Dear Saints,

This coming Thursday is the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II. It is the 48th anniversary of his inaugural Mass, at which he proclaimed to the world: “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ!”

For many of us, John Paul II has been one of the most impactful figures of our lifetime. We remember his extraordinary courage, his joy, his unmistakable affection for young people, and his unwavering conviction that every person possesses an immeasurable dignity and purpose. He lived through war, oppression, and the systematic denial of human freedom, yet emerged with a heart that was neither embittered nor scared. He boldly proclaimed the Gospel to every corner of creation, inviting all who could hear to trust God and live into the holiness for which we are made.

As we celebrate St John Paul II’s feast day, it’s worth asking ourselves: have we opened wide the doors to Christ? Is he welcome in every corner of our personal and communal lives? Or are there still spaces that we keep guarded and inaccessible to him and his ways? For most of us, there remain at least some thresholds within our hearts that we don’t particularly want God to cross, and some rooms we would rather he not occupy.

Yet it is precisely there - in the places we are most reluctant to surrender - that he longs to meet us. And as St. John Paul II has shown us, a life fully opened to God is not diminished, dimmed, or robbed of wealth; rather, it is immeasurably larger, richer, and more like the one who seeks to dwell within us.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ