Happy Feast of Saint John Paul II, a saint that I feel a tremendous connection to only *because* of my 2.5 year old son. Early in his life, Elijah expressed his love for "John Paul Second" and routinely demanded to see pictures of him and watch videos of him. I have no idea...

...where his love for JP2 came from. Neither my wife nor I had a particular devotion to St. John Paul II, so I can only assume that it is Providential in nature and origin. I am also sure that St. John Paul II looks down at my son's devotion to him with delight and laughter.

I have learned more about the great saint from watching his homilies with my son than I ever did in the 20 years of my life when I was a Catholic and he was the Pope. In that time, I have grown in appreciation and admiration for one of the greatest saints of the 20th Century.

Every night, when we're saying prayers together before he goes to sleep, my son and I ask St. John Paul II to pray for us. Thank you, Elijah, for teaching me about this great man. And thank you, John Paul II, for the gift of your life and for teaching us how to love Jesus Christ.

Saint John Paul II, pray for us!

Also, I challenge any parent to read this beautiful book about John Paul II's life without getting choked up: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Saint-John-Paul-II/dp/0819890138