When Carmel McEnroy interviewed the women who attended the Second Vatican Council for her book, Guests in Their Own House, the coffee bars emerged as an issue of contention with each one.

This was no matter of sugar or creamer, decaf or latte. The decorations were lovely: silk in papal hues and flowers, alongside coffee, hot milk and pastries. It was essential fare for the laity present, who would not have had breakfast prior to the conciliar Mass. (One assumes that the bishops each said a private Mass early and ate before the sessions began.)

(Ignatius Press, translated by Boleslaw Taborski, 1992. 125 pp., $14.95)

Pope John Paul II’s first words as pope were, “Be not afraid!” The Jeweler’s Shop: A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony Passing on Occasion into a Drama presents marriage as fearless, heroic love in the face of individualistic modern philosophies. From his youth through his years as the bishop of Krakow, the future pope acted, directed, translated, and authored plays and dramatic criticism, bringing to life the ideals he cherished.

This play was first published in 1960 under Bishop Wojtyla’s pen name, Andrzej Jawien. The plot revolves around a jeweler and the wedding rings in his reflective display window. Three married couples, one for each act, think out loud rather than interacting with one another. Memory and current events mix as they do in our own thoughts. A chorus emphasizes important points, while the virtues and flaws of the couples and their love are revealed as through a jeweler’s eye piece.