Quotes from Pope John Paul II

Mary is the sure path to our meeting with Christ. Devotion to the Mother of the Lord, when it is genuine, is always an impetus to a life guided by the spirit and values of the Gospel.

There are people and nations, Mother, that I would like to say to you by name. I entrust them to you in silence, I entrust them to you in the way that you know best.

In the Eucharistic Sacrifice the Church venerates the memory of Mary the ever Virgin Mother of God and the memory of Saint Joseph, because he fed Him whom the faithful must eat as the Bread of Life

Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.

Christians, in particular, realize that their responsibility within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an essential part of their faith.

The only way to peace is forgiveness.

There is no true peace without fairness, truth, justice and solidarity.

Another name for peace is development.

Holidays and vacations can help to balance activity with contemplation, haste with more natural rhythms, noise with the heralding silence of peace.

There is no peace without justice, and no justice without forgiveness.

The most faithful disciples of Christ have been builders of peace, to the point of forgiving their enemies, sometimes even to the point of giving their lives for them.

The vow of celibacy is a matter of keeping one's word to Christ and the Church. a duty and a proof of the priest's inner maturity; it is the expression of his personal dignity.

Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.

Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say.

Take heart young people! Christ is calling you and the world awaits you! Remember the Kingdom of God needs your generous and complete dedication.

By dialogue, we let God be present in our midst, for as we open ourselves to one another, we open ourselves to God.

I encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God.

Faith leads us beyond ourselves. It leads us directly to God.

The most generous choices, especially the persevering, are the fruit of profound and prolonged union with God in prayerful silence.

In the fulfillment of your duties, let your intentions be so pure that you reject from your actions any other motive than the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance and even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant.

God passionately desires and ardently yearns for our salvation... Nothing is greater than this: that the blood of God was poured out for us.

Be demanding of the world around you; be demanding first of all with yourselves. Be children of God; take pride in it!

For by his incarnation the Son of God united himself in a certain way with every man. He labored with human hands... and loved with a human heart. Born of Mary the Virgin, he truly became one of us.