Wind from Heaven

John Paul II: The Poet Who Became Pope

Wind from Heaven is the story of the future pope Karol Wojtyła as poet and playwright, as true servant of the Word — a student of Polish literature, dramatist, actor, professor, philosopher, and priest, whose religious conviction added a moral dimension to world politics, transformed the Church, and changed the course of history.

Drawing on a wealth of Polish sources, Monika Jablonska throws a fresh light onto the personal and literary life of John Paul II for English-language readers, portraying the history of Karol Wojtyła’s native Poland, its literature, and faith-suffused culture as the crucible out of which emerged a boy, then a man of unbreakable spirit, who answered the call to priesthood, and became a pope who in face of immense worldly evils feared no one but God, giving ringing voice to Love and Hope with such moral clarity that the world rose up with courage in response. The reader of this inspiring book comes away in reverent awe of Karol Wojtyła, this “man from a far country” who answered the call as Saint Peter did before him. Like the Apostles in the Upper Room on the eve of Pentecost, he heard a great roar, like a wind from heaven, and took the Word of God into the world, armed with faith and a gift of languages to renew the face of the earth.