Happy Feast Day of Pope St. John Paul the Great. As many of you know, he holds a very special place in my heart. Of course, JP2 would be the first saint I thought of painting and writing a poem about when this whole 25th Anniversary Edition project began.

I chose this particular picture because it reflects John Paul’s intensity in prayer, and union with Christ. As I was painting this picture though, I realized that it captured the shadow of the Cross imprinted on John Paul II’s face. To me, and to so many others, this wonderful pope was a reflection of the love and sacrifice of Jesus Our Lord on the Cross. We could see Jesus, when we looked at John Paul II, and when he looked at us with such intensity of love that he had for each of his children because we are children of God.

St. John Paul the Great, pray for us! Pray for the Church! And pray that we too, like you, can reflect the light of Christ in the dark places of our world.

You can read the entire story of how God gave me the gift of a lifetime – meeting my holy hero in person, in my book Pain of Grace, Living and Suffering with Dignity. My book recounts my life and the many times Pope St. John Paul the Great has helped me grow closer to Christ by his words and example. His Encyclical on Human Suffering (Salvifici Doloris)is worth the read!!! If you only read one encyclical in your life, THIS is the one!!!)

To hear more of the poems about the 42 saints found in Cloud of Witnesses, 25th Anniversary Edition, enter your email and press “follow” on the Pain of Grace’s Homepage. You will be notified when another saint poem is uploaded. You can also search a saint’s name to see if their poem has already uploaded.

Let Joni know who your favorite saint is, or whose story you’d like to hear in rhyme.

Cloud of Witnesses, 25th Anniversary Edition can be purchased through EWTN’s Religious Catalog or Amazon.

Pain of Grace can also be purchased through EWTN’s Religious Catalog and Amazon.