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Summary: A Loving Gift to Priests and Seminarians
Review: 'Gift and Mystery' is indeed an affectionate gift from Pope John Paul II to all those who pursue a priestly vocation. It is the story of his own priestly call which is a Divine gift as well as a great mystery. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, the Pope reflects on his own growth in his vocation to priesthood and his ministry as 'a shepherd of God's mysteries'. We follow him through his college studies, his job in the stone quarry, his love for the theater and his theological studies to his ordination to priesthood. His deep faith and reliance on God, his gratefulness and kindness towards others, his devotion and dedication to the priestly commitment are all laid out before us with clarity and love. As he himself says, what is related here belongs to his "deepest being" and "innermost experience". Every priest and seminarian should read this and draw energy and inspiration from this 'Holy Father' and spiritual giant of our day.
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Summary: Should your son be a priest?
Review: As you might expect from such a great person, the Pope's book provides few insights into the Pope himself. He does show how our own lives can influence others, especially in a cumulative way, as the he tells of all of those who influenced his entering the priesthood. He cites the religiosity of his father; the holiness of Jan Tyranowski; the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Louis Marie de Montfort; the devotions in his parish, to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and of the brown scapular. The reader can't help but wonder if there is a link between the lack of devotions today and the lack of vocations today.A priest's life is challenging. He must be attentive and sympathetic; critical and watchful with regard to historical developments; a giver of Christ; a spiritual father -- especially in the Confessional; holy; constantly training, studying and updating; promoting the family; defending mankind; in dialog with the youth; in dialog with the culture; intellectual and scholarly; and living the Gospel. But a priest's life is most rewarding. The priest is "a steward of the mysteries of God." An essential part of his mission is fulfilled in the Confessional. The priest is an essential being in the only suitable offering that man can make to God, the offering of God-made-man, an offering made at every Mass. The priest is so united to Christ at Mass that he is "in the person of Christ." What a beautiful reflection on the Mass is offered by the Pope! The challenge of the priesthood seems overwhelming. It would be without God. It is "a mystery of divine election." Every parent of a potential priest should read this book.
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Summary: Honesty Testimony from an Honest Man
Review: Pope John Paul II is an intellectual giant, capable of holding his own with any great thinker. However, JP2 has been blessed with an ability to relate his innermost longings and ideas to even children. Gift and Mystery is a recollection that can hold the interest of any scholar while making a schoolboy smile. The pope methodically retells his soul's desire to be united to God and to follow His will as a young boy, employing a most vulnerable state of being to the reader. We follow the pope through his college and seminary days with delight until that wonderful day this man was ordained a priest of the Lord. With clarity and love, JP2 gives us a taste of the power of the Holy Spirit transforming him into the glorious leader he is today. At the same time, it gives us a hope and a vision of what God can also do in our own lives. A true masterpiece!
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