A “Small” Insight into the Passion of Our Lord

Amidst all the pastoral and administrative duties that he is in charge of, Pope Benedict XVI found some time to impart a theological duty as well. In writing Jesus of Nazareth-Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Benedict XVI continues his personal-and yet communal- reflection and journey on the Lord. This work is a follow up to the 2005 Jesus of Nazareth: Baptism to Transfiguration, which was an incredibly thought-provoking and faith-building book on the person and life of Our Savior. This book continues the same line of outstanding analysis and personal accessibility that the Holy Father seeks to achieve.

Benedict journeys through the most intense, darkest hours of Christ’s life. Replacing the contemplation on Parables or Miracle healings, there are explorations of the connectivity and the fulfillment of the Old and New Testaments, examination of the important and all-too-relatable characters of St. Peter and Pontius Pilate, and the significance of the “suffering servant’s” death and resurrection for the whole world. However, he does not merely dwell in the historical world of Jesus, but brings it home to the 21^st century today. He writes on topics that are central to our global solidarity and peace: religiously motivated violence and terrorism, the desire to make truth relative, and the humility of poverty. Just as Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ opens the eyes and hearts of the audience to see the horrendous sufferings of Christ’s final hours, Benedict challenges the reader to truly ruminate on the totality and immensity of God’s love and mercy for us. This is a Passion of the Christ for the theologically or intellectually driven…with a lot less scourging and blood involved.

Upon arriving at the words “theologically or intellectually driven”, one may say, “Ok..that’s not for me” or “I go to Church and I love these T-Shirts, but reading books on this stuff-especially one written by that old guy in a funny hat-is not for me!” And that’s fine on some part…but I invite you in this Lenten season to pick up a copy at your local bookstore, open it, and then grapple with the words and ideas presented before you. Will there be times you are confused by the big German names or Latin sounding words? Yes. Will there be times you want to recommend it for a priest or religious friend but not for yourself? Yes. And will there be times when you may regret reading this blog post? Yes. But through all those times-remember that it is “only in this second volume do we encounter the decisive sayings and events of Jesus’ life.” By opening your mind and heart to read this book, you are opening your mind and heart to the wisdom of Christ as transmitted through his faithful servant-Joseph Ratzinger a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI.

Speaking of Pope Benedict XVI, it is fascinating for me to see how he has transcended and in many ways, negated the stereotype or perception of him. When he was elected, people thought we were getting a stodgy, old, Pope. His nickname was “God’s Rottweiler”. He was known for silencing heretics and critics of the Church…in 8 or so languages. And while he hasn’t been the charismatic rockstar successor of St. Peter that Pope John Paul II was, Benedict has shown his many gifts that God has graced him. He is an incredibly brilliant and sharp thinker and theologian. He writes and communicates so powerfully and clearly. He makes high philosophical ideas easy to understand and he gets to the root of an idea without eliminating the depth…in 8 or so languages. His writing-especially this book-is a blessing for the whole of the Church and something that I recommend to you for this Lent. If you have fallen off your original Lenten promise (or even if you have not), brush yourself off and pick up this book to read.