Witness to Hope: Pope John Paul II, A Tribute Post on His 2nd Death Anniversary

   The last weeks were a bit busy so I will catch on this site's posts with this post on a book I really need to catch up on.  Before I started this gig, I moved away from fiction and was into reading biographies. I was munching on an 800 plus page biography entitled Witness To Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II by George Wiegel.  Yes, the book is as heavy as the life of Pope John Paul. I even joked that I was happy that he didn't live any longer (May Thunder Strike Me Now) because it would add more pages to this book. Seriously, I picked up the book because my fascination with this Pope started ironically when he passed away two years go on this day. The round the clock programs in CNN got me hooked and  I started searching for his works which range from his theological thought, life,  poetry and even his theatrical plays. I was able to read his autobiographies which are Gift and Mystery and Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way  which are now dirt cheap in National Bookstore at around 150 to 200 pesos in the sale area. His personal autobiographies shed light  on his thought and the way he operates which are starkly different from Pope Benedict XVI. You get a real sense of spirit and how wishes things to be done in the Vatican. George Wiegel's book on the other hand builds on his ideas and actions and fleshes out their origins. We get a clearer picture of how a simple Karol Józef Wojtyła turned out to be a Pope Pop Star with a sturdy theological backbone. 

   Based on Wiegel's intensive study, it seems Wojtyła election as Pope was something he was destined to be. This is because of  Karol's character and the events of his time. His youthful and free spirit was something that would not have him elected as Pope if he lived in the pre-Vatican II days. However, he was fortunate to be in an era where his two predecessors paved the way for ecunemism and lay mentality which seemed to fit perfectly into his future agendas such as World Youth Day, UNIV, and his annual trips around the world.  Another fact is that his upbringing under Nazi regime had a huge impact on his future efforts for peace and love. This is summed by the fact that there were several people who had a premonition that he would be ordained as Pope years before his election.

  Yet, paradoxically, it also seems that he molded himself to be Pope because his annual hiking trips with the youth, masses in the field, and his sweet kisses on new ground were just precursors to what would be his pontificate. The difference was just that his actions were magnified and operated on a grander scale. From this, we learn that being good also requires our correspondence too.

  Anyway, before this blog gets too preachy and any longer than the life of JP II, the book is worth picking up because of its rich detail into the life of one of the greatest people in the 20th century. You don't have to be a Catholic to enjoy it. Like all great people, Pope John Paul II simply inspires.

 Trivia:

- Today, Pope John Paul II's cause for beatification in Rome will end and be studied by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints thanks to a miracle attributed to him by a French Nun who was cured of Parkinson's disease, which also was the same disease that rapidly deteriorated his health.

- Before he became Pope, he visited the Philippines and was impressed by the piety of the Filipinos who he said was as pious as the Polish.

- George Wiegel has a new book on the current Pope Benedict XVI called God's Choice (Php 1,115.00 at National Bookstore). 

Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005

Author: George Weigel

Publisher: Harper Colllins

Price: Php 795.00

National Bookstore Release: Available Online Now!