The regenerating experience of reading Scripture is dear to the heart of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict's first book "Jesus of Nazareth" was a masterpiece and model of authentic Scripture scholarship, the lived experience of the praying and thinking Church, faith, piety and devotion all working together.
I am very grateful to Ignatius Press for having invited me to read Benedict XVI's second manuscript: "Jesus of Nazareth Part II: Holy Week -- From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" prior to its publication and presentation to the world by the Vatican press office.
As a student of sacred Scripture, scholar and lecturer in New Testament, I spent two days reading the new, dense text of Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) and came away from the experience as if I had been on a biblical retreat on the Passion and Resurrection Narratives of the Gospels, which are the very stories at the heart of the Christian faith.
This book should be required reading for every bishop, priest, pastoral minister and serious Catholic who would like to meet Jesus of Nazareth and deepen one's knowledge of the very person of Jesus and the central mysteries of our faith. I could think of no better way to prepare for Holy Week and Easter this year than to read this text.
I will forewarn you that it is not an easy read, but rather a dense and meditative text that will require frequent pauses and even prayers to absorb the riches of Joseph Ratzinger's thought.
The conduct of Judas
Allow me to focus on three important points that Benedict XVI has raised about Jesus' passion and resurrection.
We have all seen that the theme of friendship with Jesus is one of the central themes of Benedict XVI's preaching. It is not surprising, therefore, that this theme plays out in the Passion narratives. The Pope says Judas lived two tragedies: the betrayal and the "wrong type of remorse" -- a remorse that is "unable to hope."
Benedict XVI notes that John offers no "psychological interpretation" of Judas' conduct: "For John, what happened to Judas is beyond psychological explanation. He has come under the dominion of another. Anyone who breaks off friendship with Jesus, casting off his 'easy yoke,' does not attain liberty, does not become free, but succumbs to other powers.
To put it another way, he betrays this friendship because he is in the grip of another power to which he has opened himself."
Not vengeance, but reconciliation
Benedict XVI says the condemnation of Christ had complex political and religious causes and cannot be blamed on the Jewish people as a whole. The Pope also says it was a mistake to interpret the words reported in the Gospel, "His blood be on us and on our children," as a blood curse against the Jews.
Those words, spoken by the mob that demanded Jesus' death, need to be read in the light of faith. They do not cry out for vengeance, but for reconciliation, he writes: "It means that we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is his blood."
Benedict XVI reaffirms the teaching that much of the Jewish leadership of the time of Jesus did not see Jesus as Israel's messiah and king, but rejected him and sought his death for the crime of blasphemy.
Jesus before Pilate
When Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to the people with the enigmatic words "Ecce homo" the expression spontaneously takes on a depth of meaning that reaches far beyond this moment in history.
"In Jesus," the Pope writes, "it is man himself that is manifested. In him is displayed the suffering of all who are subjected to violence, all the downtrodden. His suffering mirrors the inhumanity of worldly power, which so ruthlessly crushes the powerless.
"In him is reflected what we call 'sin': this is what happens when man turns his back upon God and takes control over the world into his own hands."
Epilogue: Ascension into heaven
Some of the very striking aspects of this book are when Benedict XVI moves from being exegete and professor to pastor and friend with his very personal additions. One of those comes in the epilogue of the book on the Ascension of the Lord into heaven.
Benedict writes: "After the multiplication of the loaves, the Lord makes the disciples get into the boat and go before him to Bethsaida on the opposite shore, while he himself dismisses the people. He then goes 'up on the mountain' to pray. So the disciples are alone in the boat. There is a headwind, and the lake is turbulent. They are threatened by the power of the waves and the storm.
"The Lord seems to be far away in prayer on his mountain. But because he is with the Father, he sees them. And because he sees them, he comes to them across the water; he gets into the boat with them and makes it possible for them to continue to their destination."
Benedict continues: "This is an image for the time of the Church -- intended also for us. The Lord is 'on the mountain' of the Father. Therefore he sees us. Therefore he can get into the boat of our life at any moment. Therefore we can always call on him; we can always be certain that he sees and hears us.
"In our own day, too, the boat of the Church travels against the headwind of history through the turbulent ocean of time. Often it looks as if it is bound to sink. But the Lord is there, and he comes at the right moment. 'I go away, and I will come to you" -- that is the essence of Christian trust, the reason for our joy.'"
It is this personal encounter with the living Lord, traveling in the boat with us, that lies at the heart of Jesus of Nazareth by Benedict XVI.
CARDINAL AFFIRMS ECUMENICAL NATURE OF POPE'S BOOK
Proceeds from Sales Will Partially Fund Charitable Work
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 11, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's new book has a particular ecumenical character that can encourage greater dialogue with other Christians, says Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
The prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and relator of the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God stated this Thursday in the Vatican press office when he presented the Pope's book, "Jesus of Nazareth Part II: Holy Week -- From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" (Ignatius Press).
The prelate said, "Benedict XVI's book is a book that should foster dialogue, an extraordinarily ecumenical book that, with its exegesis, reaches the Protestant world."
For his part, Claudio Magris, writer and German scholar, affirmed that "the book should absolutely foster dialogue, because it is a book made for dialogue" even if in reality it is difficult for it to succeed as it should.
"Unfortunately," Magris said, "the difficulty that the Church finds in making its principles known is that many times in the transmission simplifications are made that end by making one lose the essential."
The cardinal commented on the fact that some media sources reported positively on Benedict XVI's affirmations about the non-responsibility of the Jewish people as a whole in the condemnation of Jesus.
He noted that "the Jews have many times welcomed the distinction made by the Pope in regard to the Jewish people and those that condemned Jesus, just as the Second Vatican Council indicated in the 'Nostra Aetate' document, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and as so many others have."
A classic
The prelate added that this is "a book that will remain as a classic of theological literature because of its methodological innovation."
He described it as a volume that "confirms the importance of historical-critical exegesis, enriched, however, by faith."
Responding to a journalist's question about whether Benedict XVI condemns liberation theology in this book, Cardinal Ouellet said the volume does not deal with this topic and that, more generally, "it does not condemn anyone" because "it is a very open book" even if "it specifies what Jesus' messianism is."
To facilitate understanding of a work of this depth, the cardinal recommended the reading of the Pontiff's homilies, as they help "to understand this book well, making it accessible."
Moreover, Magris said that "this book goes to the bottom of some essential questions that touch the life of each one of us but also of persons of other religions."
He specified that the volume "is not a magisterial act but a text that lends itself to criticism" and that establishes "a new relationship between literature, text and reader."
"The historical method cannot be given up, even if it cannot demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God, but it is essential to bring us closer to this truth," Magris stressed.
He noted, "There is also a criticism of reason conditioned to an absolute, but without depreciating it, with a sort of good as well as corrective relativism, contrary to the relativism that puts everything on the same plane."
Mass distribution
Also attending the press conference was Salesian Father Giuseppe Costa, director of the Vatican Publishing House, which released the book in Italian.
The priest explained that right now there are around 1.2 million copies in seven languages already reserved.
The volume -- of which an electronic version is already being planned -- is being published in German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Polish and Italian.
There are around 22 publishers throughout the world with which the Vatican Publishing House has signed contracts; others are now in negotiations.
Father Costa explained that part of the proceeds from the sale of the books will go to the publishers, while another part will go to the Holy Father.
Of this latter portion, half will go to the Joseph Ratzinger Vatican Foundation -- which aims to encourage theological research -- and the other half will be allocated to works of charity chosen by the Pope himself.
Note:
This is nothing but a subtle tactic of "love" to the Protestant Churches Roman Catholicism, although this is nothing new, for 5centuries that has been gestating a wonderful plan to destroy the Reformation and regain the power they lost Rome the unsuspectingminds, now under a cloak of fake piety Romanism as thechameleon wants to resemble the gentle lamb, and while millions ofdeluded souls fall into their networks when planning the final assaultto regain political power to prosecute anyone who dares to intoquestion his "authority", an authority from Satan to deceive anyonewho wishes to be saved in their sins, or think that by therighteousness of others save himself.
Enough of wipes with warm water, this Jesus who are teaching these apostate churches is a counterfeit Jesus is Satan himselfdressed as Angel of Light, the "doctrine" spurious prosperity, these"prophets " who seem rather tarot diviners or , guessing the future ofpeople which augurs, the worship music permeates this world,screaming, clapping, loud noise, blinding lights, all this is part of the abominations committed by the daughters of the Harlot, all thosewho have chosen as his mother, "abolish" the law of God, and puthis own arguing that the "law of Christ" just because they can notstand the fact that are directly breaking the Fourth Commandment of the Law of God order to observe the Sabbath of the Lord on itstraditional and pagan day of the Sun or Sunday, these systems paganized and worldly Christianity teach people"commandments of men and doctrines of devils" twist theScriptures and deceive millions of sincere souls with miracles performed by the same hosts of darkness, all to support their falseclaims of having Light, when in fact take gloom and doom for thosewho fall into their networks, "To the Law and the Testimony" Isaiah8:20, only the Word of God is the only infallible Rock on which to prove any doctrine, and miracles Do not be fooled, "Come out ofher my people, and do not share in her sins. "
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