Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium

by Pope John Paul II

Book Overview

For the first time publicly the pontiff describes the moments after he was gravely wounded in 1981, saying he was fearful and in pain but had a strange feeling of confidence that he would live. This book is essentially a transcript of conversations he had in Polish with two of his closest friends--translated into English.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0847827615
• ISBN13: 9780847827619
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Optimismo Ontológico

Es apropiado caracterizar de optimismo ontológico el mensaje de esta obra ya que, de acuerdo al autor, existen dos límites que Dios ha impuesto al mal: 1) La Creación y 2) La Redención, así que hay una primacía del bien sobre el mal desde el inicio de la historia y dicha primacía viene a ser reafirmada con la muerte y la Resurrección de Cristo: la victoria definitiva del Bien sobre el mal y raíz de la esperanza cristiana. "El misterio pascual confirma que, a la postre, vence el bien; que la vida prevalece sobre la muerte y el amor triunfa sobre el odio". (p. 75) Mis citas favoritas son: 1) En todo caso, no se olvida fácilmente el mal que se ha experimentado directamente. Solo se puede perdonar. Y, ¿qué significa perdonar sino recurrir al bien, que es mayor que cualquier mal? Un bien que, en definitiva, tiene su fuente únicamente en Dios. Sólo Dios es el Bien. El límite impuesto al mal por el bien divino se ha incorporado a la historia del hombre, a la historia de Europa en particular, por medio de Cristo. (p.30) 2) La libertad es auténtica en la medida que realiza el verdadero bien. Sólo entonces ella misma es un bien. Si deja de estar vinculada con la verdad y comienza a considerar ésta como dependiente de la libertad, pone las premisas de unas consecuencias morales dañosas, de dimensiones a veces incalculables. En este caso, el abuso de la libertad provoca una reacción que toma la forma de uno u otro sistema totalitario. También ésta es una forma de corrupción de la libertad, de la que en el siglo XX, y no sólo en él, hemos experimentado las consecuencias. (pp. 60-61) 3) En 1994 tuvo lugar en Castel Gandolfo un simposio sobre el tema de la identidad de las sociedades europeas (Identity in Change) La cuestión en torno a la cual se desarrollaba el debate se refería a los cambios que introdujeron los acontecimientos del siglo XX en la conciencia de la identidad europea y de la identidad nacional, en el contexto de la civilización moderna. Al comienzo del simposio, Paul Ricoeur habló de la memoria y el olvido como dos fuerzas importantes, y en cierto modo contrapuestas, que actúan en la historia del hombre y de las sociedades. La memoria es la facultad de la fragua de la identidad de los seres humanos, tanto en lo personal como en lo colectivo. Porque a través de ella se forma y se concretiza en la psique de la persona el sentido de la identidad. Entre tantos comentarios interesantes que oí entonces, hubo uno que me llamó poderosamente la atención. Cristo conocía esta ley de la memoria y recurrió a ella en un momento clave de su misión. Cuando instituyó la Eucaristía durante la Última Cena, dijo: "Haced esto en recuerdo mío" (Hoc facite in meam commemorationem: Lc 22, 19). La memoria evoca recuerdos. Así pues, la Iglesia es de algún modo la "memoria viva" de Cristo: del misterio de Cristo, de su pasión, muerte y resurrección, de su Cuerpo y de su Sangre. Esta "memoria" se realiza mediante la Eucaristía. En consecuencia, los cristianos, celebran

Great example for students of serious religious thought

I had to purchase this book twice. I lent it to a student who was researching identity and interested in what I said about Pope John Paul II's comments on Descartes and the book never came back.... I suppose what strikes me as most surprising is how surprised so many students are that the works of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI are such philosophical and theological masterpieces that ought to be read and discussed just as other contemporary philosophers. What I find most often is the sense people have that since the Popes are clearly associated with a religious institution that they therefore think and write as many authors associated with so called "fundamentalist" (in the sense Martin Marty defines in "The Fundamentalism Project") points of view. In short, many seem to have the impression that folks like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are talking about all religious points of view instead of those that are merely silly. How does one seriously correct this problem?

A Must Read for All Christians!!!!!!!!

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.

Amazing work of philosophy

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.

A conversation we can all have with a great Pope

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.