Appreciation: Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Hundreds of people, a lot of them young, were interviewed on the news two weeks ago planning expensive pilgrimages to see Pope John Paul II's body as it lay in state at Vatican City for four days.

Watching these interviews made me want to ask a few questions. I wondered if these people did this because they felt the pontiff touched them in some way during his 26-year-reign, or if they were headed to St. Peter's Square just so they can be a part of history.

What is the legacy Pope John Paul II left us with? Or to be more precise, what did Pope John Paul II teach me personally

Reading Time and Newsweek's obituaries on the Pope's life made me realize and reconsider some of my own beliefs and shortcomings when it comes to forgiving others and the lessons of life and death.

I have consistently refused to forgive people who have done me wrong over the years. When Pope John Paul II forgave his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in 1981 and later granted him absolution in 1983 when he visited him in prison, it showed how little of a person I was in my unwillingness to forgive others who have offended me.

I now understand what the lyrics from that Don Henley song, "The Heart of the Matter," mean that say, "There are people in your life, who've come and gone. They let you down. You know they hurt your pride. You better put it all behind you because life goes on. You keep carrying that anger, it'll eat you up inside."

Thanks to Pope John Paul II beliefs, I realize now that life is precious whether he or she is paralyzed from the neck down and needs a feeding tube inserted in them in order to eat and drink, or they have been sentenced to die in prison.

It isn't our decision to end a person's life.

Up until recently, I have never understood why people are against the death penalty when it comes to some of the heinous crimes today's murderers have committed. I have always been of the belief, an eye for an eye, when it comes to divvying out justice.

I certainly felt that way in the case of Scott Peterson who was sentenced to die by either lethal injection or the gas chamber for killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Connor, last month. While everyone else was cheering that this guy was getting what he deserved, I saw nothing positive about the fact this monster would be spending the rest of his life behind bars. The fact is Peterson will likely die in prison thanks to California's appeals process that takes years before someone is executed.

I felt lethal injection and the gas chamber were too humane for this guy who deserved something far worse for what he did to his wife, and how both she and her son were found.

Now I understand, to some point, why people are against the death penalty. It is basically murdering someone else because he or she murdered someone close to you. Executing that person, though, is not going to bring the other person back.

When it comes to murder cases, there are no heroes. The families of both the killer and the victims are affected. There is never any closure.

Which brings me finally to the subject of mortality. Most, if not all of us, have witnessed the pain of seeing a loved one wither away from some life-threatening disease or coming to terms with their own mortality. We've seen it in recent years hearing about the Pope's medical condition. We even saw it a few weeks ago on television when ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, unable to speak coherently, announced he had lung cancer and would begin chemotherapy.

I have always hoped, and continue to hope, that when my day finally comes that I die in my sleep. If only all of us could be so lucky.

Pope John Paul II showed us, however, that suffering is a part of life and the best way to cope is to have faith that everything is in God's hands.

I can only hope that some, if not, everyone learned something about themselves as they bid farewell to the man many called "the People's Pope." It is a legacy that his new successor, Pope Benedict XVI, will hopefully continue.

©4/20/05