Pope Benedict recalls Pope John Paul on 3rd death anniversary

(April 2, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday remembered his predecessor, Pope John Paul II on the 3^rd anniversary of his death, saying his life, pontificate, but especially his last moments are profoundly linked with the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Pope Benedict celebrated a memorial Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the late Pope who passed away on April 2nd, 2005.
His death 3 years ago, Pope Benedict said in his homily, was the final seal on a life fully donated to Christ centred on the Eucharist. Pointing to his predecessor’ extraordinary faith in Christ, he said John Paul was engaged in an intimate, unique and unbroken conversation with him. He also noted that among the many human and supernatural qualities of the late Pope was his exceptional spiritual and mystical sensitivity. It was enough to observe him at prayer when he was literally immersed in God, when everything else was alien to him. As John Paul often repeated, the Mass was the centre of each day and the entire existence of his life, and the Eucharist provided him with the spiritual energy needed to lead the People of God in their journey.
Pope Benedict recalled the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter on April 2^nd, 3 years ago, when Pope John Paul passed away, noting his agony unfolded all on the Octave of Easter. This paschal dynamism which made the life of John Paul a total response to the call of the Lord, Pope Benedict explained, could not express itself without participating in the suffering and death of the Divine Master and Redeemer. Right from childhood, he recalled, Karol Wojtyła experienced the truth of the words of St.Paul, - “If we die with him, we shall also live with him” – encountering the Cross in his journey, his family and in his people. He lived with Christ and he also wished to die with Christ, Pope Benedict stressed, adding all this he did through the singular mediation of the Most Holy Virgin… who was profoundly and actively associated with the salvific mystery of His death and resurrection.
Pope Benedict XVI also remembered the oft-repeated motto of Pope John Paul II – “Do not be Afraid! – words with which the angel assured the women on the first Easter morning. With unwavering firmness, the late Pope pronounced these words right from the moment he first wielded his pastoral staff topped with the Cross and then later when his physical energies were waning, almost clinging it until his last Good Friday, when he participated in the Way of the Cross from his private chapel in the Vatican clasping the Cross between his arms. His motto, "Do not be afraid", Pope Benedict explained, was not based on human strength, or on successes achieved, but only on the Word of God, on the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ. Gradually, as he was stripped of everything, even his speech at the end, this trust in Christ appeared even with greater evidence. As with Jesus, so to with John Paul II, Pope Bendict said, words gave way to the extreme sacrifice - the gift of self. "Let's me go to the Father" were his words at the end of a life totally given to knowing and contemplating the face of the Lord, Pope Benedict said.
With the memorial Mass of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict also inaugurated the First World Congress on Divine Mercy in Rome, which will conclude on April 6. The Mercy of God, the Pope said, was a key element in the pontificate of his predecessor who wanted that the message of the merciful love of God should reach all people, and that they should be His witnesses. The Polish Pope who personally experienced the appalling tragedies of the twentieth century, knew that only the love of Almighty God could overcome evil and arrogance of the destructive power of selfishness and hatred. Thus, during the last visit to his native Poland he declared that "There is no other source of hope for humanity that the mercy of God."
At the end of the Mass Pope Benedict addressed the faithful in several languages including in English. Listen: