May Day

When I got up this morning I found that Pope Benedict XVI was about to beatify  Pope John Paul, sending him one step closer to possible sainthood (Beatification is the first major milestone on the path to possible sainthood, one of the Catholic Church's highest honors. A second miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession is needed for him to be canonized).

1.5 million people showed up at the Vatican Mass.

I thought about Saints that had been significant in my life.

St. Louis (where my wife went to school).

St. Andrews (Scotland and Tennessee, the former where I hope to golf and the latter where I hope to never break down),

St. Joseph’s Hospital (where I was taken when I broke my ankle),

St. Francis (my favorite hotel in San Francisco),

St. Thomas (where I made some very good purchases when the Princess ship stopped there),

And finally, the New Orleans Saints surprising 31-17 win over the Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl that won me a dollar. Come to think of it, that might qualify as John Paul's second miracle.

I have determined, unfortunately, that I will never qualify for Sainthood.  Saint Thérèse of Lisieux became a saint as a contemplative in total obscurity, whereas Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta became a saint accompanied by international fame and very public works. Both attained the prerequisites for sainthood while alive, but with different works.

I am not going to say I cannot be sainted because I am Jewish. I flunked the first characteristic required: humility. That still may not disqualify me (I am after all, me). But the fact is, I have not been dead long enough.

Sorry. I’ve got to go now. I have an appointment with a dog breeder to look at a puppy. He’s a St. Bernard.