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Christian Meditation

by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Mary T. Skerry (Translator)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 9 ratings · 2 reviews

While von Balthasar's classic Prayer is unparalleled in its development of the Trinitarian, Christological, Mariological and ecclesiological dimensions of prayer, Christian Meditation is a short, readable and eminently practical guide to that form of prayer which God's revelation in Jesus Christ has made indispensable: meditation on the word of God revealing the inner dept...more

Paperback, 97 pages

Published September 1st 1989 by Ignatius Press (first published 1989)

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Aug 09, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: prayer, spiritual-formation

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 writing...more 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 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.(less)

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Feb 16, 2013 Magnus Itland rated it 3 of 5 stars

To the modern reader, the name of this book is likely to mislead. It does not at all compromise with atheists or those who approach the Divine in an abstract way. As in classical Christendom, "meditation" here refers to imaginative thinking about the Gospel. It has nothing to do with the Buddhist, New Age and scientific concept of the same name, in which one seeks to free the Self from the activity of the mind.

If you are a Christian who wants to bridge the gap in time and culture between the mod...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Doug rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: devotional, prayer, spiritual-formation, theology, location-kindle

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About Hans Urs von Balthasar

Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Swiss theologian and priest who was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is considered one of the most important theologians of the 20th century.

Born in Lucerne, Switzerland on 12 August 1905, he attended Stella Matutina (Jesuit school) in Feldkirch, Austria. He studied in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich, gaining a doctorate in German literature. He joined t...more Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Swiss theologian and priest who was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is considered one of the most important theologians of the 20th century.

Born in Lucerne, Switzerland on 12 August 1905, he attended Stella Matutina (Jesuit school) in Feldkirch, Austria. He studied in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich, gaining a doctorate in German literature. He joined the Jesuits in 1929, and was ordained in 1936. He worked in Basel as a student chaplain. In 1950 he left the Jesuit order, feeling that God had called him to found a Secular Institute, a lay form of consecrated life that sought to work for the sanctification of the world especially from within. He joined the diocese of Chur. From the low point of being banned from teaching, his reputation eventually rose to the extent that John Paul II asked him to be a cardinal in 1988. However he died in his home in Basel on 26 June 1988, two days before the ceremony. Balthasar was interred in the Hofkirche cemetery in Lucern.

Along with Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, Balthasar sought to offer an intellectual, faithful response to Western modernism. While Rahner offered a progressive, accommodating position on modernity and Lonergan worked out a philosophy of history that sought to critically appropriate modernity, Balthasar resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, wanting Christianity to challenge modern sensibilities.

Balthasar is very eclectic in his approach, sources, and interests and remains difficult to categorize. An example of his eclecticism was his long study and conversation with the influential Reformed Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, of whose work he wrote the first Catholic analysis and response. Although Balthasar's major points of analysis on Karl Barth's work have been disputed, his The Theology of Karl Barth: Exposition and Interpretation (1951) remains a classic work for its sensitivity and insight; Karl Barth himself agreed with its analysis of his own theological enterprise, calling it the best book on his own theology.

Balthasar's Theological Dramatic Theory has influenced the work of Raymund Schwager.(less)

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