Vatican officials have confirmed that John Paul II died. He passed at 9:37 p.m. Vatican time, less than three hours shy of Divine Mercy Sunday, making it the Eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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Jimmy, it is already Sunday for half of the world right now.
I feel a bit afraid and lonely in a world without JPII.
May John Paul be welcomed hastily into his eternal reward. Thank God for the life and example of John Paul the Great!
May the soul of Christ’s servant rest in peace.
I do not fear what is ahead. God’s promises are sure. And I am confident that His Holiness John Paul II’s salvation is assured. We couldn’t be in better Hands.
Is anybody aware of any special novena prayers to be said during out mourning? Prayers for this Pope and the next?
Google finds sources that assure me that novenas were originally said for the respose of the dead.
But here’s one prayer for the dead:
http://www.kensmen.com/catholic/customstimeafterpentecost11b.html
Psalm 130 is also traditional.
I’m surprised how much I cried over our Holy Father. I discovered I really loved the man, no matter his faults. I’m going to miss him.
I’m also getting frsutrated with the media coverage. I’ve heard a number of commentators assert, among other things,
1) JPII directed the Church away from Vatican II (no specific examples were given, of course)
2) JPII reversed the Church’s former teaching that all Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus
3) JPII taught that you don’t have to convert to Catholicism to go to heaven (This statement was made without any qualifications!)
4) William Donahue of the Catholic League said that the Pope “changed” the Church’s teaching on the death penalty, to make it more left-wing.
Ugh!
Lord, give us a new Pope, but not an American!
“His Holiness Mahoney” . . . .
Ugh!
Assuming the novena begins on Sunday April 3, nine days hence would be April 11 which is the feast of St. Stanislaus of Cracow, Bishop and martyr. An interesting ‘coincidence’…
TSamuel:
I wouldn’t look too much into it. One of the cool things about being Catholic, and having such an extensive liturgical calendar, is that providential “coincidences” can be read into ANY date for ANYthing.
Anybody know which network(s) will be taping the Pope’s funeral, the whole thing, live?
In some ways I suppose, Mercy Sunday could be thought of as beginning after dusk Saturday night. Of course 9:37 PM in Italy IS after dusk. Not to question the “Eve” of Marcy Sunday concept either, just one more “coincidence” for a wonderful Holy Father. John Paul II, We Love You! Pray for us St. John Paul II.
One can at least look to it, if not too much into it. 🙂
I am merely recalling past stories, but I believe that as Bishop of Crakow Korol Wojtyla extorted the populace to remember and implore Saint Stanislaus by novena in their struggle against communist rule. Poland found a national hero in Bishop Saint Stanislaus of Cracow who was martyed because he rebuked (perhaps plotted to remove) an oppressive monarch from power. Poland later found another hero in a Bishop of Crakow who became a Pope, and rebuked (perhaps plotted to remove) an oppresive communist regime.
Perhaps providential coincidences can be read into any date for anything, but this seems like a really good one. 🙂
I found a link to the novena here:
http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/novena.pdf
Jimmy,
is the Eve tehnically considered as belonging to the feast of divine Mercy ?
In my prayer book “Magnificat”, the evening prayer, prayed for JPII was moving due to what happened… : psalm 4 and psalm 15.
Then Deutéronome6/4-7
And then Syméon Canticle.
The concluding prayer was a wait for rising from the dead.
To finish with : Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
Thank you God, that was the good prayer for the event.
God bless this great pope.
“His Holiness Mahoney”
That would be a disturbing thought, if it weren’t laughable. Even if any American becoming the next pope was in the realm of possibility, Mahoney wouldn’t be. Given his baggage re: the scandal, I doubt even many liberals would support him.
I am going to offer my Divine Mercy Indulgence tomorrow for John Paul II. Quite fitting, in my opinion, since it was his research that led to the ban on the Divine Mercy devotion being lifted; also he who canonized his countrywoman Sister Faustina, and officially established the Plenary Indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday.
Also, the Holy Father passed away on Saturday, the day traditionally dedicated to Mary. So appropriate for him as he so loved the Blessed Virgin. Rest in peace, Holy Father.
I just received an e-mail from the Vatican Information Service which states that the Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated in the Pope’s room commencing at 8.00pm and that during Mass, the Holy Father received Viaticum and the Anointing of the Sick.
Its almost 1 p.m Sunday here.
At 8 a.m Mass this morning just before the homily,Fr announced that John Paul has died about an hour before – we just got the news about 7.45 a.m
We are having an evening Requiem Mass at 7 p.m for the next 3 days for the Pope. But I think they will be prayers of thanksgiving for such a Giant of a Man an the amazing things he achieve during his pontificate.
I’m sure the heavenly hosts welcomed John Paul, and there is now much celebration in Heaven – the Church Triumphant welcomes its latest member.
Anybody know which network(s) will be taping the Pope’s funeral, the whole thing, live?
I have also found some of the media coverage shockingly ignorant. Another groaner was the statement that JPII “apologized for not taking action during the holocaust.”.
AAAARRRGGGHHH!
Jimmy, my condolences to you on the passing of John Paul II.
later,
Don
A bittersweet day, but I really don’t feel alot of sorrow. I’ll miss him, but contemplating how he lived and died inspires me to desire to live and die just like him. I find myself (almost suprisingly) unable to mourn for him; rather I am filled with a serene joy, and with a renewed inspiration to follow Christ more earnestly.
The timing of his death seems quite fitting. Considering his direct connection to fatima, (especially in the third secret,) and his various connections to the Divine Mercy; his death being on a First Saturday and the eve of the feast of the Divine Mercy seems (to me) to be very non-coincidental. I’m also thinking about what the world has been through with him over the years, especially the fall of communism and its connection to fatima, not to mention the fact that Sister Lucia very recently died… I dunno… I can’t help thinking and feeling that we have come to the end of a very important chapter in the history of the world; even to the end of a particular age – or at least the beginnings of an end.
In any event, I am very grateful to the Lord for giving the Church such a man. My heart is also filled with gratitude towards John Paul II for his life-long sacrifice and his faithful example. He will be greatly missed and long remembered.
Just the fact that he passed away during the Easter season — a time of joy and celebration — I feel that JPII wants us to accept his passing and move on to brighter thoughts: rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord and His triumph over sin and death itself!
It doesn’t though. I understand that the nine days of mourning for the pope begins with day 1 as the day on which the pope died, even if there are only a few hours left in that day. So the novena begins Saturday, April 2.
However, it will end on the EVE of the feast of St. Stanislaus of Cracow. 🙂 The same way, perhaps, that the Divine Mercy novena ends on Easter Saturday, not Divine Mercy Sunday, and the Ascension-Pentecost novena (the “original” novena, if you will) ends on Saturday before Pentecost, not Pentcost itself.
The more I think about it, the more the timing of the Holy Father’s death seems really remarkable.
His last word was “Amen”.
As though his entire life was a prayer,and this was the end.
Rest in peace, father.
Liturgically, Pope John Paul II died on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the end of the Easter Octave, the end of the Divine mercy novena, and on the First Saturday in which Mary promised to deliver from purgator all those who hold the First Saturday devotion. Wow.