POPE JOHN PAUL II NEAR DEATH

At noon ET, on Friday, 01 April 2005, the Vatican issued a statement, and Sky News Italia followed with a comment that the Pope's condition has worsened, that he has slipped into a coma. They say that his organs have begun shutting down, notably that his kidneys, already compromised, have begun to fail. It appears for certain that the Holy Father is close to meeting his Lord face-to-face. And I think that meeting will be a wonderful occasion.

This Pope has been, for all of his 84 years, beloved by all those around him as he served both God and humanity in so many ways. In 1942, he was arrested by the German Gestapo with several others. His German worker's card, signifying that he had a job, got him released, while the others were shot. Later that year, Karol Jozef Wojtyla began feeling the call of God on his life, and started studying for the priesthood at great personal risk, under the very noses of the Gestapo. From that moment in his life, all around him knew that this was a man for whom the word "fear" did not exist! All the world knows the history, and we all know his influence on history, how he literally changed history as he followed his heart. The courage and strength he displayed in the face of oppression and evil such as Naziism and communism inspired millions, and he gave strength to his native Poland to throw off the yoke of the Soviet state. I believe that Pope John Paul II is greatly to be credited with the downfall of communism in Europe, and God will reward him for that courage.

Indeed, this Pentecostal Christian writer is one who has not historically appreciated a lot of the policies and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, but John Paul, I believe, is truly a man of God, a man whose love for the Lord is an example of what God calls us to as Christians, something that should be reflected in us all. His love for all people, his respect for - in worldly terms - the smallest and least significant among us, is inspirational and a value that we must all emulate. His humility and love for God, his love for people, have changed the face of the Catholic Church, and endeared him to Christians, both Roman Catholic and non-Catholic, and non-Christians as well. His life, lived to the fullest, was holy as God calls each of us to be holy, and he will be remembered by all of us as a man of prayer and a man of great courage, who loved the Lord with all of his soul.

I can imagine the scene in Heaven, maybe later today or tomorrow, as Karol Wojtyla steps over the threshold into eternity. I believe Jesus will be there to meet him, surrounded by thousands whose lives were touched by him, thousands who indeed were saved by the faith in Christ that he inspired in them. Among them, in the crowd, will be a young American woman, recently freed from a body that was unable to sing God's praises, unable to speak of God's grace, and unable to defend herself from those who were determined to take her life at any cost. Terri Schindler-Schiavo will wave and smile at Pope John Paul II, as she cries out, thanking him for trying to save her. As the Pope enters the Holy City, bowing before the King of Kings, Jesus will step forward, take his arm, and ask him to rise. Then, Jesus will throw his arms around him, in a tight, loving embrace, as He says, "Welcome Home, Karol, welcome to your eternal reward my good and faithful servant. You have done well, my friend and brother. Let us go now and meet with My Father. As they stroll together, arm in arm, down the street of gold, the crowds will be singing and rejoicing with the Angelic Choir, all of them enthusiastically welcoming home a man who loved and served his Lord for a long and eventful life! And what is so wonderful is that Jesus will welcome each of us who love and serve Him, in the same fashion.

As Pope John Paul II slips quietly into his eternal reward, let us all celebrate the life he lived and the way he worked to spread Christianity and freedom through his demonstrated love for the Lord and for people everywhere. I feel blessed to have been on earth during his time here, and I look forward to meeting him personally when I go home to be with the Lord. Of course, there is no way my own life, so full of failures, can compare to his, but the beauty of our faith is reflected in the fact that I don't have to worry about my failures. Jesus Christ forgave my sins when I trusted Him as my saviour, and He forgives me daily as I live in this sinful world. I love my Lord, and that is the total of my testimony. As you read this, if you have not yet asked the Lord Jesus to be your saviour, I invite you to quietly bow your heart before Him and ask Him into your heart and your life.

My heartfelt prayer, as Pope John Paul II walks toward the meeting with the Lord, is that millions around the world will see his testimony, lived out in his life and in his sermons, and place their faith in the Lord he loved and served while in his sojourn on earth! While we will miss him here on earth, let us remember that life does not end here. This is only the beginning; life eternal is beyond compare with this vail of tears. Death, for the Christian, is not the end. It is not the hopeless thing to be feared by those who have no faith in our loving saviour. Jesus told us that He is the only way to Heaven, and that has not changed. For those of us who have faith in Christ, the end never comes!

"O death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory? (ICor. 15:55)

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Joe Comer
Vidalia, GA