Marianne Lorraine Trouvé - Be Not Afraid: Wisdom from John Paul II (Classic Wisdom Collection)

Looking for time-tested guidance for the dilemmas of the spiritual life? Find it in the company of the wise spiritual masters of our Catholic tradition.

Be Not Afraid: Wisdom from John Paul II
Christ in Our Midst: Wisdom from Caryll Houselander
Comfort in Hardship: Wisdom from Thrse of Lisieux
Courage in Chaos: Wisdom from Francis de Sales
Inner Peace: Wisdom from Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Intimacy in Prayer: Wisdom from Bernard of Clairvaux
Lifes Purpose: Wisdom from John Henry Newman
Path of Holiness: Wisdom from Catherine of Siena
Peace in Prayer: Wisdom from Teresa of Avila
Secret to Happiness: Wisdom from John XXIII
Secrets of the Spirit: Wisdom from Luis Martinez
A Simple Life: Wisdom from Jane Frances de Chantal
Solace in Suffering: Wisdom from Thomas Kempis
Strength in Darkness: Wisdom from John of the Cross

Compiled and with a foreword by Marianne Lorraine Trouv, FSP

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005.

Be not afraid : wisdom from John Paul II / compiled and with a foreword by Marianne Lorraine Trouv, FSP.

1 online resource. -- (Classic wisdom collection)

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-0-8198-1222-3 (epub) -- ISBN 978-0-8198-1223-0 (mobi) -- ISBN 978-0-8198-1224-7 ( pdf) -- ISBN 978-0-8198-1221-6 1. Catholic Church--Doctrines. I. Trouv, Marianne Lorraine, editor of compilation. II. Title.

BX1378.5.J656

242--dc23

2014000746

Scripture references and other quotations are transcribed from the original translations of John Paul IIs works.

Excerpts from John Paul IIs Magisterium and papal documents Libreria Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Cover design by Rosana Usselmann

Cover photo: istockphoto.com/earleliason

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

P and PAULINE are registered trademarks of the Daughters of St. Paul.

Copyright 2014, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano Compilation and introduction 2014, Daughters of St. Paul

Published by Pauline Books & Media, 50 Saint Pauls Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3491

Printed in the U.S.A.

www.pauline.org

Pauline Books & Media is the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of women religious serving the Church with the communications media.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 18 17 16 15 14

For Catherine Sparksthe best teacher I ever had,
whose example inspired me
to open the doors of my heart to Christ.

I
God the Father Seeks Us

II
The Mystery of Original Sin

III
The Love of God the Father

IV
Divine Mercy

V
Christ and the Mystery of Redemption

VI
Believing in the Crucified Son Means Seeing the Father

VII
The Compassion of the Father

VIII
The Holy Spirit Brings Us to Conversion

IX
The Eucharist

X
To Young People

XI
The Importance of Families

XII
The Human Person Is the Image of God

XIII
Our Restless Hearts

XIV
The Sincere Gift of Self

XV
We Can Count on Marys Intercession

XVI
The Virtue of Compassion

XVII
The Mysteries of Light

XVIII
Jesus, the Good Shepherd

XIX
Allow the Holy Spirit to Work in You

XX
Do Not Be Discouraged

XXI
The Beatitudes: The Way of Holiness

XXII
The Gospel of Life

XXIII
Message to Athletes

XXIV
Saint Thrse of Lisieux and the Vocation to Love

D o you remember when Pope John Paul II was elected? I was a novice doing door-to-door evangelization in Bayonne, New Jersey, with a sister of Polish descent. When we found out that the new Pope was Polish, she just about danced for joy! The day of his death, more than twenty-six years later, is also seared in my memory. I was having lunch with some other sisters, and someone came over to tell us the Pope had just died. We stopped a moment to pray, and then spoke about how this great Pope had affected our lives.

Up to that point, I had lived my entire life as a professed sister with John Paul as Pope. During those twenty-six years, amazing things had happened, things that had previously seemed impossible. The Berlin Wall came tumbling down. The Solidarity movement in Poland started something that could not be stopped, and freedom finally came to Eastern Europe as the Iron Curtain was shattered.

In the Church, John Paul II brought a new spirit of hope. The Pope navigated a difficult course in the confusion of those post-Vatican II years. He traveled all over the world, bringing the Gospel to all peoples. I saw him twice in New Yorkin the Bronx at Yankee Stadium in 1979 and at Aqueduct Park, in Queens, in 1995. He radiated enthusiasm and love. He treated each person with great warmth and respect, seeing the image of God in each one.

In my work during the following years as an editor at Pauline Books & Media, I became more familiar with the Popes writings. I am especially grateful that I was able to collaborate in the publication of several volumes of his works, in particular his masterful catechesis on the theology of the body: Man and Woman He Created Them. At first few people were paying attention to his general audiences on this subject. But slowly these ideas became better known and subsequently had a great impact on many people. John Pauls approach to the human person continues to resonate deeply with people today. He offers a unique view of man, woman, marriage, and the family.

That unique view was first seen when he stepped out onto the balcony to bless the crowd after his election. He stayed a long time, singing hymns in Italian, as if to assure the crowd that the first non-Italian pope in centuries would not be a stranger to them. And how many of us can still remember his final appearance at the window, just three days before he died, to bless the crowd. Frail, elderly, and showing the effects of his Parkinsons disease, he still radiated the power of his great faith. Like a father, he had spent himself to seek people out, to bring them the love of God the Father. His last words were, I sought you out, and now you come to me. Thank you!

Born in 1920 to a devout Catholic family, Karol Wojtylas life was marked by deep joys and intense sufferings. He lost his mother, Emilia, a month before he turned nine. His older brother, Edmund, died when Karol was twelve. As a young man he saw his world crumble when World War II broke out as the Nazis swept into Poland. Shortly after, in 1941, his beloved father died. Although Karol had felt drawn toward a career in acting, during the war he worked in a chemical plant and became a clandestine seminarian. He followed his call to the priesthood and was ordained in 1946.