First Book of 2015 Read

When I visited my mother on Friday, I found that her parish had delivered her this book--it's the next selection in their parish reading program. I asked her if I could take it home and read it. She said that I could.

This paperback edition is part of the Lighthouse Catholic Media program. Ignatius Press publishes the book in hardcover and ebook formats now:

Discover the five great loves of St. John Paul II through remarkable unpublished stories on him from bishops, priests, students, Swiss Guards, and others. Mining through a mountain of papal resources, Jason Evert has uncovered these many gems, offering a treasure chest brimming with the jewels of the saint’s life. After a brief overview of John Paul’s life, Evert explores in depth his five great loves: Young People, Human Love, The Eucharist, Our Lady, The Cross.

This work is intended to be catechetical, inspiring, and evangelical. By looking at what he loved and why, the goal is to help readers learn more about key aspects John Paul’s life and teachings, including Theology of the Body, Divine Mercy, Total Consecration, Eucharistic adoration, and redemptive suffering.

The book is divided into two parts: first a biography of Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II and then the examination of the five loves. There is some repetition because in telling the story of his life, Evert necessarily reveals the patterns of these five loves. For example, by describing the Father Wojtyla's practice of meeting with young people and discussing marital love, Evert prepares the reader for the chapters on those loves: Young People and Human Love. And while describing Pope St. John Paul II's five loves, Evert adds to the biography as he examines, for example, how Pope John Paul embraced his physical suffering in his love of The Cross in the recounting of his medical treatments and his death or how he faced danger, including assassination attempts through his total consecration to Our Lady (Totus Tuus) through his pastoral visits around the world. 

As all the saints are human models of how we can love Jesus, Pope St. John Paul II shows us an example of prayerfulness, devotion, love, humility, poverty, and perseverance. Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves is an accessible introduction to his life and pattern of holiness. Good reading for the beginning of the New Year!