St. Pope John Paul II

An Ignatius Press Reprint

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Pope John Paul II has had a profound theological and personal impact on Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In the scholarly tradition of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas, he has found a new unity between faith and reason. The study of God, says John Paul, is also the study of humanity. He has come to vigorously insist on the rights and dignity of each human person, and on the divine importance of the family.

John Paul teaches that the keystone of Christian living today is the communion of persons which is the family. Covenant of Love conveys this central message of his pontificate. It explores the influence of Christ on the modern family, human intimacy, and sexuality and illustrates the Pope's response to the violations of that familial communion: materialism, sterilization, pre-marital sex, abortion, polygamy, adultery and lust, contraception and artificial conception, and homosexuality.

Written for the layman as well as for clerics, students, and educators, this volume will enhance the understanding and appreciation of Pope John Paul II's teachings. Covenant of Love, presents the extraordinary new way that John Paul II is using to present a new synthesis of the faith that can be the means of renewing the faith of all Christians and of bringing more people to Christ. It sets out his philosophical and theological design for every Christian who seeks a closer relationship with God--in the person of Christ, in the Church, and in the human heart.

Pope John Paul II was a great defender of truly vulnerable human beings throughout his life, affirming their personhood consistently and powerfully. In John Paul II on the Vulnerable, Jeffrey Tranzillo provides a lucid introduction to John Paul II's philosophical and theological understanding of the human person. Unlike other writings on the topic, Tranzillo's explicit aim is to highlight an aspect of John Paul's work that has been largely neglected until now. He shows convincingly that John Paul's seminal reflections on the human being as a personal agent progressed over time to include human beings at even the most vulnerable stages of development or decline. With this advance in thought, the pontiff began to declare eloquently that the vulnerable are capable of contributing to and enriching the human community through their activity.

An engaging overview of John Paul II's life, thought, and work introduces the book and provides readers with helpful background material. It shows that John Paul's interest in, and lofty regard for, the human person is rooted in his strong Catholic faith and in the extraordinary life experiences that he interpreted in its light. Following this is an examination of his principal works on the human person, emphasizing their implications for vulnerable human beings as persons and actors. Tranzillo considers this theme in the light of selected Christological texts of John Paul II and then reflects on John Paul's portrayal of the vulnerable in his social encyclicals and Evangelium Vitae. A final chapter develops the anthropological underpinnings of John Paul's thought on the radically vulnerable and their personal agency.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeffrey Tranzillo received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America and has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

"This is a masterful work--one of the very best books I have read exploring the thought of John Paul II. Jeffrey Tranzillo provides a compelling and theologically rich account of John Paul II's Christian anthropology, showing how it grounds his understanding of the inalienable dignity of every human being, particularly the vulnerable. Elements of John Paul II's papacy may fade with time, but this extraordinary book keeps the pope's enduring philosophical and theological insights glowingly alive."-- Thomas G. Guarino, Professor of Systematic Theology, Seton Hall University

Originally published in Polish in 1960, Love and Responsibility is Karol Wojtyla's groundbreaking book on human love. In this classic work, Wojtyla explains relationships between persons, especially concerning sexual ethics, in the perspective of the true meaning of love. Grzegorz Ignatik, a native Polish speaker, has translated the 2001 version of the text, which includes revisions made by Pope John Paul II himself of the original 1960 edition, providing helpful notes and defining key terms.

Winner of a first-place award for English translation editions from The Catholic Media Association.

Teachings for an Unbelieving World is a newly discovered work written by St. John Paul II--then Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Kraków--in the years just after Vatican II. He uses St. Paul's sermon to the people of Athens in Acts 17 as a framework for articulating the faith in a culture of skepticism and unbelief. These thirteen brief reflections provide compelling teaching for Catholics in today's post-Christian world and give fresh insight into JPII's pontificate. This is the first English-language publication of this important work.

St. John Paul II composed these thirteen reflections at a unique point of convergence in history--the closing of Vatican II in 1965 and the 1966 observance of one thousand years of Christianity in Poland.

Teachings for an Unbelieving World is an extended meditation on Acts 17 where Paul speaks to the cultural elite of Athens after he observed an altar of an unknown god in the city. Quoting from both the Bible and the documents of Vatican II, John Paul II draws timely wisdom from the apostle's mission to bring the truth of the Gospel to a worldly culture of sophistication and disbelief, one not unlike our own.

The future pope reveals Paul's memorable encounter as an enduring framework to boldly present the core truths of Catholic faith to those living under Poland's communist regime. In so doing, JPII demonstrates how relevant Paul's words are today and equips us to meet the challenges of proclaiming the faith in our times.

Teachings for an Unbelieving World affirms the continuity of Catholic faith about:

humanity's place in God's creation;

our search for meaning, truth, and freedom;

addressing a culture of unbelief;

the gift of redemption in Jesus Christ;

the grace of the Holy Spirit;

the role of the Church in the world;

the power of the Eucharist;

the redemptive and self-giving nature of human love; and

the importance of prayer.