I finally stayed awake long enough to see the recessional. It was very moving. I don't think I missed that much when I dozed off, because I recall it was at the point when they were attempting to serve Communion to the entire city of Rome. I woke up and they were near the end of the service when everyone shakes hands in peace. I have no idea how long I snoozed, but this was the longest Catholic mass I've ever seen. It even rivaled the marathon masses at my father's church.
In direct contrast to the ceremony on Monday, this mass was definitely more diverse in terms of the people who got to participate. It is entirely possible that most of the people who would have been at Monday's ceremony were still travelling to Rome, but I was pleased to see a better reflection of the various people whose lives were touched by this Pope--not just old white men, but people from Catholic communities across the globe. It was truly a beautiful site to behold.
But, the world goes on, and as soon as the Pope's body had been carried back into the Basilica, the news media switched gears to gossip about Prince Charles' wedding tomorrow morning. Then there was news about Prince Ranier of Monaco, who died last week. Then there was more disturbing news in the Michael Jackson case, followed by more of the usual stories about crime, corruption, politics, war, and other human drama.
However, for a brief moment in time, there was peace in the world. Jewish rabbis, Muslim clerics, Orthodox priests, and scores of Protestants came together to honor the most prominent follower of Christ. We may all believe in different truths, and may be convinced that our version is correct, but based on what I witnessed today, there is only one truth about life--the ultimate testimony of our lives is not in what we believe, but in how we live those beliefs.
In the case of Pope John Paul II, we may have witnessed another example of human greatness, which we've seen before in the lives of countless others. Although this pope's moment has passed, maybe his life will inspire more of us to live in authenticity--not in perfection as that characteristic does not exist in humanity, but in the truth that a person's life can be flawed, complex, and can still have a tremendous impact on the world.
See how God is in everything?
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