Love Set Free: Meditations on the Passion According to John

by Martin L. Smith

We think of love as being selfless and unsullied, but when is it not mixed up with something else - such as the desire to possess, the need to control, the need to be needed or the instinct to foster our own self interest? In these meditations on the Passion narratives in John's Gospel, Martin L. Smith shows how, in the Christian mystery, love as we often understand it must die in order to be reborn as the grace of communion, as love set free. As Mary the mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple pledge themselves to each other's care at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' new commandment that we love one another placed directly in the vortex of his death and self-offering. Here, all sentimental or selfish notions of love are transformed. As the Beloved Disciple takes Mary into his home, this book shows us a model household of faith from which the church's authentic identity derives its origin.

72 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meditations on selections from the passion according to St. John by a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE). I read this after Easter because that is when I found it on my shelf. I did read it slowly as the author suggests, reading a few pages a day. It offers space to meditate on the passion and perhaps new ways of thinking about the symbols and meaning to be found in John’s account. I give it only 3 out of 5 stars because it did not particularly resonate with me but that doesn’t mean it won’t with you.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider any book by Martin Smith a good thing. This is a sensitive, beautiful meditation on John the Evangelist's account & understanding of the Passion of Jesus. It's a perfect book for Good Friday reflection, or even for the whole of Lent. In the Introduction he notes how each of the four writers of the Gospels deals with the suffering & death of Jesus from a different, unique slant, so that each story offers us new insight into the first century event that changed humanity.