| Gabriele Cingolani, CP, a Passionist priest presently
stationed in Canada, was born in Recanati, Italy. An acclaimed journalist, author and lecturer,
he received his theology degree from the Gregorian University. His books, among them
Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist (Alba House, 1997) and
Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Life and Prayers (Alba House 1997), have been published
by several major publishing houses in Italy and have been translated into English, Spanish and
Portuguese. Among his many assignments, he has worked for Vatican Radio and the Office of the
Vatican Secretary of State, was Provincial Superior of his congregation, in charge of the
Passionist formation program, and preacher of missions at home and abroad. A recent assignment
in Canada included work for Radio Maria where for two years he transmitted weekly conversations
on the Gospels of the Passion, from which this book has been derived.
Antonio Caruso, the artist responsible for the illustrations
contained in this volume, was born in Serra San Bruno (Catanzaro), Italy. He attended the
Carrara Academy of Bergamo and the Brera Academy of Milan. He is equally at home with painting,
sculpture and graphic arts and has participated in a number of art shows at the international
level in Lisbon, Paris, Brussels, Geneva and Madrid. His works are known in Italy, Egypt,
Canada and the United States. For some years now he has been living and working in Canada.
Reviews
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"Drawing on a study of the four gospel Passion narratives, this work offers a rich meditation on
the sufferings of Jesus as reflected in the gospel accounts. The author, a popular preacher and
writer in Canada, moves through each scene of the narrative from the Last Supper to the death of
Jesus, drawing on the features provided by each evangelist. A section at the end of the volume
doubles back to note the distinctive features of each of the gospel accounts as a whole. Cingolani's
point is to bring the message of the Passion home to the reader, suggesting that the Scriptures be
approached with a threefold format of reflection, prayer and promise (that is, the commitment to
action)." --Donald Senior, C.P. in The Bible
Today, Nov. 2002, vol. 40, No. 6.
"Beginning with the Last Supper and ending with the Resurrection, these meditations on the Passion
compare and contrast the four evangelists' accounts of the final events in Christ's life. A
detailed, methodical examination of the Synoptic Gospels, the reflections assimilate all the
information from these sources that illuminate a particular incident during Christ's agony, death,
and resurrection. Meditation on God's word or the events of Christ's life -- inexhaustible in their
fullness -- always yields plentiful fruit, an abundant harvest of eternal truths which remain, in
Augustine's famous phrase, 'ever new and never old.'
Several reflections ponder the meaning of Christ's kingship: 'This
is Jesus the king of the Jews' (Mt 27:37); 'The king of the Jews' (Mk 15:26); 'This is the king
of the Jews' (Jn 19:19). While these statements do not overtly suggest any substantive difference
in meaning or content, Father Congolani clarifies an important point: In John's Gospel, the wording ("Jesus of
Nazareth, the king of the Jews") is a new proclamation of Jesus' kingship, more solemn than the
one at the conclusion of the trial in the praetorium, because it is proclaimed in the presence of
the entire world and in all the languages spoken during the international occasion of the paschal
feast." While the inscription of the Romans intends mockery, the words transcend their literal
meaning: "The inscription is the acclamation of his royal identity. The languages are the universal
proclation of his kingship.... Jesus' kingship emerges despite the rejection of the Jews and the
corruption of the Romans." Insights like these show the 'living' quality of God's word as 'never old.'
The meditations on the Cross reveal special meaning. Father Cingolani
notes that the comment of the passers-by, 'If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross,'
echoes the words of Satan in the desert: 'If you are the son of God, throw yourself down.' Thus
Satan makes his presence felt at Calvary by insisting on the same message that others repeat:
'Everybody tried to get rid of the cross: Peter, the disciples, the crowd, the Sanhedrin, the
passers-by, the soldiers, the crucified colleagues, and Satan, the chief orchestrator.' However,
the ultimate proof of Christ's kingship is the heroism of remaining on the cross rather than
descending -- the logic of God's infinite love which the world regards as foolishness.
In another meditation Father Cingolani again emphasizes that God's
miraculous ways do not correspond to spectacular magical tricks. Commenting on the apparitions of
Christ after his resurrection from the tomb, he remarks that Christ does not perform as a showman
who dazzles crowds. The apparitions occur 'in a simple and familial way, along the roads, in the
workplace, during meals.... The risen Lord does not show off before the Roman emperor or those
who had rejected him, but he goes to meet the humble ones who had followed him and had been
disheartened by the apparent failure of the Passion.' These meditations capture the mystery of
God's divine ways as surprises which elude human reason -- mysteries that alwyas reflect the open
heart of Christ.
As these reflections prove, the
events of the Passion never cease to amaze. Christ not only refuses to come down from the cross
but also dies an ignominious death, a total failure in the eyes of the world. But the logic of
divine love transcends human reason. By suffering a miserable end Christ is 'close to all who
die without frills: those who die because of wars and violence; those who die without religion,
who do not understand why one is born, lives, and dies.' Even when dying, Jesus commiserates with
sinners and 'takes one of them with him as he leaves this world' -- proof of God's 'infinite
largess' and great longing that all should be saved.
In these ways the meditations verify
St. Paul of the Cross's statement that 'everything is encompassed in the Passion of Jesus': the
burning furnace of God's love, the horror and ugliness of evil, the graces of forgiveness, and
the spiritual resources to conquer the world, the flesh and the devil."
--Mitchell Kalpakgian, Ph.D. in Homiletic &
Pastoral Review
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