Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Spiritual Exercises PDF Download

Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1621642798
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
"I would like one day," Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote in 1952, "to write a book on Ignatius of Loyola, the saint of whom I will always consider myself the least of sons." The Jesuit-formed theologian from Switzerland—widely considered one of the greatest thinkers and spiritual writers of modern times—never got the chance to fulfill this dream. Instead, Balthasar's whole theology, from Theo-Drama to Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved", is imbued with the influence of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus and author of the Spiritual Exercises, a multi-week retreat guide that has rejuvenated Catholic spirituality since the sixteenth century. Throughout Balthasar's priestly life, he led countless retreatants in the Ignatian Exercises, accompanying them in their discernment of God's call. This anthology is an aid for those either giving or making an Ignatian retreat. Full of citations and equipped with four indexes, as well as many texts never before translated into English, it sifts Balthasar's writings for insights into almost every element of Ignatius' "libretto", sometimes diving into themes scarcely explored by others. Moreover, it maps out those hidden strains of Jesuit spirituality that run unnoticed through the theologian's oeuvre. Yet the book may help anyone at all who wants to engage more deeply with Jesus or come to grips with Church doctrine, for as Balthasar himself says, the Spiritual Exercises are both a "great school of Christocentric contemplation" and a "genuine interpretation of the deposit of the faith".

Author: Hans Urs Von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1642290718
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
"I would like one day," Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote in 1952, "to write a book on Ignatius of Loyola, the saint of whom I will always consider myself the least of sons." The Jesuit-formed theologian from Switzerland—widely considered one of the greatest thinkers and spiritual writers of modern times—never got the chance to fulfill this dream. Instead, Balthasar's whole theology, from Theo-Drama to Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved", is imbued with the influence of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus and author of the Spiritual Exercises, a multi-week retreat guide that has rejuvenated Catholic spirituality since the sixteenth century. Throughout Balthasar's priestly life, he led countless retreatants in the Ignatian Exercises, accompanying them in their discernment of God's call. This anthology is an aid for those either giving or making an Ignatian retreat. Full of citations and equipped with four indexes, as well as many texts never before translated into English, it sifts Balthasar's writings for insights into almost every element of Ignatius' "libretto", sometimes diving into themes scarcely explored by others. Moreover, it maps out those hidden strains of Jesuit spirituality that run unnoticed through the theologian's oeuvre. Yet the book may help anyone at all who wants to engage more deeply with Jesus or come to grips with Church doctrine, for as Balthasar himself says, the Spiritual Exercises are both a "great school of Christocentric contemplation" and a "genuine interpretation of the deposit of the faith".

Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 158617942X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
This book is perhaps one of the most misunderstood works of Catholic theology of our time. Critics contend that von Balthasar espouses universalism, the idea that all men will certainly be saved. Yet, as von Balthasar insists, damnation is a real possibility for anyone. Indeed, he explores the nature of damnation with sobering clarity. At the same time, he contends that a deep understanding of God’s merciful love and human freedom, and a careful reading of the Catholic tradition, point to the possibility—not the certainty—that, in the end, all men will accept the salvation Christ won for all. For this all-embracing salvation, von Balthasar says, we may dare hope, we must pray and with God’s help we must work. The Catholic Church’s teaching on hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of von Balthasar. He grounds his reflections clearly in Sacred Scripture and Catholic teaching. While the Church asserts that certain individuals are in heaven (the saints), she never declares a specific individual to be in hell. In fact, the Church hopes that in their final moments of life, even the greatest sinners would have repented of their terrible sins, and be saved. Sacred Scripture states, “God ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4–5).

Author: Adrienne von Speyr
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 0898700442
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
The more popular, practical counterpart to Hans Urs von Balthasar's own book of the same title, this book plumbs the depths of what it means to be a Christian.

Author: David Schindler
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1681492237
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
This collection of essays, gathered under the auspices of Communio editors, represents the most wide-ranging study of the life and work of Balthasar. The twenty contributors include highly respected theologians, philosophers and bishops from around the world such as Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J., Walter Kasper, Louis Dupre, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), and Pope John Paul II. "...meeting Balthasar was for me the beginning of a lifelong friendship I can only be thankful for. Never again have I found anyone with such a comprehensive theological and humanistic education as Balthasar and de Lubac, and I cannot even begin to say how much I owe to my encounter with them." - Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Author: Matthew A. Rothaus Moser
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506418996
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) sets out to reunite Truth and holiness by returning the saints to their proper place at the heart of philosophy, theology, and metaphysics. Love Itself is Understanding is one of the first systematic treatments of Balthasar’s theology of the saints. Matthew Rothaus Moser presents Balthasar as an alternative to Idealist philosophy, a thinker who develops a religious metaphysics in which the saints’ practices of prayer and contemplation are the chief mode of knowing that the Truth of Being is divine love. Love Itself is Understanding casts new light on dominant themes in Balthasar’s thought and invites a renewed vision of the theological and metaphysical significance of the spiritual practices of prayer, obedience, and charity.

Author: Hans Urs Von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1681493705
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
This book describes the common task which Balthasar and Adrienne von Speyr undertook, the founding of a secular institute: The Community of St. John. He also describes their common theological work and explains the theology and role of secular institutes.

Author: Raymond Gawronski
Publisher: Angelico Press/Second Spring
ISBN: 9781621381105
Category : Asia
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Asked about the dialogue between Asian and Christian mysticisms, Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote: "The dialogue is possible. The question is: 'does selflessness mean emptiness, or (trinitarian) love.'" Word and Silence is an ascent to the fullness of the Christian vision, from the depths of natural and Christian wisdom and under the guidance of this great master of contemplative theology of our time. It offers an overview of the human condition, and then broadens to explore the fullness of God's revelation, which overflows the deepest longings of the human heart, fully embracing the human as human, and leading it into the heart of God. "What one of the greatest theologians of our century--Hans Urs von Balthasar--says about what the world's religions mean for one another as pluralism intensifies their interaction--no other study comes close to the depth with which Word and Silence addresses that subject."--Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions "In this luminous book, Father Raymond Gawronski demonstrates the fruitfulness of Balthasar's distinctive Christology, Mariology, and nuptial mysticism for a genuine Catholic theology of world religions; and in the process, he sheds much-needed light upon the mysteries of sexuality and gender, the spirituality of obedience, and the beauty of holiness."--Carol Zaleski, Professor of World Religions, Smith College; co-author of Prayer: A History "The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that while 'in many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers, ' in 'these days he has spoken to us by a Son.' Meanwhile, at the heart of that word, spoken in and through the Son, sits the 'wordless word' of Christ's death and descent into hell. This paradox--that in revealing himself to us in both word and deed God makes His final word a wordless deed--lies at the center of this spellbinding and beautifully written book. As Raymond Gawronski succinctly puts it, 'The Word weds silence, as it were.' This book is no less relevant now than when it was first published in 1995. Indeed, not only is this one of the best books on Balthasar to date, it should also be required reading for anyone interested in the important dialogue between Christianity and the East."--Rodney Howsare, Professor of Theology, DeSales University; author of Balthasar: A Guide for the Perplexed A native of New York, Fr. Gawronski entered the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1977, after studies in East Asian culture, and then graduate study in comparative religion with Huston Smith at Syracuse University. His doctoral studies were undertaken in Rome, and included work in Eastern Christian spirituality, which led in turn to a lifelong commitment to the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar. He was professor of theology at Marquette University for thirteen years, during which time he helped design the Spirituality Year program for the St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, where he then served as professor and spiritual director for eight years. He has published and lectured widely on issues of culture and spirituality, and has for years served as an active retreat master, annually leading the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. He is currently professor of dogmatic theology at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where he also gives spiritual direction.

Author: Hans Urs Von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1681491524
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
The object of these 'elucidations' by the renowned theologian Balthasar is to offer a concise and summary treatment of a few essential questions concerning the substance of the Christian life, experience, and faith, which today are in dispute or-as is true of many-are disappearing into oblivion. Each chapter stands on its own. Together they bear witness to an underlying comprehensive vision; they are a few rays which all radiate from the same center. Among the some twenty-five chapters/topics Balthasar covers are "The Personal God", "The Marian Principle", "Authority and Tradition", "Unmodern Prayer", "The Pope Today", and much more.

Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 0898705223
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 123

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Book Description
Romano Guardini (1885-1968) was one of the greatest Catholic minds of the twentieth century. He helped shape Catholic theology between the two world wars and after, as well as the thinking of many non-Catholics of the period. His influence contributed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and it continues to be felt through Pope Benedict, who, as a theologian, a cardinal and now as Pope, has drawn extensively on Guardini for inspiration. Indeed, Guardini was a major theological mentor of Benedict XVI, influencing the Pope from his understanding of Jesus to his writings on the sacred Liturgy, from his view of faith to his perspective on the modern world. Romano Guardini: Reform from the Source, written by another great theological mind, Hans urs von Balthasar, presents a kind of "roadmap" to Guardini's thought. As an introduction to Guardini, von Balthasar's study is intended to challenge readers to take up Guardini's own writings and to find in him the wisdom that has inspired so many others. Many of Guardini's influential works are still in print today, works that cover a wide range of important spiritual, theological and moral issues.