Product Description

A fresh and inspiring distillation of the essential thoughts of Pope John Paul II on matters of belief and conscience, Collected from his encyclicals, speeches, homilies, and statements to fellow bishops.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1061707 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From the Back Cover
Pope John Paul II - the 262nd successor to Saint Peter and leader of over a billion Catholic faithful - has been described as 'the prophet of the millennium' and the most recognized person in the world. As the most travelled Pope in the Church's history and the first to interact widely with persons of other faiths, he has brought his wisdom and eloquence into the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike. Whether defining the Church's teachings or passionately espousing the basic human rights of all people, he has always eloquently and clearly stated his hopes for the Church and for the world.
The Wisdom of John Paul II gathers together excerpts and essential observations from papal encyclicals, sermons, official addresses and informal statements representing His Holiness's twenty-year papacy. Touching on human problems both local and universal, from Peace, Suffering and Morality to World Religions, Human Rights, and Progress in the Modern World, they offer a profound insight into the spiritual challenges facing Christians in the new millennium, as perceived by a leader whose devout piety and compassion for life has won the respect of the world's most powerful rulers as well as of countless ordinary people.

About the Author
Nick Bakalar is a writer, based in New York. Richard Balkin is a literary agent and freelance writer, based in Amherst, Massachusetts. Father John White is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York.

Customer Reviews

Experience The Mystery!
“The Wisdom of John Paul II” is a collection of sayings of His Holiness. Topically organized into seventeen sections, it distills true gems from his voluminous writings and public addresses.

From these distilled gems the reader can glean some of the themes of John Paul’s teachings. One such theme is mystery. Whereas modern man always seeks to know and understand, John Paul finds mystery in man, mystery in God, mystery in man’s relationship to God.

Another theme of John Paul II is that Christ is at the center of all human existence. Whatever the issue, John Paul finds the answer in Christ. Relations between people must be based on man’s inherent, God-given dignity. Man’s ultimate destiny is found in uniting himself to Christ.

Ultimately, the value of this book comes, not from the answers it provides, but the questions it gently leads us to ask. Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going? When a person starts asking these questions, he begins to think differently, to act differently, to be different. Pick up and read, think, and pray.