Little has been written about Blessed Pope John Paul II's practice of his vow of Poverty. While reading the book "Why he is a Saint:The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization" by Slawomir Oder with Saverio Gaeta, one aspect of JP2's holiness that deeply moved me was how he lived a simple life even when he became a pope - so simple that it would make the rest of us think twice when we complain that we don't have enough. Sharing with you some anecdotes:
During the war, when Karol Wojtyla worked for a plant called Solvay Plant) in Cracow, his fellow workers noticed that he often arrived at work in the morning without a sweater or overcoat he had been wearing the previous day and when asked why, he always had the same explanation - "I gave it to someone I met on the street who needed it more than I did." His fellow workers would give him something to keep him warm but every time,Wojtyla will keep it only for a short time since he always gives it to someone else.
Even when he became a priest, he would often arrive in Church without a coat or scantily clad as he gives his clothing to people who needs them more than he does. One time, he even gave away his shoes and his sacristan had to lend him his shoes during the celebration of the mass!
And when he was a bishop, there was a time when the soles of the shoes he was wearing had fallen off. He refused to be bought new shoes and insisted on asking the cobbler's opinion to fix them until the cobbler told him - "There is absolutely no way to repair these anymore!" - did he agree to a new pair of shoes.
Then there was this story about his short-lived car. After a visit to a community of Polish emigrants in the US, he received as a gift from them a brand new automobile, a deluxe Ford, which was delivered to him in Cracow. (Then) Cardinal Wojtyla used the car for a while, but shortly decided to replace it with a less ostenatious and cheaper Volga. His colleagues asked him why and here was what he answered - "When they showed me the various models in the car catalogue, I picked the one that seemed the smallest to me. But when I saw it in real life, I realized it was too nice a car for me. And then, when I was on a pastoral visit, I heard one child say to another: 'What car that is!' I want the faithful to remember my visits because of my ministry, not because of the car I arrived in." He traded the car for a Volga and donated the excess money to the poor.
When people give him cash gifts, he automatically gives them to the curia treasurer or a poor person (whoever he meets first) - and this is even without opening the envelope! He also distributes to priests who come to see him at his audiences explaining that they are offerings for the celebration of masses.
One time, when (then) Archbishop Wojtyla celebrated mass at the University of Cracow, the university chaplain gave him a cash offering. Archbishop Wojtyla didn't want to accept the gift but with much prodding by the chaplain, he gave in saying that it will be used to help someone in need. Surprise, surprise - the chaplain later learned that Archbishop Wojtyla sent the money back to the university pastoral office with instructions that it be used to help poor students!
When it comes to clothing, JP2 was very modest - refusing replacement for tattered clothes and always opting to have holes patched. When he was a pope already, there was a time when the nuns taking care of the building where he spent a holiday in, noticed his undergarments were so patched that they were irritating to the skin already so they took the initiative to replace them with new ones. They got gently scolded by the pope and he asked that the new ones be given away!
He owned a single overcoat - it just had a lining that he inserted in the winter and that he removed during spring and autumn. Even when he goes skiing, he wore worn, old overalls. His wardrobe contained only a few cassocks, a single change of trousers and a few shirts!
One year, during summer, since it was hot, he cut the sleeves off. When winter came, the housekeeper, realized this so he went to the bursar and the bursar said they will just buy new long-sleeved shirts. But the housekeeper knew (then) Archibishop Wojtyla well for refusing new clothing so what they did was buy new shirts, soiled them and washed them a few times to make them look used! Haha...
Wojtyla would also tell the housekeeper regularly to give away what he doesn't need. He would tell her - "Go into my bedroom and clean out my personal belongings. I own too many things. Leave the more worn out articles for me and give the better ones to the poor." In reality, there wasn't much to give away because he had very few possessions to begin with (but by his standards, he thinks he does!).
When he became pope, he refused to replace the furniture in his Vatican apartment which had been used by Pope Paul VI and were already tattered. He only said yes to the kitchen and only because for safety reasons.
And here's a story that moved me the most - he once went to a pastoral visit to Brazil. When he met with the faithfuls in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, JP2 was deeply moved by the extreme poverty of one family. He removed the ring from his finger and gave it to the mother of the children. It was the gold ring he had been given by Pope Paul VI when he became a cardinal but he didn't hesitate to give it away because at that moment, it was the most valuable thing he possessed. And for the rest of the visit, he had to borrow the episocopal ring of the cardinal secretary of the state! This reminded me about the Parable of the Widow who gave away her 2 coins - which was all she had.
What a holy man! And the most amazing about him was it wasn't as if he was giving up something or sacrificing anything. Though bare and simple his possessions were, he always thought that he had more than enough to share and give away. :)
"Why he is a Saint:The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization" should be available in all leading bookstores but I got my copy from NBS Best Sellers (National Bookstore) at The Podium, Ortigas, Pasig City. It sells for Php995.
