Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988)

This is THE book on prayer for me. I have read a dozen or so theologians/scholars over the past few months and Balthasar takes the cake. He has a deeply theological view of prayer that contrasts my upbringing in the faith that at times it felt like we believed in two separate gods! I'll take Balthasar's over what I was given in my youth. I highly recommend this book for an introduction to prayer, however, I would add the caveat that it is aimed more towards seminary-level students. Do not show more let that detract you though, I do believe anyone could pick this up who is willing to push through some deep theology. show less

The gem of this work is the essay, "Casta Meretrix," which draws on the Fathers of the Church (and an essay by Jean Danielou) to meditate on the Scriptural theme of Church as redeemed prostitute. Here's a snippet: "The phrase coined by Origen - 'ouside Rahab's house, the Church, no salvation' - inevitably became an axiom for St. Cyprian." I wonder that the origin of this phrase rarely surfaces in discussions of Extra Ecclesia Nulla Salus (outside the Church no salvation).

Balthasar's essay, show more "The Layman and the Church," is remarkable for its discussion of the three levels of the Church: the pansacramental, the sacramental, the subsacramental (the sphere of life). Everything in the Church exists simultaneously at all three levels. This insight radically expands the participation of lay people in the mission of the Church, while at the same time making a clear distinction between lay and ordained.

Contents

Part One: The Contemporary Experience of the Church; Fides Christi: an Essay on the Consciousness of Christ; Office in the Church; Who is the Church? Casta Meretrix; The Church and Israel

Part Two: Charis and Charisma; The Layman in the Church; Philosophy, Christianity, Monasticism; Priestly Existence; Towards a Theology of the Secular Institute

Part Three: Liturgy and Awe; Seeing, Hearing, and Reading; Seeing, Believing, Eating; Eucharistic Congress 1960 show less

The book really gets going in Chapter 3. Chapters 1-2 are very rough going, a literary criticism of schools of thought Balthasar disagrees with. What was difficult was the name dropping unfamiliar people in history, written with the assumption the reader will have a base knowledge/recognition of. I did not, and further, when I looked into these people and their works/beliefs, I didn't find it that helpful to grasping the core thesis of Balthasar's book.

Sorry to Balthasar, but I think the show more first 2 chapters are worth skipping entirely. They're very discouraging before getting to the core of Balthasar's beautiful work.

My favorite portion was when Balthasar compares God to artwork -- similar in that they cannot be reduced to knowledge (a sort of control) but only encountered in a Thou sense (Martin Buber).

How beautiful is this: "In both cases the ‘understanding’ of that which reveals itself cannot be subsumed under categories of knowledge which imply control... To dissolve the magic of beauty into some ‘truth’ that lies behind or beyond the appearance, is to banish beauty altogether and simply shows that its specific quality has never been felt" (45). show less

This thin volume, written by the late great Swiss Catholic Theologian, von Balthasar, discusses Christian Meditiation (hence, the title). By this, von Balthasar doesn't mean extended silent prayer, centering prayer, days of solitude, etc. Instead, this is Word-centered meditation, where one encounters Triune God through the pages of scripture.

This book is short but difficult to read, and I am not sure I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't at least have a sense of where Balthasar is show more writing from. It explicates a theological and Christological reading of scripture informed by a meditative approach given to Balthasar by his early Jesuit instruction. It is therefore peppered with references to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

I really liked this book and found myself reading passages slowly and going back and rereading them to make sure I got them. Others of Balthasar's shorter works, do not seem this dense to me. What I particularly appreciated was that although Balthasar's focus was on what we call 'Scriptural meditation,' he was clear that the focus was not the written word. Instead, he advocated for a meditative practice which is centered on an encounter with Christ in the text. This meant he wasn't antagonistic to other meditative practices, but he does find the spiritual exegesis and Ignatian approaches most helpful in focusing on the Christological character of the Bible.

The final chapter on Union, is divided into " the Marian Way," "the Ecclesial Way" and "The Paths to the World." Certainly as a protestant I adjust some of what Balthasar has to say here, but I found it a helpful approach to looking for Christ in our personal adoration of him (the Marian way), hearing him through the liturgy with the church (ecclesial way), and being attentive to the Mission of the Triune God and where Jesus is speaking in the world (Paths to the World). Perhaps a good way to think of it is the personal, communal and missional. These are dimensions which I want my little rule to lead me into.

Even so, come Lord Jesus. show less