Book Description

Theology of the Body Institute Press releases the first-ever English language edition of a long-lost treasure from the St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) archives. Originally delivered in 1962 for artists, "God Is Beauty" features Karol Wojtyla's penetrating spiritual exercises on divine beauty and its reflection in our humanity (and in the art we produce). The retreat itself, of course, forms the heart of this attractive volume. To aid you in mining its many riches, it is followed by an extensive commentary by Dr. Christopher West and various shorter reflections from authors who are distinguished in the fields of theology and art and whose hearts and works have been transformed by the themes in this retreat.In this book, you will be shown:* The interior journey of "the ache" an artist must take to produce transcendent art.* How artists should process the tensions in life that can inform their work.* The one thing necessary to make everyone's life a reflection of divine beauty.Reflections from artists and theologians who are living out the themes of this retreat. * A road map for the Church to reclaim its role as the world's Patron of the Arts. Saint John Paul II (born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in 1920) was an actor, poet, and playwright before being ordained to the priesthood in Communist-occupied Poland in 1946. Ordained a bishop in 1958, he contributed significantly to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and was made a cardinal by Saint Paul VI in 1967. After the second papal conclave of 1978, Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope in over 400 years. Having successfully fulfilled what he considered to be his mission to lead the Church into the third millennium, he died as one of the longest reigning popes in history on April 2, 2005. He was beatified by his immediate successor Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, and canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014.