Hans Urs von Balthasar Book order

Hans Urs von Balthasar addresses the critical issues that have been unsettling the Catholic laity since the Second Vatican Council. In a clear and readable manner, he focuses on the core elements of the faith: the Word of God; the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; the sacraments; the structure of the Church; and Mary. Speaking plainly about the polarization within the Catholic Church, he also discusses the various ideological trends—such as liberalism, progressivism, and traditionalism—that have undermined the confidence and the unity of the faithful. "In this Primer, Balthasar addresses today's faithful laity who feel that [the] solidity of the Church is shifting beneath their feet. He speaks to those who fear that the Church has done what she ought not to do: that she is in fact relaxing her demands in order to win favor, not from God, but from man. Into this situation Balthasar re-proposes the'form' of Jesus Christ as revealed in his Church. This form is 'only the whole': the whole, concrete reality of Christ, conveyed within Catholic tradition. This form is 'spun from three strands' of Word, sacrament, and ecclesial authority. These three provide the Church with the ability to remain on course despite the winds blowing through history." — Angela Franks, Ph.D., From the Foreword

This anthology is an aid for those either giving or making an Ignatian retreat. It sifts Balthasar's writings for insights into almost every page of Ignatius' text, sometime diving into themes scarely explored by others. Moreover, it maps out those hidden strains of Jesuit spirituality that run unnoticed through the theologian's oeuvre. --Book jacket

This second edition of von Balthasar's book is a personal introduction to Adrienne von Speyr, a contemporary Swiss convert, mystic, wife, medical doctor, prolific spiritual writer, and co-foundress with Balthasar of a secular institute. Fr. von Balthasar, her spiritual director for 27 years, includes an appraisal of her contributions to theology and spirituality, a complete bibliography, her prayers, and passages from her more than sixty books. This book contains three main sections. In the first, three subdivisions offer: 1) a short account of Adrienne's life; 2) a description of her charism and of her most important theological concerns; 3) an overview of her published and unpublished works. The second section presents a collection of some enlightening statements that Adrienne made about herself which illuminate and vivify her exterior as well as her hidden, interior life from varying angles and which also clearly indicate where she herself put the greatest emphasis and how she herself wished to be understood. A third section contains prayers she herself wrote which best reveal her spirit.

Includes criticism and interpretation of the views of the New Testament, Origen, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Maurice Blondel on Hell, salvation, and damnation

"The title of this book, Who Is a Christian?, is a short question. In its longer form, the question would be: In the changed circumstances after the Second Vatican Council--with its theme of aggiornamento, or "updating"--What does it really mean to be a Christian today? Von Balthasar begins by acknowleding the confusion of many in the post-conciliar period. He then describes the valuable contributions of the Council in these four areas: scripture, liturgy, ecumenism, and openness to the modern world. But he also describes what could go worng, and often did go wrong, with the implementation of the Council. Finally he points out the path to genuine renewal in the personal life of the Christian and in the ways he serves the world."--Back cover

Preface by Henri Cardinal de Lubac Postscript and foreword by Jacques Servais, S.J. In the 1960's, Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar gave two conferences in Paris on the subject of redemption. One considered the perspective of Christ the Redeemer. The other gave a view of the redemption from the perspective of Mary and the Church, consenting to the sacrifice of Jesus. These two conferences are what Fr. Jacques Servais, S.J., in his foreword calls "a lantern of the Word", shedding light amidst the advancing turmoil of the postconciliar period. These conferences were later collected by the eminent theologian Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J., in a single volume along with an anthology of meditations on the Passion by the mystic Adrienne von Speyr, and selected by von Balthasar. In this new edition, prepared for the centenary of the birth of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Fr. Servais, the director of Casa Balthasar in Rome, provides an extensive postscript illuminating the text along with the original preface by de Lubac. "I had the joy of knowing and associating with this renowned Swiss theologian. I am convinced that his theological reflections preserve their freshness and profound relevance undiminished to this day and that they incite many others to penetrate ever further into the depths of the mystery of the Faith, with such an authoritative guide leading them by the hand."— Pope Benedict XVI

The work opens with a critical review of developments in Protestant and Catholic Theology since the Reformation which have led to the steady neglect of aesthetics in Christian theology. From here, von Balthasar turns to the central theme of the volume: the question of theological knowledge. He re-examines the nature of Christian believing (here he quickly draws widely on such theological figures as Anselm, Pascal and Newman) which gives due place to the particular kind of 'knowing' which develops within the personal relationship to the believer to the God mediated through the revelation-form of Jesus Christ

Theo-Logic is the third and crowning part of the great trilogy of the masterwork of theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, following his first two parts, The Glory of the Lord and Theo-Drama. This is the third volume of Theo-Logic. Theo-Logic is a variation of theology, it being about not so much what man says about God, but what God speaks about himself. Balthasar does not address the truth about God until he first reflects on the beauty of God (The Glory of the Lord). Then he follows with his reflections on the great drama of our salvation and the goodness and mercy of the God who saves us (Theo-Drama). Now, in this work, he is ready to reflect on the truth that God reveals about himself, which is not something abstract or theoretical, but rather the concrete and mysterious richness of God's being as a personal and loving God.

Two great theologians endeavor to recover the centrality of Marian doctrine and devotion for the contemporary Church, offering a spiritually rich approach to Mariology that brings into new relief the Marian contours of ecclesial faith. Ratzinger and von Balthasar show that Mary is both the embodiment of the Church, and the mother who co-operates in giving birth to the Church in the souls of believers. At once profound and yet readily accessible, The Church at the Source offers a theologically balanced and biblically grounded presentation of traditional and contemporary thought on Marian doctrine and spirituality.