Sainthood? Well, far be it for me to say "it ain't so"!!

Having grown up as a Roman Catholic, I have to ask myself, "Is this for real?" with some serious contemplation. Well, I really don't know, but Sister Marie Simon Pierre (photo left) looks like a lovely and honest woman who is clearly not trying to make a name for herself -- indeed, she has tried to remain in the background from about the time she was cured of Parkinson's Disease. She was a "groupie," so to speak, of the late Pope and a very humble one at that. As for the miracle, well she was "cured" of Parkinson's Disease after her community of nuns and herself prayed one evening shortly after Pope John Paul II's death.

The various documents that "prove" the miraculous nature of the cure -- before-and-after x-rays and other before-and-after proofs, such as her handwriting which went from unreadable to almost perfect and a left arm that hung limp before and is strong and healthy today are enough evidence for this old curmudgeon to at least suspect that Jesus Christ (my personal Savior) was involved in some manner and that it could very well be (in some way) connected to the late Pope John Paul II.

For the record, the nun is a member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood in Aix-en-Provence in southeast France ... and me? Well, I attend a Baptist church just around the corner whose pastor might or might not agree with the Vatican's ultimate decision.

And also for the record, I am reasonably convinced about the miraculous nature of Sister Marie Simon Pierre's healing -- although I'm a skeptic by nature.

Of course, it's up to the Roman Catholic church to go through some beatification "process" for Pope John Paul II (below right) about which I know very little so as to create a "Saint" out of him ... but I'm willing to state up front that "Jesus cures!" and don't really worry too much about what the Vatican comes up with ... one way or the other.

Hurray for Jesus! What a nice gift for Holy Week.