Quote of the Day

When reading a little inspirational book called Reasons for Hope, I recently came across an excellent quote for the Year of Faith from our late great hero in the faith, Blessed John Paul II. When reading it, keep in mind that Pope Benedict XVI calls the Year of Faith "a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Savior of the World." This beautiful quote concisely summarizes what the Year of Faith is all about:

The proclamation of the word of God has Christian conversion as its aim: a complete and sincere adherence to Christ and his gospel through faith. Conversion is a gift of God, a work of the Blessed Trinity. It is the Spirit who opens people's hearts so that they can believe in Christ and "confess him" (see 1 Cor. 12:3); of those who draw near to him through faith Jesus says: "No one can come to me unlesss the Father who sent me draws him" (Jn. 6:44).

From the outset, conversion is expressed in faith which is total and radical, and which neither limits nor hinders God's gift. At the same time, it gives rise to a dynamic and lifelong process which demands a continual turning away from "life according to the flesh" to "life according to the Spirit" (see Rom. 8:3-5). Conversion means accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple.

--Blessed John Paul II