God's Saving Plan: Pope John Paul II's Catechesis on Salvation History

Here is the series of catecheses on Salvation History by Pope John Paul II. This series follows John Paul II's Catechesis on Mary and precedes his Catechesis on Lauds. It began on November 19, 2001, and concluded on March 21, 2001, and includes 119 general audiences.

This catechesis largely follows the themes set out in John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente (Nov. 10, 1994) in preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

These audiences were available in book form from Pauline Books & Media, however, the book is now (unfortunately) out of print. You might be able to find it on Amazon.com or other such places where used books are available.

*Note: The headings and the chapter titles marked with an * were taken from John Paul II's The Trinity's Embrace: God's Saving Plan (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2002).


Salvation History

1. God is the Lord of creation and history (November 19, 1997)
2. With Jesus eternity has entered time (November 26, 1997)
3. True face of Messiah gradually revealed (December 3, 1997)
4. Time itself is now pervaded by eternity (December 10, 1997)
5. Jesus' life is a reference point for our faith * (December 17, 1997)
6. Jesus' "hour" is time of human salvation (January 14, 1998)
7. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many (February 4, 1998)
8. Son of God brings fullness of salvation (February 18, 1998)
9. Continuation of Jesus' saving mission in human history through the Church (March 11, 1998)
10. Faith response to Christ's work of salvation and the impact this faith has on every aspect of life (March 18, 1998)
11. Baptism as the foundation of Christian life (April 1, 1998)
12. The one Baptism of the Christian community (April 15, 1998)
13. Second coming of Christ at the end of time (April 22, 1998)
14. Mary, the Mother of God and our spiritual Mother (April 29, 1998)
15. Mary's steadfast faith throughout her life (May 6, 1998)

The Holy Spirit

1. The Spirit is gradually revealed in Scripture * (May 13, 1998)
2. Spirit is source of new and eternal life (May 20, 1998)
3. The Holy Spirit's role in the Incarnation (May 27, 1998)
4. The role of the Spirit in the baptism and public life of Jesus (June 3, 1998)
5. The Spirit's presence in the Paschal Mystery * (June 10, 1998)
6. The Holy Spirit gives birth to the Church * (June 17, 1998)
7. The Gospel is preached in the power of the Spirit * (July 1, 1998)
8. The Holy Spirit enlivens and animates the Church * (July 8, 1998)
9. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us * (July 22, 1998)
10. The Holy Spirit as the Source of Communion (July 29, 1998)
11. The Spirit is the source of ministries * (August 5, 1998)
12. The Spirit acts in all creation and history * (August 12, 1998)
13. Creation must be a dwelling place of peace * (August 19, 1998)
14. Created in the divine image and likeness, the human person is capable of knowing God and of welcoming the gift that God makes of himself (August 26, 1998)
15. The Holy Spirit is the source of true freedom * (September 2, 1998)
16. Seeds of truth are found in other religions * (September 9, 1998)
17. The Spirit is active wherever the truth is sought * (September 16, 1998)
18. In the Spirit we read the "signs of the times" * (September 23, 1998)
19. Confirmation perfects baptismal grace * (September 30, 1998)
20. Confirmation seals us with the gift of the Spirit * (October 14, 1998)
21. The Spirit bestows the gift of transcendant life * (October 21, 1998)
22. "Life in the Spirit transcends even death" (October 28, 1998)
23. Our bodies will share in the Resurrection (November 4, 1998)
24. The Holy Spirit is the source of hope * (November 11, 1998)
25. Signs of hope at the end of this century (November 18, 1998)
26. Spirit leads Church on path of renewal (November 25, 1998)
27. We await new heavens and a new earth (December 2, 1998)
28. Mary’s motherhood is linked to the Spirit (December 9, 1998)

God the Father

1. On Pilgrimage to the Father's house (December 16, 1998)
2. God gradually reveals his fatherhood (January 13, 1999)
3. God shows himself a father to Israel (January 20, 1999)
4. Jesus' experience of God as Father and his intimate relationship with him (March 3, 1999)
5. Jesus' relationship with the Father, which reveals the mystery of the Trinity (March 10, 1999)
6. Eternal life means knowing the Father * (March 17, 1999)
7. God the Father's providential love (March 24, 1999)
8. God the Father's love is demanding (April 7, 1999)
9. Christian response to modern atheism (April 14, 1999)
10. Dialogue is part of Church's saving mission (April 21, 1999)
11. Jews and Christians share much together * (April 28, 1999)
12. Muslims and Christians adore the one God * (May 5, 1999)
13. Dialogue with the great world religions (May 19, 1999)
14. Humanity's journey to the Father (May 26, 1999)
15. Believers in Christ need not fear death * (June 2, 1999)
16. The merciful nature of God's judgement (July 7, 1999)
17. Heaven is fullness of communion with God * (July 21, 1999)
18. Hell is the state of those who reject God * (July 28, 1999)
19. Purgatory is a necessary purification * (August 4, 1999)
20. Salvation is humanity's ultimate destiny * (August 11, 1999)
21. Fight evil and sin * (August 18, 1999)
22. Personal sin has repercussions on society * (August 25, 1999)
23. Church asks pardon for her members' sins * (September 1, 1999)
24. Jesus reveals the Father's merciful face * (September 8, 1999)
25. Penance: Encounter with the merciful Father * (September 15, 1999)
26. Reconciliation with God and one another * (September 22, 1999)
27. Indulgences are an expression of God's mercy * (September 29, 1999)
28. God's essence is a mystery of infinite love * (October 6, 1999)
29. Charity is a response to God's call to love * (October 13, 1999)
30. Love is the greatest of all the Spirit's gifts * (October 20, 1999)
31. The Church's preferential love for the poor * (October 27, 1999)
32. Reducing international debt * (November 3, 1999)
33. Commitment to promoting women's dignity * (November 24, 1999)
34. Society depends on stable families * (December 1, 1999)
35. Building a civilization of love (December 15, 1999)
36. Mary, the Father's beloved daughter * (January 5, 2000)
37. Mary cooperates in God's saving plan * (January 12, 2000)

The Trinity

1. The Trinity: fountain of love and light * (January 19, 2000)
2. The Trinity is mysteriously present in creation * (January 26, 2000)
3. The glory of the Trinity is revealed in history * (February 9, 2000)
4. The Incarnation reveals the glory of the Trinity * (April 5, 2000)
5. The Holy Trinity is revealed at Jesus' Baptism (April 12, 2000)
6. The promise of Tabor is fulfilled at Easter * (April 26, 2000)
7. Christ's passion revelas the glory of the Trinity * (May 3, 2000)
8. The Trinity is present at Christ's Resurrection * (May 10, 2000)
9. The glory of the Trinity in Christ's Ascension * (May 24, 2000)
10. Pentecost involves the three Divine Persons * (May 31, 2000)
11. The glory of the Trinity present in living human beings (June 7, 2000)
12. The Trinity in the life of the Church * (June 14, 2000)
13. Glory of the Trinity in the heavenly Jerusalem (June 28, 2000)
14. God always goes in search of us * (July 5, 2000)
15. God satisfies our longing for his presence (July 26, 2000)
16. God reveals himself in nature * (August 2, 2000)
17. The decisive meeting with Christ, the Word made flesh (August 9, 2000)
18. God continually calls us to repentance * (August 30, 2000)
19. The way Christ taught is demanding (September 6, 2000)
20. Christians are enlivened by the Holy Spirit (September 13, 2000)
21. The gift of the Spirit * (September 20, 2000)

The Eucharist and the Kingdom

1. The Eucharist is a celebration of divine glory (September 27, 2000)
2. The Eucharist: memorial of God's mighty work * (October 4, 2000)
3. Eucharist is perfect sacrifice of praise (October 11, 2000)
4. Eucharist, banquet of communion with God (October 18, 2000)
5. The Eucharist, "a taste of eternity in time" (October 25, 2000)
6. Eucharist is sacrament of the Church's unity (November 8, 2000)
7. Word, Eucharist and divided Christians (November 15, 2000)
8. Love binds all Christian communities (November 22, 2000)
9. God the Father offers salvation to all nations (November 29, 2000)
10. All are called to build God's kingdom (December 6, 2000)
11. God entrusted the earth to our stewardship (December 13, 2000)
12. God made man the steward of creation (January 17, 2001)
13. A future more worthy of the human person (January 24, 2001)
14. We look to new heavens and new earth (January 31, 2001)
15. The Church, a bride adorned for her husband (February 7, 2001)
16. All creation will be "recapitulated' in Christ (February 14, 2001)
17. Mary, eschatological icon of the Church (March 14, 2001)
18. Mary leads us on a pilgrimage of faith (March 21, 2001)

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