During the Funeral Mass of Pope St. John Paul II, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the soon-to-be successor of John Paul II said this about the Saint in his homily,
“‘Follow me.’ The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock. ‘Follow me’ – this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality – our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude…None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved Pope is standing today at the window of the Father’s house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think of Pope St. John Paul II in some way. Everything I do in my career, in my teaching of the faith at the parish, and even in these blog posts, I give praise and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ for giving us the man of Pope St. John Paul II. Without him, I may have never known my friend Bobby Kloska, who for the first time really introduced me to John Paul II and his writings. Without him, I may have never studied Philosophy, and eventually Theology. Without him, my love, passion, and dedication to Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church would not be the same.
Over the past three years of writing on this blog, I have written extensively on Pope St. John Paul II, it is my hope that if you have not read these posts yet, that you find the time to begin reading them soon. You can find this post and the others by clicking on the link above.
As we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his entrance into Heaven, let us give praise and thanksgiving to God Almighty for giving us the man, the priest and the archbishop known as Karol Wojtyla, and the universal shepherd known as John Paul II.
For those of my generation, he is our Pope, he is our Saint, and we will always be his – The JP2 Generation.
Categories: Pope Saint John Paul II
TOM PERNA 
I’m so happy to be part of the JP2 Generation! I was in the middle of RCIA as a former Protestant and I wasn’t sure about making the switch to become obedient to a Pope. I went to the film Witness to Hope in this very artsy, independent theater in Rochester, NY. I came out of the movie theater and said “I can be obedient to that Pope!” I joined the church a few months later at Easter Vigil. Thank you JP2. You made it so easy for me to come home!
4th cup reading Was very much enlightened on the day of the EASTER.
Thanks a lot. God bless us abudeñtĺy.r