Wind From Heaven: The Poet Who Became Pope
Drawing on a wealth of Polish sources, Monika Jablonska throws a fresh light onto the personal and literary life of John Paul II for English-language readers, portraying the history of Karol Wojtyla's native Poland, its literature, and faith-suffused culture as the crucible out of which emerged a boy, then a man of unbreakable spirit, who answered the call to priesthood, and became a pope who in face of immense worldly evils feared no one but God, giving ringing voice to Love and Hope with such moral clarity that the world rose up with courage in response. The reader of this inspiring book comes away in reverent awe of Karol Wojtyla, this "man from a far country" who answered the call as Saint Peter did before him. Like the Apostles in the Upper Room on the eve of Pentecost, he heard a great roar, like a wind from heaven, and took the Word of God into the world, armed with faith and a gift of languages to renew the face of the earth.
"In her new work, Monika Jablonska showcases Karol Wojtyla's life as one episode after another of theo-dramatic heroism, offering a taste of rich Catholic humanism to a generation of readers who were too young to experience the idealism and courage of the Wojtyla years."
-TRACEY ROWLAND, University of Notre Dame (Australia), author of Catholic Theology and Ratzinger's Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI
"From the world of theater comes the wordpersona, which means 'mask.' But this mask was for revelation, not concealment. The same actor could take on more than one role. By the end of this extraordinary book we know John Paul II as pastor, patriot, and Pole; literary author, quarry laborer, and political critic; philosopher, moralist, cultural observer, and contemplative; a man who accepted whatever role laid upon him by his Divine director."
-DAVID W. FAGERBERG, University of Notre Dame, author of Consecrating the World
| Description | Wind from Heaven is the story of the future pope Karol Wojtyla as poet and playwright, as true servant of the Word - a student of Polish literature, dramatist, actor, professor, philosopher, and priest, whose religious conviction added a moral dimension to world politics, transformed the Church, and changed the course of history. Drawing on a wealth of Polish sources, Monika Jablonska throws a fresh light onto the personal and literary life of John Paul II for English-language readers, portraying the history of Karol Wojtyla's native Poland, its literature, and faith-suffused culture as the crucible out of which emerged a boy, then a man of unbreakable spirit, who answered the call to priesthood, and became a pope who in face of immense worldly evils feared no one but God, giving ringing voice to Love and Hope with such moral clarity that the world rose up with courage in response. The reader of this inspiring book comes away in reverent awe of Karol Wojtyla, this "man from a far country" who answered the call as Saint Peter did before him. Like the Apostles in the Upper Room on the eve of Pentecost, he heard a great roar, like a wind from heaven, and took the Word of God into the world, armed with faith and a gift of languages to renew the face of the earth. "In her new work, Monika Jablonska showcases Karol Wojtyla's life as one episode after another of theo-dramatic heroism, offering a taste of rich Catholic humanism to a generation of readers who were too young to experience the idealism and courage of the Wojtyla years." -TRACEY ROWLAND, University of Notre Dame (Australia), author of Catholic Theology and Ratzinger's Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI "From the world of theater comes the wordpersona, which means 'mask.' But this mask was for revelation, not concealment. The same actor could take on more than one role. By the end of this extraordinary book we know John Paul II as pastor, patriot, and Pole; literary author, quarry laborer, and political critic; philosopher, moralist, cultural observer, and contemplative; a man who accepted whatever role laid upon him by his Divine director." -DAVID W. FAGERBERG, University of Notre Dame, author of Consecrating the World |
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