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Saturday, August 8, 2009

Gift and Mystery by Pope John Paul II

Title: Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination

Author: Pope John Paul II

First Published: 1997

No. of Pages: 144

Synopsis (from Amazon): "In a personal spiritual testimony, Pope John Paul II describes his journey to the priesthood, discussing his childhood, education, the years of Nazi occupation that led him to dedicate his life to God, and his ministry within the Catholic Church."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Nonfiction

Comments and Critique: This book provides the Pope's first-person account of his childhood and early years as a priest. It's quite interesting and helps the reader to see this figure of international importance as a human being just like the rest of us. I was especially taken by the humility evidenced by the Pope throughout the book -- he continually gives the credit for everything good that ever happened to him to others and shows how important our human relationships truly are.

Challenges: 999 ("Catholicism"); Support Your Local Library

1 comments:

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Nice review. He truly was a Pope of the people. I've added this title to my list. Thanks!