John Paul II

John Paul II showed me what real leadership looks like. He modeled for me how to pursue our God-given potential. Not coincidentally, this also makes us and those around us better employees, more capable of and more willing to work hard at building a stronger company. That s something that makes both good human sense and good business sense. - Andreas Widmer Former Swiss Guard, CEO and business leader
Andreas Widmer gives a behind-the-scenes look into Pope John Paul II, the most authentically human person I ve ever met, and reveals how those memories shaped and forged his success as a corporate executive. In what papal biographer George Weigel calls a powerful example of leadership at work, Widmer recounts his personal experiences serving Blessed Pope John Paul II in the Swiss Guard, and the secrets of successful leadership that he learned at the feet of the great pope.

This book traces the life and controversial legacy of the Polish pontiff and examines the events which led to his beatification and the process which may yet see him proclaimed St. John Paul II.

“As March gave way to April in the spring of 2005 and the world kept vigil outside the apostolic palace in Rome, the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, then drawing to a poignant end, was already being described as one of the most consequential in two millennia of Christian history.”
 
With these words, world-renowned author and NBC Vatican analyst George Weigel begins his long-awaited sequel to the international bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. More than ten years in the making, The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy tells the dramatic story of the Pope’s battle with communism in light of new and recently disclosed information and brings to a close Weigel’s landmark portrait of a man who not only left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church, but also changed the course of world history.
 
When he was elected pope in the fall of 1978, few people had ever heard of the charismatic Karol Wojty³a. But in a very short time he would ignite a revolution of conscience in his native Poland that would ultimately lead to the collapse of European communism and death of the Soviet Union. What even fewer people knew was that the KGB, the Polish Secret Police, and the East German Stasi had been waging a dangerous, decades-long war against Wojty³a and the Vatican itself. Weigel, with unprecedented access to many Soviet-era documents, chronicles John Paul’s struggle against the dark forces of communism.
 
Moreover, Weigel recounts the tumultuous last years of John Paul’s life as he dealt with a crippling illness as well as the “new world disorder” and revelations about corruption within the Catholic Church. Weigel’s thought-provoking biography of John Paul II concludes with a probing and passionate assessment of a man who lived his life as a witness to hope in service to the Christian ideals he embraced.


From the Hardcover edition.

A handsome, accessible treasury containing the essential wisdom of Pope John Paul II on matters of life, faith, and conscience-one for each day
of the year. This inspirational collection of meditations, reflections, and aphorisms is drawn from Pope John Paul II’s writings, both from his unpublished personal archives as well as from published works, including sermons given during pastoral visits, official interviews, Youth Day messages, and encyclicals. To be read singly, as part of daily devotions, or as a whole, these meditations will enhance and inspire faith, sure to be read again and again as a constant source of spiritual renewal.
The meditations deal with themes closest to people’s daily lives: family, youth, faith, the elderly, children, forgiveness, life, death, illness, and much more. Each text is illustrated with an inspirational image. The images include reproductions of classic religious paintings and inspirational images as well as photographs from the Pope’s life and ministry. This handsome package makes a perfect gift or self-purchase.

'When you are young,' writes Leahy, 'you have dreams, hopes and expectations.' Karol Woytyla was no different. Believe in Love paints the rich landscape of John Paul II's formative influences, his theological and philosophical foundations, and his personal reflections. 'For John Paul,' he writes, 'God is not way up in the clouds in remote majesty and might.' Rather, the chapters reflect the pontiff's belief that we need to link our notion of God with our understanding of what it is to be human. Hence we have chapters on dialogue, culture, anthropology, young people, families, artists, politics, economics, work, war and peace, forgiveness, and the elderly.

In his very accessible style, Leahy also includes chapters on the major theological contributions of John Paul II, such as his insights on: the Theology of the Body; crisis in the Church; women, the priesthood, and the Movements; understanding and promoting a Spirituality of Communion; the Eucharist; Christ crucified and suffering; Prayer; Ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

Short chapters on clearly delineated topics provide the perfect starting point for individual daily reflection or for discussion in a faith-sharing group.