The Second Greatest Story Ever Told (Lighthouse Catholic Media)

The Second Greatest Story Ever Told begins by providing background on "The First Greatest Story Ever Told," because it's crucial for understanding "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told." In this chapter, he discusses covenants, both old and new; trust; love; Divine Mercy; and the Eucharist. In the second chapter, there is a little bit of Church History, which touches on Jansenism; the Protestant Reformation; and closes with a brief account of the impact that St. Thérèse of Lisieux had. Chapter Three then discusses amazing moments in Polish history. The author believes that God chose Poland several times in history to save the world. These three chapters serve as background and help set the stage for the rest of the book.

As evidenced by the cover, the main character in this book is St. John Paul II. Millions of my generation were impacted by this man, and we have read countless works by him and about him. He was the first pope we knew and before Pope Benedict XVI, the only pope we knew. Because of his life, suffering, and death playing out in the public eye, we felt we knew everything there was to know about him. The author, Fr. Michael Gaitley, shows us just how wrong we are. This book ties in the Secrets of Fatima; Divine Mercy and St. Faustina; World War II; Pope John Paul II; and the Virgin Mary. All these people and events further illustrate to us how closely tied we are both as humans and as Catholics. There is no event in history that doesn't have ripples and effects on the rest of history. The book contains two appendices, one on the Lord's final coming and the other on the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy.

Overall, I found this book to be a very enlightening and eye-opening read. With Divine Mercy only a few days away, this is the perfect read so that you can better understand the devotion. Be sure to check out other books by Fr. Michael Gaitley, including his Consoling the Heart of Jesus and 33 Days to Merciful Love.

This book was provided to me for free by Lighthouse Catholic Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!