Review: Why He is a Saint

I can still remember when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. I was a senior in high school and my dad, who was justifiably proud of his Polish/Slavic heritage, was "over the moon" because a Polish cardinal was our newest pope.

Over the years, I became more and more fascinated by this occupant of Peter's Chair.  Outside high theological circles and his homeland, few had heard of Karol Wojtyla.  30 years later, John Paul the Great was a veritable "household name".  But who was he really and why would the Catholic Church start a canonization process for him so soon after his death?

I found answers to these questions (and many others) after reading Why He is a Saint: The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization by Slawomir Oder (translated by Antony Shugaar).  This is one of those books every Catholic should read to understand the man who was a saint in our own time.

Oder breaks the book into three parts: 

1. Karol Wojtyla, the Polish Catholic priest
2. Pope John Paul II, the leader of the Catholic Church in the latter part of the 20th century
3. Karol Wojtyla, the mystic and spiritually-endowed man

Oder contends (and I'd agree) that before one can understand JP2, one must understand that he is a product of his beginnings:  a devout Polish Catholic, born into a world fraught with sorrow and fears, whose faith rarely (if ever) wavered.  Wojtyla was proud of being born in 1920 -- the year of the Miracle at the Vistula when the Poles kept the Russians from a successful invasion, keeping the Poles' independent just a bit longer.  Wojtyla lost all his family before he was 21 -- but this made him more open to close-friendships with others, earning the pet-name "Uncle".  Wojtyla's world was turned upside down by the invasion by the Nazis before he was 21 -- Poland was no longer independent, but under the thumb of a despotic government.  Scary times ... fearful times ... sorrowful times for the man who would be pope.  At times like these, folks either cave-in or strengthen their faith -- Wojtyla chose the better road and entered the priesthood to help his fellow Poles.

The man who became Pope in October 1978 was very different from past popes, and not just because he was the first non-Italian in some 400 years.  John Paul II was young ... a product of his uncertain times ... a man who loved tradition but didn't let it own him.  From the first, the Vatican knew they had someone different in the Chair:  he bucked tradition by keeping his coat-of-arms from his archbishopric; he refused to wear the papal tiara at the coronation; he opted to visit a sick friend in the hospital the day after his election -- something very human and not, some considered, very papal.  But JP2 didn't let any of this bother him.  As long as he was doing the good, he didn't worry about what others thought or said. 

Another aspect of JP2's pontificate that shocked some, was his travels:  he was away from the Vatican 8.5% of his entire pontificate (not including official vacations at Castel Gandolfo or his hospital stays).  JP2 explained his travels by explaining that he was not just the successor to St. Peter, but also to St. Paul, who never stayed in one place very long.  JP2 explained, "I am traveling as a teacher of faith, but also as a disciple, to learn about the life of the local church."  In his travels, JP2 never allowed fear or uncertainty to stop him.  In 1983 he planned a trip to Nicaragua, during this country's great problems with Communism, Sandinistas and liberation theology issues.  "We must go, even though it will not be a great success.  This church needs to be reinforced now, when it is passing through a very critical moment."  The papal travels included trips to mend relations with other faiths -- not to assent to a "let's just all love one another" superficiality but rather to accelerate the process of communication between sister churches and begin to find common ground, to re-build the relationships necessary for unification.

Karol Wojtyla the mystic is the final portion of the book and is a bit harder to synthesize.  Oder explains that, in doing an analysis of Wojtyla's life, writings, speeches and actions, five key areas help to define this man of God:

1. man immersed in a relationship with God: every person has dignity and rights from conception to natural death
2. faith: the only way to read and comprehend the mystery of man and that with faith, all difficulties (no matter their size or destructiveness) are overcome
3. charity, the love for God and man: defines the meaning of life, a willingness to forgive, offers hope for the future, and destroys the barriers of prejudice and hatred
4. dialogue: open discussion with other humans striving to find Truth in all things
5. prayer: the loving conversation between man and God

Included throughout this book are anecdotes and events that portray JP2 in a human light with supernatural overtones.  Each anecdote is further proof of sanctity ... of a life led by following God's will and having faith in God's providence. 

Excellent for high school students and above to understand a bit more about this man many call "John Paul the Great"!

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Disclaimer:  This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Why He is a Saint - The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization and be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts while you are there.

Review: Patton: The Pursuit of Destiny

"Patton".

The name conjures up George C. Scott's rendition of the brawling braggart whose fame became infamy when he slapped and scolded a wounded soldier in Italy.  A man who was loud, brash, uncouth and even a bit sadistic. 

But, is this the true Patton? 

According to a new biography, co-authored by Agostino vonHassell and Ed Breslin, the answer would have to be "no"!  Patton was much more complex: a mixed bag of fears, hopes, joys, triumphs, intellect and pure drive.  Patton: The Pursuit of Destiny, published by Thomas Nelson (as part of their new series The Generals, edited by Stephen Mansfield), is a short, but fascinating relating of this general's life.  The authors describe a man who was larger than life, a man with a family history of "bravery under fire" who consistently fought his own fears of cowardice; a man who was tender and sensitive in letters to his wife and yet was a hard-talking, hard task-master with all those trusted to his guidance. 

Patton's family can date their military involvement back through the Civil War ... all the men in recent memory (well 150 years or so) were military heroes and George (born in 1885) wanted to uphold that tradition.  Unfortunately, raised in the early days of the 20th century out on a ranch in southern California with lackadaisical schooling, Patton's academics were severely lacking and he was initally refused entrance to WestPoint, a shock to the boy who wanted to follow in his family's military tradition.  Patton, using family connections and his classic chutzpah, won a slot at VMI in order to spend a year getting up to speed in the necessary academic background which he was missing.  After surviving not only his schooling but also the hazing of being a newbie, Patton left VMI with academic honors (all through hard-work as his learning disabilities would haunt him throughout his life) while also winning a coveted slot into WestPoint. 

The determination and drive evidenced in his early twenties carried him throughout his life:

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  an honor student in academics as well as military prowess at WestPoint and beyond
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  a voracious (almost fanatical) self-read student of military history
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  a self-taught German and French linguist (so he could read military history books in their original)
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  a daring military strategist who was more often succesful than not

Patton's life is fascinating and this book does a great job of bringing out this multi-faceted man's true nature.  By setting the stage of Patton's early life -- that is, before WW2 -- the reader understands Patton and his actions ... some of which have been misconstrued by contemporaries who misjudged or blatantly lied about this man.  The authors do a great job of spending the bulk of the book discussing Patton's life up till WW2, saving that final chapter of the General's life for the final couple of chapters of the book.  

Patton certainly wasn't perfect -- and the authors bring some of this out -- but, Patton was all NOT the schmuck as some would have it.

I highly recommend this book for high school students and higher -- it's important to read about these man of the modern age who showed commitment, resolve and determination to do the good (even though at times slipping from their pedestals). 

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This book was obtained as part of Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze program; the above review is my honest reaction to this book.

History: Hitler, the War and the Pope

Professor Ronald J. Rychlak's revised Hitler, the War, and the Pope is an amazing refutation of those who claim that the Catholic Church, especially in the person of Pope Pius XII, did little if anything to assist the victims of the terrorism wreaked during World War II. 

The first 385 pages of the book are a chronological overview of the pre-war years (and Pius' work as Secretary of State under Pius XI) through each year of the war up through 1945.  The final couple of chapters of the text include a refutation of some of the most popular "urban myth-telling" authors and speakers against the Catholic Church's contribution to saving the victims of the War.  The final 200 pages of the book are facsimile copies of the full memos and previously classified documents quoted in the text.

This is a scholarly book and heavy with detail, making this a great book for high schoolers studying the war as well as all Catholics to feel confident that the Holy Father was not EVER a Nazi sympathizer, anti-semitic or ignorant/lazy during the atrocities leveled against the innocents of Europe.  Week after week, month after month, for more than 10 years Eugenio Pacelli (later, Pius XII) worked to fight socialism, communism and the terrors of Hitler and Mussolini's dictatorships.  Quoted memos, interviews and diary entries bolster up the story that Rychlak unrolls -- a story about a man who was willing to incur the wrath of a madman rather than stay quiet any longer.  The book is full of  accounts of the atrocities leveled at the Jews (especially the Polish Jews), the Catholic religious, and anyone else deemed "unnecessary"; but more importantly, are the proofs of what Pacelli and the Catholic Church did to combat these evil forces.

 For those who finish the first half of the book still thinking Pacelli was a Nazi-sympathizer, Rychlak dismantles every theory proposed ... every book or article written by the celebrated authors like John Cornwell (whose book, Hitler's Pope, so incensed me that it became an occasion of sin to read the trash.) ... every smear on the Pacelli "escutcheon".  Detailed refutation of each misquoted, half-quoted, poorly researched and flat out lies are the basis of the last half of this classic apologetics text. 

This is a great read (a bit heavy going in parts, but well worth it to slog on through) ... a great history source for 20th Century European history ... a great opus dedicated to a man of God.  This is a must-read for any student of modern European History.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic books reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Hitler, the War, and Pope, Revised and Expanded .

Review: The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances

God is the ultimate lover and therefore the ultimate example of forgiveness.  If you don't understand this very simple concept, than you just won't "get" Andy Andrews book, The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances. Written by a New York Times bestselling author, this book is a reprint of the book Island of Saints (published in 2005), but this new version published by Thomas Nelson Publishing includes a "where are they now" and study guide questions -- questions that will add much to the enjoyment and attainability of this book. 

The Heart Mender is a story within a story:  the book starts when the author finds some interesting items while pulling up an old wax myrtle on his property -- buttons, medals and photos sealed in an old can.  Thus, begins a quest to figure out what they are and why they are buried on a small island off the coast of Alabama.  

As he begins this search, the book goes back to 1942 America ... when the Germans are trawling the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, torpedoing American ships laden with supplies and oil.  The Fuhrer has decided that blowing civilian ships out of the water is a necessary part of the overall war-effort and the small, American coastal towns along the way witness the results -- bodies and boxes washed up on the shores of their once-quiet towns.

The book is part mystery, part spy-novel, part romance,part self-help book.  The reader's question while reading the book:  how much of Andrews' work is fact and how much fiction?  Could German spies have landed on the shore-towns?  Could this really have happened with little mention in our history classes?  
But Andrews' book is much more than the plot-line.  The most important aspect of this book is the method Andrews describes through his allegory; a method of how to heal even the most hardened of hearts hurt by the world, a method which is slowly revealed through the characters of this well-written story.  Basically, a method of how to heal the broken hearts of us all.

This is a GREAT read ... fast-paced story-line, believable characters and a message that goes deeper than a simple novel.  I highly recommend this one -- especially as summer reading.  The story would also make a great basis for a unit-study on WW2 and the German Kriegsmarine and their Unterseeboots which mauraded the American coast during 1942, a fact kept hidden for many years by all but the locals.

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This book was provided free through Thomas Nelson Publishing's Book Sneeze (where great books are contagious!) program.  I was required to write a review but all the comments above are my true view of this book.