CBB Review – The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering

Last updated on: March 31, 2014 at 11:12 am by Pete Socks

CBB Review – The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering 2014-03-31T11:12:55-05:00 Pete Socks

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

*The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering*is the perfect meditation resource for Lent. Author Daniel P Horan, O.F.M. took the Good Friday talk on The Seven Last Words of Christ he gave in 2011 to his brother Franciscans in Manhattan and turned it into this book. His fresh perspective on this topic leaves us owing him a debt of gratitude for sharing it with us readers. Daniel states in the introduction “so often the good news of the Gospel becomes nothing more than a muted version of an overused tone. By highlighting the ways in which our Christian discipleship is dependent on our sharing in the passion of Christ, it is my hope that this Lenten retreat – this invitation to take time and reflect on the Seven Last Words of Jesus – serves as a source of renewal and motivation.”

The book works it way through the Seven Last Words of Jesus:

The First Word – “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The Second Word – “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Third Word – “Woman, behold your son.”

The Fourth Word – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

The Fifth Word – “I thirst.”

The Sixth Word – “It is finished.”

The Seventh Word – “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Each of these sections is divided into a Scripture passage, a reflection, reflection questions and a prayer.. There were many highlights in the book and I will share a few that really spoke to me as I worked through the meditations.

One point Daniel made really jumped out to me in the section The Third Word. “My guess is that most of the disciples ran away because they wanted to save their lives. They, in the real face of danger, could not deny themselves to take up their crosses, so they were forced to deny Jesus and leave him alone to carry his cross. They didn’t understand, but really – when we’re honest with ourselves – do we?”

Another, that would make anyone stop and reflect, appears in The Fifth Word based on Jesus uttering the words “I thirst” from the cross. Daniel puts forth an interesting analogy between thirst and our modern use of water. “Jesus continues to thirst in the lives of those hanging on the crosses of poverty and oppression. What is that we have done or failed to do to serve the least among us? Do we work to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters, helping to fight against injustices that allow for nearly half the human race to go without basic sanitation and clean water? Or do we flush our resources down the toilet and water our lawns with what could sustain the least among us without a second thought?”

These and more await the reader in this great meditation. The last words of Jesus hold so much meaning for us all. This meditation on love and suffering is a must read for the Lenten season. We all owe Daniel Horan deep gratitude for bringing his talk to print for the general public to grow and learn from.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I received a copy of the book for this review from the publisher Franciscan Media.

You can read my interview with author Daniel Horan here.

Review

Daniel Horan

Franciscan Media

The Last Words of Jesus

Previous Post

March 25, 2014

CBB Review - Jorge from Argentina: The Story of Pope Francis for Children

Next Post

March 27, 2014 Weekly Giveaway - The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Year with Mary A Year with the Angels A Year with the Church Fathers Book News Children's Review Featured CD Giveaway Guest Post Interview Linked Review Media review Movie Review New Releases Off the Shelf Review speakers Teen Review The Clergy Speaks The Laity Speaks The Open Book Podcast Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz