Santa Missa in Suffragio del Defunto Sommo Pontifice Giovanni Paolo II

This evening, Monday 29 March, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Holy Mass on the occasion of the Fifth Anniversary of the death of Servant of God the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. (Those who are interested can find a PDF of the Mass Booklet here.)

The Mass was very simple for a Papal Liturgy. The Mass in its entirety was only about an hour and twenty minutes. In it's simplicity, however, one could feel a love for both John Paul II and Benedict XVI. An English translation of the homily can be found through ZENIT. Benedict held up John Paul II's life of service as an example to us all: a life of service; a life lived out of love; a life given completely "even to the point of death". The Holy Father concluded his homily with sentiments I would like to echo here: "While we continue the Eucharistic celebration, being on the point of living the glorious days of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, let us entrust ourselves with confidence -- following the example of the Venerable John Paul II -- to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, so that she will sustain us in the commitment to be, in every circumstance, tireless apostles of her divine Son and of his merciful Love. Amen!"

The Missionaries of Charity were there again. This time two of them were among those presenting the Gifts at the Offertory to the Holy Father.

After Mass, Karlo Leonor and I were all excited stalking random Cardinals, looking for people we knew, noting the Processional Doors of the Basilica were open and that we'd never seen them open before, etc. We exited along the left, the side pilgrims typically enter, and suddenly someone noticed a different brick on the Square. We realized it was the marker where Pope John Paul II had been shot on 13 May 1981. A little nun was very excited to tell us about the stone. We nodded as though we thoroughly understood. The thought crossed my mind afterward that she might have known John Paul II. Regardless, that moment was a Providential time to find the brick; I had been searching the Square since we arrived at the beginning of February.