The following text is excerpted from Bishop Malooly’s homily April 27 at St. Hedwig Church in Wilmington, where he celebrated a Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday commemorating the canonizations that day of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.
It’s very moving for me to see so many of Polish descent because John Paul was not only a great leader, he was almost a savior to his people. A sign of hope when there was not hope, a sign of love and he had a real sense of strength and confidence, which is not unlike you as people.
So it’s great to see so many of you here today to celebrate the canonization of both men [Popes John XXIII and John Paul II].
I like to think of this time of the year as the second season. Salvation history was a long stretch leading up to Jesus. With Jesus, we had his public ministry; we had the time after he rose, the time he spent with his disciples during the Easter season, and the third season began at Pentecost and continues today, the coming of the Spirit, the growing of the church. Read more »