I feel very privileged to have been asked to review this profoundly moving CD, which was given to me on the day that, had he lived, would have marked Cardinal Hume's 87th birthday.

Last year Liam Kelly edited a book, published by Darton, Longman and Todd, and entitled Seven Last Words, that contained the hitherto unknown writings of Cardinal Basil Hume on the seven last words spoken by Christ from the cross. These texts have been recorded on this CD, making them available in another format. It is so inspiring that our beloved Cardinal, though gone from us for over ten years, is by no means forgotten. One feels he is still speaking to us and teaching us from heaven.

The words in this production are 'pure Hume'. He was an expert in all aspects of humanity; nothing shocked him. The Cardinal's pastoral, pilgrim and priestly heart infiltrates every sentence of these meditations. He had an extraordinary ability to convey complex realities in a very simple and accessible way. His personal stature and holiness gives so much added weight to all that he tries to convey in these thoughts on the Seven Last Words.

The CD is produced to a very high standard with a most informative inner booklet. For me, it was particularly evocative to open the cover and see the late Cardinal's own distinctive handwriting from a piece he had written just one month before his election as Abbot of Ampleforth in 1963. Many of the meditations we hear would have been hammered out on the anvil of his writing pad beside his kneeler in his private chapel in Archbishop's House, Westminster and probably refined later at his office desk. We are told they were the work of many years of prayer and meditation, and that certainly comes through.

The CD lasts for close to eighty minutes and is full of caring advice and enlightenment. I think this CD has the potential to become a classic spiritual resource in line with his famous books: Searching for God and To Be A Pilgrim. The great advantage of this format is that one can listen to it effortlessly in the car, at home, alone or in a group. A college lecturer often used to say to us: repetitio est mater sapientiae (repetition is the mother of wisdom). It seems to me that one could benefit enormously by listening to the Cardinal's words over and over again, enabling them to penetrate deep into one's spirit and memory. I can foresee that it would be wonderfully beneficial to play a track at a Lenten Penitential Service, as a focus for reflection or as an eloquent homily.

There is no doubt that the recording is hugely enhanced by the voice of Bishop John Crowley which encourages us to enter more deeply into Cardinal Hume's words and is in no way a distraction from them. Bishop Crowley could easily have a second career as a professional voice-over actor! The choice of Bishop John to read these meditations could not be more fitting as he was the first Private Secretary to the Cardinal, followed by his term as the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, then Auxiliary Bishop in Central London, before becoming the Bishop of Middlesbrough. It is also a fitting addition to the recording that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Cardinal's successor but one as Archbishop of Westminster, should speak the words of Cardinal Basil's own introduction to these meditations. The scriptural texts are most eloquently read by Kathleen Griffin, and this harmony of three voices enables the listener to be drawn into the text and not simply listen to the spoken word.

I sincerely hope that this will not be the last CD of Cardinal Hume's writings. During his lifetime he wrote many profound and moving meditations on a variety of subjects, including grief, which have been of incalculable help to many. I hope that further recordings of his meditations might be made available on CD so that Cardinal Hume's teaching may continue to enlighten, sanctify and console us. It goes without saying that I thoroughly recommend this production which is quite outstanding in every way.

Originally published in "The Universe" 19th March 2010 (Posted on 24/03/2010)