La Agonia de Cristo

by Thomas More, Alvaro De Silva (Translator)

Escrita por Tomas Moro poco antes de ser ejecutado, esta obra es un testamento admirable de su autor como humanista y como cristiano. A partir de la contemplacion de la Pasion de Cristo, Moro muestra al mundo que el dolor es un ingrediente del amor y la felicidad.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Catholic, Theology

Paperback

First published January 1, 1535

About the author

Sir Thomas More (1477-1535), venerated by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was a councillor to Henry VIII and also served as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to 16 May 1532.

More opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale. He also wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an imaginary ideal island nation. More opposed the King's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and beheaded.

Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the "heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians." Since 1980, the Church of England has remembered More liturgically as a Reformation martyr. The Soviet Union honoured him for the Communistic attitude toward property rights expressed in Utopia.

Reviews

[Zane Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the writing quality of this book is deserving of 5 stars alone, I’m more impressed by the situation in which it was written. This was St. Thomas More’s last book, which was developed in prison right before he was executed as a martyr. In his final days, he opted to delve into a reflection of Christ’s Passion instead of writing about his own complicated situation and interesting life. Unfortunately, and, even from one point of view, ironically, his writing privileges were taken away just after he finished writing about Jesus’s tribulation in the Garden, which was similar to St. Thomas More’s martyrdom, since he had plenty of opportunities to escape the situation, yet he stayed true to what God was calling him to do.

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book as someone outside the Catholic tradition felt, at first, like stepping into a very different spiritual world. The book is Thomas More’s meditation on Christ’s agony in Gethsemane, written while he himself was imprisoned and awaiting execution. That context is impossible to ignore—it gives every line a weight that comes not from theory, but from a man staring death in the face.

What surprised me was how human the book feels. I expected heavy theology, but instead I found a lot of raw honesty. More reflects on fear, weakness, loneliness, and the desire to escape suffering. He doesn’t write as someone who has everything under control; he writes as someone who is afraid, but still trying to hold on to what he believes is right. That struck me as deeply relatable, even though I don’t share his specific faith.

What I took away most is the sense that More wasn’t writing for an audience—he was writing to steady his own heart. That makes the book feel less like a theological manual and more like a diary of survival. It’s moving to see someone cling to meaning in the darkest of circumstances, and it left me reflecting on where I myself would look for strength if faced with such trials.

The Sadness of Christ is not just about religion—it’s about fear, hope, and the stubborn will to hold fast to what you believe in, even when everything is falling apart. I didn’t walk away with new theological insights, but I did walk away with a deep respect for More’s courage and his willingness to be vulnerable about his fear.

This book should be read at school.
I’ll definitely read more about More.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Med · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomás Moro lleva a cabo una minuciosa exploración de los padecimientos de Cristo iniciados en el monte de los olivos.
Es a través de frases extraídas del evangelio que da una posible explicación con tintes tomistas, pero más emocionales, de los pensamientos, conductas y enseñanzas del Hijo del Hombre, revelando sus vulnerabilidades y miedos que demuestran su condición humana.
Moro prueba su sensibilidad en el texto sintiendo, padeciendo, rabiando y soportando el que te capturen para dar muerte, siendo premonitorio para su propia vida.
Es casi certeza que hubiera explorado magníficamente la cobarde negación de Pedro, una posible reflexión de ese gallo extrapolando a la intimidad del individuo, la sentencia de Pilato, el posterior calvario y finalmente la crucifixión de no haber sido él mismo encarcelado y condenado a muerte mientras escribía este texto dejándolo inacabado.

[Dania · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Perdón por el tiempo pasado, gracia para el tiempo presente, y prudencia para el tiempo futuro.”

[Isabel Hernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intensa meditación sobre el inicio de la Pasión de Jesús, sobre todo el episodio del huerto de los olivos. Es una contemplación del sufrimiento de Cristo con comentario pormenorizado de su divinidad y, sobre todo, de su humanidad, de sus debilidades, sufrimientos y miedos, modelo para nosotros en momentos difíciles, en los detalles cotidianos de nuestra vida, en nuestras tentaciones, ratos de oración y súplica, con un lenguaje llano y cercano.

Ahora que sabemos el destino último que tuvo Santo Tomás Moro, vemos que cumplió con creces lo que aconseja en su libro, al no dejarse amedrentar por quienes pretendían que abandonara sus convicciones, muriendo finalmente decapitado por orden del rey Enrique VIII.

Queda patente la seguridad intelectual y en la fe de este singular personaje, su madurez y ejemplo, tanto para su época como para los tiempos presentes.

Admirable su tenacidad y serenidad, así como su claridad en los comentarios, curiosos para los creyentes y consejos útiles.

No le pongo cinco estrellas porque me parece que a veces repite párrafos, escenas y opiniones algo bruscas en varios capítulos con cierta obstinación.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy reading this book. More originally wrote this book in Latin, but the publishers decided to go with a hundred-year old translation instead of a more modern one. Not only is the translation a century old, but the translator apparently decided to archaicize the English even further by using early modern English. As a result, what should be a beautiful spiritual commentary instead combines the thees, thous, and wilts of Stuart England with the never-ending sentences of Latin prose, making this version a slog. I found a Latin fascimile of the original online, and that was honestly easier to understand. I would not recommend this particular version of the book to anyone.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful spiritual reading, especially for Lent. St. Thomas's reflections are deep and beautiful--especially when you realize that he was writing this while going through his own "agony in the garden," imprisoned in the Tower of London before his own execution. The only difficulty was the Shakespearean English it was written in, which definitely required a little more concentration and deciphering but it's well worth the effort.

[Galilea Galindo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca había escuchado de este libro la verdad es muy gratificante. Contiene mucha sabiduría en sus páginas y una visión interesante de la antesala a la muerte de nuestro señor Jesucristo. Obviamente lo recomiendo y que se lea junto con los libros de Ana Catalina de Emmerick para darle un punto de vista más completo.

[Fito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro muy revelador que ayuda a poner en perspectiva ciertos sucesos de la agonía de Cristo para mejorar nuestra vida

[FERNANDO CALOCA AYALA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditaciones profundas y coherentes con el misterio y la profundidad de la agonía de Jesús.

[Sofy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ame muchísimo este libro, bueno lo sufrí muchísimo, la versión de todo lo que sufrió Jesus siendo humano rompe el corazón

[María Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro perfecto para meditar

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting to study Thomas More's thoughts on the Lord's Passion

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se aprende ver que El senor sufrio mucho por nuestros pecados

[Jorge Echeverria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bien escrito. Precioso.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The old English was tough to get through, but the meditations were more meaningful knowing that it was written by someone in prison who was prepared to die for his faith.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent interpretation of the suffering of a martyr before execution and how is faith helped him and his family.

[Carlos Cornejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep book from a saint who lived what he wrote.

[Rodolfo Piña · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hermoso!!!