This Is The Night
Book Description
In a world obsessed with progress and advancement, human suffering often gets pushed to the margins as an inconvenient reality to overcome or ignore. James W. Farwell challenges this modern tendency by turning to one of Christianity's most profound liturgical seasons for deeper wisdom about pain, healing, and transformation.
This Is The Night explores how the sacred rituals of Holy Week—from Maundy Thursday through Easter's Great Vigil—offer a radically different understanding of suffering than our contemporary culture provides. Rather than viewing pain as merely an obstacle to progress, Farwell demonstrates how these ancient liturgies reveal suffering as the very ground where divine healing unfolds.
Drawing on the work of theologians like Johann Metz and liturgical scholars, the author presents what he calls "liturgical theology"—a way of thinking that emerges from the rhythms and structures of worship itself. Through careful analysis of the Paschal Triduum, he shows how these ceremonies don't just commemorate Christ's passion and resurrection, but actually shape participants into a compassionate community that faces suffering with courage and resists its destructive power.
For readers seeking a more honest and healing approach to life's inevitable difficulties, this work offers both philosophical insight and practical wisdom. Farwell argues that true salvation comes not through avoiding pain, but through learning to orient ourselves toward it with the same courage and love that Christ demonstrated, transforming us into agents of healing in a wounded world.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~5 hours)
📄 Length: 184 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Discover service as spiritual practice
- ✓ Explore History and criticism
- ✓ Explore Holy week
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Texts
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Salvation
- ✓ Explore Liturgy
