Suffering is a fact of life for everyone. If severe suffering is a fact of life for you, then read this book--slowly and carefully. Its theme will be relevant until the end of time because until the end of time the cross of Christ will be planted on the horizon of the world and each generation will be called on to answer a crucial question: Was that Man on the Cross mistaken, or are we mistaken if we ignore his message? In these pages, you will find an abundance of practical help with your sufferings and sound advice on what to do when the hand of the Lord touches you.
"It is not possible to live in this life and not have suffering. As Catherine of Siena said, the issue is not to suffer or not to suffer but rather to suffer with Christ or to suffer in isolation and loneliness. Those who seek to flee suffering simply find it in another form. Those who learn to embrace the cross and their suffering find a peace and joy that truly the world cannot give. This book helps us to find life, hope, and strength in suffering. If we wish to live a serious Christian life, we, too, have to ponder the "secret" of the cross and learn how to imitate and participate in its power and profound love. We owe a debt of gratitude to Catholic Answers for bringing back into print Fr. Weaver's book on the cross."
-Ralph Martin
Renewal Ministries
"In this book, the author does not present the passion of Jesus as a series of incidents based on what happened to him long ago. Rather, he begins with what happens to us, with the crosses we bear, and looks for wisdom and understanding in Jesus Christ. This is the secret of the saints who, throughout the centuries, have studied the lessons of the cross so diligently and well. They found it to be the help they needed to make sense of their lives and the crosses they bore. Our age, too, stands in special need of the wisdom of the cross, as it faces the never-ending contradictions of human life."
-Rev. Victor Hoagland, C.P.
Rev. Bertrand Weaver, C.P., was born in Union City, New Jersey, in 1908 and became a Passionist priest in 1934. He dedicated his abilities to preaching hundreds of missions, novenas, and retreats. Fr. Weaver produced a recording, "The Joy of His Friendship," that sold more than 100,000 copies, contributed frequently to Catholic magazines, and wrote three books, of which this one is perhaps the best known. He died in 1973.
