Me and The Actor Who Stepped Into The Fisherman’s Shoes

            Today marks the eighth death anniversary of Blessed John Paul II,  one of the most beloved popes in history. I’d like to think of him as Actor, Playwright, Soldier, Pope. Sounds like the title of a John Le Carre novel, but Pope John Paul II played all those roles so well and with such sincerity as to be worthy of admiration.

JP II Retreat House, Tagaytay

            JP II has a special spot in our hearts because he visited the Philippines thrice, two of those visits as a Pope. He also canonized the first Filipino saint, St. Lorenzo Ruiz. The World Youth Day held in Luneta on January 15, 1995 will always be remembered as the largest single Papal gathering  in the world. Estimates vary from four million to seven million attendees, but the thing is that the Filipinos turned out in full force to welcome the Pope.

            I had the privilege of seeing Pope John Paul II up close, or about as close as an ordinary twenty-something government employee could, during his first visit to the country as Pope in 1981 (he first visited in 1973 as a Cardinal). Vito Cruz in Malate seemed to be an unplanned route, because we at  our office learned about it just a few minutes before it took place. We were all so surprised and excited! With the permission of our bosses, I and some other co-workers walked down to Vito Cruz. Incredibly, there were very few people lining the street, in stark contrast to the mobs that usually welcomed the Pope. So, I was able to stand at the very edge of the sidewalk, giddy with anticipation.

The Pope in Manila 1981 (Photo from Sarao Facebook Page)

           The Pope arrived aboard a Sarao-built Popemobile.  Since the assassination attempt on him had yet to take place later that year, the Popemobile was open. He was waving at us, no more than three meters away! I could see him clearly, smiling beatifically, but still with a hint of pleasure.  I had never seen anybody look so holy and so joyfully alive at the same time.  My companions and I waved back wildly, chanting, Mabuhay ang Papa! (Long live the Pope!) The photo above was not taken in Vito Cruz as  back then, I was not yet in the habit of toting a camera around.

            He would continue to visit many other countries even well into his twilight years.  Now that I have crossed the golden line myself, I find it this even more admirable. How physically taxing it must have been for someone who has become frail to continue visiting his flock, to emphasize his universal call to holiness.  Remember, he was all of 75 years old when he came over for the World Youth Day in 1995. This sojourning was also key to his wish to “place his church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims, and Christians in a great (religious) armada”.

            I hold JP II as an example of someone who takes on new things even at an advanced age. Okay, so he is one of the youngest popes, but he was already pushing 60 (58, to be exact) when he was elected Pope. So my take away is that for us golden girls (and boys), it is never too late to start a new project.

            Even pushing 60, he was an innovator.  His papacy is one of the most memorable in modern times for ground breaking activities such as visiting Egypt and meeting with the Coptic pope; visiting and praying in a Muslim Mosque in Damascus; and calling on Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together.  His first visit to Poland is also credited as sparking the formation of the Solidarity Movement which in turn precipitated the fall of communism in Poland and elsewhere. I noticed that the churches I visited in Warsaw and Krakow displayed JP II's image either outside or inside their premises.

St. John's Archcathedral,  Warsaw

            Above all, he evangelized by example. One of the most difficult things I find doing is to forgive those who have hurt me.  But JP II showed that he lived the gospel by forgiving his would- be assassin Mehmet Ali Agca, who inflicted nearly fatal wounds on him.  The Pope even requested for Agca’s pardon. This was the real deal, not some figment of a playwright’s imagination, being acted out by a good looking actor. He embodied his apostolic motto, “Totus Tuus”  (Totally Yours).

          Though well on the way to sainthood, JP II is said to occasionally  succumb to the sinful  ...chestnut gelato of Giolitti. My daughter  and I searched for this shop in Rome to have a taste of the papal favorite. We found the Chestnut gelato a bit too sweet yet strangely delicious, the way flirting with diabetes would be.  So comforting to know that the holy man had a sweet tooth as well.

Chestnut gelato at Giolitti

            John Paul II, the erstwhile actor who stepped into the shoes of the fisherman in 1978 had journeyed far and wide, showing how it is to live like a true Catholic, thus truly becoming a fisher of men.  To paraphrase him, wherever he went, he saw the world through the eyes of Jesus Christ.

Photo from www.evangelicaloutreach.org

            And for me, the Actor, Playwright, Soldier, Pope, will always be a shining example of seizing life and making a difference even after one has crossed the golden line.