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Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium

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Memory and Identity is a very easy and thoroughly enjoyable read. In this book, the Pope forcefully outlines his views on the themes of evil, freedom, nationalism, contemporary Europe, democracy.

Memory and Identity begins with John Paul II's view on evil, which he explains is overcome by Christ's redemption. In this discussion, he argues that modern evil ideologies have their roots in Enlightenment philosophical thought. Particular emphasis is placed on the fascist and Marxist worldviews. He expresses concern that there may now be a new subtle and hidden ideology of evil intent exploiting human rights against man and the family.

The next few chapters beautifully define freedom and express how the principle of freedom should be applied in practice.

The Pope's then goes on to discuss the themes of nationality, patriotism, and nationalism. In this discussion, he consistently uses Poland and Polish national history to articulate his views. He then touches on topics such as Poland's role in contemporary Europe, and Europe's relationship with the rest of the Catholic world.

The Pope also analyzes modern views of democracy and church-state relations. In doing so he praises Enlightenment contributions to contemporary thought, pointing out the Gospel origins of Enlightenment the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity.

The book ends with a transcript of the Pope's discussion on his assassination attempt. Most interesting is the Pope's recollection of his 1983 conversation with Ali Agca, who couldn't understand why the attempt failed.

After reading this book, I felt as if I got to know the man on a personal level, just as if I was having with a conversation with him. A good read.

In the wake of John Paul II's exemplary death, the media is filled with many accounts of people who had some brief, but memorable, personal contact with this great Pope; invariably people who have had contact with the late Pope report its enduring impact on their lives. But we can all have a meaningful personal encounter with this great man and servant of God: his biographer George Weigel delivered himself of the opinion some time ago that John Paul II's greatest legacy may be writings. Weigel had in mind, I believe, John Paul II's outstanding book THE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY, but it is true of his last book MEMORY AND IDENTITY, as well.

John Paul was not just a man of action and a great leader--although he was one of the greatest in those respects--but a profound thinker. I am extremely tempted to set out the thesis of MEMORY AND IDENTITY in this review, but the book is only 190 pages, and I have no right to further condense the very brief, and profound, last work of this great man.

I will only say that he begins the work by dealing directly with the problem of good and evil--and as always with this Pope, he does so from a fresh and optimistic perspective which is grounded in deep learning and reflection. It is only in Chapter 23, interestingly a chapter that addresses issues relating to modern Europe, that he reveals the meaning of the title MEMORY AND IDENTITY and shows its profound significance.

One last comment: the book is presented in the form of a conversation, and it is easy to read. But don't be misled into thinking that MEMORY AND IDENTITY is a superficial interview. Every sentence is lapidary, almost scriptural in the density with which meaning has been packed into the words. Yes, the book is easy to read and will benefit anybody who does so, but it also will stand up to very careful and close reading. To take only one example, the very brief discussion on pages 169 - 170 in Chapter 24, "The Maternal Memory of the Church", while adequate in itself, refers back to the incredibly rich and profound discussion in his 606 page book THE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY. Readers can glean what is easily available on the surface, or can go back for the riches that shine through in layer after layer of this book.

I took a college class many years ago offered in the philosophy department, ethics. It was a much more fun class than I expected it to be, even though it required reading some pretty heavy writing. The whole of ethics boiled down to "what is happiness"? Seems simple enough, and I was suprised by the great number of writers the past 2000 years who had their own ideas for a "good life".

I wish I had Pope John Paul II Memeory and Identity back then. It is almost like a cliff notes, I was very suprised to see the Pope quote so many highly regarded philosophers such as Kant and Descarte and Mill. He offered his thoughts on their works.

In this book you will get more than "You need Faith". You will get more than "How to". You will get anwsers to why the Church believes things they do. In an hour with this book, I felt refreshed. It made me feel happy, it is a wonderful book. It satisfies both the mind and the heart.

I am not a Catholic, but Pope John Paul II was my kind of Pope. His spirituality transcended religion. His uniqueness was that he looked at us the way God looks at us. He saw each of us as a parent sees a child. He was our world's greatest moral conscience. I like to think that when I am at my best I do not need to agree with someone's theology to appreciate their heart. Pope John Paul II made this easy for me, and for nearly everyone else. Pope John Paul's heart was after God's heart. That he did his Doctoral Thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross comes as no surprise to me. The Pope had the heart of a lion. He confronted the "mysterium iniquitatis", the evil in our world, head on.

The Pope was a spiritual and intellectual genius. He chose the title of this book out of respect for and in the tradition of St. Augustine. To quote John Paul, "Evil is always the absence of some good which ought to be present in a given being; it is a privation. It is never a total absence of good... Wheat grows alongside weeds, and weeds grow alongside wheat... The history of mankind is the "Theater" of the coexistence of good and evil". St. Augustine wrote one of the great Christian classics, "Confessions". Book Ten of the Confessions was titled "The Book of Memory". Simply put: without memory we have no identity. We need to know where we are coming from to know where we are. A sense of history that not only gives us a sense of place, but a vision of where we might want to go. Pope John Paul II was very conscious of the past and the present. From Totalitarian Ideologies to the excesses of Materialism the Pope in his "Memory and Identity" discusses some of life's most pressing issues, primarily freedom and its limits. Pope John Paul II was a religious philosopher of the highest order. He was the most important Spiritual leader of the 20th Century. He cared about the future. He was everything a "Pope" is supposed to be. He showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. He was an eternal optimist. As he states in this book, "There is no evil from which God cannot draw forth a greater good". More than anyone else, he was the religious representative of God on earth during his term as Pope. An example for the rest of us to aspire to. Was he perfect, no. Did he have the biggest heart, yes. He reached out to everyone. Pope John Paul II was a visionary, for Catholics and all other people of Faith and/or good will. God loves everyone, not just Catholics. So did Pope John Paul II.

Though the office of the Pope is bigger than any one man, John Paul's shoes will be very hard to fill. Long live the memory of Pope John Paul II The Great.

"The limit imposed upon evil is ultimately `Divine Mercy'."

"In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order, the order of love...It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good."

"And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ."

My fellow readers, of all faiths, when and if you get what I believe to be the deepest, albeit the most profound, of the "message" of Christ, only then will you transcend to the true understanding of Christ, consequently, God the Father. Only then will the world, as we "know" it, make sense, and only then, will you understand, why PJP not only gave his life totally to Mother Mary, but why she is the ladder, or the "easiest way" to understand and know Christ. And only then, will you understand how the evil and suffering of this world can not only transcend us, but bring us peace!

In case you haven't made the connection, the most important message of Memory and Identity was also the most important message of the Homily of PJP's funeral. In both, PJP is pleading with us, "Follow me, I understand and know the way."

Coincidence? Hardly, especially knowing that PJP was famous as well for telling us that nothing in life is a coincidence. If you google Peggy Noonan's recent article "We want God", this will make even more sense. And if you know the history of Fatima, the messages and promises of Fatima, it will make your hair stand up to understand how this Catholic church approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin, not only played itself out from 1917 to 2005, in which all the "prophecies" came true, but how, as PJP knew better than any, the Mother of God is our "spiritual superhero", our loving Mother, desperately trying to help and save us from the perils of chastisement and sin.

You might also want to study Sister Faustina, (read the diary of Sister Faustina), a Polish nun who was canonized a saint by PJP in the year 2000. It was through Sister (St. Faustina), that PJP truly came to fully understand the mercy of God. Consequently, also in the year 2000, he dedicated "Mercy Sunday" (the liturgy was already in place by scripture, he simply brought it to it's fullest understanding, now an official feast day of the Catholic Church). As well, in honor of God's Mercy which no one understood better than PJP, he granted a plenary indulgence to all Catholics on this day, the day of "Catholic atonement, in which the floodgates of God's Mercy open to all." In knowing this, it's relevant to know that one of the many profound messages (another one being her vision of hell), Sister Faustina left us in her diary, she also gave us this message:

"I bear a special love for Poland and if she will be obedient to My Will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My coming." (Diary 1732). These world were given to her by Jesus himself.

The discernment for the "special spark" is for all to discern, but hard to believe that the spark wasn't indeed PJP. It's also relevant to note that PJP died on First Saturday, which is a message of Fatima (make the First Saturdays, pray the rosary, for reparation of the sorrowful heart of the Blessed Virgin). For all who are not Catholic, this is the crux of the message that Mother Mary has given to the world since 1917. By making "reparations" we could lessen (by God's Mercy), the sins of the world and the coming chastisement that Mother Mary is trying to spare us. Do you see how this all fits with PJP's understanding of "the limit imposed upon evil is ultimate Divine Mercy?" You also need to understand that the 20th century was the century in which Satan (from the fall), would have the most power in the world, the last battle between good and evil). In fact, Sister Lucy, the nun and last living seer of the 3 pilgrims of Fatima (she also just died a few months ago), told us in 1937 that "Satan would go after the Chruch first, knowing that if the Church was brought down, it would be easier to corrupt the followers." Only knowing that, can one understand the sex abuse scandal and know that it was the work of Satan in this perilous age, and sadly, the fall of grace of some of our Catholic priests. In fact, even Pope Paul VI was quoted as saying, "Smoke has entered the Sanctuary."

FYI, it was only BECAUSE of the sex scandal, when I almost left the faith, I felt the need to "prove myself out of it." In expecting to find a "great reason to leave (to satisfy my conscience), I instead, when going back and not only relearning the faith as an adult (thanks to the tapes of Bishop Fulton Sheen), not only came to understand the perils of Satan in the 20th Century, but the beauty and richness of the faith. It made me a devout Catholic, consequently, I have studied not only the faith but the lives of the saints with fervor. In doing so, there is no doubt. That part of our creed where we are called to believe in the "lives of the saints", gave me profound gratitude for all that they have taught over the last 2000 years. TAKE NOTE: Does this not prove PJP's words once again that the limit imposed upon evil is "ultimately Divine Mercy?" I was a cafeteria Catholic before the sex scandal, because of it, now devout, thanks to the Mercy of God, proving, that good CAN come from evil.

In proving to you even more the truth of PJP's words of redemptive suffering, I will also tell you that a year ago, my devout Catholic mother died a slow painful death of cancer. In the year I spent with her, I was "truly transcended" in watching her "grow with joy as she suffered." I totally "got" that her "joy" was her solidarity with the crucified and suffering Christ. Even more ironic, she died on the feast day of St. Faustina, and only after her death did we find writings of St. Faustina in her bible, long before she was ever a saint or made known to the world. One of the last things my mother taught me was to "pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena, especially starting on Good Friday, ending on the Saturday before Easter, the day before Divine Mercy Sunday.

I share the above with you to help make the case of the truth of the message of Memory and Identity. Of course, the above two examples are unique to me alone, but the bigger message of PJP is that be it one on one, or "the world against evil" he is trying to teach us the way, the life, and the truth. I also admit that the concepts are deep, and in a world that does all to avoid suffering or quick to "destroy" evil, I only ask you to consider the profoundness of the message. PJP has given us, for all who seek it, a rich and deeper meaning into the Paschal mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. In doing so, he is asking us to follow him, do not be afraid, behold your mother.

On a last note, for all non Catholics, PJP died on First Saturday, (technically by the Church this was Divine Mercy Sunday, since Vespers were said), and had his first Mass celebrated on Mercy Sunday, a feast of the Catholic Church so near and dear to his heart and message. It's also of interest to note that in a strange "coincidence", he died in the direct line up of First Friday (feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), First Saturday (feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), and Divine Mercy Sunday, in the "Year of the Eucharist." It's VERY unusual for these 3 days to align. As well, he was elected in October on the feast of the Sacred heart of Jesus. As he would say himself, "nothing is a coincidence." As a devout Catholic and follower of the faith, I will only add, to me, PJP was as close to "Christ in modernity" as we have ever seen in our lifetime. For all who want the church to "change, to be more modern", his message rings loud and clear that it's not the church that has to change, but US. He has shown us the way, the truth, and the life. He also reminded us this past January that we are in apocalyptic times. As the spiritual leader of the world, PJP not only lived and spoke the message of Christ, but speaks from the grave to "follow me, I know the way."

p.s. For more info on divine mercy, see divinemercysunday.com

If you want more, suggest you also study the lives of "saints of our lifetime", and best friends of Pope John Paul: Padre Pio, Mother Teresa, Maria Esperanza, and Sister Lucy of Fatima, the last 3 sure bets for sainthood although not yet "official" by the church. And last but not least, the Queen of Angels and Mother of the Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

p.p.s. For clarity, the Catholic faith does not require any Catholic to believe in church approved apparitions. Once church approved (which is no easy feat), they are given to us for "enrichment of the faith." PJP not only believed in Fatima, but also that is was the Mother of Fatima who saved his life from the bullet in 1981. He also had a great foundness for Medjugorje (well believed to be the "continuation" of Fatima), however, could not visit Medjurgoje owing to the fact it is not yet church approved. The church never approves until the "apparitions play out and the `fruits are known'." This can not happen until the end of the apparitions, which are still ongoing, believed by many to be the "last of the messages of Mary", given every 25th of the month (medjugorje.org).

The lives of the saints are required beliefs of the faith. As like Mary, we don't pray TO them but through their intercession. They are saints because they have lived lives "in step with Christ", and are examples for us in our path to holiness. As well, all have great power in heaven to pray and intercede for us.

p.p.p.s. FYI, in studying the lives of the saints, I also came across this. I add it for all the Catholics who left the faith over the scandal, as I myself came close to doing.

St. Francis De Sales, on the Scandals of the Clergy:
"Those who commit scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder by destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible example... But I'm here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal--who allow scandals to destroy their faith--are guilty of spiritual suicide!"

In "Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium" With Pope John Paul II recently passing on to the full phases of life, we have his final, fearless words. In a sense His last will and testament. The Book is written in a question-and-answer format. In these very candid writings (answers), John Paul II tackles extremely important issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, and he fearlessly makes the case for his Church's positions. There will be some controversy hear as well the Pope compares abortion to the Nazi Holocaust. That will stir quit some debate as well as it should Our abortion holocaust is far worse then even Hitler's barbaric atrocities.

In this book the Pope: Recalls his near-death memories after the attempt on his life, and compares abortion to the Holocaust: Denounces gay marriages as part of "a new ideology of evil:" He argues that same-sex marriages threaten society by undermining the traditional family he also writes about gay marriages when he refers to "pressures" on the European Parliament to allow them: Calls abortion "legal extermination" comparable to attempts to wipe out Jews and other groups in the 20th century (as I mentioned above). The Pope openly talks about the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews and the wholesale slaughter of political opponents by Communist regimes after World War II (and thank God we need to be reminded of the insidious evils of Marxism and nazism).

John Paul II Also writes about Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot him in a failed assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981. John Paul II believes the gunman did not act alone, suggesting that the former USSR was probably behind the plot. The Pope says that the assassination attempt was not the gunman's initiative:

The pope also warns us that new evils as bad the Nazis and Communism are rising, and claims that legally elected parliaments in formerly totalitarian countries are today allowing what he calls "new forms of evil" and new exterminations. Such as abortion, the growing of fetus to destroy life for stem cell, the new anti-Semitism, etc.,


With Pope John Paul IIs death just recently; this book becomes even more important as he reveals his personal thoughts in a truly historic document; the book is a must-read not only for Catholics, but also for all Christians and in fact any and everyone concerned about the direction Western society is heading.

This book, like many other works by John Paul II, packs a lot of information into a fairly short space. As usual, the concepts that the Holy Father intends to convey come through in a very clear and easy to understand manner that is accessible to most anyone. There is indeed quite a bit of philosophical material in this book but like the good Father that he was, he takes the time to explain his lessons to his children. This entire book is in fact a question and answer session and very much reminded me of an elderly Father gathering his children around him to impart great wisdom during his final days.

I can't imagine how Pope John Paul II could have left a better gift for Pope Benedict XVI than the one he left in this book. The first part of this book deals in great detail with one of the greatest problems facing the new Holy Father, that being challenges to Church teaching in light of the relativism so in vogue in Western Europe and the United States. The Holy Father in this section of the book takes on the ideas of good and evil which grew out of the Enlightenment. These ideas tend to give man some discretion in deciding what is good and what is evil. With mankind given this kind of power it becomes easy to ignore God's rules and to make up whatever rules are convenient at the time. In other words, the same philosophy that allows me to justify the occasional little white lie also allowed the murder of millions of people in the Third Reich and Soviet Union. This is tough talk from our former Pontiff but it sure has the ring of truth.

The rest of the book is a discussion of freedom, national identity and culture. Most of the time the Pope uses the example of his native Poland to make his points and it is clear that this is a man who loves his homeland very much. Despite his own patriotism however, the Holy Father warns against extreme nationalism, which he sees as a growing threat in the new millennium.

The final chapter deals with the 1981 assignation attempt in St. Peter's Square. Here his secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, joins him in the conversation. This is the first time that John Paul II has written about this event and the addition of the Archbishop adds greatly to the account since the Pope was unconscious much of the time. Within this chapter, the Pope ties this event to Fatima and is very clear in his belief that he was saved by the intervention of the Blessed Virgin.

The Holy Catholic Church and the world at large have lost a great man with the passing of John Paul II but thanks to his writings he will be with us forever. This, his last book, is deep but readable and offers us a last glimpse into the philosophy of this intellectual and spiritual giant.

Composed from interviews and conversations, John Paul II's final book Memory and Identity : Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium examines national identity, the role of the state, and the future of Europe. Drawing on history of Polish national identity, the late Pope sees both nations and the Church as proper repositories of memory, memory being that which makes possible the expression of identity. Europe is in danger of losing that notion of identity, of becoming unrecognizable to itself, of losing the humanism that Christianity has helped it to attain. The dangers in the West are not limited to obvious totalitarian movements like communism and fascism, but include more insidious forms of moral and spiritual decay. These are fruitful ideas to consider when thinking about the current Church, and Pope Benedict's choice of the name of the patron of Europe indicates that he and John Paul shared an enthusiasm for the importance of the continent right now.

In reflecting on intellectual history, John Paul attempts to fuse objective/realist traditions (Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas) with subjective/personalist ones (Augustine, Descartes, Kant, phenomenology). He makes an effort to treat modern thought respectfully, calling attention to the good within Kant and the Enlightenment while also acknowledging their excesses and defects. These passages make him sound very much like Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor.

This last book in some ways is a good introduction to Wojtyla the intellectual, integrating his personalist philosophy, his political views, his poetic and dramatic visions, and his ecclesiology in one conversational book. Buy a copy and read it.

This book is a terrific discussion about Christian ethics and morality. Pope John Paul the Great discusses the role of Christ in our lives, and how Christ's role impacts how we as people deal with evil, freedom, and our lives as citizens.

It is likely that nothing in this book will surprise the reader in terms of John Paul's beliefs, faith, or teaching, however, the depth and sophistication of John Paul's thoughts on these topics make reading this book a worthwhile spiritual exercise.

The book begins with a brief primer on the history of Western philosophy that captures the decisive turn toward subjectivity that began with Rene Descartes. John Paul the Great calls us instead to return to the "realism" of the tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas in which being takes center stage. As the media has noted, JPG draws a parallel between the Nazi holocaust and legal abortion later in the book. He bases his prophetic point on Aquinas' teaching that an unjust law is no law. Just as Hitler's regime was illegitimate, although freely elected, so is the abortion regime imposed today by freely elected legislatures. A good portion of the book then considers the history of Europe in general and Poland in particular and emphasizes the decisive role of the Gospel in the formation of European culture and sees this same role manifesting itself in other cultures. As a Catholic, I was struck by the late Pope's tying of the word "memory" in the title to the Eucharist: Christ gives us our identity through the "memory" enacted in the Eucharist. And so memory is the key to identity. For Catholics, the Eucharist is that key, because it shows us that Christ, as John Paul was fond of saying, is the answer to the dramatic question that each human life is and always will be. John Paul the Great has been faithful to this Christocentric message to the end with the publication of his last book.