"The door must be beautiful and in good repair." This is one of the criteria for selecting a Holy Door of a pilgrimage church during the Holy Year of Mercy. We read this criteria while making a pilgrimage in Los Angeles and I was struck by the simple and yet clear criteria of beauty. I thought, Beauty with a "B", as Fr. Giussani discovered in seminary, can be encountered with the Holy Door!

We started the pilgrimage with a prayer outside, in front of the Grotto, asking for God's mercy and for those going to World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland, lead by the pastor of St. Anastasia, Msgr. Vadakin. Joined by parishioners and a few CL friends, we drove— very LA style—to St Joan of Arc, meeting in front of the Holy Door with a welcome from their pastor. After a few more prayers we walked through the Holy Door. Entering the church, everyone was silent. We stayed in silence as a few people read to us a description of why we make a pilgrimage and why we seek God's mercy. We ended the pilgrimage with a blessing for Jessica, who will be attending the World Youth Day in Poland. It was a simple and yet profound gesture. I was very happy for the experience and for the unexpected gift of being moved by the criteria of beauty for selecting a Holy Door. I thought to myself, Christ really takes every opportunity to show us how much He loves us!