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The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher
For over forty years, the Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, in his role as Preacher to the Papal Household, has delivered a yearly homily in St. Peter's Basilica during the Good Friday liturgy. He has offered his meditations in the presence of the last three popes: Pope John Paul II from 1980 to 2005, Pope Benedict XVI from 2006 to 2012, and Pope Francis from 2013 to 2022.
As in St. John’s Gospel and the early Church, Good Friday marks the hour of the death of Christ and at the same time of his exaltation and his victory over sin and suffering—a day of mourning but even more of rejoicing. The whole Paschal Mystery is commemorated in it.
These insightful and moving sermons not only illuminate the mystery of the Lord’s Passion; they are also a precious instrument in view of a New Evangelization in “Spirit and power.” Cardinal Cantalamessa gazes on the cross of Christ in the light of our modern world, and the modern world in the light of Christ's cross.
As in St. John’s Gospel and the early Church, Good Friday marks the hour of the death of Christ and at the same time of his exaltation and his victory over sin and suffering—a day of mourning but even more of rejoicing. The whole Paschal Mystery is commemorated in it.
These insightful and moving sermons not only illuminate the mystery of the Lord’s Passion; they are also a precious instrument in view of a New Evangelization in “Spirit and power.” Cardinal Cantalamessa gazes on the cross of Christ in the light of our modern world, and the modern world in the light of Christ's cross.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
79 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Raniero Cantalamessa
159 books83 followersFather Raniero Cantalamessa is a Franciscan Capuchin Catholic Priest. Born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, 22 July 1934, ordained priest in 1958. Divinity Doctor (Fribourg 1962) and Doctor in classical literature (Milan 1966). Former Ordinary Professor of History of Ancient Christianity and Director of the Department of Religious Sciences at the Catholic University of Milan. Member of the International Theological Commission (1975-1981) and for 12 years member of the Catholic Delegation for the dialogue with the Pentecostal Churches.
In 1979 he resigned his teaching position to become a full time preacher of the Gospel. In 1980 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II Preacher to the Papal Household and confirmed in that position by pope Benedict XVI in 2005. In this capacity he preaches a weekly sermon in Advent and Lent in the presence of the Pope, the cardinals, bishops an prelates of the Roman Curia and the general superiors of religious orders. He is also frequently invited to speak in many countries around the world, both to Catholic and Protestant audiences.
He has received an Honorary degree in Laws from Notre Dame University (Indiana), in Sciences of communication from the University of Macerata (Italy) and in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio).
In addition to his early scholar books on patristic Christology, Easter in the Ancient Church and other topics he has published numerous books on spirituality fruit of his preaching to the papal Household, translated in more than twenty foreign languages.
For 14 years, from 1994 to 2010 he has run a weekly program on the first channel of the Italian state television (RAI) on the Gospel of the following Sunday.
From 2009, when he is not engaged in preaching, he lives in an hermitage, at Cittaducale (Rieti) ministering to a small community of cloistered nuns.
The 18 July 2013 he has been confirmed by pope Francis as Preacher to the Papal Household.
In 1979 he resigned his teaching position to become a full time preacher of the Gospel. In 1980 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II Preacher to the Papal Household and confirmed in that position by pope Benedict XVI in 2005. In this capacity he preaches a weekly sermon in Advent and Lent in the presence of the Pope, the cardinals, bishops an prelates of the Roman Curia and the general superiors of religious orders. He is also frequently invited to speak in many countries around the world, both to Catholic and Protestant audiences.
He has received an Honorary degree in Laws from Notre Dame University (Indiana), in Sciences of communication from the University of Macerata (Italy) and in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio).
In addition to his early scholar books on patristic Christology, Easter in the Ancient Church and other topics he has published numerous books on spirituality fruit of his preaching to the papal Household, translated in more than twenty foreign languages.
For 14 years, from 1994 to 2010 he has run a weekly program on the first channel of the Italian state television (RAI) on the Gospel of the following Sunday.
From 2009, when he is not engaged in preaching, he lives in an hermitage, at Cittaducale (Rieti) ministering to a small community of cloistered nuns.
The 18 July 2013 he has been confirmed by pope Francis as Preacher to the Papal Household.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 4, 2023
5 stars for some of the chapters in the beginning, then 4 and by the end of the book, I would be inclined to give 3 to most of the homilies. This collection of the Papal Preacher's Good Friday talks started off strong, but they seemed to grow weaker as the years went by (1980-2022). As we were reading it for our Passio Domini, Thursday mediation on the Passion of Christ, I began to feel disappointed and wanted to return to one of the books we had already done or move on to another. There are good reflections in here (some listed below) but they are not consistently good, and they get shorter and more banal from 2013 on.
August 18, 2023: Although I have made almost no updates about this book, it is NOT because we do not like it. Just the opposite. We read one of Cardinal Cantalamessa's homilies every Thursday night with our Rosary and it is highlight of our week, which almost seems awful—to look forward to contemplating some aspect of the LORD's Passion—but we do. Granted, the good cardinal had a year to prepare between each of these Good Friday homilies, but they are each unique, insightful and deeply inspiring.
Here are some of the chapter titles:
• “CRUCIFIED IN WEAKNESS, CHRIST LIVES BY THE POWER OF GOD” — a discussion of strength and weakness for God and humanity, through the lens of suffering
• “YOU HAVE KILLED JESUS OF NAZARETH!” — which applies as much to us today as it did to those Peter was addressing ... and yet, that is not the end of the story
• “GOD DID NOT WITHHOLD HIS OWN SON” — is a beautiful endorsement of God the Father and fatherhood in general
• “THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS SHINES OUT” — what the Cross means, especially to each and every one of us
• “CHRIST BROKE DOWN THE DIVIDING WALL” — a profound examination of Jewish-Christian relations in light of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection
• “HE IS OUR PEACE” — the many false notions of peace at the time of Christ and in our own age compared to the one Jesus gave us
And that is just a sampling. There is one homily for each Good Friday from 1980 through 2022. We just completed #24, Good Friday 2003.
This is our new Passio Domini, where every Thursday night we walk with Jesus as He contemplates His coming Passion. When I first heard about this book—a collection of the sermons delivered to the last three popes by Papal Preacher Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa—I could not think of a better book to help us meditate on this vitally important subject week after week. And so far, so good. The first homily, delivered to Pope St. John Paul II in 1980, was on the LORD-ship of Jesus, something I have never heard explained at all much less quite like this. Why the demons could call Jesus the Son of God, but never LORD; to do so would immediately subject them to Him! Why it is so important that we do call Him, LORD, and make Him our LORD, the LORD of our lives. Why Thomas’s declaration, “My LORD and my God!” is so profound and worthy of frequent repetition. Beautiful! I am very much looking forward to reading this each week.
August 18, 2023: Although I have made almost no updates about this book, it is NOT because we do not like it. Just the opposite. We read one of Cardinal Cantalamessa's homilies every Thursday night with our Rosary and it is highlight of our week, which almost seems awful—to look forward to contemplating some aspect of the LORD's Passion—but we do. Granted, the good cardinal had a year to prepare between each of these Good Friday homilies, but they are each unique, insightful and deeply inspiring.
Here are some of the chapter titles:
• “CRUCIFIED IN WEAKNESS, CHRIST LIVES BY THE POWER OF GOD” — a discussion of strength and weakness for God and humanity, through the lens of suffering
• “YOU HAVE KILLED JESUS OF NAZARETH!” — which applies as much to us today as it did to those Peter was addressing ... and yet, that is not the end of the story
• “GOD DID NOT WITHHOLD HIS OWN SON” — is a beautiful endorsement of God the Father and fatherhood in general
• “THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS SHINES OUT” — what the Cross means, especially to each and every one of us
• “CHRIST BROKE DOWN THE DIVIDING WALL” — a profound examination of Jewish-Christian relations in light of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection
• “HE IS OUR PEACE” — the many false notions of peace at the time of Christ and in our own age compared to the one Jesus gave us
And that is just a sampling. There is one homily for each Good Friday from 1980 through 2022. We just completed #24, Good Friday 2003.
This is our new Passio Domini, where every Thursday night we walk with Jesus as He contemplates His coming Passion. When I first heard about this book—a collection of the sermons delivered to the last three popes by Papal Preacher Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa—I could not think of a better book to help us meditate on this vitally important subject week after week. And so far, so good. The first homily, delivered to Pope St. John Paul II in 1980, was on the LORD-ship of Jesus, something I have never heard explained at all much less quite like this. Why the demons could call Jesus the Son of God, but never LORD; to do so would immediately subject them to Him! Why it is so important that we do call Him, LORD, and make Him our LORD, the LORD of our lives. Why Thomas’s declaration, “My LORD and my God!” is so profound and worthy of frequent repetition. Beautiful! I am very much looking forward to reading this each week.
April 17, 2025
4.5 stars
5 stars for the first half
4 stars for the last half
5 stars for the first half
4 stars for the last half
March 25, 2024
UPDATE: This is just as good with a second read--a great devotional for Lent or for anytime, really!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Raniero Cantalamessa has been the Preacher to the Papal Household since 1980. He's still doing the job (at 88 years old in 2023!), which certainly seems like both a high honor and a special burden. This book collects all of his Good Friday sermons from 1980 to 2022, forty-three in all, making it a fitting devotional during the forty days of Lent (which is what I did in 2023).
One would think that sermons based on one event in Sacred Scripture would become repetitive and dull after forty years, especially when they are all brought together at one time. The one event here, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is not just any event. It is the central event in salvation history. Cantalamessa finds many different themes and perspectives, looking from the gaze of people at the crucifixion and from the various gazes through history, even to our own time. He connects contemporary events like Covid-19, The DaVinci Code, the Jubilee Year, etc., to this ancient event, showing how much God loves us and the ways we appreciate it and fail to appreciate it. He talks in some sermons about Pilate, the apostles, the women of Jerusalem, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. His writing is rich and insightful. The most touching moment for me is his description of the centurion's reaction to Jesus's death cry on the cross. The centurion recognized it for what it was because he had heard it on the battlefield before--the battle cry of victory!
There are so many great insights throughout the book, I found it very inspiring. Each sermon is fewer than ten pages, so they are easy to read as a short devotionals. This book will surely be regular reading for me in future Lents.
Highly recommended.
Sample quote from Cardinal Cantalamessa's Good Friday sermon in 1994:
If from the outside, you look at the stained-glass windows of an old cathedral, you will only see pieces of dark glass held together by strips of black lead. But if you enter in and view it from inside, against the light, you will see a breathtaking spectacle of colors and shapes. It is the same with the Church. Whoever sees it from the outside, with the eyes of the world, will only see its dark and gloomy side. But from the inside, with the eyes of faith and a sense of belonging, you will see what St. Paul saw, a wonderful building in whom the whole structure is joined together, a spotless spouse, a great mystery!
And another from the 2009 sermon:
Christ did not come to increase human suffering or to preach resignation to suffering. He came to give meaning to suffering and to proclaim its end and defeat. The slogan on public display in London and other cities is in full view of parents of sick children, the lonely, the unemployed, refugees from war zones, people who have suffered grave injustices in their life. I try to imagine their reaction to reading the words [of the slogan]: "There's probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life!" Really, and how? Suffering is a mystery for everyone, especially the suffering of the innocent, but without faith in God, suffering becomes overwhelmingly absurd. Even one's last hope of relief is taken away. Atheism is a luxury that only those who lead privileged lives can afford, those who have everything at their disposal, including the time and possibility to dedicate themselves to study and research.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Raniero Cantalamessa has been the Preacher to the Papal Household since 1980. He's still doing the job (at 88 years old in 2023!), which certainly seems like both a high honor and a special burden. This book collects all of his Good Friday sermons from 1980 to 2022, forty-three in all, making it a fitting devotional during the forty days of Lent (which is what I did in 2023).
One would think that sermons based on one event in Sacred Scripture would become repetitive and dull after forty years, especially when they are all brought together at one time. The one event here, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is not just any event. It is the central event in salvation history. Cantalamessa finds many different themes and perspectives, looking from the gaze of people at the crucifixion and from the various gazes through history, even to our own time. He connects contemporary events like Covid-19, The DaVinci Code, the Jubilee Year, etc., to this ancient event, showing how much God loves us and the ways we appreciate it and fail to appreciate it. He talks in some sermons about Pilate, the apostles, the women of Jerusalem, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. His writing is rich and insightful. The most touching moment for me is his description of the centurion's reaction to Jesus's death cry on the cross. The centurion recognized it for what it was because he had heard it on the battlefield before--the battle cry of victory!
There are so many great insights throughout the book, I found it very inspiring. Each sermon is fewer than ten pages, so they are easy to read as a short devotionals. This book will surely be regular reading for me in future Lents.
Highly recommended.
Sample quote from Cardinal Cantalamessa's Good Friday sermon in 1994:
If from the outside, you look at the stained-glass windows of an old cathedral, you will only see pieces of dark glass held together by strips of black lead. But if you enter in and view it from inside, against the light, you will see a breathtaking spectacle of colors and shapes. It is the same with the Church. Whoever sees it from the outside, with the eyes of the world, will only see its dark and gloomy side. But from the inside, with the eyes of faith and a sense of belonging, you will see what St. Paul saw, a wonderful building in whom the whole structure is joined together, a spotless spouse, a great mystery!
And another from the 2009 sermon:
Christ did not come to increase human suffering or to preach resignation to suffering. He came to give meaning to suffering and to proclaim its end and defeat. The slogan on public display in London and other cities is in full view of parents of sick children, the lonely, the unemployed, refugees from war zones, people who have suffered grave injustices in their life. I try to imagine their reaction to reading the words [of the slogan]: "There's probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life!" Really, and how? Suffering is a mystery for everyone, especially the suffering of the innocent, but without faith in God, suffering becomes overwhelmingly absurd. Even one's last hope of relief is taken away. Atheism is a luxury that only those who lead privileged lives can afford, those who have everything at their disposal, including the time and possibility to dedicate themselves to study and research.
March 22, 2024
This proved a powerful daily read during Lent. I am amazed that Father Cantalamessa has such different topics every Good Friday, with each so far providing good food for reflection. I guess that's why he's been the papal preacher to three popes over 40 years!
A secondary advantage to reading these is that they serve as an aide memoir to history itself. Beginning in 1980 and ending with the Good Friday homily from 2022, I was irresistibly pulled back into my own life during those years, as well as the history I have witnessed (even if only through newspapers and television). As Cantalamessa occasionally wove current events into his homilies, I would be jerked back into that time myself. It was salutary in considering how timeless is Christ's sacrifice and how powerful the Cross.
Highly recommended.
A secondary advantage to reading these is that they serve as an aide memoir to history itself. Beginning in 1980 and ending with the Good Friday homily from 2022, I was irresistibly pulled back into my own life during those years, as well as the history I have witnessed (even if only through newspapers and television). As Cantalamessa occasionally wove current events into his homilies, I would be jerked back into that time myself. It was salutary in considering how timeless is Christ's sacrifice and how powerful the Cross.
Highly recommended.
April 22, 2024
I consider this more than a book - being it is cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa’s Good Friday’s homilies to the papal household from 1980 til 2022, it holds so much more than a book in my opinion. This will be one I return to for many Lents to come in the future. There are so many good reflections gleaning the riches of the power of Christs passion and death in relation to the pressing issues throughout the last 40 years. It truly enriches my faith to read this gifted preacher.
April 18, 2025
This is a really cool and powerful collection of Good Friday homilies delivered by the “Papal Preacher” in Rome, before three different popes. The homilies are arranged, in order, from Good Friday 1980 all the way to Good Friday 2022. I worked through this one fairly slowly over the past two years, trying to let each homily hit and have its space (until I got closer to the end, the homilies got shorter, and I thought it would be cool to finish on Good Friday 2025 after starting just before Lent 2023). These provide decades worth of homilies to see and enrich your spiritual relation to the cross and to Good Friday through multiple lenses and angles…and you appreciate even more that the Cross and the core of our faith stands stable even as history changes around it. I’m glad I came across this collection. 🙂🙏❤️
February 27, 2024
Book 9 of 2024 — The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher by Raniero Cantalamessa
An absolutely beautiful collection of sermons taken from Good Friday preachings years 1980-2022. I read a sermon or two each week over the past nine months. My book now has many highlights and tabs, but one particular quote will stick with me:
Today, we go beyond Pilate’s skepticism. There are those who think that one should not even ask the question “What is truly?” Because the truth simply does not exist! “Everything is relative, nothing is certain! Thinking otherwise is intolerable presumption!”. There is no longer any place for “the great narratives about the world and reality,” including those about God and Christ (321).
5⭐️/5
An absolutely beautiful collection of sermons taken from Good Friday preachings years 1980-2022. I read a sermon or two each week over the past nine months. My book now has many highlights and tabs, but one particular quote will stick with me:
Today, we go beyond Pilate’s skepticism. There are those who think that one should not even ask the question “What is truly?” Because the truth simply does not exist! “Everything is relative, nothing is certain! Thinking otherwise is intolerable presumption!”. There is no longer any place for “the great narratives about the world and reality,” including those about God and Christ (321).
5⭐️/5
April 19, 2023
Homilies preached before three different popes from 1980-2022, all on St. John's account of Jesus' Passion.
It is amazing the variety of perspectives one can draw from one passage, even if it is about 2 chapters long. We've been blest with Cantalamessa's insights for over four decades and he is challenging and fresh as always.
As there are 40 chapters, which I used as daily Lenten meditations on the Passion of our Lord.
It is amazing the variety of perspectives one can draw from one passage, even if it is about 2 chapters long. We've been blest with Cantalamessa's insights for over four decades and he is challenging and fresh as always.
As there are 40 chapters, which I used as daily Lenten meditations on the Passion of our Lord.
August 1, 2023
Amazing book. I read it one chapter at a time because there is so much to think about. He covers so many varied topics all based on Good Friday readings. Very relevant to today’s Christians, and I will point out that I am not Catholic! The short chapters make it very consúmanle. I highly recommend it.
July 7, 2023
Gloriously exceptional and as I remember it.
March 30, 2024
Good book for Lent. It is interesting to see how his theology gets progressively more liberal as the years go on. He does reference some great philosophers, saints, and Popes.
April 19, 2025
Very amazing book. Good Friday homilies from 1980-2022, all are relevant today. Beautiful read.
May 27, 2021
Almost every chapter contained something insightful/inspiring, but almost every chapter also contained something theologically problematic. Although it’s possible for some of these problematic parts to be an effect of translation. In any case, the last quarter of the book was quite enjoyable (except for chapter 13, which gives a frustratingly inadequate and perhaps at points, erroneous, explanation of the death of the beloved son).
April 7, 2023
Reading homilies is a great way to grow in one's own preaching. This book served as Lenten reflection reading this 2023. Cantalamessa touches on various themes and details from the Passion of our Lord.
April 27, 2023
Una recopilación de predicas que exhortan una reflexión sobre diferentes aspectos de la pasión de Jesús. Elementos que enriquecen la discusión contrastando miradas filosóficas.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews