I Have Looked For You

The gifts under your tree may be gone, but the spirit of Christmas continues as the Church prepares to celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. We remember the magi of the east who travelled a great distance in order to adore the Christ child and present Him with gifts of great value.

In a 1979 address to young people, Saint John Paul II suggested that each person learn from the pilgrim kings, adopting the same attitude of adoration and giving. The late Holy Father said:

…modern man—the modern youth—meets God when he opens up to him with the interior gift of his human “ego,” to accept and reciprocate the immense gifts which he bestowed, in the first place: the gift of existence, the gift of the Redemption, the gift of the Faith.

All that is in us as persons is given to us by God, and here John Paul II encourages us to give it all back to the Father who loves us. Here, at the beginning of his pontificate, he spoke of life as a gift of love. In his humility, St. John Paul II probably didn’t know that his own life would be held up as model of how this can be done.

Through a series of posts here on Open Wide the Doors, we will begin to explore the themes present in our exhibit on the life and legacy of the late Holy Father. Titled A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, the 16,000 square foot exhibit inspires pilgrims to learn more about the great saint and to imitate his life of gift.

The day he died, John Paul II said this short prayer:

            I have looked for you, and you have come to me. Thank you.

Like the magi, St. John Paul II sought the light of Christ. Jesus gave everything to him, and so he gave everything back, gratefully allowing the Lord to live in him. This is sanctity, and this is what the late Holy Father spent his entire pontificate inviting the faithful to do.

The Saint John Paul II National Shrine invites all pilgrims to come venerate this great saint of our times. We invite all to come and learn more about John Paul II’s gift to humanity, to the Church, and to God.

Please join us here in the coming weeks as we continue to explore the themes of our permanent exhibit. As you learn more, prayerfully consider a pilgrimage to see these themes come to life yourself.

St. John Paul II, Pray for Us!