Doors are essential and beneficial. They are used for opening and closing. Doors provide a passageway to where we want to go. They give us privacy and offer protection from unwanted elements. They help to keep us safe and secure.
Doors are also instruments of power.
They have the ability to shut out or admit in. They can serve as strong barriers or as welcoming stations. On Christmas Eve 1999, Pope John Paul II ushered in the Jubilee Year by ceremoniously unsealing the great Holy Year Door of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In a similar manner, Catholic churches throughout the world opened their doors with special ritual and prayer to proclaim a year of justice and revitalization of faith. The great Holy Door will be resealed, but we cannot seal the doors of our hearts.