The late Pope John Paul II was so loved, by so many, including a great number of non-Catholics around the world. The day after Pope John Paul II's funeral, there was a knock at the door and opened it to find our new Pastor, two assistants and a Virgin (I mean Icon) standing outside.
(There was me still unwashed at lunchtime and the next-door neighbour there with his video camera - for reasons I shall no doubt discover later. He is the local mayor's "trusted aide" and the town hall do edit various cultural films. So there goes their reputation!)
Anyway, they were doing door-to-door house blessings and would I like one?
Well, I didn't like to say that this house DESPERATELY needs one, well I did want to say it, but it was probably not the right thing, however, I said they were most welcome, but that I was not a Catholic and did this matter? Apparently not and so ensued a short ceremony where the blessing was said and I crowned the Icon and placed her Rosary in her hands (whilst feeling a right prat.)
(Hey, the Pastor even complimented me on doing so most artistically.)
It wasn't until afterwards when the Pastor chatted with me (partly in English), he told me this very Icon had been blessed by Pope John Paul II himself, crowning her in exactly the same manner.
They also left me with a card showing a photo of the Icon and some photos of Pope John Paul II and, never mind what this means to me religiously (nothing at all), in a sense, I DO feel honoured, or "blessed". It is certainly a moment and a memory I shall treasure.
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