Why should we meditate on the cross? Because through the cross of Christ, we can begin to comprehend Gods all-consuming love for us. The short reflections in this book are taken from homilies presented by renowned evangelist Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa on Good Friday to the St. Peters Basilica over the last thirty years. Fr. Cantalamessa, who has been the preacher to the Papal Household since 1980, unfolds for us the mystery and the power of the cross. By willingly embracing the cross for our sake and then rising from the dead, Jesus has brought us salvation, healing, mercy, and the hope of eternal life. As Fr. Cantalamessa contemplates the intensity and reality of Christs love for us, he also shows us how to respond wholeheartedly with that same fire in our hearts.