杏MAP导航

By Lisa Zengarini

Before the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum on Friday evening, 杏MAP导航 Francis presided over the liturgy of the Passion of the Lord at St. Peter's Basilica, commemorating the last hours of Jesus' life.

鈥淒eath of God鈥� - Reinterpreting Nietzsche

The homily was pronounced by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., the Preacher of the Papal Household, who focused his reflection on the ideological 鈥淒eath of God鈥� the modern secularized Western world has been experiencing for over a century, and which found its fullest expression in the famous words Friedrich Nietzsche put in the mouth of the "madman" in his 鈥淭he Joyful Science鈥�.

Carinal Raniero Cantalamessa during his homily

"Super-man" and modern nihilism

The idea behind that proclamation was not to replace God with nothing, but with a "Super-man", as the German philosopher expressed in another famous writing, 鈥淓cce Homo鈥�. 

However, Cardinal Cantalamessa remarked, it has indeed led to modern-time nihilism, 鈥渂eyond good and evil鈥�, another battle-cry of Nietzsche, which is nothing else but 鈥渢he will to power" we are dramatically witnessing today.

"It is significant that, precisely in the wake of Nietzsche鈥檚 thought, some have come to define human existence as a 'being-for-death' and to consider all the supposed human possibilities as 'nullities from the start'," he said.

Nihilism and relativism 

Although it is 鈥渘ot up to us to judge鈥� the German philosopher who 鈥渉ad his share of suffering in his life鈥� and whose 鈥渉eart only God knows鈥�, continued Cardinal Cantalamessa, we 鈥渃an and must judge鈥� the consequences that his thought has had in our world, and whose common denominator 鈥渋s a total relativism in every field 鈥� ethics, language, philosophy, art, and, of course, religion鈥�.

"Nothing more is solid; everything is liquid, or even vaporous," said the Cardinal. "At the time of Romanticism, people used to bask in melancholy, today in nihilism!"

As believers, he said, Christians have the duty to show what is behind Nietzsche's proclamation of 'the Death of God': that is man鈥檚 denial of the Lord鈥檚 infinite Love described symbolically in the Genesis account of Creation, which He confirmed by humbling Himself into a Man and 鈥渂ecoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross鈥� (Phil. 2;8).

We proclaim your Death, O Lord

Opposed to nihilism, 鈥渨hich is the true 鈥榖lack hole鈥� of the spiritual universe鈥�, is the Christian unwavering faith in God鈥檚 Resurrection, Cardinal Cantalamessa said in conclusion.

鈥淟et us, therefore, continue to repeat, with heartfelt gratitude and more convinced than ever, the words we proclaim at every Mass:  鈥榃e proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again鈥�.鈥�