Saint John Paul The Great

           

 Jason Evert is a prolific Catholic author and speaker on human love, namely purity and chastity. He graduated from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a master’s degree in Theology and a minor in philosophy. Years later, he met Crystalina, who would soon come to be his wife. They have been married for nearly 13 years, and live happily together with their children in Denver, Colorado. ¹

In spite of being a devout loving father, he has still managed to deliver numerous speeches on the virtue of love. He has not only spoken about this but also many more similar topics in regard to the Catholic Faith. Moreover, he has delivered speeches on six different continents which have touched the hearts of more than a million people. Furthermore, he has also written several books that range from discussion of the Theology of the Body, to purity of Faith, dating, how to find your marriage partner, as well as many other areas concerning human love. Overall, his life’s work has made an impact on both youths and married couples which will continue to flourish as his ministry continues. ²

In this piece of work, he describes the life and legacy of a man after his own heart: Pope John Paul II. His work and ministry on the Theology of the Body is not that much different from that of the Holy Father. Moreover, he was amazed about all the many numerous stories he had heard from a lot of random individuals worldwide who had encountered the Pope just as he had. However, Mr. Evert asserts in the “Forward” of the book that many who didn’t know the Holy Father only came to understand Pope John Paul II from his outside appearance. Even though a majority of these observers could get a feel for the kind of man he was, Mr. Evert discovered that no one can come to truly understand him unless we look into his heart. Therefore, believing that many of these stories had not been written down, he felt all but compelled to put them into words. ³

The first half of the book details a complex biography of the Holy Father, from his infancy to his papacy. The details here go beyond that of a general life-story account, for Mr. Evert includes several mini-stories of his life that could only be accounted for by eyewitnesses, some of which that are directly quoted. The description is so powerful that the reader could potentially believe that John Paul II’s struggles relate to that of his/her own. Furthermore, his journey through life reflects that of every individual who struggles to find hope in the midst of suffering.

Yet despite all the sufferings in his life, Mr. Evert describes his outgoing nature that ended up touching the lives of so many throughout the world. Not only did he administer to the spiritual needs of God’s children, he also loved to participate in activities and sports. Mr. Evert even includes several of his humorous remarks that expressed his loving attitude for others, especially those who were concerned about him. Moreover, Mr. Evert relates the fact of how everyone that saw him felt as if he had his attention completely focused on them, as if each individual was the only one there.

Though he was a people’s pope, Mr. Evert does not neglect to describe his contributions to an outstanding historical event: the fall of communism. First off, many people in the world, including the communists, were shocked to hear of his election to the papacy. ⁴ The communists were concerned because they knew that he was not in favor of their agenda and nor could he be manipulated. Apparently, their worst nightmare came true as the Soviet Union began to collapse not long before the beginning of the 21^st century. No other individual besides John Paul II could have made such an impact on a broken world, for he himself had undergone severe oppression and still managed to survive. Without a doubt, he was the right man for the job in providing a message of perseverance and hope for all those who were suffering from the effects of communism. ⁵  

Besides contributing to the fall of communism, Mr. Evert then goes on to describe his impact on the both the world and the Church at large. This makes up for the second part of the book: “His Five Loves.” Here Pope John Paul II’s love for God, the Church, and others are detailed in such extraordinary way that reader becomes astounded as to how much he gave of himself. Furthermore, the testimony of his loves cannot help but bring the reader to wonder how all this was exemplified from a man who had suffered so much.

Overall, this book is truly a great piece of work worth reading for anyone who is interested in wanting to know the heart of the Pope that touched so many souls. Moreover, the message is so powerful that it can serve as an inspiration for many different kinds of people worldwide. In addition, one can see why someone like Jason Evert would feel compelled to carry on his mission of teaching the world the essence of human love. Finally, this book makes us so close to the Holy Father that we feel like he has always been praying for us in heaven. 

  

Endnotes

¹ “Jason and Crystalina,” Chastity Project, 2015. (15 April 2016), at http://chastityproject.com/seminars/speakers/jason-crystalina-evert/.  

² Evert, Jason. Saint John Paul the Great. (Lakewood, CO: Totus Tuus Press, 2014), back cover.

³ Evert. Saint John Paul the Great, Forward.

⁴ Melady, Thomas P., and Jacob Barrett. “John Paul II: Freedom Fighter?,” Our Sunday Visitor Inc., October 2015. (14 April 2016), at http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=c6ac436d-8143-4cff-9737-e429c90e83c1%40sessionmgr102&hid=122.  

⁵ Melady and Barrett. “John Paul II: Freedom Fighter?”