The Pilgrim's Way: The Dignity Of The Human Person

As we prepare for the feast of Saint John Paul II, we invite you to continue on this pilgrimage through our permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II. We hope you will walk through each of the nine galleries with us, so that you can get a taste of the spiritual and informational journey that awaits you here at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.

This week we will explore the sixth gallery: The Dignity of the Human Person. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, and from Him we each receive irreducible worth and dignity. In an increasingly utilitarian world, St. John Paul II tirelessly defended this truth about the person.

The late Holy Father preached a Gospel of Life, calling the Church to defend those like the unborn, the sick, the elderly, and victims of war and genocide. He reminded us to defend and serve every human person as we would Christ, who reveals to us what is truest about man.

So Much Depends On The Young

Saint John Paul II greets young people at World Youth Day Denver, 1993 (CNS Photo / Joe Rimkus Jr.)

Young people from every corner of the world, in ardent prayer you have opened your hearts to the truth of Christ’s promise of new Life. Through the Sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist, and by means of the unity and friendship created among so many, you have had a real and transforming experience of the new Life which only Christ can give. You, young pilgrims, have also shown that you understand that Christ’s gift of Life is not for you alone. You have become more conscious of your vocation and mission in the Church and in the world. For me, our meeting has been a deep and moving experience of your faith in Christ, and I make my own the words of Saint Paul: “I have great confidence in you, I have great pride in you; I am filled with encouragement, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor 7:4).

These are not words of empty praise. I am confident that you have grasped the scale of the challenge that lies before you, and that you will have the wisdom and courage to meet that challenge. So much depends on you.

-Saint John Paul II, World Youth Day Denver, 1993

The Pope's Last World Youth Day

A picture from our permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love.

During this week thirteen years ago, Saint John Paul II led his final World Youth Day in Toronto. The first WYD of the twenty-first century drew 300,000 young people from countries all over the world, and many of the pilgrims were inspired by the aged pontiff—by his witness and his words:

You are young, and the Pope is old, 82 or 83 years of life is not the same as 22 or 23. But the Pope still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young. You are our hope, the young are our hope.

Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.

He reminded the young pilgrims of their mission and purpose and encouraged them all to do their part in building the civilization of love.

St. John Paul II passed from his earthy life on April 2, 2005. His World Youth Day tradition still lives on, though. The next is set to take place in Poland.

Will you be there?

Much of the content for this post was taken from a piece published here in 2012.

Remembering A Legacy

Earlier this spring, Our Sunday Visitor posted an article about the legacy of Saint John Paul II.  While the author admits that she only covers a fraction of his legacy, she does a wonderful job of capturing the impact the late Holy Father made on the Church and the world.

This is something we set out to do in our permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, and today we decided to lay out how we preserve the pieces of our beloved John Paul’s legacy that the author mentions.

Theology of the Body

John Paul II’s anthropology gave the Church a new language with which to address the fallout of the sexual revolution and help Christians recover a sacramental understanding of the world.

World Youth Days

With each successive World Youth Day, Pope John Paul II helped the Church see that it didn’t need to change in order to inspire young people; rather, it needed to challenge young people to change — to be bolder, more faithful and more heroic.

A Second World Youth Day For Poland

Saint John Paul II greets young people at the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver
(CNS photo / Joe Rimkus Jr.) 

The young faithful of Poland celebrated with joy when Pope Francis announced that the 31^st World Youth Day would be held in Krakow. During the late summer months of 2016, thousands of young people will gather in Saint John Paul II’s beloved country in order to celebrate the Love that they all share.

Did you know that this will be the second time that World Youth Day is celebrated in Poland? The 6^th World Youth Day was hosted in Czestochowa, Poland back in 1991.

Led by the theme, “You have received a spirit of sonship” (Rom 8:15), Saint John Paul II said Mass for thousands of youth there on the solemnity of the Assumption. He noted the presence of those from eastern Europe, “a great gift of the Holy Spirit” after the fall of Communism (Weigel, Witness to Hope, 650-651). The patron saint of World Youth Days challenged those and others to work towards building a civilization of love.

In his message for the 6th World Youth Day, St. John Paul II said:

‘Young people, do not be afraid to be holy!’ Fly high, be among those whose goals are worthy of sons and daughters of God. Glorify God in your lives!

Let us join the sainted pontiff in praying for all of those young people preparing for the 31^st World Youth Day in Krakow, that they may glorify God with each day of their lives.

Dignity Of The Human Person

We know that man is made for love, because we know that man is made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). In his 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, Saint John Paul II reflected upon what this means:

Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase.

St. John Paul II spent his entire pontificate defending this truth about man. All human persons—including the poor, the sick, the handicapped, the elderly, and the unborn—are called to the fullness of life.

Traveling With Saint John Paul II

On October 22, the feast of Saint John Paul II, we celebrated by opening our new permanent exhibit.

Titled A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, the exhibit invites pilgrims to explore nine galleries tracing the life, teachings, and legacy of the late Holy Father. The reflective journey consists of unique artifacts, audio-visual components, and engaging interactive displays.

Our interactive displays consist of the World Travels touchscreen seen above and the World Youth Day table seen below.

The World Travels touchscreen highlights the many trips and pilgrimages St. John Paul II made throughout his papacy. Through a six-screen timeline, visitors can learn details about the late Holy Father’s travels. They can see snapshots from his visits and read quotes from speeches he delivered across the globe. Pilgrims can also use a search tool in order to find out whether the great Saint made a trip to their own country.

Prayer Of Mercy For WYD

This morning, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, presented the official prayer and logo for the 31st World Youth Day! The logo, which includes the flame of Divine Mercy, can be seen here. 

World Youth Day 2016 is to be held in Krakow, a city that still remembers the legacy of Polish Saint John Paul II quite well. The official prayer asks for the intercession of the late Holy Father, who is now the patron saint of World Youth Days.

Let us say this prayer, entrusting all people, especially the young, to the warmth of the Lord’s Divine Mercy.

God, merciful Father,

in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love

and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,

We entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.

We entrust to you in a special way

young people of every language, people and nation:

guide and protect them as they walk the complex paths of the world today

and give them the grace to reap abundant fruits

from their experience of the Krakow World Youth Day.

Heavenly Father,

grant that we may bear witness to your mercy.

Teach us how to convey the faith to those in doubt,

hope to those who are discouraged,

love to those who feel indifferent,

forgiveness to those who have done wrong

and joy to those who are unhappy.

Allow the spark of merciful love

that you have enkindled within us

become a fire that can transform hearts

and renew the face of the earth.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us.

St. John Paul II, pray for us.

Self-Gift In Toronto

Even during his last years on earth, when he suffered through illness and old age, Blessed John Paul II continued to give himself. Although travelling takes much energy and mobility, the late Holy Father continued to make his rounds throughout the globe, visiting his people and showing them his love.

One trip he didn’t miss was his pilgrimage to Canada for the 17^th World Youth Day. Here, through his witness and through his words, he encouraged young people to embrace their own character of giftedness and to live lives of service to God and to the world.

In his main homily, Blessed John Paul II said:

The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God's love. It needs witnesses to that love. The world needs salt. It needs you - to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 

… Salt seasons and improves the flavor of food. Following Jesus, you have to change and improve the "taste" of human history. With your faith, hope and love, with your intelligence, courage and perseverance, you have to humanize the world we live in, in the way that today's Reading from Isaiah indicates: "loose the bonds of injustice ... share your bread with the hungry ... remove the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil.... Then your light shall rise in the darkness" (Is 58, 6-10). 

The late Holy Father sheds light on the gifts that each of these young people possesses, and speaks of the necessity of their sharing these gifts with the world in order to make it more human. It is in sharing our gifts that we can add good taste and good flavor to human history, Blessed John Paul II says. 

The Patron Saint of World Youth Days

Pope Francis made an exciting announcement in his 2014 World Youth Day message:

We have seen, then, that the Beatitude of the poor in spirit shapes our relationship with God, with material goods and with the poor. With the example and words of Jesus before us, we realize how much we need to be converted, so that the logic of being more will prevail over that of having more! The saints can best help us to understand the profound meaning of the Beatitudes. So the canonization of John Paul II, to be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, will be an event marked by immense joy. He will be the great patron of the World Youth Days which he inaugurated and always supported. In the communion of saints he will continue to be a father and friend to all of you.

Our beloved Blessed John Paul II will be the patron saint of World Youth Days! This is just one more reason to look forward to his canonization on Divine Mercy Sunday. If you haven’t already, check out the Blessed John Paul II Shrine’s schedule for the canonization weekend.

Blessed John Paul II, Pray for Us!

Pope Francis Decides On World Youth Day Themes

Pope Francis has announced themes for the next three World Youth Days, marking the spiritual preparation that will lead to WYD Krakow in 2016.

The themes are based on the Beatitudes, which comes as no surprise after the Holy Father's words at WYD Rio:

In Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis asked the young people “with all my heart” to read the Beatitudes again and to make them the action plan for their lives: “Look, read the Beatitudes: that will do you good!”

So the theme for the 29^th World Youth Day, 2014 is: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3).

The theme for the 30^th World Youth Day, 2015 is: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Mt 5:8).

Finally, the theme for the 31^st World Youth Day in Krakow is: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Mt 5:7).

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us, and especially for your beloved young people, that they may live the Beatitudes with joy.