John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father (Hardcover)

by Peggy Noonan (Author) "It was early morning in the Vatican, July 2, 2003, a brilliant morning in the middle of the worst Roman heat wave in a century..." (more)
Key Phrases: new pope, Mother Teresa, New York, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Noonan's warm remembrance of the man she calls her spiritual father is a refreshing addition to the growing collection of biographies of and memoirs about the late Pope John Paul II. What makes this volume so inviting is Noonan's chatty manner of writing about John Paul and the very personal way he affected her life. She is willing to be transparent here, especially in the chapters where she imparts elements of her faith story, explaining how she moved toward "serious Catholicism" and "deepened belief" during John Paul's reign and how she came to see him as her spiritual father. Although Noonan writes glowingly of her subject, she does not duck criticism of his lengthy pontificate. For one, she suggests he could have taken stronger action against the banal way the Catholic liturgy has come to be celebrated in the West. She particularly laments John Paul's inadequate response to the church's "great shame" of clergy sexual abuse, and seizes the opportunity to lambaste the church's cardinals and bishops as well. Noonan recaps what she told the American bishops at a meeting in September 2003, but sadly wonders whether they truly understood the magnitude of the problem. Noonan's and John Paul's fans will appreciate her take on the late pope and the delightful way in which she weaves his legacy into her own walk of faith.
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From The Washington Post
Over the last decade of Pope John Paul II's life, his chief defenders to the American public were a party of neoconservative Catholics. These men, and a few women, dubbed him "the Great," a title bestowed on transforming popes down through history. Certainly John Paul was held in high esteem by a wide range of Catholics and others for his influence in lifting the Iron Curtain, his determination to call attention to the poor and marginalized through his global travels and his dramatic gestures acknowledging the church's past failings. He was an expansive man, welcoming to saints, such as Mother Teresa, and to sinners, such as Kurt Waldheim and Yasser Arafat, as well as to those with whom he disagreed, including George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon.

The hesitation of some Catholics to call John Paul "the Great" grew out of increasing doubts about church governance and accountability as his reign wore on, as well as disagreement with the views of those who promoted that title. What the pope made of these fervent supporters we won't know until his closest associates begin to write their memoirs or publish his diaries.

In the meantime, there is this paean by Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan. Drawing on frequently told John Paul stories while linking his pontificate to its impact on herself, she writes, "John Paul walked into my life and served, unknowingly, as my spiritual father. He had led me like a light in the dark, like Jim Caviezel's small lit match in a big dark factory." The comparison of the late pope to the actor who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" perfectly captures Noonan's idea of spirituality -- an emotional response to random events that inspire mystical musings. Noonan recounts a phone interview with Caviezel and reports a few audiences and a Mass at St. Patrick's with the pope. Both men, apparently linked in her mind by their larger-than-life personalities, kindled the same emotional yearning for a more exalted spiritual life.

As for mystical musings: There is the morning -- the very ordinary sunny morning -- when her glass coffee mug shatters in her hand and produces rounded pebbles rather than shards. Noonan takes this as a sign from God, who says: "There is explosive power in what appear to be mere pebbles. There is explosive power in the Rosary, for instance. And I want you to know this." Having received a rosary from the hands of the pope, she begins saying it. All of this -- the mug, the coffee that didn't scald her, the pebbles, the rosary, the pope, God -- "feels like a little miracle." Or maybe it was just shatter-proof safety glass. The chapters recounting her spiritual development and back-sliding are high on rhetoric and low on detail. Veiled allusions to challenging and painful events vanish into the wisps of spiritual counsel, drawn from her own articles and columns, which have been cut and pasted into this volume. Sometimes that advice sounds Catholic, sometimes evangelical Protestant; sometimes it is common sense, and sometimes it has a Noonanish spin. On the subway, she is saying her rosary when an altercation breaks out: "I continued to say my prayers but directed them in my mind toward the woman; and in time she calmed down, after the intervention of a diplomatic passenger, so fisticuffs were averted." No doubt many pray on New York City subways. What does this have to do with John Paul the Great?

Interspersed within the interior castle of Noonan's spirituality are stories from the life and times of John Paul, some of his wit and wisdom and a précis of some of his writing. Fans of Noonan may enjoy her renditions of this heroic life. Others may want to turn to the originals -- biographies and papal writings that convey the life and thinking of a remarkable man.

Reviewed by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
Copyright 2005, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1st edition (November 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670037486
• ISBN-13: 978-0739461570
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,376 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peggy Noonan's take on John Paul the Great, November 28, 2005

By	Dennis at Holy Apostles (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

Peggy Noonan, a weekly columnist for the Wall Street Journal, does a splendid job of presenting an unforgettable spiritual father-figure in her life, the late Pope John Paul II. She also makes a case that everyone longs for such a person and that John Paul met the challenge of serving as pastor for the entire world. Coming from a humble and trying early life under both Nazi and Soviet aggression, Karol Wojtyla sought and met the God whom he presented so beautifully to all. His first pilgrimage to Poland as a new pope still resounds today through the history-making words "We want God!" John Paul showed us that living the heavenly life is not mere wishful thinking, but a reality enlivened through faith. Even his dying and funeral were sublime, and his legacy will only grow with time.

I especially liked Ms. Noonan's vignette of the pope with Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in the Mel Gibson film "The Passion of the Christ." Artistic himself and a former actor, John Paul uplifted Caviezel and his family and helped Jim to understand that the suffering he endured in the shooting of the film was worth it after all. As John Paul himself said of "The Passion," "It is as it was." Also, there is a vignette of the young Fr. Wojtyla with the Italian mystic Padre Pio (Forgione).

"John Paul the Great" can be read as a marvelous complement to George Weigel's standard reference "Witness to Hope," a source it draws from often. In addition, Ms. Noonan brings us up to date as she openly shares her insights on the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Neither candy-coating it nor dehumanizing the offenders, she instead zeroes in on the crux of the problem. "The actions of the abusers and their excusers reflect a profound immaturity." So much so that John Paul, with all the hardships and pain that he endured, found such pampered recklessness difficult to fathom. Kudos and thanks to Peggy Noonan for raising our consciousness in this wonderful and inspiring book! Rev. Dennis J. Mercieri (Add: 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great writer shines a warm light on a great man! , January 15, 2006

By	T. Avallone (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If I could fashion myself as the perfect writer, I think I would like the imagination of Tolkien, the depth of C.S. Lewis, the vocabulary of William Buckley, and humor of Wodehouse, the edge of Ann Coulter, and the grace of Peggy Noonan. I have never read a word of hers that didn't shine a gentle, warm light on whatever it was to be lucky enough to have her writing about it. Her book, John Paul the Great, is no exception.

With her customary, grace, and respect she writes with love, affection, and candor about John Paul II and the faith he inspired in Catholics, in Christians, and most especially, in her. She made me smile with her story of coffee and the rosary. ("I don't have a cup of coffee in the morning -- I have a glass of coffee, because it's bigger.") And stand in stunned awe of Mother Teresa who experienced a perdio of spiritual darkness that began shortly after she left her convent to serve the poor until her death. She then deftly turned to admiration of John Paul II who accelerated Mother Teresa's canonization process because he knew that he spiritual heroism was greater, much greater, than any of us suspected. John Paul II knew that the canonization process would force into the public arena what Mother Teresa had kept so privately and that his flock would be instructed and inspired.

"Great men lift us up. They tell us by their presence that everything is possible, that as children of God we are part of God, and as part of God we can, with him, accomplish anything. Anything."

And great writers tell us about great men. Thank you Ms. Noonan. I enjoyed your telling and your willingness to share your own journey.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time for Mothers' Love, February 22, 2006

By	Mark Blackburn (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is a moment in the Mass - just before you go up to receive `Communion'. . . when you say an ancient phrase (20 centuries old?)

"Lord, I am not worthy to receive You . . . but only `say the Word' - and I shall be healed."

As a former journalist (who once interviewed Mother Teresa in 1984 -- same year Peggy Noonan met Mother on a walkway outside the Reagan White House) I was struck by the fact that this tiny, but `tough-as-wire' woman - this saint! - could say those same words with genuine humility: The idea that, ` I'm not good enough' to be here . . . "but only say the word, and I shall be healed."

-----

Almost 20 years later (in 2003) Peggy Noonan -- author of this unique biography -- was selected to speak at the Vatican, at the ceremony for the beatification of Mother Teresa - an event which coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of John Paul's papacy.

Feeling a little overwhelmed at the magnitude of the occasion (on the eve of a Papal Mass attended by half a million pilgrims) Peggy Noonan asked fellow-members of the American delegation to the ceremony for their thoughts. Then, following the open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square, Peggy Noonan, took the podium in "the audience hall at St. Peter's . . . and became the first woman ever to make a speech from the papal throne."

For two days leading up to the occasion, Noonan was unable "to think of ANYTHING about Mother Teresa that seemed good enough to say - (that was) original, or worthy of a saint."

So when her moment came before the microphones, she quoted fellow members of the American delegation:

"As I experienced today's Mass (in St. Peter's Square) I felt we were all loving TWO saints . . . Mother Teresa and John Paul II. And as I watched it all, another member of (our) delegation leaned over and said, `I am not good enough to be here.' She felt she wasn't a good enough Catholic to be here.

"When she said it, I thought - Mother Teresa would like that. She would like my friend's humility . . . because it speaks of our sometimes messy but authentic and God-given humanity." Noonan recalled words spoken to her by several women members of the American delegation, "including Mother Agnes of the Sisters of Life" who put it most simply:

Mother Teresa in her own way "let God take over completely . . . she was a fine instrument of God -- she touched millions of lives, as only God can."

At that very moment, Noonan says, "Mother Agnes, who had been called to meetings near the Vatican, was hurriedly crossing St. Peter's Square . . . where, for the pilgrims, they had set up huge `Jumbotrons'
"And just as Mother Agnes was walking along, the wind blowing her habit, wondering how I'd done in my speech, she heard my voice . . .

"She looked up and saw my face on the Jumbotron as I said these words: "As a wonderful member of our delegation, Mother Agnes of the Sisters of Life pointed out, humility is something we associate with Mother Teresa."

She and Mother Agnes soon became good friends . . . and a few months later, (in what Peggy Noonan smilingly attributes to "that great, unseen circularity of life, where we all interact with people we are supposed to help, and be helped by,") she said the "the producers of the game show `Jeopardy!' invited me on their show (a program where) "Washington people play, in order to raise funds for charities."

"I phoned Mother Agnes and said that -- if her convent would PRAY for me, then I would PLAY for them! And pray they did . . . and the following month the Sisters of Life received a check for twenty thousand dollars . . . my modest winnings as the person who came in second."

----

It's in such gentle, little anecdotes as these (and there are many within these 235 pages) readers may find that which is most endearing about this book - uniquely feminine insights into holiness --- `saintliness-in-general' . . . as well as its particular radiance in "John Paul the Great."

Make no mistake: Peggy Noonan throws a harsh light on the American Church and doesn't mince words:

"When I see them all, the bishops and the cardinals of the Church, marching in their miters in procession . . . and at receptions and buffets, they seem to me - by and large - sleek, pink-cheeked and political." And according to Noonan they STILL don't grasp the magnitude of what she terms, "the scandal that was, in my view, the worst thing EVER to happen in the history of the American church."

"They (simply) do not understand what a mother and father go through, when their son is sexually violated: how it scars the child, steals his soul, breaks his heart. They TRY to understand, but they fail. They don't even seem to understand how the scandals happened in the first place. When the first priest violated the first child and they didn't throw him out - that's how it started."

And this, Noonan sadly concedes, is "inescapably part of (John Paul's) legacy . . . the unhappiest portion of what he left behind . . . (and) part of what his successor will now have to heal."

-----

The silver lining in the lingering dark clouds - according to Noonan: The damage that's been done to the church "just may raise the standing of the clergy largely untouched by the scandal - namely American nuns."

"An old nun told me recently," Noonan writes, "that in her view, one reason why the sex scandals happened is that nuns and priests don't work as closely together anymore. `We weren't there to watch them,' she said. Nuns used to be there, watching what was going on in the cardinal's house, and serving as a `corrective' to the cardinal's thinking."

"If I were one of the men running the church," says Noonan, "I'd start elevating the nuns, and conferring with them seriously."

The author closes this chapter (titled "The Great Shame") with a piercing observation that: "The more old fashioned the `habit' - the more Catholic the nun: A nun in a veil probably prays (more often); a nun in a two-piece suit with nothing on her head but a gray crew cut . . . is somewhat more likely to be thinking of `spirit winds' and new ways to refer to Jesus as "She."

According to Noonan, "NOTHING helps the world more than good nuns." And "now's the time" she believes "to upgrade their title - from `Sister' to `Mother.' For that is what they are."

"They mother children in schools, and young girls in stress; they mother great institutions . . . (like the Sisters of Life in New York) and they are as much `mothers' to the flock, as priests are `fathers' - sometimes more."

Peggy Noonan has "hard advice" for the church `fathers': She recalls her address to a "handful of bishops meeting in Washington," where she urged them to take drastic but necessary steps:

"Tomorrow - first thing - take the mansions (you) live in and turn them into schools for children who have nothing. And take the big black cars (you) ride in, and turn them into school buses."

Noting that their meeting was "across the street from The Hilton Hotel" Ms Noonan told the bishops "it would be a good thing for them to find out where the cleaning women at the Hilton lived, and go live there in a rent-stabilized apartment on the edge of town . . . and take the subway to work like other Americans," (so that) "those people could talk to `a prince of the church' about the problems of their faith . . . how hard it is to reconcile the world with their beliefs and faith . . . and you could say (to them) `Buddy, ain't it the truth!' "

----

Just when you think Noonan's suggesting the church divest itself "of its beautiful art, cathedrals and paintings, and gold filigree" - Peggy says, `No way!'

"We are not Puritans, and not Protestant: Catholicism is, among other things, a sensual faith and (this is) OUR way to love and celebrate the beautiful . . . art inspires, and helps us reach."

"But cardinals," she reminds the `fathers,' are shepherds. "And shepherds don't live in mansions!"

This is, in every sense, a bright and beautiful book - "highly recommended" reading for the `mothers' as well as the `fathers' of today's (North) American church.

Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada