Pope's Passing
Slovaks remember the Pope (© Kero)
April 20, 2005
The morning after Pope John Paul II died, I attended a Catholic mass, where I spoke in honor of my friend’s birthday.
Barbara H. - Slovak friend and translator; Don Zeman - Catholic Priest; Wallyce T. after the Holy Mass celebrating his 75th birthday
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I met “Zeman” at the bus stop in the Bratislava neighborhood where I live. Don Zeman is a Catholic priest who’s lived in Italy, France, Germany, Argentina, and Slovakia - where he has served the Lord faithfully for more than five decades. The Holy Mass was to celebrate his 75th birthday.
The fact that we were celebrating a birth on the day Catholics around the world were mourning a death was a strong reminder how our days are numbered by the Lord. As I spoke to the “standing only” congregation that Sabbath day, the Spirit of God so seemed to affirm that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.
I know there are Catholics who placed too much importance on the Pope. I also know there are Protestants who take part in “pastor worship.” In both cases, people are giving humans a position that shouldn’t exist between themselves and God.
Yet as I, a Protestant missionary, attended this mass with two Catholic friends, I rejoiced in what unifies us and prayed about what divides us….but I do that for the Body of Christ (all who accept Jesus as Savior) - no matter what church they attend.
Later in the week, when I received a letter from my niece - who attends a Catholic school and was saddened about the Pope - my heart went out to this child, whose parents (my brother and sister-in-law) attend the N.C. Catholic church named for St Francis of Assisi, a man whose quote I love... “Preach the Gospel wherever you go, and if necessary, use words.”
My brother’s family is integral in my being here in Slovakia. They support me prayerfully and financially. My friends in Slovakia – a traditionally Catholic country – are a mix of Catholic, Protestant and agnostic. I am so blessed by the diversity of my loved ones.
Yes, I want them all to know the Lord as Savior. Yes, I believe any of them who do not have salvation will spend eternity absent of God – which is the worst part of Hell. Yes, I will do everything I can humanly do to share the love of Jesus with them by what I do and, when necessary, by what I say. Ultimately, though, it is God who knows their hearts, and God who will be their judge.
On the day Pope John Paul II was buried, I asked two of my Catholic friends in Slovakia what they had thought of the Pope. The word they both used to describe him was “humble.” One of them, who attended a World Youth Day established by the Pope years ago, said the Catholic leader continually encouraged those in attendance to study God’s Word and worship the Lord. He advocated peace and unity. He encouraged love.
Romans 2: 6-8 & 10 says: “God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality (which only salvation can bring), He will give eternal life. But for those are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger… For God does not show favoritism.”
I know some people misguidedly worshipped the Pope, and I know that only Jesus has been perfect, so the Pope was – and each one of us is – a sinner from birth to death. We are condemned if we are not truly saved, and God alone knows our heart.
I am so very grateful that God’s grace and Jesus’ death and resurrection have paved the way for any - and all - of us to spend eternity in the presence of a Triune God…be we pope or peasant, pastor or pilgrim.
Crucifix - gift from Don Zeman
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I believe the Pope accepted Christ as Savior. I also believe he sinned. I believe he will be in Heaven when I arrive. I will only know this for sure once I’ve died. So until then, I will rest in the knowledge that salvation through Christ is God’s promise, and He is the Rock on which I stand. And I have one question: Care to join me?
Love and Hugs,
Wallyce
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