Читать книгу Soli Deo Gloria - M.T. Augustine - Страница 8

He was always reading; because he believed “seek and ye shall find” was a true statement, otherwise why would Jesus who was at the least, the greatest philosopher of all time, have used it. In Rome he was reading Joseph Murphy and Ernest Holmes and Fenwick Holmes.

He remember one night sitting at the base of one of the great columns in the deserted square; it was late, after midnight or one; and he was returning late to his hotel which was only a couple of blocks from the Basilica; the Holy Father’s light was still on; he was probably still working; so here he was; wherever you find yourself, there you are; what kind of miracle was this? He alone sitting on one side of this wonderful square, and on the other side across from him, the Pope of Rome; considering his history this was in his mind a miracle; he was amazed and could hardly believe where he was; (as a boy he could never have imagined such a thing) and then, in what he found an amazing manner, as if to confirm his presence in this Holy Place; a shadow like the image of the Holy Father walked in front of light in the room which was traditionally the Pope’s; and the shadow crossed the room. His first thought was; I must be seeing things; and then the shadow crossed back across the room; as though it has retrieved what it sought. Well, he thought I had better get some rest, because I am probably starting to hallucinate. He had not seen the Holy Father on this visit; usually he tried to attend some public appearance; but this time, he had been in Rome for a week; and vaguely thought the Pope was perhaps at Castle Gandolfo; but here he was sure he had seen the shadow of the Pope; and like the person in the Bible, thinking all would be well if she could just touch the cloak in the crowd; he knew that this image, just the shadow was special, and all he really needed for this moment to be true and wonderful and blessed. The next morning the registration person at the hotel called him and told him the Pope would appear on his balcony at noon. This was his last day in Rome for this visit; so this would be a kind of culmination for this trip. As a child he had heard so much of Rome; and now he was here; seeing the Pope; God was showering him with blessings.