Tony Melendez: Hands in Heaven
Tony Melendez One September evening in 1987, 6,000 youth poured into the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles to meet Pope John Paul II during his pastoral visit that year to the United States. Some 1,200 more youth in St. Louis, Denver and Portland were also assembling in their own cities to witness the event via satellite. Among those to make presentations to the pope was Tony Melendez of Los Angeles, a young man born in Nicaragua in 1962. Melendez was sitting on a little red platform about 20 steps in front of the main stage upon which the pope was sitting. The two sleeves of Melendez's short-sleeve shirt hung empty from his shoulders. He had come into the world without arms. He sat there barefooted before the pope. His guitar lay flat on the platform before his feet. A tremendous sense of excitement filled the amphitheater.
"Holy Father," a young man said into the microphone, "we have a special gift that we would like to present to you." Realizing that the "special gift" was Tony Melendez, the pope focused his attention on the barefooted youth on the platform a dozen yards in front of him. The whole audience did the same.
"Our gift represents courage," the young man said, as he introduced Melendez to the pope. The pope nodded and smiled. Melendez moved his feet up to the strings of the guitar and began strumming. Then, closing his eyes, he sang a simple song called "Never Be the Same," which rose from his heart like a prayer. It included these words:
"Today is like no other day before, And you and I will never be the same. I give you all my love this day and every day, Forever and forever, in our joys and in our pains."
CD Track Listing
Lowly ServantLove is the AnswerHands in HeavenEverybody Sing AlleluiaI'll Be There (When you Need Somebody)I've Been ForgivenTake My HandCast Your NetsI Wish That I Could Hold YouThe Lord Will ComeProducer: Tony Melendez
Co-Producer: Alfredo Matheus
© Angelus Records
