As the last step before John Paul's II sainthood in the Roman Catholic began to unfold, many speculations and questions are now unraveled. One of which is the so-called inexplicable cure of a French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease, was due to John Paul's intercession with God to perform a miracle. But is this Biblical? Let us see,
I TIMOTHY 2:5 RSV
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Biblically speaking, our intercessor to God is our Lord Jesus Christ. Take note, He is a man and not God, nor God the Son.
According to the Vatican, another miracle will have to be attributed to John Paul's intercession after the beatification in order for him to be declared a saint.
According to the Bible who really performs miracle even during the time of the Apostles, let us see from the teachings of the Apostles,
"And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them." ACTS 19:11-12 RSV
Even with our Lord Jesus Christ,
ACTS 2:22 RSV
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know."
Let us all remember,it is God Himself who performs miracles, He uses instrument.
In spite of rising controversies, the Beatification-related activities began on Saturday night in Rome's Circus Maximus, the sprawling oval used by the ancient Romans for chariot races. An all-night prayer vigil will be held in the oval, during which Normand, Dziwisz and Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the pope's long-time spokesman, will describe their experiences with him.
To many, John Paul's beatification has set a new speed record for modern times, taking place six years and one month after his death on April 2, 2005.
But the thing is, if we are to read a verse from the Bible, it says,
ECCLESIASTES 9:5-6 RSV
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. 6Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in all that is done under the sun."
Meaning, the dead knows nothing so as John Paul who died in 2005.
So if the dead knows nothing, what then can a dead man oppose? While the overwhelming number of Catholics welcome it, a minority are opposed.
For Liberals in the church, they say that John Paul was too harsh with theological dissenters who wanted to help the poor, particularly in Latin America. Some say John Paul should be held ultimately responsible for the sexual abuse scandals because they occurred or came to light when he was in charge.
Ultra-Conservatives say he was too open towards other religions and that he allowed the liturgy to be "infected" by local cultures, such as African dancing, on his trips abroad.
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