St. John Paul II is one of my favorite saints. Let me tell you why ...
First, because of his loving example and unwavering hope. His love of young people prompted him to be a mentor to them as a professor and priest and later inspired him to found World Youth Day.
His hope in God kept him going through so many difficult moments, from the deaths of his family members and studying in secret for the priesthood to enduring an attempt of his life, combating communism and suffering amid his declining health at the end of his life.
But one important reason he is an example to me, especially as a single Catholic, is because he is a model of forgoing one's own life plans (he wanted to be an actor) for the plans of God: His life duly reflects the truth of Jeremiah 29:11, which reminds us to always have hope.
This year for his Oct. 22 feast day, I have been thinking about my favorite quotes of his. Here are my top 5, focusing on the Christian life, joy, hope and Jesus.
1. "Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure."
How often do we think of it as a joyful journey? John Paul showed how amazing it can be through his life: Following God's call to be a priest eventually led him to the See of Peter.
2. "God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects the original joy that God felt in creating us."
How often do we consciously reflect the joy of knowing God and living our faith to others? The saintly witness of John Paul II proved the truth of this: He was a joyful saint; some of my favorite photos of him show him with a huge smile on his face as he greets the faithful. He always had encouraging words for us, inspiring us to be joyful, too.
3. "What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless."
No matter what is happening in our lives, Jesus loves us. That gives needed perspective to dating woes, daily stress and everything else life brings our way. John Paul showed us that being centered on Jesus leads to holiness and proper perspective.
4. "It is he, Jesus Christ, the true Life, who gives hope and purpose to our earthly existence."
It is so comforting to be reminded that Jesus is our hope and our time on earth has a purpose! Yes, it might be hard at times to figure out our specific purpose moment to moment, but if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, as JP II did, we have nothing to fear in the big scheme of things.
5. "An important day in a young person's life is the day on which he becomes convinced that this is the only Friend who will not disappoint him, on whom he can always count."
It is amazing that Jesus loves us so much! John Paul's gentle holiness showed us this truth.
May his saintly words and witness ever encourage us on our own faith (and life) journeys!
Amy Smith is the associate editor for the National Catholic Register. For John Paul II's canonization in 2014, she reviewed Jason Evert's book, St. John Paul the Great.
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