Another little story I'd like to share! 20 years ago tomorrow I was in the vatican in an auditorium packed full of people from all over the world waiting for the pope to attend and hear presentations from various groups. The previous day I had been best man at my friend's wedding and he and his new wife had received tickets to meet and receive the pope's blessing. I and the bridesmaid had gone along for the experience of even seeing him at a distance. My friend and his wife were sitting near the front of the auditorium and I was in the next row behind them, the bridesmaid had somehow lost her seat in the crowds and was seated some distance away. Pope John Paul 2 was a little late in arriving so I though it would be a good time to pray the rosary and I tapped my friend and asked them to join. They however had other things on their mind so I decided to say it quietly to myself. Some time later when all the groups had given their presentations to JP2, an usher announced that the married couples who had tickets to come forward and were to be admitted to a special room to meet the pope. My friend and his wife showed their tickets and disappeared into a room. I was standing, ready to leave when an usher approached me and asked "where is your partner?" I pointed her out to him and he gave instructions to another usher who took her by the arm and they escorted both of us into the room with the married couples . We ended up next to my friend and his wife! We said nothing! JP2 started at the opposite end of at approx 15 couples and slowly made his way towards us. Upon reaching us, he put our hands together and placed his on top and prayed that we would have a long and happy life together! My "partner" (whom I had only met the day before) blurted out, "but we're not married!" The pope took a step back and looked us up and down and then said, "but how did ye get in?" We explained the ushers had made a mistake. A priest who I knew from the Irish college was present and heard the interaction between us and later remarked the pope must have thought, "here were two chancers who were living together and wanted the go ahead." I have often thought of that day and I feel it was all the work of Our Lady! I have the pics on my wall to remind me too!
Jp2 always struck me as a man with the very Polish habit of not being afraid to speak his mind. I remember watching the shots of him visiting Maynooth seminary and the students stamping their feet in the Church and cheering and clapping. He was just FURIOUS you see it from the pictures, he looked like his head was going to explode. I kinda like this trait; of being ready to speak out. It reminds me of Padre Pio who chased people many a time fro the confessional with very direct words. It seems to me the fault of our age is not to have plain speaking but to avoid it at all costs. Jesus Himself of course was a plain speaker.
