Thursday 22 October 2026
St John Paul II
Ephesians 3:14-21. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord – Ps 32(33):1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19. Luke 12:49-53.
May the faithful know the love of Christ
Today is the feast day of St Pope John Paul II. An inveterate traveller, St John Paul was known for the act of kissing the ground of the country to which he disembarked. The first words of today’s first reading, ‘This is what I pray, kneeling before the Father . . .’ evoked for me an image of this gesture of love and respect for each country he visited. This year is also the 40th anniversary of his visit to Alice Springs (29 November 1986). He was the first pope to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples on their own Country. He recognised the ancient spiritual richness of First Nations cultures and called the Church to stand alongside Indigenous peoples – in actions as well as words. His speech recognised Aboriginal rights to land and for First Nations peoples to pray in the words and images of their communities.
We too pray in the words and images of our families and communities to know the love of Christ.
