Late Pope John Paul II Audio Cards

I never hide my deep love to the late Pope John Paul II. And now, I'm jealous that people in Italy can get this cool audio card and I can't:


Source: ANSA News

Here's the story of the audio card as reported by ANSA:

ROME (ANSA) - The enduring popularity of the late Pope John Paul II has been underlined yet again by the runaway success of a new gadget offering a blessing from the Polish pontiff at the press of a button.

Offered as a free gift with a new Catholic monthly, the palm-size device is comprised of a small picture of John Paul mounted on an electronic card which has his voice recorded on it digitally.

When pressure is applied, the user hears the pope's voice saying a blessing in Latin.

Read more...

So far, more than 35,000 people got a free copy of the audio card. But NOT ME. Still, I'm happy to know that people's love to the late Pope is still alive. That's all it counts.

Santo Subito

This piece of news was expected. But honestly, not this fast:

In death, the Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church acquired a new title for the modern age: the People's Pope.

And by the time of his funeral, it was clear the pilgrims had another title in mind.

"Santo subito!" chanted the crowds in St Peter's Square.

"Make him a Saint now!"

The Vatican is not accustomed to moving so quickly, but if the faithful have their way, John Paul II will achieve sainthood in record time.

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, he promised to be a "listening" Pope. He must have realised the clamour to recognise the sanctity of his predecessor would not go away.

So he has now given the green light for John Paul II to be considered for beatification, the first stage in the process that leads to sainthood.

Read more...

We obviously have a Pope who listens to his people.
 

Ur In The Land of Chaldeans

While browsing books at a bookshop few months ago, I grabbed "The Poetry of Pope John Paul II."To my surprise, I discovered The Pope wrote a poem about my people, the Chaldeans:

Ur in the land of the Chaldeans

There was a time when people
continually wandered.
surrounded by herds, they went where abundance beckoned:
where the earth, like a fertile mother,
could feed the flocks,
where people pitched their tents and began to dwell.

Today, why do we seek out this place
in the land of Chaldeans,
which Abram, the son of Terach,
left behind with other nomads like himself?
Perhaps he asked: Why must I leave this place?
Why do I have to abandon Ur or the Chaldeas?
Is this what he was thinking?
Did he feel the sadness of the break?
Did he look back?
We do not know. All that we know is that he heard a Voice, which told him: GO!
Abram chose to follow the Voice.

The Voice said: You will be the father of many nations.
Your offspring will be numerous as the sand on the seashore.
How could the promise be fulfilled, thought Abram,
since nature has denied me the gift of fatherhood?
My wife, whom I have loved from the days of my youth, gave me no son. It pains us both.

But the Voice kept saying: You will become a father,
you will become the father of many nations.
Your offspring will be numerous as the sand of seashore.

That was very nice of him.

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The Poetry of Pope John Paul II