...reading Pope John Paul's Homily given at Central Park, Oct. 7, 1995*, wherein his word unique swirled through my head, taking its own cerebral route.

 


WE ARE UNIQUE


We are unique,
you and I, each unto ourselves
as are the jackets of books 
lined within ancient shelves.
We are the stars in the sky
where brilliance dwells.


Each life is a ripple 
whatever we do, even simple acts,
changes the world forever,
changes we cannot retract
Wisely should we live our lives
so our world remains intact.

Each one's unique life
can make a ripple, good or bad...
how we think of or do to our brothers
how we ultimately take care of our land
should be all important to us,
for God's creation we should take a stand.

We are unique,
we have great value and worth;
how we use these values could
protect others from undesired dearth;
let our hearts be filled with a Love
breathed into us at our unique birth


We cannot be  the Rainmaker
 but must avoid being the floodmaker


© Jackie (Micke) Jinks, Feb., 2008


*Man, Unique in the Universe
Pope John Paul II
7 October 1995

"The Spirit of God who, we are told in the Book of Genesis, breathed upon the waters at the very beginning of creation (cf. 1:2), is the same Spirit of life who was breathed into man, so that 'man became a living being' (ibid., 2:7). This is what makes us different from every other creature. In our bodies we are a mere speck in the vast created universe, but
by virtue of our souls we transcend the whole material world. I invite you
to reflect on what makes each one of you truly marvelous and unique. Only a human being like you can think and speak and share your thoughts in different languages with other human beings all over the world, and through that language express the beauty of art and poetry and music and literature and the theater, and so  many other uniquely human accomplishments.

And most important of all, only God's precious human beings are capable
of loving. Love makes us seek what is good; love makes us better persons.
It is love that prompts men and women to marry and form a family, to have
children. It is love that prompts others to embrace the religious life or become
 priests. Love makes you reach out to others in need, whoever they are,
wherever they are. Every genuine human love is a reflection of the Love that
is God himself, to the point where the First Letter of Saint John says:
'The man without love has known nothing of God; for God is love' (4:8). "


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