When God and His saints visit us, they appear to people. They show up. They don't just leave a note. God likes to work through people, and not through things by themselves -- in this case, a photograph of a moving fire.
Even the greatest of miraculous artifacts -- such as the tilma of Guadalupe -- did not appear alone, without a clear personal visitation: our Lady herself appeared at Guadalupe and spoke to Bl. Juan Diego.
The Shroud of Turin (assuming it is really the burial cloth of our Lord) does not stand by itself. Our faith in the Resurrection doesn't rest on it, but on the testimony of the Apostles and disciples who saw, heard, and touched our Lord after he arose.
It's not surprising that people react this way. He was a beloved figure, and due to the length of his reign the only pope many had known. He is missed, and that comes out in ways like this.
Heck, it's still slightly jolting to hear "Benedict, our pope" at Mass instead of "John Paul"... and it's been more than 2 years.
It's not a miracle, but it is a sweet way to express our nostalgia for the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II.
Why not a miracle?
When God and His saints visit us, they appear to people. They show up. They don't just leave a note. God likes to work through people, and not through things by themselves -- in this case, a photograph of a moving fire.
Even the greatest of miraculous artifacts -- such as the tilma of Guadalupe -- did not appear alone, without a clear personal visitation: our Lady herself appeared at Guadalupe and spoke to Bl. Juan Diego.
The Shroud of Turin (assuming it is really the burial cloth of our Lord) does not stand by itself. Our faith in the Resurrection doesn't rest on it, but on the testimony of the Apostles and disciples who saw, heard, and touched our Lord after he arose.
It's not surprising that people react this way. He was a beloved figure, and due to the length of his reign the only pope many had known. He is missed, and that comes out in ways like this.
Heck, it's still slightly jolting to hear "Benedict, our pope" at Mass instead of "John Paul"... and it's been more than 2 years.