The message to trust in God, and belief in pilgrimage, of Pope Saint John Paul II. 

“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man’. He alone knows it.”

With these words, Pope John Paul II began his Papacy in October of 1978 following the sudden death of Pope John Paul I.  Invoking Deuteronomy 31:6 (Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee), Saint Pope John Paul II knew the uncertainty and nervousness that the global Catholic faithful felt as he, the first non-Italian in centuries, began his papacy.   

Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, Pope Saint John Paul II was no stranger to adversity, loss and hardship.  His parents and most of his immediate family died at an early age in his life.  As a young seminarian in wartime Poland, he struggled with his fellow countrymen to survive in extraordinarily difficult times.  In post-war Communist Poland as a priest, then bishop and cardinal, he toiled under the restriction and persecution of the Catholic Church.  As Pope, he had to guide his flock through innumerable regional and global crisis and turmoil…and yet through it all, his message “Be not afraid!” shone forth!

It was also through his innumerable pilgrimages to practically every corner of the Earth that we can see these words in action, as a testimony to God’s will that His faithful are witnesses to their times.   As a Christian from Bethlehem district, I will always remember His Holiness’s March 2000 pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the grace, hope and joy he brought with him.  

As the Coronavirus pandemic creates so much difficulty, hardship, loss and uncertainty for all of us, it is important that we remember the words and actions of Pope Saint John Paul II.  

Now is not the time to go on pilgrimage; now is the time for helping ourselves, our families, loved ones, friends and communities come together to withstand the pandemic.  It pains me to no end to see my family and community in Bethlehem suffer under quarantine as a complete shutdown of the Holy Land has ended all pilgrimages and cut off the lifeblood of pilgrimage.  But all of us, here in the United States as well as in the Holy Land, will overcome this test on our Lenten journey through prayer and community.  And when the time is right, we will once again go on the “Fifth Gospel” of pilgrimage. 

In the coming weeks and months we will be running a series of blogs to highlight all the places that I hope to bring you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, on pilgrimage in the coming days.   So let us begin that journey together with our beloved Pope Saint John Paul II’s words…. 

Be Not Afraid! 

Good Shepherd Travel offers pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, Ireland, and many other places. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage later in 2020 or in 2021, contact Good Shepherd Travel  info@goodshepherdtravel.com. We will return to pilgrimages – and we hope to see you with us!