This National Public Radio story — pegged to the late Pope John Paul II‘s upcoming beatification — looks at an inexplicable cure in Washington state and whether it should be considered a miracle. Strong detail on the Vatican process for confirming miracles on the road to canonization. And to me, a familiar voice in the story: Father Kurt Peter Gumpel, a senior member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican. He was a patient and insightful source for me in 2006.

One error in the NPR story as reported: beatification is not the first step toward canonization, it is the next to last step (there are at least three or four prior steps).

Three years years, I was fortunate to have a commentary aired on National Public Radio. The 3-minute audio essay is here. It aired just three days before the canonization of Padre Gaetano Catanoso. As luck would have it, a literary agent in California was listening, and before too long, I was at work on a book. A miracle? My mother has always thought so!

Driving home from work yesterday, I caught this commentary on NPR by my friend, Father Jim Martin, a Jesuit priest in New York City, the best-selling author of “My Life with the Saints,” and an all-around great guy. The commentary, delivered in his bright and engaging style, celebrates his 20 years as a Jesuit, and most tellingly, addresses the issue of chastity. It’s less than three minutes long and well worth listening to.