Behold the Pierced One (Paperback)

~ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Author) "Since the end of the Council the panorama of theology has changed fundamentally, not only as regards the matters debated by theologians, but also and..." (more)
Key Phrases: sacramental communion, Old Testament, Sacred Heart, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Proceeding from the prayerful dialogue between Jesus and His Eternal Father, Ratzinger shows how one can only approach the mystery of the Heart of Christ through the imitation of his prayer.

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (February 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898700876
• ISBN-13: 978-0898700879
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #552,793 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blew My Mind, March 14, 2000

By	Lawrence Effler Jr (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I took this book on retreat with me and it blew my mind. My perspective on my faith increased many fold. However, this book is not for everyone. This is not a light, warm and fuzzy spiritually book. This is a book for scholars. Cardinal Ratzinger goes into some deep theology, but if you can hang in there with him, you'll get a much greater understanding of concepts such as original sin, the Eucharist, Jesus' prayer life, the Easter Mystery, etc. If you're ready to do the work for the spiritual ride of your life, buy it!

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful arsenal of insights, September 11, 2009

By	CDS "C" (Boston,MA) - See all my reviews

A portion of this book was suggested as supplementary reading for a course I'm taking on Christology. However, when I finished reading the assigned section, I wasn't able to put the book down until I finished the entire thing. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is an extremely gifted author, and this book is one of his best. In it he presents the person of Christ, not the watered down Christ of some biblical scholars, but Christ in His divinity and His majesty, Christ as the Church understands Him, Christ as He is. Gathered into this are the concept of man's relationship with God, and man's ultimate end. Along with the main There is a devotion on the Sacred Heart, and a beautiful section on communio which further fleshes these themes out. The book is completed by three powerful homilies given by Cardinal Ratzinger, which again recapitulate many of the themes previously covered. As the previous review noted, there are some challenging concepts and deep insights here, but if you take the time to understand them, the reward is rich indeed.