John Paul the GREAT!

"John Paul the GREAT!"

www.reverbnation.com/play_now/5797863 for "Rock and Boat (Boat of Peter)"
www.reverbnation.com/play_now/4634250 for "Peter the Rock"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GovEYN2NtRc for a 'muvee' photo version of "Peter the Rock"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwLKACz1YZA for live concert dance video of "Peter the Rock"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayGb3rlsFQQ for raw concert video of "Rock and Boat..."

My wife and I have spent time the past two days watching the lead-up to the beatification ceremony for John Paul.  Seeing all the cuts of this master communicator with his depths of prayer humbled us deeply at how God's Mercy reached out to us all through him.  Several of us in the group have been touched pretty directly in several ways.  Jim and Danny's brother, the aptly named Peter, got to meet him several times up close.  Below we will mention the song, "Peter the Rock".  His effect on our music and ministry is probably incalculable.  His mission to "Open wide the doors to Christ!" was exactly what we - and the world - needs.

"The Great" is an 'unofficial' title but it comes unanimously and unbidden, an instance of that 'vox populi' which speaks as the voice of God.  (The other "Great" Popes were Leo who stared down Atilla, Gregory who gave us the Calendar and the Chant among many other things and Nicholas, whose missionary zeal changed the world.)  The Holy Spirit filled the future Benedict XVI when he called him "great" in that first speech and the crowd swelled and called for the immediate recognition of what God had wrought.  He was a providential comet streaking across the sky of the world, especially in his holiness even more than his ample natural gifts and his affect upon history.

This week, in honor of all this,I put out "Peter the Rock" as a free download on a special platform on FaceBook.  (There is an earlier post talking about that song and how John Paul accepted and blessed it.)  I would also point out "Rock and Boat (Boat of Peter)" which was also written partially as a reaction to the election of the Great Polish Pope.  St. John Bosco had a dream foreseeing a Council in the mid-20th century and a great storm buffeting the Boat of Peter, but that the Pope would firmly retie the Boat down in the midst of the storm.  There's no doubt in my mind that John Paul the Great was that Pope of the 20th century. (You can see on the blog an entry where I translated this song INto Latin using Google translate! 

"Navigatio est! Navigatio est! Navigatio est!
Est aeternum navigasse mari

Nauigamus! Nauigamus! Nauigamus!
Nauigamus in aeternum mari

Nauigamus! Nauigamus! Nauigamus! Nauigamus!")

I feel like we ARE sailing on the Eternal Sea on a Boat Christ built!! Let us celebrate this very special Divine Mercy Sunday!

Peace & Love & JOY,
Mark Lajoie!