FOREVER ALIVE !!
From the dead, like the Master,
Pope Francis, arisen, lives forever.
News came, 3.25pm, heart sank, missed a beat, bleak, tears flowed,
momentarily lost, in abysmal silence, void.
(ed. – Jojo M. Fung SJ is writing in Malaysia)
Prayed, hands raised, together:
“O God, for our brother, companion of Jesus,
You have raised him up, like Jesus,
in the rank of ancestors, he enjoys;
in blissful bosom of Eternal Triune God, he rests,
forever ALIVE !!
Messages abound:
“We are truly saddened. The world has lost an amazing servant of God.”
“I was amazed that just after he got out of the hospital he would wash women’s feet.”
“He lives again and even more alive to us now that he has passed to God.”
“It’s a sad day for all of us. Papa we will miss you.”
“May he rest in the peace promised by Christ
whom he served as a faithful servant on earth 🙏”
Arise, a cosmic chorus of glory, honor, praise,
all angels, ancestors, mystics, prophets, sages, saints, acclaim:
A deep contemplative pray-er, face of joy, hope-filled
advocate of Creation, co-carers of our Common Home,
co-believers of fraternal solidarity,
co-listeners of the voice of God’s Spirit,
co-pilgrim of divine mercy, peace, hope,
co-sojourners of transcultural-religious-gender inclusivity,
united, unwavering, strong in spirit,
at the peripheries of lethal tremors, tumors,
geopolitical counter-rivalries,
fluctuating stocks, ravaged by conflicts,
drone-wars, cruise missiles, genocides,
hunger, pain, diseases, deaths,
global recession, a climate-vulnerable world.
Brushed with death once, lives again.
Now, arisen, forever alive !
Alleluia !!
Allahwahbar !!
Om Shanti Om !!
Fr. Jojo M. Fung S.J. is a board member of Sacred Springs: Dialogue Institute of Spirituality and Sustainability and a member of Laudato Si’ Asia-Coalition of Culture of Care, Resilience and Ecological Justice (LASIA-CAREJ) in partnership with Asian Sacred Wisdom (ASW). He is an associate professor of systematic theology at the Loyola School of Theology, Manila.
