The Scandal of Redemption - (Plough Spiritual Guides: Backpack Classics) by Oscar Romero (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

To find out why Pope Francis is making Oscar Romero a saint, read the words that cost him his life.

"A church that does not provoke crisis, a gospel that does not disturb, a word of God that does not touch the concrete sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed - what kind of gospel is that?"

Three short years transformed El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero from a defender of the status quo into one of the most outspoken voices of the oppressed. An assassin's bullet ended his life, but his message lives on. In March 2018 Pope Francis announced that the Catholic Church would canonize Oscar Romero, acknowledging that he is indeed a saint who was martyred for proclaiming the gospel, and that the political and social implications of that message, which so scandalized the powerful, flowed directly from Romero's faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus.

These selections from Romero's diaries and radio broadcasts invite each of us to align our own lives with the way of Jesus that lifts up the poor, welcomes the broken, wins over enemies, and transforms the history of entire nations.

Review Quotes

"The Scandal of Redemption consists of excerpts from Archbishop Romero's diary interspersed with passages from his homilies in which he denounces injustice and calls murder and torture by their names. He preaches to the oppressed and to men of violence alike, pointing them to the gospel of redemption and liberation. . . . Of this there is no doubt: Oscar Romero is a true martyr for Christ. He proclaimed God's love and was prepared, like any good shepherd, to give his life for his sheep." -Cardinal Gerhard Müuuml;ller, First Things

"Archbishop Romero invites us to sanity and reflection, to respect for life and harmony." -Pope Francis

"Oscar Romero has so much to say to our church and our world today, and in The Scandal of Redemption we have been given an accessible way to read and spend time contemplating his encouraging words. My heart was set ablaze once again." -Tommy Tighe, Angelus News

"Oscar Romero was converted by suffering: the suffering of a friend, of the people he served, and then finally his own suffering. There are many ways to be converted, but perhaps the best way is to live among the poor and to discover in them, as Romero did, the presence of Christ." -Samuel Ruiz Garcia, Bishop of San Cristobal, Mexico

"Romero does not speak from a distance. He does not hide his fears, his brokenness, his hesitations. It is as if he puts his arm around my shoulder and slowly walks with me. He shares my struggles. There is a warmth in his words that opens my heart to listen."-Henri J. M. Nouwen

"The Scandal of Redemption is direct testimony, excerpting from Romero's sermons, talks, documents and diaries the key passages that explained his spiritual and temporal messages in troubled times. It lets the saint speak for himself. His was an applied theology. He started with the Bible and interpreted what that meant to contemporary Salvadorans."-Catholic News Service