Reviewed by The Church Times - March 2009Lent is not as fashionable as it once was. The coming of the season this year may well make no observable difference to the tenor of national life. In their small but important way, both these Lent books seem aware of this problem, and offer solutions to turning back the tide of indifference.Towards the end of his book, Kevin Scully, Vicar of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green, remarks how John Pearce, an Evangelical priest, 'wondered if his younger colleagues were actually afraid of the image of the blood of Christ. He suggests that many worship songs almost avoided this aspect of Jesus' suffering.' But, says Scully, 'The Christian cannot take such easy evasive action.' This seems almost an aside, but it is in fact at the heart of Scully's purpose - to put the Passion of Christ at centre stage of the Christian consciousness, where it belongs. He does this by using an old method, namely that of St Ignatius of Loyola, without explicitly naming it as such.

We are led in 12 short chapters through 12 reflections, and in each we are exhorted to put ourselves into the picture, by imagining ourselves into the scene, and by awakening in ourselves the 'link of faith' (a felicitous phrase), that is, the realisation that Jesus's story is somehow my story. The theme of hands links all 12 of the meditations. Some are straightforwardly scriptural, others are based on the Stations of the Cross, which are a sort of scripture at one remove. Scully makes a case for the non-scriptural Veronica, and his treatment of her is compelling. The same can be said for his appreciation of the part played by Mary in the story of Christ. In addition to the Stations, he also makes use of various works of art, and even mentions Mel Gibson's by no means universally admired film of the Passion. Each of Scully's chapters is accompanied by a brief section of questions and exercise, which could be used individually, but better still in a group. This makes the book an excellent practical instrument for parish groups.

Reviewed by David McLaurin.