Book Review

 Prof John Kurien

Thomas John, 2025: At the Foot of the Cross: Meditations on Lent, Passion and Resurrection, CSS Publications, Thiruvalla, pp. 149. Rs. 240  

Rev. Thomas John's book is a compilation of thirty brief, deeply spiritual, and highly relevant meditations focusing on Lent, yet offering profound insights for our troubled times. These meditations are a rediscovery of Christ through the reinterpretation of the author's own striving to make sense of his faith in the light of God becoming human and being crucified on the cross. 

For a lay, middle-class Christian senior-citizen reader like me, this compilation, though theologically complex at times, illuminated the multi-dimensional implications of the author's call for 'holy worldliness, demanding responsible action.' It helped me re-examine and reinterpret the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

We live in troubled times—war, rising economic and social inequality, environmental disasters, and escalating hatred and bigotry. How have humans, placed by the Creator to live in harmony as stewards of all Creation, become its primary destroyers?

Reading these meditations provide a fresh perspective, reminding me of the vanity of my consumptive lifestyle and my failure to take responsibility for others and nature. Fasting or giving up luxuries is empty if I do not reverse unjust, oppressive relationships and 'break every yoke' that prevents love in action. The meditations are organized into three sections: Lent, Passion, and Resurrection.

The section titled Lent takes us through Jesus' final days: turning water into wine at Cana, encountering the rich young ruler, healing the man with leprosy, forgiving and healing the paralytic, driving out demons, responding to the faith of Bartimaeus, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, washing the disciples' feet, and the Passover meal. These events call the Church to be, as theologian Bonhoeffer said, a fellowship that 'exists for others... not dominating, but helping and serving.' We are introduced to this being-for-others as 'Cruciform existence.'

The section titled Passion offers a fresh and deeply insightful meditation on the meaning of the Cross and the seven words spoken from it. The Cross is not merely a theological concept but a historical reality to be lived daily. We are often told that human sinfulness crucified Jesus, but a closer look reveals it was 'principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world'—forces still at work in individuals and institutional structures today. As the author notes: 'On the Cross of Christ, we find the strongest criticism of religion as a system that is organized against God with its laws, rituals, sacrifices, and priesthood.'

The seven words of Jesus on the Cross are poignantly described as reflecting his solidarity with broken creation, his endurance of suffering, and his victory over worldly powers. The crucifixion was not the end of Jesus' life but the fulfillment of his mission. The first three words express concern for others, the fourth and fifth emerge from the abyss of god-forsakenness, and the final two affirm his solidarity with the Father's will.

The section titled Resurrection challenged my assumption that the Cross was a momentary defeat and the Resurrection the real victory. The author concludes: 'Resurrection does not do away with the Cross; rather, it affirms that the way of the Cross—the way of suffering love, responsibility for others, and care for creation—is the most legitimate path to living meaningful lives and liberating the world.' The Cross is the victory, and the Resurrection is its visible proof and public vindication.

Some final thoughts. I highly recommend this book to young Christians searching for authentic faith in turbulent times. In an era where many feel disillusioned with institutional religion yet yearn for transformative spirituality, Thomas John offers neither easy answers nor superficial comfort but presents the profound paradox of the Cross as both judgment and hope.

For a generation confronting climate crises, systemic injustice, and global instability, these meditations reveal how Christ's passion speaks to our world's deepest wounds. The call to 'Cruciform existence' is especially relevant for youth—challenging us to move beyond religious consumerism toward a faith that takes concrete responsibility for others and for creation.

What emerges is not a theological treatise but a compelling vision of discipleship, where the Resurrection empowers us to live the Cross today—turning Lenten reflections into lifelong commitments to justice, mercy, and radical love. This is the book I wish I had read as a young Christian. It deserves careful study by youth groups, campus ministries, and all who seek to follow Christ meaningfully in our broken yet redeemable world.

(Prof John Kurien is a member of the CSI St. Mary’s English Church, Kozhikode and Retired Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum)

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