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PS Blessed Pope John Paul II was seen personally by more people than anyone in the history, and for 26 years we read about him, heard him speak and watched him on TV. We think we know everything about this amazing man. But we’re wrong!
 
Many fascinating aspects of this Pope from Poland are unknown or forgotten. But now you can discover them in a groundbreaking new book from Ireland, The Heritage of John Paul II, edited by Professor Ciarán Ó Coigligh (who, by the way, has translated all of the late Pontiff’s poems into Irish). The fruit of a 2010 conference on the Pope’s heritage that took place at St Patrick’s College in Dublin, this unique collection of nine experts’ commentaries will reveal to you . . .
 
. . . what Blessed John Paul II did more of than any dignitary in history when he visited Ireland in 1979; the one thing he “constantly” asked of Catholics throughout his lengthy reign; the secret of his being “spiritually and humanly near every human being and their problems”; 17 words from him in 1979 that triggered Poland’s spiritual revival and eventual independence; how “he changed the cycle of history”; why, at a papal talk in 2002, a diplomat suddenly “no longer saw an old, sick” man; and why a leading churchman always found Blessed John Paul II so “fascinating and intriguing”.
 
Revealed: unknown facets of Karol Wojtyla / Pope John Paul II 
 
You’ll also learn what mediaeval Catholic practice was “the origin of modern theatre in Western Europe”; three Irish cultural traditions that should give us “an immediate appreciation” of Blessed John Paul II’s plays and poems; three cultural influences on his dramas; the central purpose of all his poetry; a significant poem he wrote about his mother, who died when he was a child; the “magnificent crescendo of the final stanza” of one of his poems; key verses from “a stunning achievement” by the twenty-year-old future Pope; and the “haunting, sympathetic, powerful” portrayals of women found in his poems.
 
You’ll read, too, what “constantly surprises” us in the Pope’s poetry; how this poetry “affirms the dignity of the worker” far better than did “Soviet Realist” verse; the “great profundity” of nine “shockingly innovative” spiritual poems; three crucial elements of his patriotism; what Irish speakers will appreciate in one of his poems; priceless insights in his “magnificent final poetic creation”; key themes of the plays he wrote under Nazi oppression; the Polish holy man who influenced him greatly; how to understand Blessed John Paul II’s most famous play; and the central Christian mystery that will unlock his plays for you.
 
Plus, this unique book relates the four sports the future Pope played; how they were “crucial in shaping [his] ideas and ministry”; the spiritual transformation a famous sportsman underwent when he met Pope Benedict XVI; four insights and eight virtues that John Paul II exhorted athletes to cultivate; and what he saw as the true purpose of sports.
 
Poet, playwright, athlete, philosopher, theologian—the ever-fascinating ‘John Paul the Great’
 
The authors likewise explore this Pope’s breathtakingly beautiful document on the arts that artists in every medium should read; why it’s “one of the most profound and inspiring documents in the history of art”; five key truths that he said should guide every artist; the true role of beauty in art; what he saw as “the supreme art form” (expect to be surprised); six deeply beautiful insights of his into the arts; his sublimely poetic (and personally revealing) statement about art; his profound thoughts on “the interaction of Art and Faith”; and his enchanting final exhortation to all artists.
 
You’ll also discover Blessed John Paul II’s wisdom about liturgical music; his meditations on the Vatican’s “mine of masterpieces perhaps unique in the world”; two ways in which he saw Christ as a great Artist; why the Church has fostered the arts for twenty centuries; an early pope’s crucial writings about art; what is “the main axis” of all of his poetry and theological and philosophical works; a key artistic device he used often; how his many creations were part of his “lifelong attempt” to construct a certain thing; and how they achieved something that’s “well-nigh impossible”.
 
You’ll encounter, too, what he said “the ideologies of evil are profoundly rooted in” (expect to be shocked); the surprising reason why he wrote his philosophical magnum opus; the direct link between a famous 17th century philosopher’s approach and modern mass murders of both Jews and preborn babies; how Blessed John Paul II’s philosophical writings tried to counters his errors; why this Pope took one certain philosophical approach; which Old Testament figure, he thought, helps us understand modern man’s situation; the crucial role of wonder in the Pope’s thought; and the vast meaning of the word threshold in his works.
 
Beautiful pearls of wisdom from a saintly super-mind
 
The contributors also reveal dazzling insights in Blessed John Paul II’s landmark Theology of the Body; its “wonderful catechesis on marriage” and sexual ethics; its links to, and defence of, the “prophetic” Humanae Vitae; what it does better than the latter; key insights everyone should imbibe from Theology of the Body; the exciting new ground it breaks; how it can help our world “rediscover the true beauty of sex and marriage”; why, it explains, you’ll never “fully find” yourself unless you do a certain thing; a key Bible verse that radical feminists misuse; and profound lessons this Pope found in a little-known Bible book.
 
You’ll also read about the “remarkable tailor-cum-mystic” friend who shaped this Pope’s theological roots; a key insight about your relationship with God, found in the future Pope’s doctoral dissertation; the one “key to understanding” the entire corpus of his writings; his method for reading Scripture, which you can use; four great saints who influenced him; why today’s rebel theologians do so much damage, and how he attacked their errors; his insights about love’s linkage to morality; how the natural law, the Commandments and the Beatitudes relate to each other; his refutation of modern errors about Truth, the Good, freedom, conscience and human nature; and a sobering, much ignored text from a Council document that guided him constantly.
 
You’ll explore, too, why Blessed John Paul II took so many steps toward Christian-Jewish friendship, and the controversies they sparked; his words to a huge crowd of Muslim youth, and their remarkable reaction; his surprising comments on Muslims; his disapproval of the Qur’an, and what his famous kissing of it really meant; his amazing efforts to reunite Christians; why, he speculated, God had permitted the divisions among Christians; how his deep Mariology shaped his energetic ecumenism; and countless other “pearls”.
 
No matter how well you know Blessed John Paul II, The Heritage of John Paul II will introduce you to words, insights and ideas of his that’ll be new to you. Let this spiritual giant inspire, comfort, educate and strengthen you and your loved ones! This unique new book belongs in the hands of everyone, Catholic or not, who wants a deeper and richer understanding of how God is moving in our time, through the life and legacy of this astonishing Pontiff.
 
The Heritage of John Paul II is a 191-page book that sells for €13.99 (ST£11.70), excluding postage, handling and packaging. But IT’S YOURS FREE AS OUR THANK-YOU GIFT for your sacrifice of €40 or more (or £30 or more) to help Family & Life dismantle the Culture of Death that Pope John Paul II battled and build the Culture of Life he called for.
 
   PPS  SAVE TIME!  To receive your FREE GIFT more speedily, simply phone through your donation to our office right now at (353) 1 855 2145, or fax it to (353) 1 855 2474, or e-mail your credit card details to me at fandl@iol.ie  Remember, you can also donate quickly and easily through our online service at www.familyandlife.org  May God reward you for helping Family & Life to put the legacy of Pope John Paul the Great into practice by defending every innocent human life!