In this issue, both George Wilson and Karen Eifler look explicitly at aspects of the passion; unlike those who become obsessed by the physical pain that Jesus suffered, both are able to see further and find themselves reflected in that mirror. Similarly the emotional impact of a series of cemetery visits by Lilian Craig Harris takes on a wider significance, while the apparent despair that wells up in the experience of bereavement can find a deeper meaning when joined to the Risen Lord (George Aschenbrenner). The phenomenon of voluntary suffering, that ascetical tradition that recurs so constantly in different forms of religious life, is again in need of being examined with new eyes (as by Ian Bell) and seen as a symbol of the role of the body in one’s loving relationship with God. As Ignatius Jesudasan points out, at the heart of the Lenten ritual is the uplifting, life-giving experience of forgiveness, surely the key message of Christ’s First Coming among us. Finally, for Ignatius his visit to Montserrat certainly symbolized a transformation from death to life.
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