May 13, 1981

Generations of Americans have been asked these questions; Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?   Where were you when the planes hit The World Trade Center? And where were you when Pope John Paul II was shot?  It seemed like only yesterday (May 13, 1981) when I was sitting in my junior high school social studies class, when our principal interrupted the class with an important announcement.  “The Pope has been shot.”  It was shocking; especially when a Polish classmate started to weep.  As I walked home that day, I asked myself “Why would someone shoot the Pope?’

The answer eventually came to me as I grew older.  To live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you will make enemies.  An enemy is a person or group who actively opposes someone or something.  Pope John Paul witnessed the horrors of Nazi Germany; only to see the rise of communism in his beloved country.  Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla (Pope John Paul) had been prominently featured in Polish history books as leading the resistance to the communist regime in the 1970’s. Because of this, the Communist Party decided to assassinate Pope John Paul.   Death appeared all but certain when three bullets, fired by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, seriously injured the pope.  Death did not prevail.  Pope John Paul would make a miraculous healing in the months afterward. 

The Gospel of Luke 6:27:38 comes alive: “But to you who hear, I say love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “As Pope John Paul II arrived at the prison cell of the man who shot him, he looked into the eyes of the would be killer and shook his hand.  In return, Agca kissed the pope’s hand. The two talked quietly for some time.  Pope John Paul said, “What we talked about will remain a secret between him and me, I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.” When the meeting finished, the Pope gave Agca a small gift in a white box, a rosary.

 

Pope John Paul would later talk about peace and forgiveness saying, “Real peace is not just a matter of structure and mechanisms.  It rests above all on the adoption of a style of human existence marked by mutual acceptance and a capacity to forgive from the heart. We all need to be forgiven by others, so we all must be willing to forgive.  Asking and granting forgiveness is something profoundly worthy of everyone.  So once again, with this need to be forgiven by others, we must be ready to forgive in return.”

Our Lord goes so far to say that a Christian has no personal enemies.  His only enemy is evil, such as sin but not the sinner.  Jesus puts this into practice with those who crucified Him.  He continues to act in this way towards sinners who despise and rebel against Him.  Consequently, the saints have always followed this example; as did St. John Paul II who prayed for His would-be assassin.

This is the high point of striving for holiness or as they say, as we “stumble to holiness.”  We must love, forgive and pray for even those who persecute us.  We love because God Loved us.  Our love of our enemies must express itself in action.  The action is forgiveness.  Whom in our life do we need to forgive?

St. Bernard of Clairvaux