Touch the Wounds: On Suffering, Trust, and Transformation

Czech priest Halík (From the Underground Church to Freedom) offers profound reflections on faith and its roots in suffering. “All painful wounds... in the world are Christ’s wounds,” writes the author, and just as God “feels and suffers with us,” believers must turn toward others’ pain as part of their faith. To that end, Halík delves into Christian concepts of suffering and woundedness, musing on the value of worship (“Intercessory prayer is a conversation with God about the suffering of others”), God’s unconditional love (“God accepts us the way we are, including our traumas [and] scars”), and wounds one has inflicted on others (they can’t be undone, but believers should trust in God’s forgiveness in order to forgive themselves). Throughout, he emphasizes that by recognizing “the [wounded] humanity that the Son of God took upon himself,” faith can be felt. Halík’s erudition is dizzying, and he draws on references ranging from early Christian heresies to Jewish mysticism with a theological depth that makes for slow, rewarding reading. This isn’t for beginners, but those seeking deeper Christian insight will find much to gain. (Mar.)