Witness to Hope

While, for a variety of reasons, I did not have a ton of time to read this past spring and summer, the one book I did manage read was called “Witness to Hope”. Witness to Hope is the official biography of St. John Paul II and can be found in a three-part series. It is nearly 2,000 pages of information in total between the three parts and runs through every aspect of St John Paul II’s life.

The life of Saint John Paul II offers a great example to all Catholics. Having lost his parents at a young age, Saint John Paul II grew up and went through seminary during the Nazi occupation of Europe in the 1940’s. He was ordained a priest and served his priesthood under Communist oppression in Poland. As he was named a bishop, and then archbishop, he served as a great example to the people of Poland on how to carry out their Catholic identity despite the difficult challenges of living in a country whose rulers were directly against the faith.

As a Pope, Saint John Paul II wrote numerous letters, encyclicals and other writing, laying out the teachings of the faith and guiding the Church following the Second Vatican Council. After being shot at, and wounded, as Pope, he showed the world the example of forgiveness when he went to prison and forgave the man who shot him.

He helped lead the Church into the 3^rd Millennium and at the end of his life, showcased for the world the dignity of those who suffer, and that suffering is not something that is empty, but can be used for good. All these lessons and examples, along with many other parts of his life, can be found in “Witness to Hope”. While it’s a long read, “Witness to Hope” covers every aspect of the life of a modern-day saint, and a man who was called, by many, to be the most impactful man of the 20^th Century.