The mystery of human pain and deprivation cannot be understood by any philosophy; it can only be grasped by the religious spirit in relation to the suffering of Christ. But to say that much is not to say everything. For Christ’s agony and death is more incomprehensible to the believer than any other form of suffering, and its appreciation requires not so much studious analysis as prayerful reflection.
Louis Evely is an established qualified guide to reflecting on the deeper meaning of Christ’s life and teaching. In the present work, with the freshness and openness that have made his other books masterpieces of gospel spirituality, he treats of sacrifice and mortification, of the sacredness of suffering, of redemption through suffering, of evil in the world, and of the death of Jesus. He concludes with a series of short penetrating meditations on individual instance of suffering, drawn from the scriptures and from the events of everyday life.
Louis Evely shows that what no philosophy can do – make suffering meaningful – can be done only by acceptance of the Christian message, an acceptance which is facilitated and abetted by his own rich insights.