Light of the Word: Brief Reflections on the Sunday Readings

by Hans Urs von Balthasar

It is not only the Catholics who attend Sunday Mass, but also the priests who preach at Mass who feel overwhelmed by the three scripture readings in which for the most part only the first from the Old Testament and the third from the Gospel have any interconnection, while the second from the apostolic letters stands by itself. This book seeks to present the common theses that connect all three of the readings for Sundays and feasts of the Lord in the three year cycle of readings.

The reflections here are meant to be theological and spiritual suggestions that the one who is preaching can develop further and from which he can select individual perspectives. Rather than seeking immediately concrete applications, Fr. von Balthasar attempts to elucidate the content which is immediately present in the passages.

Organized by each Sunday and feast day of the liturgical year for years A, B, & C, these reflections are meant to be theological and spiritual suggestions that the one who is preaching can develop further and from which he can select individual perspectives.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Levi · Rating 5 out of 5]

More updates to come...

4th Jan 2020 — Although I have yet to fully finish this book, I fully intend to do so. Plus, this book will be a guide for me off and on throughout the next three years. So, while I have skimmed through a chunk of it, I will not fully finish it for a while.

With that in mind, I wanted to make sure to make that caveat but also I intend to make updates from time to time with what my thoughts are about this book.

So far, I have appreciated von Balthasar's insights into Scripture and his points that allow for further reflection and meditation. I do hope to use this book in conjunction with the Bible itself for a men's group over the coming months.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece of Catholic biblical reflection of the Readings and Gospels for all three cycles of the Catholic schedule of readings. Reading this book along with the actual Holy Scripture and a Catholic biblical concordance will provide the reader a rich reflection on the teachings, typology, philosophy, and theology packed into each Sunday and Holy Day that can add beauty and depth to a Catholic's Mass experience or prayer experience during a Lectio Divina, for instance. Balthazar is a wealth of spiritual and theology knowledge. He has written dozens and dozens of books on a variety of Catholic subjects and topics, and this one is a great "dip your toe into the Balthazar pool and see where it leads you" kind of book. Personally, I've "drunk the Balthazar koolaid".