Journey To Easter: Spiritual Reflections for the Lenten Season

by Pope XVI Benedict

The successor to Pope John Paul II shares a Lenten blessing that evaluates the meaning of the season, the significance of the birth and death of Christ, and the meaning of Jesus in the lives of Christians everywhere, in a spiritual meditation that follows such themes as the mystery of Mary and the Pentecostal sending of the Spirit.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Theology

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

Reviews

[ChristineK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the writing of Pope Benedict XVI and I'm glad I chose this for Lenten reading. The english translation of this book was copyrighted in 1987, and it is timeless in it's relevance.
Answers to some of the questions in my mind about the church these days were found here.

[Zack Clemmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benedict’s method is unfamiliar, crowded, exasperating, sometimes inscrutable, and often illuminating. It was my intention to have this as an easy but meditative Lenten read—the qualities cited above made it a much longer process, both rich with rumination and slow as molasses.

Jesus is present here, though, in delightful and profound ways. Worth a re-visit in a couple Lents.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journey to Easter is a series of Lenten reflections given by Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) during 1983 to the papal household of Pope John Paul II. The book begins with the First Week of Lent by walking us through the daily Mass readings from Cycle A or the Cycle of Matthew. We begin Sunday in the desert with Jesus where he spent forty days and forty nights, only to immediately be tempted by Satan. Ratzinger shows how other figures in salvation history went to the desert, like Moses and Elijah. Monday calls us to repentance, and the second meditation for that compares Christian Rome to Jerusalem. Tuesday enlightens the mystery of Mary. I could work my way through the rest of the week, but there is more in this book to discuss.

Part II walks us through The Mystery of Jesus, which includes the following three key passages of the Nicene Creed - "He came down from Heaven," "He became man," and "True God and True Man." The Paschal Mystery is also studied, including Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Lastly, there are meditation on Christ and His Church and the Priesthood. My favorite section in this book was easily the one on the Paschal Mystery. I always knew the importance of the Triduum, but this book further reinforced it. The way Ratzinger connected the Cross and Resurrection with the Eucharist is a passage I will reference and read again just to let it sink in further and meditate on it more deeply.

If you are a fan of reading Pope Benedict, like myself, then this is definitely a book you will want in your collection. It not only takes you on a journey to Easter, but a journey through Easter, as it covers Pentecost as well. It is also written in a clear, easily understood format and each sub-section is short enough that you won't feel overwhelmed with having to read a lot of pages to get to the main message. Five stars.

[Susy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough one, layered and complex as all of BXVI’s writings are. I found so much that fired my brain and inspired my faith, interspersed with pages that I had to make myself slog through, which I attribute to the nature of this “book”—it was never written as a book. Rather, it was a retreat that the then Cdl Ratzinger gave for Pope John Paul II.

Still, it’s a rich and rewarding Lenten journey.

[Karolina Jayasinghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing to read this after 40 years since, then cardinal Ratzinger, gave these meditations to Pope John Paul II and clergy at the Vatican.
The echo and warning of what is happening in the society today is clearly visible and the words of hope and reassurance are absolutely vital.

[Gil Michelini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this would be like the first chapter where I would have something clearly-defined to read each day but it is still an excellent insight of the mind of B16.

[Elicia C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dry at times, but overall a wonderful read for Lent.

[Mick Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was not aware of this retreat by the Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Read it after Easter Sunday 2024. Ratzinger always amazes by his knowledge of Scripture and the Church Fathers.
Re-read in 2025. The 9th Ratzinger work I have read is, ‘Journey Towards Easter’ (1987) which are his notes for a retreat which he gave to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, & members of the Roman Curia at the beginning of Lent 1983.
In the Preface he notes that to make a retreat is to go into training to be a Christian. A retreat is a spiritual exercise which prepares the soul to make an ever better response to the call we have received.
Ratzinger notes that the reader may observe that the meditations in this book (which for certain chapters take up & reformulate earlier works*) “result from an underlying assumption – that in fact of the ‘fides ordandi’ of the main Chrisian tradition – the conviction of an essential unity (as a distinction without separation) to be found on the one hand between the Old & the New Testaments, & on the other between Christ & the Church.”
Part I is the Introduction to the Liturgy of the First Week of Lent. From First Sundy of Lent, through the six day of the First Week, ending with the Second Sunday of Lent.
Part II presents The Mysteries of Jesus. Chpt 1: He came down from heaven. Chpt 2: And he was made man. Chpt 3: True God & True Man. Chpt 4: The Paschal Mystery.
Part III presents Christ, the Church, the Priesthood. Chpt 1: Christ & his Church. Chpt 2: Meditation on the priesthood.

* The first two chapters of Part II, & the fourth paragraph of Chapter 4, equate in large measure to the second chapter of my little book ‘Der Gott Jesus Christi’ (Munich 1976). For Chapters 3 and 4 of Part II and the first chapter of Part III I have drawn largely on my ‘Schauen auf den Durchbohrten’ (Einsiedeln 1984) which has appeared only in
German. Finally, the last chapter is based on a conference given at Cologne in 1983, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary in the priesthood of Cardinal Höffner. I have however tried to reformulate the various passages and to combine them in such a way as to give them an internal unity arising from the main underlying theme.

[Brian Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope Benedict XVI has written a tremendous text that is valuable at any season. For a Lenten meditation, or to spend time contemplating the sufferings and trials of Christ the two weeks readings in the first half of the text are invaluable.

The second half of the text moves into a deeper Christology, an examination of the work and person of Jesus. This examination is wide in it's scope and has some wonderful discussion on the names of Jesus--such as Christ, Lord, and Son. Benedict's handling of these doctrines and their application to the daily life is thought provoking and worth considering. He actually shows concrete examples of how these deep theological truths, that are rooted in eternity, actually work and manifest in the daily life.

The title should cause us to also consider this one thing...is our march toward the resurrection event something we only do once a year or is it daily? The teaching in this text, the exposition of Scripture, points us toward uniting in Christ's suffering, sacrifice, and resurrection all year long,

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, the 1983 retreat preached by then-Cardinal Ratzinger to John Paul II and the papal household, is an incredibly deep and satisfying read. This is Ratzinger at his lucid best covering the territory of first week in Lent, the Christological nature of the Church, and the meaning of the priesthood. I was put on to this book by a friend who gave me a copy of a page discussing the Eucharistic. That short little section would be worth price of admission itself. But the book is full of gems such as that including a discussion of the parable of the Prodigal Son and our status as pilgrims or nomads in this life. This is a great book to read for Lent or any time you would like a book that pushes you spiritually and intellectually.

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like a gourmet multi-course meal. You begin with the appetizer of small reflections on the readings for each of the first few days of Lent. Then you dive into more and more substantial reflections on a diverse array of topics from the necessity of the connection between Christology and Ecclesiology to a beautiful reflection on priesthood. This is truly the sort of nourishing read one needs at any time, and in particular during a season which is geared to helping us grow in love of God and His Church.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out strong with this one. Actually, the journey to Easter was going - meaning I read it all through Lent, but then I got swept up in my Easter joy and abadoned it. Maybe next year...

[Karina]

This is apparently a good Lenten reading. I didn't find it in time for this year's Lent, but perhaps next year.

[Erika]

for LENT