The Way to Christ: Spiritual Exercises: An Action guide to being like Jesus; Book 1: Creating Christ, Creating Life

by Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis, Joe Dettelis (Editor)

The Timeless Writings of One of the World's Greatest Religious Leaders on the Most Important Spiritual Issues of Our Time with a direct link to Pope Francis, Synod on the Family, World Youth Day and present cultural, spiritual reality. Finally available in Ebook format—written as a meditation and spiritual retreat but for the purpose of taking transformative action.The Way to Spiritual Exercises; an Action guide to being like Jesus, offers a unique opportunity to experience a spiritual retreat with a 21st century Saint! These are inspiring sermons in lecture format that Pope John Paul II gave during spiritual retreats he led while he was still a bishop and cardinal in communist controlled Poland. In them he addresses the pressing spiritual issues of our the miracle and dignity of each human life, the need for a community that nurtures humanity, the necessity of cultivating the inner spiritual life, and the power of Christ to transform our present and future realities. These deeply scriptural, very personal talks celebrate the reality and the immediacy of Christ, offering rich insights and solid guidance for Christians living in today's world.This is Book 1 of a 2 part series. Book 1: Creating Christ, Creating Life; Making the 21st Century Church. Topics covered – the absolute importance of the self and your destiny in the creator, finding yourself, encountering God, choosing your divine self, mirroring Christ, the reality of sin, how to define and overcome sin, the image of God within, achieving the divine female, achieving the divine male, experiencing spiritual transformation, co-creating Christ and Life, taking effective action. The connection to Pope Francis and his calls to World Youth Day 2014–2016, Synod on the Family and the Gospel of the Family moves these meditations forward to present day relevance and how to take action.This first eBook edition gives the people of the Church and world access to the exact action to take to remake not only themselves but the world in the image of the loving God and creator. It also provides a globally connected, ready-made platform upon which to achieve this magnificent task no matter where you live. What a project for our time!The young academics of Krakow were glad to have this alternative vision against that provided by an atheistic state that suppressed non-conforming individual and collective freedom. They were also very happy to preserve and share it. And they could share it with confidence against any ideology being offered by the state because that is what the auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, St. John Paul II, gave them—he articulated a world-class theistic vision—based on faith and science—that connected directly to their Souls. A transformative, spiritual action guide just as relevant and powerful today as it was then. This message transformed a society and set millions of souls free.This is the cultural vision and philosophy that cannot be ignored by postmodernism. And it is an action guide to experience the spiritual growth we all need to create a better world.Saint John Paul II is a spiritual master, but he is much more than that. It’s hard to explain. You will have to read the book, do the Spiritual Exercises and find out for yourself—then you will know.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2014

About the author

Saint Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope at the Conclave of 16 October 1978, and he took the name of John Paul II. On 22 October, the Lord's Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle. His pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years.

Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.

He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.

His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.

Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.

With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.

He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.

In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.