Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Rating:
Summary: Grotesque & Disturbing Yet Brilliant
Review: 'The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ' was mandatory reading during my studies last year, and with every new meditation or chapter it became both startling, and disturbing. If not for the fact that it depicts in the finest of detail the sufferings of the one many believe to be the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, then for the fact that this is the only known full length work by a stigmatist. In this case one, Anne Catherine Emmerich.

It's hard for me to imagine the suffering that Sister Emmerich endured throughout her life, and particularly while having these visions (some of them are described in the book's introduction, which is a concise biography of Sister Emmerich) yet I can feel the passion in which she endured them with every word that is in this book. I guess it shouldn't come as a shock that it was this book that influenced Mel Gibson to make his controversial film, 'The Passion of the Christ'.

Whether you believe in the divinity of Christ, or not (I personally don't) one can't help but be moved by the sufferings in which he endured -- described here in the finest and most grotesque of detail -- for simply teaching a doctrine which was opposed not only by the Roman Empire, but by the very people he hoped to enlighten. A powerful MUST read.

Rating:
Summary: Profound Truth
Review: I have never read such a profoundly beautiful explanation of such a horrendous event of history. The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ answers numerous questions that I have had all my life regarding Jesus' terrible suffering and death. For the first time I see where Our Blessed Mother was and what she was doing during this most heart wrenching experience of watching her son suffer. The book is a beatiful gift of intimate facts given to the reader despite the anguish it brings out. The details in this story are so helpful in our salvation that no one could walk away without considering their relationship with Our Lord and desiring to improve it. This book has definitely brought me closer to Jesus and His Holy Mother.

In addition, I see that it reaffirms the unfolding of events in my own life's trials as indicated in my book "Charlie's Touchdown", which I highly recommend as well (see reviews).

Rating:
Summary: It was...interesting
Review: Not to say I don't like this book, but it had many major flaws. Now, I realize that it is supposedly a compilation of visions received by the German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich. However, there were some major historical flaws in it that ruined it for me. I was almost ready to believe it. I mean, it is so detailed and the way Emmerich described the people in it is so lifelike. However, the historical inaccuracies and frequent signs of anti-Semitism forced me to realize that (in my opinion) it is nothing more than a novel.

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Summary: Focusing on Our Lord's Passion Will Get You to Heaven
Review: Some Catholic Mystics (Saints) teach us that focusing on Jesus' Passion and Death will get you to heaven. This book walks you through our Lord's agony, step by step. After I read it, I was left with the picture of a Person who was literally skinned alive through scourging, and His Head was crowned with thorns and then The Body finally nailed to a cross, you get a little idea of what HE suffered "for us" physically. There were also mental and spiritual torments in addition to His physical sufferings. This book is for those who really want to grow spiritually and can face what He went through for us. The author was a nun who received only 2 months worth of visions depicting Christ's crucifixion and suffering. This book is well worth reading and contemplating.

Rating:
Summary: Read before seeing "The Passion" if you can
Review: The visions of Sister Emmerich, as transcribed by a local priest in the early 1800's, are deeply moving. I became interested in reading the "Dolorous Passion" when I heard that Mel Gibson had used it as a source for "The Passion". Some observations about the book and the film:

The book actually contains far more graphic violence than the film. The brutal treatment of Our Lord's final hours is related in excruciating detail. If anything, Gibson sanitized the story somewhat by skipping over some of the action and not dwelling as much as Emmerich on the attitudes of the bloodthirsty throng.

I could find no anti-Semitism in the book. If Emmerich sees anyone as being responsible for Jesus' death, it is Satan himself. Time and time again she describes how Satan takes full possession of the angry mob and Roman soldiers as their blood lust reaches full crescendo.

In the film, Pilate (I thought) is portrayed as a somewhat noble character with a deeply troubled conscience. In the book, he is depicted as pathetically weak, duplicitous and cowardly, content to sacrifice innocent blood just to keep himself out of trouble.

The timeless quality of Our Lord's sacrifice comes across powerfully in the book. In Gesthemani, Sister Emmerich tells us how all of our sins-past, present, and future-appear before Him, as he takes them all upon Himself for our salvation. With all the meticulous detail of the twelve hours, it is easy to forget that for God, past, present and future are all one: our sins today hurt Him just as much as those committed by those who clamored for his crucifixion. That is a tough concept to get across in a film, and maybe a reason for the charges of anti-Semitism brought against it. On this topic and others, I think the book can help to clarify the message of the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Completely touching
Review: This book is at least as touching, if not moreso, than the movie "Passion of the Christ." The main thing is, the movie focuses more on the physical sufferings of Jesus. Not that that's a bad thing of course. But once you realize what Jesus suffered for you physically, it would be a good idea to look more into the mental aspect. "The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ" expands on all of Jesus's sufferings, physical and mental.

Besides meditations on Jesus's Passion, this book also includes a biography of Anne Catherine Emmerich. And, just a side note, I don't believe Emmerich was anti-semitic. Yes, she refers to "wicked Jews" but by that she means the group of Jews who actually shouted for Jesus's death, not all Jews for all of time. If you actually read the whole book, you'll realize this.