Despite the fact that he passed away 6 years ago, in the minds of many, Pope John Paul II still remains the face of the Catholic faith. Many people I know here in Italy are still particularly close to him; Even those who do not frequent the church every Sunday.

A Spiritual Leader

It was his personal qualities that made him a spiritual guide for 1.1 billion Catholics in the world, and perhaps for non-Catholics also. This pope’s popularity has been based on his particular loving nature and the fact that he offered people hope and a connection to God. Many people consider their lives being changed by Pope John Paul II:

• was a charismatic leader who confronted communism;
• pointed towards basic moral values;
• emphasized the universal call to holiness;
• was a loving role model who forgave his would-be assassin;  
• was a strong & faithful soul who perseveres through Parkinson’s disease;
• has performed at least two known miracles since his death.

As part of his calling, he canonized a great number of people, again, many more than his predecessors.  Recognizing saints is a moral direction that shows people that virtues will indeed be recognized, sooner or later.

John Paul II was one of the most international world leaders, and I believe that his international openness significantly contributed to his overall popularity.  He was the only Polish pope, and the first non-Italian since the Dutch pope, Adrian VI, in the 1520s. During his reign, John Paul II  traveled extensively and visiting over 100 countries. This is more than any of his predecessors.   He also strengthened the  Catholic faith in the Third World. His ability with languages was amazing, and beyond his native Polish language, he was fluent in Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Croatian, Portuguese, Russian and Latin.

John Paul II reigned as the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 27 years later.  His  pontificate was the 2nd longest, after the 32-year reign of Pius IX.   

The Process of Becoming a Saint

The process of becoming recognized as a saint is a lengthy one, albeit that in recent times, it has shortened from taking centuries to just a few years.  It was in fact John Paul II himself who shortened that process, so that now a mere 6 years after his death, he is already beatified.

The act of beatification is the one but final step in the process of becoming recognized as a saint.   The beatification ceremony tomorrow will be a Mass and day-long prayers beside John Paul’s coffin in Rome.

More Reading:

Learn how to bring Saints into your daily life

Yesterday’s BBC News is making my day:

The sweet-voiced woman managed to convince a man attempting an armed robbery in Florida to walk away, by being full of compassion, offering assistance & reminding him to go back to church & Jesus.

The desperate man said he needed money to pay his rent but the Christian shop manager convinced him that he should choose another path. She offered to help him find another job and look for another way to solve his problems.

He apologized and left.

Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and I thought that it would be a good time for us to remember him.
In India, Gandhi is officially honored with a national holiday, Gandhi Jayanti. Worldwide, today we commemorate him with the International Day of Non-violence.

Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British through his philosophy of non-violent protest, is today still a major role model for us all, on how we can act with no violence, on how we can stand our ground and be true to who we truly are on the inside with all our visions and values in tact. He showed by doing so in peaceful, non-violent manners, violence will eventually subside and there will be more light on earth.

For those of you who have never seen the movie , Gandhi, I found it online and thought to bring it to you here as I thought it was a feast for the mind and the eyes.

This biography of Gandhi’s life showed me many facts that were previously hidden to me about him, his family’s hardship, his international travel, and his life’s work.

It is a very inspirational and informative movie, free to watch here. (You may need to change your screen setting to see this wonderful movie properly.)

The movie ‘Gandhi’ also reminds me that I now dream, that great men like Jesus or Gandhi may die a peaceful death, with a sense of completion and fulfillment, as indeed peace will have become truly prevalent on Earth. Indeed I dream that people like Gandhi are considered ‘normal’ rather than ‘special’ as there are billions of them. May all good men live forever, and you be one of them.

Gandhi’s Teachings of Non-Violence

Mahatma Gandhi Buy From Art.com

This picture of Gandhi (for sale at art.com for only 8 bucks) could remind us everyday (if we were to hang it on our kitchen wall) of one of his most famous quotes and essential teaching of forgiveness and non-violence:

Recommended Book: Gandhi’s Auto-biography

His unusual book “Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth” has been responsible for some significant changes in my life, as really is more about philosophical reflections over time (e.g. about diet) than a chronology.

“…..The Story of My Experiments With Truth”: Measure the greatness of this man with the greatness of the title of his book. His focus was not to ‘gain fame’ or ‘to win’ but rather to be TRUTHFUL to the Divinity that can be found within each of us. Ultimately Gandhi had a spiritual focus in all that he did.

In Memory of Gandhi: Realizing Inner Truth

May Gandhi be with us, always, as a spirit guide and healing memory.
May you be helped to also find your Divine inner-truth and
live by it.

“Sigh… Forgiveness. It does not come easy, in some cases. Even though we all instinctively know we would be better off without our resentment and pain.

Twenty years ago I visited a hypno-therapist who put it to me: ‘you don’t need to drag all that anger around’. I had never thought of ‘anger’ as something one could ‘drag’ around like a prisoner’s ball. This realization enabled me to release my anger and be free to move forward with my life with a lighter load. Forgiveness is the key that opens one’s shackles. I realized that my anger was separate from me. It was a condition I could shed by forgiving.

One of the ways in which we experience divine love is through forgiveness. True and lasting peace ofmind and well-being are maintained when we are forgiving. The blessing of forgiveness heals any sense of separation between us and others.

FREE REIKI
I will do a group healing within 1 month of this writing for anyone who is dealing with forgiveness. If you are interested in participating and receiving a free distant Reiki session for this purpose, email me with your name, your location and the issue/condition for which you wish to receive a healing.

WHY & HOW TO FORGIVE

“Learning to forgive is infinitely more useful than merely picking up a stone and throwing it at the object of one’s anger” said the Dalai Lama recently. (Don’t you just love his no-nonsense flair?!)

Forgiveness is the mental & spiritual process of stopping to feel resentment or anger against another person for a perceived offence, difference or mistake. It may mean stopping to wish for punishment, restitution or other compensation. Forgiveness may refer to the feelings of the person who forgives, or to a relationship between the forgiver and a person being forgiven. And, sometimes we need to forgive ourselves.

“Many sources suggest that forgiveness can lead to decreased anger, depression and anxiety, and stress as well as enhanced well being, including peace of mind.” concludes Fred Luskin, a world-leading authority on forgiveness from Stanford University. He found in his studies “that forgiveness increases mental and physical health and vitality. … People experienced decreases in hurt feelings, stress, and physical symptoms of stress and increased willingness to forgive in the future.”

Of course, Fred’s premise did not come out of the blue. Most world religions include teachings on forgiveness, and many provide a basis for modern-day theories and practices of forgiveness.

10 STEPS HOW TO FORGIVE

The web is filled with ‘How to Forgive’-top 10′s, but I like counselor Diana Robinson’s practical Steps to Forgiveness:

1. Understand that forgiving does not mean giving permission for the behavior to be repeated.
2. Recognize who is being hurt by your non-forgiveness: you.
3. Do not require to know ‘why’ as a prerequisite to forgiveness.
4. Make a factual list of what you need to forgive.
5. Acknowledge your part.
6. Make a list of what you gained from the relationship, whatever form of relationship it was.
7. Write a complete forgiveness letter to the person (no need to mail it).
8. Hold a ceremony destroying your lists and letter, so symbolizing ending the damaging link between you.
9. Visualize the person you are forgiving being blessed by your forgiveness and, as a result, being freed from continuing the behavior that hurt you.
10. Now that you have freed yourself from the painful links and released the pain, feel yourself growing lighter and more joyous.

Recommended Books

Working with this article may bring up strong emotions.This is the beginning of your healing process. A good cry is a great release, so just allow that to happen. Welcome it as it frees you. However, if your very strong emotions persist, consider seeking support. Work with the above books, talk to a counselor or therapist and be sure to get Reiki simultaneously as that makes it so much easier. Reiki can help you resolve your issues energetically on all levels, including on a soul level. A counselor can help you sort things out, consciously. Both treatments complement each other. Good luck clearing up your past!

Copyright Astrid Lee, 2008. http://www.TherapeuticReiki.com Do not reprint any part or all of the article without written permission.