«The reader holds in his hands a book of meditations: those expounded by the then-Cardinal Wojtyla in the spiritual exercises he preached to Pope Paul VI and the prelates of the Roman Curia during Lent in 1976. But the interest of these pages goes beyond the circumstances that gave rise to them: they reach every believer who seeks nourishment for the soul and strives to embody Christian faith and hope in their lives, and they also reach all those who sincerely desire—even from the borders of doubt or denial—to discover God in the world, in history, and in their own existence.
From the beginning, the guiding thread of these meditations is the mystery of Christ as a "sign of contradiction." In the radical sense of this contradiction—today perhaps stronger than ever—we find summarized the entire truth about Jesus Christ, about his redemptive mission, and about his Church. In light of these words, the author introduces us to a cordial contemplation of God's plan for the world—creation and covenant, the central idea of the Bible—in whose framework the deepest dimension of the mystery of humanity is fully explained.
The reader will also discover in these pages a vivid interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, whose thought animates and guides each and every one of the reflections that make up these spiritual exercises. With exquisite pastoral sensitivity, Karol Wojtyła combines in this interpretation a passionate fidelity to the Church's tradition with an open and profound understanding of the problems of the contemporary world.
Karol Wojtyła was born in Wadowice, Diocese of Krakow, on May 18, 1920. After completing his primary studies, he studied literature at the University of Krakow. During the Second World War, he worked for four years as a laborer, first in a quarry and then in the Solvay factory. During this time, he secretly continued his theological studies because the Krakow seminary he had entered in 1942 had been closed.
He was ordained a priest on November 1, 1946. At the Angelicum in Rome, he obtained his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on Saint John of the Cross. Upon his return to his homeland, he was appointed Vicar Cooperator, Counselor of University Students, and Professor of Ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin and at the Faculty of Theology in Krakow.
A collaborator of Cardinal Wyszynski, Pius XII consecrated him titular bishop of Ombi in 1958. In 1964, he was promoted to the Archbishopric of Krakow by Paul VI, who created him a cardinal in the consistory of June 26, 1967.
He was intensely active at the Second Vatican Council and in all the Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.
He served as Vice President of the Polish Bishops' Conference and President of the Episcopal Commissions for Ecclesiastical Studies and the Apostolate of the Laity.
Numerous writings, scientific works, and doctrinal articles support his pastoral, cultural, and teaching activities.
On the afternoon of October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla was called to succeed John Paul I and govern the ship of the universal Church as Supreme Pontiff.