Coventry Press

The subject Cardinal Martini develops in this book is that of apostolic consciousness. It is the result of a retreat he preached to seminarians. Following the examples of the Apostles Peter and Paul, every Christian should be aware of being 'sent' by someone else to carry out a work that is not theirs. Christians are not people who roll up their sleeves thinking they have to undertake heaven knows what, organise strategies or believe that everything depends on their ability and efficiency. We are not about pursuing our own pet project. Rather, Christians should experience the excitement of responding to a God who loves them and calls them, and in calling them, sends them into the world, thus having them share in the 'mandate' Christ receives from the Father. In our time, as Pope Francis has also often insisted, especially in Evangelii Gaudium, it is urgent that our faith matures toward a consciousness of mission which is totally connected with that of the Son. In this sense, Martini's book can be said to anticipate Pope Francis' view of the Church.

Cardinal Martini approaches the figure of Stephen, the first martyr, by beginning with what is described in Chapters 6-8 of the Acts of the Apostles, 'an impressive document of a man's retrospective view in the face of death, of himself, the history of salvation, of what Christ has meant for him and the future to which he has been called.' Reflection on the figure of Stephen is important for the entire community of believers; in fact with Stephen 'the Church feels the seriousness of being both witness and servant: It understands that abandoning oneself to God does not save one from death, but it does allow one to pass through death, contemplating the glory of God; it recognises what it is that God saves us and does not save us from and what he prepares us for.' The richness of these meditations lies in this summary of things. It lies in the experience of a man who is approaching the revelation of the proximity of a transcendent and immanent God and at the same time arrives 'at the culmination of his mission as servant witness,' experiencing the mystery that he proclaims, contemplates and adores, in his very own body.

The meditations brought together in the current volume lead us to the heart of the New Testament message. Cardinal Martini reflects on the account of the Passion in various retreats he based on the canonical Gospels. The fact that they have once more been brought together in a single volume allows our reader to access the lively, humble and at the same time, authoritative prose of a preacher who approaches the subject of his preaching in fear and trembling, thus displaying his sincere empathy with all his listeners. It matters little that there is no clear connection between all the mediations (in fact the material has been drawn from different contexts): a believer among believers, Martini confesses the consternation which overcomes the mind preparing to reflect on the mystery of the Passion, clearly highlighting the seriousness, the dramatic nature of this kind of meditation which, when it occurs truthfully, that is, by seeing the consequences for our life, seems rather like a snare that snatches us and sweeps us up.

This volume brings together in a single text meditations given by Cardinal Martini during two separate retreats based on the Second Letter to Timothy. We are shown the figure of Timothy, Paul's young and very faithful disciple who is carrying out his service as bishop in the Church at Ephesus in a community that is no longer as joyful and conquering as it was at the beginning. It is weary and caught up in a difficult and confused situation. Martini believes that this is the best choice for reflecting on what it means to evangelise today. He offers a continuous reading of one of the most important of Paul's Pastoral Letters. Cardinal Martini draws out fundamental teachings for today's Church and society from the Apostle's life experience and message: the Christian horizon of meaning, the need to preserve the 'deposit of faith', to proclaim the gospel of the primacy of grace over law, of the essential over the relative, of the mystery of the cross and the Eucharist, the relationship between the Pastoral Letters and 'pastoral work' in our times.

Abraham, notes Cardinal Martini in this book dedicated to the figure of the great patriarch, is the father of faith on the move, a symbol of all those who seek God. He is our father 'not only in life as it is lived, in faith considered objectively' but also 'for his radical attitude of faith' which makes him 'the exemplary model of the human being in an attitude of acceptance and availability.' His setting out on the journey reminds us, of course, of the need to free ourselves from the ambiguity of a certain 'traditional belief'. In fact, Abraham would learn the heard way how unpredictable God is in his incredible irruption into history. He would learn this by going through fear and temptation, discovering how God's ways are capable of surprising and disturbing us. In the name of the promise he had received from God, Abraham would be capable of making great and free choices, moved by a social justice bearing the mark of availability, magnanimity and gift. his journey, like that of every human being, is not a straight one, but it does lead to the discovery of the true God.

By taking the figure of Jeremiah, one that can be immediately associated with that of Jesus, Cardinal Martini highlights in this volume the prophetic life afflicted by dark and difficult times. As is typical of his style, however, Martini does not offer an exegetical commentary on the Book of Jeremiah, nor a continuous reading of the fifty chapters we find in the Bible. He simply chooses to explore some of the more surprising pages of this prophet that are particularly useful for pursuing the dynamic which is proper to the Spiritual Exercises: purifying the heart, freeing it from all forms of slavery in order to discover God's will. In other words, putting one's life in order, the order the Lord would like. The human being does not understand this order nor keep to it, precisely because we are not free. Nor is it easy to discover God's will in the context of a city that is as divided, idolatrous, lost and humiliated, as wounded as Jerusalem was in Jeremiah's day, and as our cities are today. What does it mean, then, to be prophetic voices today and how can we still achieve that?

The essays in this volume from liturgists in mainstream Christian churches in Australia and New Zealand gladly acknowledge that when we pray, we join with others. We share a history, a way of worshipping, often a common language and established forms, with authorised prayer books designed to retain the theological and liturgical emphases of the various churches. Yet it is a subject that can divide as well as unite; with a variety of experiences, attitudes and aspirations, especially in a world where forms of worship are readily accessible from internet sources. If worship and prayer express what we believe, who authorises forms of worship; who determines the authenticity of liturgy; what principles underlie and surround how people of faith worship in formal gatherings? These are some of the issues that inform the essays in this practical and ecumenical resource.