The influence the dead have on our lives usually fades with time. As those who knew them age and die, it becomes harder and harder to summon them back into our present. One of the quiet surprises of Catholic life today is that, if anything, the influence of Joseph Ratzinger seems to have grown. During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI was often discussed more than he was actually read. His name appeared regularly in newspaper columns, television debates and ecclesiastical controversies, becoming a familiar figure even to those who had never opened one of his books or delved into his writings. Today – happily – the reverse is increasingly true. Younger Catholics with little memory of the battles that defined his public reputation are discovering his writings for themselves: Introduction to Christianity, The Spirit of the Liturgy, the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy and dozens of other works written over more than half a century.