Inner Structure
I recently came across an excerpt from a conference Cardinal Stanislas Dziwisz gave at the University of Lublin in 2001. Dziwisz, who had been John Paul II’s private secretary, recalled the aftermath of the assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square on 13 May 1981. Rushed to the Gemelli Hospital John Paul II was instantly submitted to surgery while the world held its breath and the whole Church prayed. When after some days the pope regained consciousness, opened his eyes, and prepared to speak, everyone was expectant. What profound mystical utterance would he make, after standing on the threshold between life and death? Dziwisz says that his first words were: ‘Have we said Compline?’ I find this a touching testimony. It shows the extent to which the inner life of this great Christian, artist, intellectual and statesman, was structured by the prayer of the Church; and is an incentive to remain radically faithful to it, certain that it will provide the nourishment needed for whatever task providence assigns us.
