Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Holy Nerds Club (Mar/Apr) - Jesus of Nazareth
I came up with this conclusion after winning the da san yuan, that even if I had walked off being the biggest loser of the evening, I'd be fine with it. To me, I would have still won, because the bragging rights and accomplishment of a near-impossible victory was mine to keep.
And that was exactly how I felt after reading Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth (JON). To have successfully completed a theological book written by the Pope himself was an achievement in its own rights (although the 355-page commentary took me two months to complete)!
Based on first impressions alone, JON is the most 'hardcore' book (in terms of church theology) of the three I've read so far this year. I was actually dreading it, for fear that I may not even get past the fourth page. But I decided to challenge myself and give it a go anyway, and to my pleasant delight, the pages just kept flipping, slowly but certainly surely.
In a nutshell, this book aims to help readers in the search of who Jesus truly is. In his foreword, B16 mentioned this dire need: "...the most urgent priority to present the figure and the message of Jesus in his public ministry, and so to help foster the growth of a living relationship with Him."
Throughout the book, B16 quotes and discusses the viewpoints of other theologians - some of whom he agrees with, while others he refutes openly - showing a side of our Pope which is hard to perceive accurately through the media. Aside from knowing more about who Jesus is, the book also showed the depth of B16's faith knowledge, and courage to vocalise what is right in the eyes of the Church.
I especially loved chapter five, where he broke down the Lord's Prayer into bite-size pieces; explaining each line in detail. Other significant themes in the book include the baptism and temptations of Jesus. There are however, a few chapters which may require some re-reading to fully comprehend the idealogy and picture of Christ which B16 tries to portray.
What's really funny about this book is that I kept hearing the Pope's voice in my head, reading the text aloud to me. I don't usually get this voice when it comes to other books, and the thing is, I don't even remember how B16 sounds like, to be honest! But I welcomed the voice anyway, because it added a special touch of intimacy; an invisible connection between the Pope and I. It was as if he was really reading the text to me.
I've decided not to overly describe the contents of JON because this is one of those books you have to discover for yourself. The thing is, most books engage you with its brilliant copywriting or storytelling abilities. This one simply draws you deep into its pages with its leading character - Jesus.
Obviously, it will not be everyone's cup of tea. I'm glad I picked it as a companion from Lent through to Easter, and I'd recommend it to those who have a desire to know Jesus on a deeper level. It's great for slow and reflective reading, so take your time and while you're at it, sprinkle a tinge of prayer to enhance the entire experience.
Wanna borrow this book? You know how to contact me...
