Looking for a Holy Week read? Updated book explores ‘What Christ Suffered’
(OSV News) — When readers ask Dr. Thomas W. McGovern to sign his new book edition about Jesus Christ’s suffering, he leaves them with the message that “because of the action of Jesus, we can do this too.”
“Love turns suffering into sacrifice,” McGovern, author of “What Christ Suffered: A Doctor’s Journey Through the Passion,” said. “It’s what Jesus did on the cross, and, united to him, we can do the same thing.”
McGovern, a dermatologist by trade, spoke about his newly revised and expanded edition of “What Christ Suffered” with OSV News ahead of Holy Week. Released this year by OSV, the book explores Christ’s suffering and death on the cross using Greek and Latin literature, ancient images, archaeology, medical reenactment studies and medical case reports.
Along the way, McGovern not only looks at Christ’s physical suffering but also delves into the meaning of suffering and provides practical ways to respond to it. In particular, he draws from St. John Paul II’s 1984 apostolic letter on the Christian meaning of human suffering, “Salvifici Doloris.”
“When we better understand Jesus’ suffering, we will better understand our own suffering, and maybe, just maybe, we will be more willing to let others — even Jesus — suffer with us,” McGovern writes in the introduction.
The 2026 edition, which comes five years after the book’s original publication, opens with a forward from Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska. The 400-page book presents readers with organized chapters and colorful images while drawing from Scripture, Catholic experts, and the saints including St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thomas More and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Among other things, this edition includes updated information, new findings, an additional chapter, and an emphasis on the surprising relationship between suffering and love and joy.
A doctor’s ‘experiential journey’
A dermatologist and surgeon based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, McGovern began researching Christ’s suffering and death in medical school in the mid-1980s. His book benefits from his medical expertise, particularly in its chapter about Christ’s “bloody sweat” in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Several factors inspired the 2026 edition, McGovern said. He wanted to dedicate more time and attention to integration and fact-checking, include new findings about crucifixion, add practical guidance and tie in his own personal journey.
“The subtitle of the book is ‘A Doctor’s Journey Through the Passion,'” he said. “The first edition was an intellectual journey (for me). This edition is an experiential journey.”
McGovern revealed that, when he was a young boy, he was told that he was not very bright and lacked common sense. In response, he spent his life trying to rack up achievement after achievement to prove he was good enough to be loved and noticed. He kept going until 2023, when he hit “screeching burnout.”
At that point, he knew he needed to make a change. He stopped working on Fridays. He no longer served as a co-host for “Doctor, Doctor,” a weekly podcast and radio show. He stepped down as founding chair of the Catholic Medical Association’s Novus Medicus Committee for aspiring and early-career medical professionals.
“When you heal from doing things in an unhealthy way for decades, there’s a lot of suffering involved in healing,” McGovern said. “I learned a lot of practical ways to handle my own suffering that I found related to Jesus’ seven last words from the cross.”
In his book, he shares some of this personal journey in a chapter dedicated to the seven last sayings of Jesus before death.
The importance of recognizing what Christ suffered
Speaking more generally about his book, McGovern shared why he wanted people to know what Jesus Christ suffered for them out of love.
“When you have more details of what Jesus went through for us, you can’t help but love him more and want to be with him,” he said.
Christ also wanted people to know about his suffering, McGovern said. He referenced a book by St. Thomas More called “The Sadness of Christ.” In it, the English martyr details Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. During Christ’s agony, it was dark outside and the nearest apostles were dozens of feet away, McGovern said.
“The only way St. Thomas More believes that we could know what (Christ) suffered in the garden is that after his resurrection, he told somebody,” he said.
In the 2026 edition, McGovern ends his book with a new chapter about joy and how to find it in suffering. He focuses on Col 1:24, a Bible verse that runs through his book: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church.”
“He wants to suffer with and in each one of us,” McGovern said of Christ. “That’s how we can have joy amid suffering — because joy is being united to the one who loves you and who you love.”
Preparing for Good Friday
Ahead of Good Friday, McGovern spoke about suffering and the meaning of it. He shared some guidance for fellow Catholics.
“We, with our suffering, like Jesus, can affect eternity,” he told OSV News. “Because we can offer our suffering united with Christ for the good of some other person’s soul.”
He called attention to a quote attributed to Paul Claudel, a Catholic French poet born in the 19th century.
“Jesus did not come to take away suffering. Jesus did not even come to explain suffering. Jesus came to suffer with us,” McGovern said in a paraphrase. He added: “On Good Friday, spend some time suffering with Jesus or consoling Jesus in his suffering — either looking at a crucifix, hugging a crucifix, just being with him on the cross.”
Katie Yoder is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Maryland.
The post Looking for a Holy Week read? Updated book explores ‘What Christ Suffered’ first appeared on OSV News.
