Saint Pope and Saint Pope

We are besides ourselves with glee for the upcoming canonization of both Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. 

If you don't watch the news endlessly crawling across the bottom of the TV screen you may have missed the second miracle for John Paul II coming through.  You may have not even heard about the first miracle.

Let's review. I'll give you a moment to familiarize yourself with the rule book.

Okay...so the the first miracle was a nun with Parkinsons. Her order prayed for the Pope's intercession after he died and Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre was cured of the debilitating disease. I love her name, by the way. Sister Mary Simon Peter in English, so to speak.

Since then we've been waiting for the second miracle. Some saints wait a long time. Some are still waiting. And then last week, here we go!

The actual miracle happened a while back, but it takes time to prove that it actually was a miracle: instantaneous and unexplained.  The doctors have to sign off on it and then the theologians have to examine it.

Our second miracle is a woman from Costa Rica who was cured of a brain aneurysm. It's does involve a talking magazine, but we'll overlook that part.  It wasn't really a talking magazine.  

Florabeth Mora Diaz had just gotten back from her doctor visit with the bad news that her brain aneurysm was incurable and inoperable.  She was feeling pretty low and went in her room to pray. She prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II and she head him say, "Rise, don't be afraid."

Here comes the magazine part. She said that she had returned from the doctor's and watched the beatification ceremony of John Paul II on TV. I suppose that's what gave her the idea to ask him for his intercessory prayers. She heard him talking to her from the cover of a magazine.

" I was surprised. I kept looking at the magazine.  I said, "Yes, Lord", and I got up, " she said.

Her husband was surprised to see her emerge from the bedroom rather chipper.  She told him, "I feel better."  There was a good reason for that. The aneurysm was gone.  Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Vargas said, "What we found remarkable, unbelievable really, was that by November there was absolutely no trace in her brain that she ever had an aneurysm. I had never seen this in my career."

So talking magazine notwithstanding, we do have a miracle here.

Isn't this exciting!  And how wonderful that the person that beatified Pope John XXIII will be canonized along with him. Double bonus.

What will his patronage be? I have always pegged him for the patron saint of people who are looking for one of those really long term jobs, which used to be at the post office. I'm not sure those jobs still exist. 

But obviously he will be the patron saint for Parkinson's sufferers, as he suffered from it himself AND had the miracle nun cure.

We have questions in the queue but today we just want to sit back and enjoy the intercession!