Be Not Afraid Sticker

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣⁣

44 years ago today, a newly elected Pope Saint John Paul II spoke the words “𝘉𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥” during his inaugural mass. ⁣

Even St. John Paul II did not know the impact that those words would make during his papacy. Years later he reflected on this continued usage of “Be not afraid” saying, it was “addressed to all people, an exhortation to conquer fear in the present world situation”. ⁣

“When pronouncing these words in St. Peter’s Square, I already knew that my first encyclical and my entire papacy would be tied to the truth of the Redemption. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 “𝗕𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱!”: “𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗻” (cf. Jn 3:16).⁣