A Tribute to The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI
Message: “But, let there be one flock and one Shepherd.”
The world has got a Pope anew!
His name is Joseph Ratzinger;
On April, twenty-fourth, Sunday,
He’s duly installed as the Pope,
Successor to Pope John Paul II.
A German cardinal old-aged,
A Theologian ’yond compare;
A man of wisdom, silver-haired,
A conservative of the Church,
He said Inaugural Mass that day.
St. Peter’s Square was thronged by crowds
Of people of all ages, sex-
That numbered five lakhs from countries,
To witness his Investiture:
A life-time’s rare phenomenon!
Yes, Heads of States and religious;
The clerics and the laity too;
Representatives from many lands;
Some curious tourists and Faithful,
Dignitaries and pilgrims too,
Had jubilantly gathered here.
And Benedict, the XVI stood,
All dressed in cassock of pure white;
With face akin a beaming sun,
He blessed the flock that vouched support,
Became their new Shepherd of love!
A Pallium of finest wool,
With five red crosses and three nails
Just like the wounds of Jesus Lord;
A ring with St.Peter, as fisherman-
A Mitre and a Staff- he got!
Oh, what a glorious sight indeed!
All flower-decked and incensed air;
Heavenly scene on earth for once;
The sheep in finest attire-
They came to greet the new Shepherd!
The Pope then said a Latin mass-
A language of the Vatican;
With Gospels in Latin and Greek;
Pope’s homily that took an hour!
The patient crowds turned ecstatic!
Pope’s Homily in Italian:
Assuming an enormous task, he said,
“I’ll do the Will of God and not my own;
I ask for prayers from you, one and all;
I reach out to believers and to Jews,
And non-believers- ‘Listen to God’s word’;
The Lord will guide me from now on;
I’m but a weak servant of God;
My special greetings to all who will share
This great spiritual heritage.
But, let there be one flock and one Shepherd.”
The Mass went on to Holy Communion;
The priests went to the pilgrims to give it;
Applauses loud interrupted his speech;
The crowds waved flags to the new Pope
As he traveled amidst them in a jeep!
The luckier ones had a glimpse of the Pope;
The others took his photographs;
Some viewed him through binoculars;
The billion Catholics watched him by TV;
The Pope then blessed the pilgrims and his flock.
Some viewed him rather too skeptically,
Afraid of his orthodoxy dogmas;
The earlier Pope had not answered
Some modern problems that world faced;
How will he deal with Abortion,
Gay- marriages and Condom use,
Women as priests, homosexuality?
But time will tell whether this Pope
Will change the world, better the Church;
Some things can ne’er be compromised;
The Shepherd loves his flock, no doubt;
The flock must heed his word-’Follow’.
The Shepherd searches for lost sheep;
With him as guide, ‘Don’t be afraid.’
poem by John Celes
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The World Gets a New Pope! - (a prose poem)
Death spares no one!
Death spares no earthling!
Death spares no human being!
Death cuts the thread of life certainly;
And the Pope is no exception!
Pope John Paul II is no more!
The old shepherd had finally passed away;
He was eighty-four when he died;
He fell ill twice quite seriously;
He was Pope for nearly 26 years!
He was the ‘most traveled Pope’ and was a Poet too!
And he stood steadfast in all his spiritual endeavors;
He braved ‘the storms and calmed the seas that tried to capsize the Roman Catholic Ship’!
He led His flock to the Rock!
But some sheep did stray away;
Some had lost their faith;
Some went in search of ‘greener grass in newer meadows’;
But these were the souls which were dissatisfied, distraught and diseased!
A new Shepherd had been finally chosen!
Holy smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney!
On three occasions, it remained black!
The anxious flock stayed back in St.Peter’s Square, all day and night!
They prayed fervently to God to give them a new Shepherd soon;
But each time they saw the black smoke, their hearts filled with sadness;
Yet, their faith never dithered;
The Holy Spirit would answer their prayers fast;
The Holy Spirit had never failed them in the last 2000 years after Jesus Christ!
He had always provided a new Pope whenever the earlier one died;
The people waited anxiously with hope in their hearts that were
already saddened by the demise of Pope John Paul II.
And Lo! There was the smoke again!
But this time, it was white;
The burning of the ballot papers caused the smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney!
And it billowed up into the heavens!
And it was confirmed by the peeling of bells loudly.
A NEW POPE HAD BEEN CHOSEN!
The audio-visual effect was superb;
The flock cheered and sang thanks-giving hymns to the Lord;
They were jubilant and in ecstasy;
The air was rent with ‘Alleluias’!
The Holy Spirit had once more wrought a miracle;
A new Pope had been selected by the secret conclave of 115 cardinals.
God never abandons nor forsakes his flock!
Joseph Ratzinger, a German was the new Pope!
In thirty minutes, he chose the name of Benedict XVI.
He had served as Dean of the College of Cardinals for nearly twenty years earlier;
He was a man of great wisdom;
He was a great Philosopher, Professor of theology and an erudite scholar;
He had stunned the world with his orthodox, traditional approach;
He was simple and understanding, healthy and ever ready for dialogue with other religious leaders;
He was perhaps the best among the rest to lead the Church, in the new millennium;
He would lead the flock of more than a billion Roman Catholic people for the next few years on ‘their road to Heaven’!
‘Hope was reborn in the form of a new Pope’
The new Shepherd would tend to his flock and know each sheep by its name!
And they too would know their Shepherd’s voice and follow his footsteps without any hesitation on ‘The Road to Heaven’!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 21-4-2005
poem by John Celes
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The Pope in US
(A poetic gist by Dr John Celes, India)
A historical moment for the world;
Pope 265 set foot on US soil;
Pope Benedict XVI was his name
The Apostle of peace and human rights;
He planned his itinerary with shrewdness;
He touched upon all themes that plague the world;
He brought the only hope to US- Christ;
‘With faith, let’s encounter the living God.’
He timed his visit when he thought most fit;
‘Humanism must be revived quickly.’
Modern world dabbled with key issues now.
The foundation of faith was in doldrums.
The heart of man could not be won by war;
For lasting peace, dialogue was needed;
He left his mark, indelible behind;
America could not forget the Pope!
The Gentle Giant spoke in candid terms;
The world cannot rely on human strength;
The help of God was needed doubtlessly;
He brought to US blessings from heaven!
The nation’s heart and mind was enraptured;
They heard the Pope’s message most lovingly;
God’s humble servant made them even laugh;
All human life was sacred until death!
All Catholics were directed to follow
The teachings of the Holy Catholic Church;
They should reflect their faith in daily lives;
And leaders weren’t exception to this rule.
Human sexuality was sacrosanct;
All clerics must be pure in heart and soul;
Few good priests were better than many bad;
The Church and world were at cross-roads today!
Society’s foundations were crumbling fast!
Good families formed framework of the church;
Morality couldn’t be thrown to the winds;
Freedom entailed preserving one’s virtues.
Vicar of Christ- the Pope lauded US;
‘May God bless America even more! ’
Americans should set an example
In earthly life to others in the globe!
Prez Bush saw God very eyes of Pope!
Pope came to feed those souls hungry for God;
He prayed terrorists’ hatred hearts too change;
Love was the one weapon to win all wars!
The world was glad to see Pope in US!
May be, God would do miracles through him;
‘The sheep were happy with their Good Shepherd! ’
May be, the world would make a new beginning!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 4-22-2008
poem by John Celes
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Ballad: Pope Benedict XVI in US,2008
The Apostle of peace had come:
Pope Benedict by name;
To US, where he was welcome,
With missionary aim.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
In doldrums lies, world of today;
Man’s faith in God is weak;
Most think that science has final say;
So, God, most men don’t seek.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
The family in danger lies;
Now love does not prevail;
As virtues are replaced by vice;
And freedom blows like gale.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
The quest for God is dying fast;
Rely men in own toil;
‘The mole is mound’- all sins of past!
Man’s soul is on the spoil.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
With fervent prayers, send your pleas,
To God who is above;
The caring God will surely ease
Your problems, with great love.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
Encounter living God in life;
Blessings will follow then;
God cares for you in any strife;
Keep eyes upon Heaven.
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
Though holy is matrimony,
And sacrosanct is sex,
Man sins for sake of more money,
In ways that all can vex!
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
Like love of God that radiates,
Let man’s heart do like-wise;
Let’s take the narrow road to Gates
Of Heaven; Be soul-wise!
‘Let faith in earthly life, God find;
Christ is the only hope,
For modern world, and all mankind, ’
Said Benedict, the Pope.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 4-23-2008
poem by John Celes
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Pope John Paul II (A Biography Poem Sequence-3)
Faith of the Millennial Pope: contd
No papal word touches man’s heart,
Howev’r appealing, full of art,
Unless refined by grace of God,
And blessed by Christ himself, the Lord.
The pope did therefore meet his sheep,
To pray for them and even weep,
Converting souls through God’s own grace,
And throwing queries on their face!
To him, man’s faith was number one;
All things were next under the sun;
His moments with the people meant,
Reconciling with transcendent!
His motorcade was majestic –
The moments inspiring, magic;
His rendezvous with God’s creatures
Gave occasion for great lectures!
Each moment was a bolt from blue;
Lost sheep to God, the pope would woo;
The moment was mystical too;
To souls, much goodness, it would do.
The pope shared his testimony;
That didn’t stem from greed of money;
The pope bore witness to his faith;
‘God only changes sinner’s fate’.
His heart was Catholic, fierce and true;
By quest for truth, he would move, do;
Miracles did happen in life;
Both faith and tongue worked like a knife!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 12-01-2009
poem by John Celes
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Commanders Of The Faithful
The Pope he is a happy man,
His Palace is the Vatican,
And there he sits and drains his can:
The Pope he is a happy man.
I often say when I'm at home,
I'd like to be the Pope of Rome.
And then there's Sultan Saladin,
That Turkish Soldan full of sin;
He has a hundred wives at least,
By which his pleasure is increased:
I've often wished, I hope no sin,
That I were Sultan Saladin.
But no, the Pope no wife may choose,
And so I would not wear his shoes;
No wine may drink the proud Paynim,
And so I'd rather not be him:
My wife, my wine, I love, I hope,
And would be neither Turk nor Pope.
poem by William Makepeace Thackeray
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Not Topless In The Vatican
Not topless in the Vatican,
a woman tried
to topple Benedict. You can
my words deride
because I was misreading “topples”
to signify
the revelation of her nipples.
You wonder why?
If such mistakes make you annoyed,
please do not whip
this poet, for it’s Sigmund Freud
who caused the slip.
Among the Pope’s fine homilies,
“Be vigilant”
applies to such anomalies.
Be diligent!
Rachel Donadio (NYT, December 25,2009) reports how a woman caused Pope Benedict XVI to topple after jumping the barriers of St. Peter’s on Christmas Eve. The headline of her article is “Woman Topples Pope at Mass, But He Isn’t Hurt”) . I misread the headline as saying “Topless Woman at Mass”. Intrigued by my error I asked Linda to glance at the headline, and she made the same slip. WE both made the same Christmas midrash.
ROME — Pope Benedict XVI delivered his traditional Christmas blessing on Friday after an “unbalanced woman” jumped the barriers in St. Peter’s Basilica and knocked him down as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday. The pope quickly got back on his feet after the incident and celebrated Mass before thousands of the faithful, urging them in his homily to become “truly vigilant people.” Television images showed a woman in red leap toward Benedict,82, as he began to walk up the central aisle, as the police and bodyguards scrambled to his aid. The woman also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, said a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Cardinal Etchegaray,87, fractured his hip and will be operated on at Gemelli hospital in Rome, Father Lombardi said Friday, according to The Associated Press. Father Lombardi identified the woman as Susanna Maiolo,25, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems, The Associated Press reported. He said Ms. Maiolo, who was not armed, was taken to a clinic for necessary treatment. She was the same woman involved in a similar incident at last year’s Midnight Mass, Vatican officials said.
12/25/09
poem by Gershon Hepner
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Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.
quote by Pope Benedict XVI
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.
quote by Pope John XXIII
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We were looking for a 'good shepherd,' and instead we got a German shepherd.
quote by Pope Benedict XVI
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.
quote by Martin Luther
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mea Culpa'd
Crusades, blood libels, inquisitions and conversions that were forced,
indifference to the blood of helpless Jews spilt in the holocaust,
a litany of crimes for which the Pope should use his bully pulpit,
and yet equivocates while in denial, hardly mea culpa’d,
will be forgotten soon, because the mantra never to forget
itself will be forgotten and the crimes of Nazi will be set
aside, diminished in importance by great other acts of genocide
and claims they never happened to six million, and the Jews just lied.
Pope John Paul II has expressed condemnation regarding the acts of the Church against the Jews but has failed to admit that the responsibility was not that of individual Catholics but of the Church. Furthermore, he maintains an eerie silence about the passive role that the Church as a whole, as Pope Pius XII in particular (whom he wishes to canonize) played during the Holocaust.
I wrote the first quatrain on 3/14/00 and the second on 2/10/-0, compiling my poems on the Shoah.
3/14/00,2/10/09
poem by Gershon Hepner
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If someone had told me I would be Pope one day, I would have studied harder.
quote by Pope John Paul I
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The new pope knows that his task is to make the light of Christ shine before men and women of world - not his own light, but that of Christ.
quote by Pope Benedict XVI
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sonnet: Lord Jesus Christ - the Good Shepherd
Christ Jesus Lord is Good Shepherd - the one,
Who is ready to sacrifice His life,
For sake of sheep He leads, and He is Son
Of God, Redeemer and saves all from strife!
Christ gave His life upon the cross for all,
And shed His blood as price for mankind's sins,
So that the penitent can hear God's call,
And enter heaven with pure soul and wins.
The Good Shepherd has other sheep to lead,
For they too heed His call and follow Him;
For all His sheep in flock one, need to feed,
Returning safely when the light turns dim!
Christ is the owner of the flock of sheep;
With Good Shepherd around, no wolves dare peep!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 28-04-2012
poem by John Celes
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I Just Wanted to Get Your Opinion
What do you think about the Pope?
And the...
Influence of the church,
These
Days...?
HEY! ?
I just wanted to get your opinion.
I did not mean to chase you away.
Oh well.
Geeessshhh...
Is it 'that' bad?
I heard about the exorcisms.
But my goodness!
Impeaching a Pope?
What is going on inside that place?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Sheep
'Sheep! why don't you follow me? '
Shouted the Shepherd to his flock of three
Where I lead you, you are supposed to follow
In the desert, through the forest, or in a hollow,
I will never, ever deliberately steered you wrong
If only you will listen to me and follow me along
Your safety and happiness is my main concern
So the path we take is from the one I did learn,
With my staff in hand I will lead the way
And I hope from me that you will never stray
As there is so much danger in this world of ours
So for your safety and from my leadership, I am in charge,
'I am your shepherd and you are my flock! '
Screamed the Shepherd as he then got lost
I have taken a different road than what I've taken before
Even though against this road I had cursed and swore,
But I thought the road was safer and easier to take
You must believe my thinking, I made no mistake
This time though I had listen to the advice of others
But now I see the mistake, if only I had my druthers,
Trust in me again, and we will find the correct path
And please forgive my directions and my earlier wrath
Lets just finish our journey and do not lose faith in me
Spoke the Shepherd, to his sheep of three.
poem by Randy McClave
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Once Pope Under Jevais Resolvd To Adventure
Once Pope under Jevais resolvd to adventure
& from a Good Poet Pope turnd an ill painter
So from a Good Painter Charles Jervais we hope
May turn an ill Poet by living with Pope
Then Each may perform the true parts of a friend
While each will have something to blame or commend
poem by Thomas Parnell
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While we are the Pope we'll pontificate; who knows if we'll be Pope another time.
The Shepherd
The shepherd goads his sheep by staff,
And leads them on to pastures green,
Instructing them to watch for wolves
That come in sheep-skin, in their midst!
The shepherd knows each sheep by name,
And calls them sweetly when they stray,
Or when they near the ledge atop
A valley deep or hill-side steep!
The sheep too know their shepherd's call,
And graze on meadows, keeping near;
They know he is their protector,
And will save them at any cost!
How safe it is when shepherd's near!
No sheep can ever lose its way;
The shepherd takes care of the flock,
But cannot bear to see one, lost!
Dedicated to Rev. Fr. Xavier Claudius, Parish Priest,
Holy Family Church, Perundurai, by his beloved parishioners
Copyright by Dr John Celes 31-05-2012
poem by John Celes
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The Pope And Tiger Woods
The Pope dies on the very day
that Tiger Woods is whisked away,
their souls rise to the distant skies
where they soon meet with a surprise.
Administrative bungling can
affect in many ways a man,
the Pope (with nothing to repent)
was quickly to the Devil sent.
While Tiger passed the Pearly Gate
where he soon found a golfing mate.
The error was discovered though
St. Peter sent a note below
and told the Devil to release
the Holy Man, and promptly please.
The Devil liked the gentle tone
and put down his red Nokia phone,
next day the Pope was sent to Heaven
at fifteen minutes to eleven.
He met, halfway that Tiger bloke
who looked dejected, sad and broke
he said dear Sir, I'm truly sad
that clerk, he must have been quite mad,
I do belong of course in Hell
and you in Heaven, Sir, be well.
The Pope said son I am excited
and glad this mix-up now is righted,
and Virgin Mary....I can't wait!
Said Tiger, sorry one day late.
poem by Herbert Nehrlich
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