“Vatican City, February 8, 1994” – in the date of St. John Paul II’s reflection, is distinguished as one of his most deep and beautiful meditations. It arose within his audience great interest, but not in the mid-1990s, nor after its publication in Polish, but this interest arose after the pope’s death, on August 4, 2006. The text attracted the attention of the public (as I see it ) only after John Paul’s beatification in 2011 with the appearance of the translations of this meditation in Italian, English, Spanish and French. This is due, among other things, to the Italian priest and blogger Mauro Leonardi, who posted the Italian text of the meditation in his book “Come Gesù. L’amicizia e il dono del celibato apostolico” published in 2011 in Milan. The author became acquainted with this reflection when his book was ready for publication. However, he decided to insert the text at the end of the book by preceding it with an explanation of said text, these were highlighted by publishing the papal text on the title page.
The purpose of this decision was probably to give publicity to the unknown but very interesting and important meditation of the Polish pope. This too was the reason of popularizing the meditation on diverse websites in various languages. The circumstances that suround the creation of this text are not as important as its timeless content, with which everyone can familiarize themselves with (Meditation on Givenness). However, it is worth inquiring the genesis of this meditation, which was written thirty years ago, it continues to delight and inspire an ever-increasing number of readers. Within this context, I would like to share some findings about the origins of meditation.
What does the time-period around the creation of this “Meditation” indicate?
The United Nations declared in 1994 the “Year of the Family,” and as such it was celebrated in the Catholic Church. In connection with the occasion, John Paul II prepared a special document, “Letter to Families,” beginning in the Latin version with the words “Gratissimam sane.” The letter was officially released on the first days of Lent, February 22, 1994. The date of the “Meditations” (February 8, 1994) is the time immediately preceding the publication of the “Letter to Families.”
It is worth mentioning that there was a bloody war taking place within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that Sarajevo was under siege. The Pope was making efforts to enable humanitarian missions to rescue civilians, especially children and women. On Sunday, February 6, the Day for the Defense of Life was celebrated throughout the Italian Church, under the slogan “The family is the temple of life.” On Ash Wednesday (February 16), John Paul II promulgated the “Letter to Families,” recommending the faithful to read the document during the Lenten season. On Sunday, February 20, he reminded once again that the “Letter to Families” would be published within two days. On this occasion, the Pope made reference
of the European Parliament resolution, which was announced a few days earlier, regarding the legalization of homesexual unions on behalf of the governments which belong to the European Union. John Paul II, on that first Sunday of Lent, expressed himself as follows:
“The European Parliament demands legal recognition of moral disorder. […] Without a basic awareness of moral norms, human life and human dignity are in danger of decay and destruction. […] A union of two men or two women cannot constitute a true family, much less grant such unions the right to adopt orphaned children. […] I trust that the parliaments of European countries will gain distance from this proposal and, in the Year of the Family now being celebrated, will protect the families of which our societies and nations with ancient traditions are composed from this fundamental threat”.
Certainly, threats to the family, marriage, and the dignity of human life, whether related to the drama of armed conflicts or to the lancing changes in the field of contemporary culture, morals and legislated law, were firmly in the consciousness of the Holy Father preparing the publication of the “Letter to Families.” This is reflected, in a way, in the vision of confronting the civilization of love with the civilization of selfishness, which we find in the pages of this document (cfr. n. 13).
Letter to Families
The document was officially presented on February 22, 1994, and is divided into two parts: The first, “The Civilization of Love,” presents an anthropological and theological vision of marriage and the family; the second, “The Bridegroom is with you,” shows the supernatural means by which marriage and family life can be developed. The first part includes a rather extensive chapter entitled “The selfless gift of self” (Latin version: “Sincera sui donatio,” n. 11). The opening and closing sections of the chapter speak of the selfless giving within the context of the marital relationship between a man and a woman, but the greatest part of this chapter is devoted to understanding the child as a gift. John Paul II wrote in the aforementioned chapter of the “Letter to Families”:
“It is the Gospel truth concerning the gift of self, without which the person cannot ˝fully find himself˝. […] Many men and women make this truth their own, coming to discern that only in this truth do they encounter ‘the Truth and the Life’ (cf. Jn 14:6). Without this truth, the life of the spouses and of the family will not succeed in attainging a fully human meaning. […] An awareness of that sincere gift of self whereby man fonds himself must be constantly renewed and safe guarded in the face of the serious opposition which the Church meets on the part of those who advocate a false civilization of progress.˝ (n.11)
Given the structure and message of this document, it is quite likely that the “Meditation on Givenness” was written within the context of the “Letter to Families.” It is difficult to say whether or not from the first instance the previous text was extracted from the entire Letter at it’s final stage. That is, after the work on the “Letter to Families” was completed. In his meditation, John Paul II refined the theme of the “theology of the gift” in a slightly different perspective, i.e. the complementary communion of man and woman, their love and what the Pope called “the Feminine genius.” The meditation also includes the Pope’s personal testimony. In any case, the edited text was set aside, perhaps waiting for another suitable occasion for its publication.
Traces
Professor Stanislaw Grygiel, gave an address on the occasion of receiving an honorary doctorate from Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński at the Catholic Univeristy in Warsaw on June 30, 2021. Towards the end of his speech he made a reference to John Paul II’s “Meditation.” To this he added the following remarks, he stated that: “John Paul II wrote in his own handwriting, ‘After the Retreat.’,over the envelope in which he inserted the last two paragraphs of ‘Meditations on Givenness’ “. It should be noted that the professor did not speak of the genesis of the text. However, this sentence proves that Prof. Grygiel collaborated with the Pope in editing this “Meditation,”. It is also evident that there already existed a printed section of the text, and that the Holy Father added another part to it. These “two paragraphs” shouldn’t be understood as paragraphs in the form of the current publication, nor that it attests to the fifth part of the “Meditations,” entitled “Totus Tuus,”. Which is known as John Paul II’s personal testimony and his experience of the gift of the other. This is how, the theology of the gift of self, has gained an even more universal meaning. Incorporating within the vision of human relationships, those men and women that live in celibacy. One can also conclude from this phrase that at the time, that is, on February 8, 1994, the text of “Meditations” was being worked on as a separate document or papal statement. The addition made on that envelope: “After the retreat”, probably meant that the pope’s intention to return working on the text after the Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia, which began on February 20, 1994 and lasted a week, and was led at the time by Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini (d. 2011).
From what I have been able to determine, one of John Paul II’s collaborators found the text after his death in the form of a typescript signed by the Pope in a drawer of the office of the Polish Section of the Secretariat of State. Its publication took place sixteen months after the Holy Father’s eternal rest. The fact that it was published in the official organ of the Holy See, “Acta Apostolicae Sedis. Cemmentarium Officiale,” has significant meaning. It should be noted that this organ of the Holy See publishes the most important doctrinal documents and speeches, as well as legal acts. The eighth issue of this organ, released in 2006, even collected unpublished decrees drawn up in Latin from several beatification processes that concluded during the pontificate of John Paul II and were signed on behalf of the Pope by the Secretary of State. At the end of the issue, a “Meditation on Givenness” is included in Polish. My theory is that whoever realized that this text was signed by the Pope and dated during his pontificate, knew that it represented an important reflection on Christian anthropology and the theology of love, of which we can conclude the final decision to publish it in an official Vatican organ. Its ˝path” from the Vatican into hands of readers, is due to the work of the Holy Spirit and of the mass media, including the Internet, that have contributed to its diffusion.
Andrzej Dobrzyński