I watched Pope John Paul II's funeral on videotape last night, and I would have given much to have been in St. Peter's Square when the pallbearers turned his coffin towards the crowd one last time.
Aside from the spontaneous cascade of tears, and the reverberating avalanche of cheers, I'll bet there was an indescribable electricity in the air that surged from one soul to the next, raising goosebumps and stirring chills of excitement and awe. Even in the flat two dimensions of television, one could feel it. It was an historic moment, undoubtedly a spiritual watershed for everyone present.
Millions of words have been written about John Paul II in the past week, none more substantive than the title link. More commentary here would be superfluous. It's time for the rest of us to take up the rhythm of life again.
As John Paul II would have said, "Rise, let us be on our way."
