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CBN.com – "Look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and tell what you see."
That phrase is borrowed from an Old Testament prophet, and he was talking for God. I won’t say I’m talking for God, but as I mentioned in an e-mail the other day, I am trying to be sensitive to what I am seeing and hearing around the current events relating to Pope John Paul’s life and death.
And then I want to understand.
Quick overview as I watch TV:
· The multitudes, nigh on three million of them, teeming into Rome. Certainly they are appreciative of their Pope; but it is more than a man who has drawn them. They are sheep hungry and thirsty for spiritual sustenance for their ongoing daily lives.
· The cardinals in Rome as they prepare for their conclave to choose the next pope. There have been numerous comments by these men that this is not a political smoke filled back room in which they will choose a new pope. Rather this is a time of prayer and discussion that is guided by the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, they believe God will choose the new “Shepherd” of the Catholic Church.
· Seventy presidents, prime ministers, princes and leaders, including our American Presidents, current and former (minus Jimmy Carter, and I pray for him in his absence, whatever all that is) as they kneel together in prayer.
· Jews, Moslems, and non-believers are among the multitudes.
· I watch and listen as TV commentator, Chris Matthews (a Catholic) thanks God and his network for the opportunity to be in Rome to report on these events. He states it is the most significant assignment of his career. He is on the verge of tears as he says this.
· Another commentator and TV host, Tim Russert, (also a Catholic) asks another broadcaster, the really crusty, cynical, Don Imus, what he believes about God and eternal life. The first time I have heard the I-man speechless.
· Former Presidential candidate and broadcaster, Pat Buchanan, reflects on how important his Catholic faith is to him in a world that lives in “a Godless age and wanders in a moral wilderness.”
· Political columnist and TV commentator, Robert Novak, a Jew, once known as “the dark prince,” speaks of his personal spiritual journey to Jesus Christ and eventually finds his spiritual home in the Catholic Church.
· Although not directly related to the events in Rome, actress Jane Fonda, tells TV host Larry King of her conversion to Jesus Christ. A babe in the faith, she is still on her quest to know more.
· In the midst of all this, news anchor Peter Jennings, unable to report from Rome, announces he has throat cancer. He too has been a seeker for a number of years. I pray for him.
To me, a voice, like a trumpet is going forth. I heard it during Ronald Reagan’s funeral, in the film The Passion of the Christ (and my interviews with Jim Caviezel and Mel Gibson), Terry Schiavo’s death, and now with Pope John Paul.
“There are many kinds of voices in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.” (Paul the Apostle)
“Christ is knocking very hard at many hearts, looking for people like you to send out into the vineyard where an abundant harvest is ready" -- the words of Pope John Paul II in his address on World Youth Day, Denver, Colorado, 1993.
For those of you know how… be a watchman and ”stand in the gap.”
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.