When Pope John Paul II died...

...those in the room with him did not pray "the typical prayer" for a person dying [the prayer for the soul's salvation], instead they prayed "a prayer of gratitude" for him?  Huh?  

Watch the video at about the 9.35 mark he explains what happened...

I had never heard this before...I was not yet a Catholic when JPII died, so didn't follow closely the happenings at the Vatican.  

Now, as a Catholic, I am wondering what other Catholics at the time thought of this?  

No big deal?  Weird?  Odd?  Nothing to see here?

Let me know your thoughts.  

My own thoughts are...well it bothered me to find this out.  You can pray a prayer "of gratitude" at any time...but when someone has just died, should we not pray for their soul first before all things?  

To me, being an ex-Baptist this smelt a bit like Protestantism.  You see, in most Protestant denominations once a person dies that's it.  You don't pray for them or their souls [because there is no belief in Purgatory OR in prayers for the dead helping anyone].  

To most Protestants, if the dead person had believed in God and lived "good" lives they were in Heaven with Jesus, no need to pray for them. Instead of praying for their souls, Protestants "celebrate" the life of the dead loved one and believe, as I said, that they are already in Heaven with Jesus because they believed in God and lived "good" lives. Done deal.  

But as a Catholic...I do pray for the souls of the departed- even a pope because I don't know if that pope needed time in Purgatory or not and to assume he was so great and wonderful that he didn't need prayers for his soul...well it comes off as presumptuous to me.  Am I wrong here?

Let me hear what you think about praying a prayer of gratitude when someone dies rather than for their soul.



In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

Scripture told with photos

By Connecticut Catholic Corner



Contemplating Saint Paul's words in Sacred Scripture with images…

2 Timothy 4

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: ² proclaim the message; 

 

 

be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable;

convince, rebuke, and encourage,

…with the utmost patience in teaching.

³ For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine,

but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires,

⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth…

and wander away to myths. 

⁵ As for you, always be sober

...endure suffering,

do the work of an evangelist,

carry out your ministry fully.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

When a Cardinal Betrays a Pope

Upon the death of Pope John Paul II, his secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz was entrusted with the duty of burning ALL Pope John Paul II’s personal notes.  This was JPII’s final request and written in his will that the writings be burned upon his death.

Unfortunately, Cardinal Dziwisz (now Archbishop of Krakow) decided he would not honor the late Pope’s final Will and Testament and instead has decided on his own to publish a book (“I Am Very Much In God’s Hands”) using the beloved late Pope’s personal and private notes. The book was published this week (Feb.5, 2014) in Poland.  

The Cardinal seems to have no qualms about denying Pope John Paul II’s final wishes and excuses his actions by saying “he didn’t have the courage” to follow the Pope’s final request of him.

Cardinal Dziwisz has taken it upon himself to decide that he knows better than the author of the notes, deciding that the world should witness the thoughts and private journal writings of Pope John Paul II.

“In writing his will, the Holy Father knew he was entrusting these notebooks to someone who would treat them responsibly,” Cardinal Dziwisz said at a news conference in Krakow on Jan. 22. “I had no doubt these were such important items, testifying to the spirituality of a great pope, that it would be a crime to destroy them.”

Wrong Cardinal!  The Holy Father was entrusting YOU to BURN the items, not publish them.  His will was specific and you betrayed him his dying wishes.

It would be “crime” in his opinion, but in Pope John Paul II’s opinion it would be a betrayal NOT to burn them as he (JPII) requested.  The Pope did NOT want these writings published and his request SHOULD be honored, not published and made a profit off of.

I understand the DESIRE to keep something the Cardinal (and others) would view as “important items” from the late Pope, but when does their desire trump a Pope’s final death wishes?

Personally, I think this is wrong, even though I myself would love to know what Pope John Paul II had to say. I would put aside MY desire to honor HIS desire, as I think this Cardinal SHOULD have done.

Why didn’t the Vatican step in and put a stop to this?

Will ANY Pope’s final requests in the future be honored if we have Cardinals betraying them like Cardinal Dziwisz is betraying JPII now?

How can ANY Pope trust that his final wishes will be carried out if the Vatican allows this book to be published?

Other Catholic clergy have voiced their displeasure in this Cardinal’s actions…

“In European culture, a final will is always binding, as long as its realization isn’t against the law and morality,” Father Isakowicz-Zaleski told TVN, a Polish television broadcaster. “This is required not just by legal statutes and good manners, but also by respect for the dead. This public act of disobedience is a form of anti-witness, and can’t be justified by any explanation that it’s for the good of the church. Does a clergyman serving as a secretary know better than St. Peter’s successor?”

As the grossly overused term “slippery slope” comes to mind I really have to again wonder WHY the Vatican would allow this to happen.  I think it’s sad.

What do you think?  Should the Cardinal have written this book and betrayed the Pope’s final wishes or is it too much a “treasure” to be burned as the Pope requested?  And should the Vatican have stepped in and stopped this book from being published?

What are your thoughts?  Would/will YOU read the book?

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/world/europe/entrusted-to-burn-john-paul-iis-notes-cardinal-publishes-them-instead.html?_r=0

Knights of Columbus Museum

Today my family and I visited a few museums in New Haven, Ct for my daughters sixteenth birthday. Each year I ask my children to decide what they would like to do for their birthday, and this year my sixteen year old requested spending her day at a few museums. We first spent a few hours at the Peabody Museum in New Haven, then she requested we visit a 'new-to-us' musuem. The Knights of Columbus Museum on State Street is what she wanted to see next, so off we went. Admission is free and parking is free- you can't beat that!

Having never been to the KoC museum before we were not sure what to expect. We were delighted to find a special "Blessed: A Tribute to John Paul II" exhibit going on. The JPII exhibit took up nearly the entire second floor of the museum. There were assorted paintings, photos, clothing, furniture, vestments, art sculptures and more!
(above: this is the fountain near the underground parking area)
(below: JPII Tribute Gallery)




(below: Rubble from the World Trade Center 911 attack)

(below: Saint Peter bronze statue)


Besides the wonderful JPII Tribute Gallery, the KoC museum is also currently featuring "Full of Grace: Crowned Madonnas from the Vatican Basilica" reprint paintings from all around the world. These were amazing. Unfortunately, photographing the artwork was forbidden so I can not share them here. This artwork is a collection of printed reproductions from the Vatican's own collection.

There is much to see at the Knights of Columbus Museum and I highly recommend it.