Monday, December 23, 2924: We remember John Poole

John Poole passed on Sunday, December 22, 2024

Dear Sisters and Brothers of Emmaus: John Pool quietly passed away yesterday afternoon in his apartment on Sonoma Avenue. His death occurred at the same time we were celebrating our liturgy where we lifted him up in our hearts remembering the passing of the baskets, and his generosity to our community and to so many communities around the world. 

John had a sense of deep commitment to humanity. He was resilient in the face of adversity and ever so very kind at the same time. He lived a life as a mendicant dedicating his energies to promoting peace and ending world poverty.

And he carried out the task humbly - collecting bottles and cans with the help of friends and neighbors and assistance from local trash bins. John dreamed big and acted locally to sustain his vision of a world without war. He served in Vietnam at the height of the Tet Offensive 1968 – 1969. I think it was that experience made him so determined to be a peacemaker.

John dreamed of ending the Vietnam war, of stopping nuclear proliferation and all forms of violence. Many demonstrations and 17 fearless arrests followed. At one point a judge told him he would be held in contempt of the court… and John responded in his best nonaggressive tone “I hold the court in contempt.” 

(John and his beloved sister Jeanne who preceeded John in death)

He was creative, envisioning a God “seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.” – a quote from Black Elk. 

The liturgies he, Dan, and Steve crafted were infused with those life-giving teachings.

Here's a sample from their Fathers’ Day Celebration 2020:

Deep within us all lies the dream of a better world; our dream and longing for justice and fairness, harmony and peace, openness and honesty, comfort and warmth, freedom and choice, for light where there is darkness. We dream of people who are always free, like the clouds that fly, full of humanity in the depths of the soul.

Today we are mindful of people all around the world and throughout human history, who have shared this longing; a deep longing that is embedded in our DNA, in our very humanity.It is our human dream, our human song, common to all people.

(John at Emmaus)

And the vision from Black Elk: 

I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about

beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I

saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was

seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the

shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw

that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made

one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one

mighty flowering tree to shelter all children of one mother and one father.

And I saw that it was holy.

John spent time in El Salvador during that country’s sad and terrible civil war. He returned as a volunteer with us to build schools. He was an active member of his apartment community and loved the gardens and the peace they provided. He also loved all of us Sisters and Brothers at Emmaus. 

(Monument to the memory of the children disappeared by the armed forces during the civil war in El Salvador)

He struggled for years with cancer and was determined to celebrate his birthday in October. And then miracles happened and Dan Vrooman stepped up and spent 45 days taking good care of John. It was this experience that showed Dan the true meaning of Agape, pure, true, love. John seemed to recover his vitality and he began eating again. He loved French Fries, gobbled down mashed potatoes and had a special affinity for hotdogs. Last call? Shrimp.

John was blessed with many visitors, many people who came to cheer him up and say goodbye. It’s so appropriate that John died as we were lighting the last Advent candle. He indeed was a shining star who will be greatly missed.

The final blessing from our Emmaus Celebration says it all:

Listen as I call to you through the flutes and chimes of Christmas. 

Listen through the tinsel and the presents, for I am here with you. 

I, Emmanuel, am here.

Remember as you celebrate, Christmas leads to Easter, and Easter leads to now. You are a People for whom I offered my own birth, in order to offer my death. 

You are a People saved from sin and made ready for joy. 

So rejoice this Christmas, not because of the glitter and gold, but because I am present in your needs. I have suffered them and they are now transformed. I have sheltered safely in the cold stable of your world. I am there. And even if sometimes you cannot find me in the midst of your life, I remain with you.

Today is Christmas. Light the candles. They have more right to exist than all the darkness. It is Christmas.