The Seven Last Words of Jesus: James Martin

Around the world, Catholic and Protestant Christians are making preparations for Holy Week, a series of worship services leading up Easter, the day that Christians proclaim Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. During the day known as Good Friday, there is a tradition in many Christian communities to reflect on a series of phrases known as the "Seven Last Words" of Jesus as he hung on the cross.

We speak with Fr. James Martin about his new book, Seven Last Words, a collection of his meditations on the final hours of Jesus, and what it means for believers and nonbelievers alike.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Fr. Martin makes reference in the interview to Jeanne Bishop, the attorney who forgave the man who murdered her sister. You can listen to our full interview with Jeanne Bishop here.

Fr. Martin is a Jesuit priest, author and editor at large at America, The National Catholic Review.

Father Martin is the author of several books, including Jesus: A Pilgrimage (HarperOne), a New York Times bestseller and the winner of a Christopher Award, which combines travel narrative, biblical study and spiritual reflections on the life of Christ.

In 2011, he published Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life, (HarperOne), which was named as one of “Best Books” of the year by Publishers Weekly. In 2013 HarperOne published an e-book Together on Retreat: Meeting Jesus in Prayer, which uses the technology of the e-reader to lead readers on a guided retreat.

For several years, he served as the official "chaplain of the Colbert Nation," on the Comedy Central series The Colbert Report.