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Last Sunday, May 1, 2011 was the day that Pope John Paul II was beatified and officially proclaimed by the Church as “Blessed”. I watched the event live beginning from the Beatification up to the Veneration of the late pope’s remains. It was, needless to say, a profoundly moving experience for me to witness. I’m not sure if I’ll still be around to see another pope’s beatification.

Here’s a great John Paul II quote we could use to reflect on who Jesus is in our lives. Thanks to LifeTeen.com.

“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”

~ Pope John Paul II, August 19, 2000 at World Youth Day in Rome

Coincidentally, last Sunday was also Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast day designated by John Paul II himself. Divine Mercy Sunday is the eight day of the Easter Octave.

While many Catholics around the world are tuned in to the beatification, a military operation was being undertaken in Pakistan to hunt down a long sought-after terrorist. The following day, I woke up to news of Osama Bin Laden getting killed by US Navy SEAL soldiers at a small city in Pakistan. Bin Laden’s wife and son were also killed.

I had mixed emotions when I saw that the news channels were also showing scores of Americans seemingly rejoicing over the death of Bin Laden. My first honest emotion was happiness for I knew that this was the justice longed for by all the victims of terrorism particularly by 9/11. But as the crowd around the White House grew larger and their triumphant cheers became more pronounced, I felt that there was something morally wrong in all these.

A few hours later, Fr. James Martin SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, published an article titled “What is a Christian Response to Bin Laden’s Death?” The last two paragraphs of his article offer a deep insight on how a true follower of Christ would react to Bin Laden’s death.

Osama bin Laden was responsible for the murder thousands of men and women in the United States, for the deaths and misery of millions across the world, and for the death of many servicemen and women, who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives.  I am glad he has left the world.  And I pray that his departure may lead to peace.

But as a Christian, I am asked to pray for him and, at some point, forgive him.  And that command comes to us from Jesus, a man who was beaten, tortured and killed.  That command comes from a man who knows a great deal about suffering.  It also comes from God.

And the Vatican spokesperson, interestingly a Jesuit too, sums it up best in the Vatican’s official statement on the matter.

“Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions for this purpose.

In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.”

~ Federico Lombardi, S.J., Holy See Press Office, May 2, 2011

I do believe that the timing of this event with the beatification of a figure known for his forgiveness and the feast of the Divine Mercy is providential. I pray that we Christians relate with our enemies as Jesus had taught and shown us. Oftentimes, it would be very difficult but who said being Christian is easy? As history has been telling mankind for thousands of years, hatred and violence is never the solution. If we really want peace in our mind and our lives, then there’s simply no other way to go. Humility is a good place to start.

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.”
~ Proverbs 24:17