The God of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God

By Pope Benedict XVI and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Book Overview

In this book of meditations, based on a series of meditations by the author shortly before he became Archbishop of Munich-Freising, in 1977, theologian Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) presents his profound thoughts on the nature and person of God, building a bridge between theology and spirituality as he makes wide use of the Sacred Scriptures to reveal the beauty and mystery of who God is. He writes about each of the three persons in the Holy Trinity, showing the different attributes of each person, and that "God is three and God is one."

God is - and the Christian faith adds: God is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three and one. This is the very heart of Christianity, but it is so often shrouded in a silence born of perplexity. Has the Church perhaps gone one step too far here? Ought we not rather leave something so great and inaccessible as God in his inaccessibility? Can something like the Trinity have any real meaning for us? It is certainly true that the proposition that "God is three and God is one" is and remains the expression of his otherness, which is infinitely greater than us and transcends all our thinking and our existence.

But, as Joseph Ratzinger shows, if this proposition meant nothing to us, it would not have been revealed And it could be clothed in human language only because it had already penetrated human thinking and living to some extent.

"Without Jesus, we do not know what 'Father' truly is. This becomes visible in his prayer, which is the foundation of his being. A Jesus who was not continuously absorbed in the Father, and was not in continuous intimate communication with him, would be a completely different being from the Jesus of the Bible, the real Jesus of history... In Jesus' prayer, the Father becomes visible and Jesus makes himself known as the Son. The unity which this reveals is the Trinity. Accordingly, becoming a Christian means sharing in Jesus' prayer, entering into the model provided by his life, i.e. the model of prayer. Becoming a Christian means saying 'Father' with Jesus."
-- Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1621642100
• ISBN13: 9781621642107
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Length: 123 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

I was really impressed

This is an outstanding book. It is a wonderful intermixing of theology and spiritual meditations. The only minor disappointment is with the limited amount of reflection devoted to the Holy Spirit. The writing is based on the old European style and for some readers it might be laborious to follow.

Hidden Treasure

I've been reading B16's writings for the last year or two. Have heard radio shows comment on some of them but haven't heard anything on this volume. Made me a little tentitive about picking it up yet very glad I did. Extreamly insightful meditations on the history of belief in God & Jesus ( & the Holy Spirit). Why it's important to believe correctly. This is plain speaking pastoral teaching. This is not 'feel good' or sugary. This is a volume I will give away.

Best book yet by Pope Benedict

This is by far his best book. It is easier than his other books to read and ynderstand. As usual, he is a very insightful author and teacher.

Wisdom and The Trinity

In these meditations Benedict presents well documented and carefully explained theology of the Trinity. This small book is full of wisdom and spirituality, but also explains the background and development of Christian belief concerning the Triune God. I will review just a part of Benedict's teaching. He asks us to consider what God is. Is he a being who looks for our mistakes and wants to punish us, or is he a being who is anxious to give us His love? God, Benedict explains, is love, the "protector of His people's rights." He protects the "powerless from the mighty." Further, God is a person, who has a face, a heart, and a name. In this book Benedict talks to us about God's face, heart, and name. He explains that humans sometimes put trust in and serve, like Gods, money, power, prestige, public opinion, and sex. But God is none of those things. God truly IS. The "present is His time". God Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We, like Job, cannot accept a God who punishes the innocent. Our pain is not the result of our sins, it just is. Accusations against God seldom come from those who suffer in this world, it comes from the well-fed, over indulged onlookers who have yet to really suffer. I must remember that the crucified Christ did not remove suffering from the world and never said he would. Being a child is "the very essence of being human". The term "Abba" implies child. A child is dependent and appeals to our love through defenselessness. A child possesses nothing on it own and is free precisely because it has neither power or possessions. "Christianity of the Spirit is the Christianity of the lived Word." The Word is the "location" of the Spirit. We can never know the Spirit accept in what the Spirit accomplishes. The only way to possess the Word is to keep it and live it. I have discussed only a few of the concepts in the book. "The God of Jesus Christ" was written in the 1970s. Benedict's two recent lettters clearly complement this book. God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est Saved in Hope: Spe Salvi I recommend this book, especially for teachers of the faith.