Posted on 04/07/2005 8:55:52 AM PDT by BigSkyFreeper
The following is an English translation of the official Vatican Italian translation of the text of Pope John Paul II's last will and testament, which was originally written in Polish with successive additions. Dates have been written according to European convention, which makes "6.3.1979" represent March 6, 1979.
The document begins with a Latin phrase that reads, "I am completely in Your hands," and follows with a citation from the New Testament.
The testament of 6.3.1979
Totus Tuus ego sum
In the Name of the Holiest Trinity. Amen.
"Keep watch, because you do not know which day when the Lord will come" - These words remind me of the final call, which will come the moment that the Lord will choose. I desire to follow Him and desire that all that is part of my earthly life shall prepare me for this moment. I do not know when it will come, but, like all else, this moment too I place into the hands of the Mother of My Master: Totus Tuus. In the same maternal hands I place All those with whom my life and vocation are bound. Into these Hands I leave above all the Church, and also my Nation and all humanity. I thank everyone. To everyone I ask forgiveness. I also ask prayers, so that the Mercy of God will loom greater than my weakness and unworthiness.
During spiritual exercises I reflected upon the testament of the Holy Father Paul VI. This study has led me to write the present testament.
I do not leave behind me any property which necessitates disposal. Regarding those items of daily use of which I made use, I ask that they be distributed as may appear opportune. My personal notes are to be burned. I ask that Don Stanislaw oversees this and thank him for the collaboration and help so prolonged over the years and so comprehensive. All other thanks, instead, I leave in my heart before God Himself, because it is difficult to express them.
Regarding the funeral, I repeat the same disposition given by the Holy Father Paul VI: Burial in the bare earth, not in a tomb, 13.3.92.
Apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud Eum redemptio
John Paul pp.II
Rome 6.3.1979
Following my death I ask for Holy Masses and prayers
5.3.1990
---
I express the deepest faith that, despite all my weakness, the Lord will accord me every necessary grace to face, according to His will, whatever task, trial and suffering that will be demanded of His servant, during the course of my life. I also have faith that never will it be permitted that, through my behavior: by words, actions or omissions, I betray my obligations in this holy seat of Peter.
---
24.II-1.III.1980
Also during these spiritual exercises I have reflected upon the truth of the Priesthood of Christ in the perspective of that Crossing which is for each one of us the moment of death. In taking leave of this world - to be born into the other, the future world, eloquent sign is for us the Resurrection of Christ.
I therefore read the copy of my testament of the last year, it also made during spiritual exercises - I compared it with the testament of my great Predecessor and Father Paul VI, with that sublime witness to the death of a Christian and of a pope - and I renewed in myself consciousness of the questions, to which refers the copy of 6.III.1979, prepared by me (in a rather provisional way).
Today I desire to add to it only this, that each one of us must keep in mind the prospect of death. And must be ready to present himself before the Lord and Judge - and contemporaneously Redeemer and Father. Then I too can take this into consideration continuously, entrusting that decisive moment to the Mother of Christ and of the Church - to the Mother of my hope.
The times in which we live are indescribably difficult and troubled. Difficult and tense has become the life of the Church as well, characteristic trial of these times - as much for the Faithful, as much as for the Pastors. In some Countries (as, e.g. in that one about which I was reading during the spiritual exercises), the Church finds itself in a period of persecution that is not inferior to those of the first centuries; on the contrary, the degree of cruelty and hatred is greater still. Sanguis martyrum - semen christianorum (Eds: Latin for "Blood of the martyrs - seeds of Christians"). And beyond this - so many people disappear innocently, even in this Country, in which we live...
I desire once more to entrust myself totally to the mercy of the Lord. He himself will decide when and how I must finish my earthly life and pastoral ministry. In life and in death Totus Tuus through the Immaculate. Accepting this death already, I hope that Christ will give me grace for my final passage, which is Easter. I hope too that it shall be made useful also for this important cause in which I am trying to serve: the salvation of men, the safeguarding of the human family and of all the nations and the peoples (among these I refer in particular to my earthly Country), useful for the persons who in a special way have entrusted to me for the questions of the Church, for the glory of God himself.
I do not desire to add anything to that which I wrote a year ago - only express this readiness and at the same time this faith, to which the present spiritual exercises prepared me.
in Scripture itself we are told that the gospel will precipitate conflict and that the gospel by its very nature is offensive to some and divisive to others (Matthew 10:22; John 15:18; 17:14; Romans 9:33; Galatians 5:11).
So biblically can it be maintained that Catholics and Evangelicals are part of the body of Christ while disagreeing on the gospel message itself? Is there any way to avoid conflict as long as this disagreement exists? The apostle Paul gives an emphatic "No" to this question in writing to the Galatians who were dealing with this same problem.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is realty no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-8).
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:2 NASB).
Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you (Galatians 5:2 NASB).
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4 nasb).
I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is (Galatians 5:10 nasb).
Where oh where in that passage of scripture you cite does it say that Mary is the mother of GOD
Certainly she was the mother of the Lord Jesus but nowhere is she refered to as mother of GOD. In order to be the mother of GOD she would have to pre-exist GOD. That is heresy.
Certainly she found favor with GOD, certainly she was blessed by GOD but how does any of that imply sinless?
Answer me this - if Mary was sinless why did she need a saviour?
Luke 1:46-47
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour
No, the poster cannot.
The poster said no Pope is needed for her to make her own saints.
Then I do not get it and never will, it crosses a line into being very wrong for me and all that I have ever read and been taught, it makes my skin crawl putting Mary over Jesus or bypassing him and talking to her.
I am done, it is Catholic week, I spoke out when my heart told me I had to in a week that I really did not want to....do with it what you will.
Pope Wolfman I speaks, and thereby bestows upon us the beauteous wonders of his own personal interpretation of scripture, as taught by his own personal church (as yet unnamed).
The Bible teaches to write the Word of God upon your heart. Now, I am not a Bible scholar, but I do read my scriptures and try to keep them in my heart.
Shalom to you.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
As for this Christian's view of the Pope's eternal disposition, it appears that he bore much fruit in his loving life and since I don't believe in his infallibility, I don't believe that he is necessarily condemned by any honest misconceptions that he might have had.
Titus 1
7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
Not so.. Most accurate(and inaccurate) bibles are translated from copies of original manuscipt texts(mostly greek and other languages) not from latin.. the vulgate is the translation of the same..
True Eusebius "canonized" certain books, agreeing with Eusebius on what those book were is not the same as receiving them from him and the organization he belonged to..
For centuries the Roman Catholic church murdered people just for reading scripture.. and LOCKed up scripture into latin that no one but RCC priests even understood(Latin).. It happened.. Its documented (Foxes book of Martyrs) and many other places..
Roman Catholic and so-called Protestant dogma can make one ignorant sometimes.. The Middle Ages was a dark time for all.. some say because the bible was LOCKED UP.. I tend to think there were many reasons for the dark ages.. locking up the bible was only one of them..
Hindsight is 20/20 but to say it didn't happen or not even to know that it DID happen is inexcusable.. Roman Catholics generally have faith in their church not the bible, Protestants generally have faith in the bible not their church.. but christians have faith in God, the bible and church are just freebies from God.. in my experience..
Whos right, correct, accurate.?. I can't say.. except to say, everyone is exactly where they are suppose to be in this sense.. The separating of the sheep from goats continues and you and I are being tested in this way.. The plan is pure genius.. God is a genius..
Is God COOL or WHAT.?.
I figured that and you need to know it has no meaning for me or any other Protestant (at least the conservative ones) when it comes to doctrine we do not follow the doctrine of men.
Well, it's nutty, and I'm having trouble parsing it out. The post seems to say that since Pius XII, there have only been Popes for two short periods, one of about thirty days, and the other for about six months.
I don't understand.
She was chosen. She wasn't required any mystical powers. It wouldn't fit into His overall plan if a betrothed woman or prostitute beared the Son of God. Since God chose her to be the Mother of his only begotten Son, that fully entitled Mary a rightful place in Heaven (This is an example of honoring thy Mother).
Yes, Mary certainly had God's grace, but isn't grace by definition God's undeserved favor? Moses reflected God's glory so much he had to cover his face but no one believes he was without sin.
I'm willing to bet those verses are even in YOUR Bible, presuming you have one.
Yes you do. You follow the doctrines developed by the religious leaders based on biblical interpretation. Every faith tradition does this. And they disagree frequently, which is why there are so many protestant traditions.
But until this moment I have not been bathed in the greatness that is your own personal interpretation of them.
Therefore I could pray that you intercede with the Father for me (and trust me I KNOW I am a sinner), since you would be that much closer to HIM.
Folded hands and bowed head sound like a prayer? I bow my head many times and fold my hands. This does not mean I am praying.
You say it's the doctine of men, we say it's the doctrine of the Apostles, who inherited through Christ and the Holy Ghost. That's as simple as one can summarize the difference.
Then I realized, they do not know what they have left and lost.
Let us ponder
the depths of love
in the promise
given so long ago.
A virgin,
the Virgin,
pure container,
she who stood
in spiritual opposition
to Eve, the one who said NO,
she,
the one who said yes,
A virgin who would conceive
and bear a son.
Emmanuel,
God with us,
miracle of miracles,
that he who was master
emptied himself
to become servant,
incarnation,
taking on of flesh,
feeling our needs,
our pain,
our hopes
our fears
to love,
to suffer,
to die
to save.
Outstretched are your arms,
Beloved Master,
to take us in
in love,
God with us,
now and forever,
Amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.