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Prayer
This is perhaps the best and most comprehensive book on prayer ever written. From the persons of the Trinity through the Incarnation to the Church and the very structure of the human person, this book is a powerful synthesis of what prayer is and how to pray. The testament of a great theologian on something which is most personal and interior, contemplative prayer. "This is a book that changes, not only your mind, but your life. It lays out, in language both theologically precise and spiritually vivid, what it is like to enter into a relationship with the three persons of the Trinity. One of its major emphases is how authentic Christian prayer is always conducted in and through the words given to us by God himself in the Scriptures, so that our speech to God always mirrors and mimics God speech to us. This single volume also functions as a remarkably good introduction to Balthasar's architectonic thought as a whole."
- Fr. Robert Barron , Author & Host of Catholicism In this modern classic, von Balthasar illumines the nature and practice of contemplative prayer in explicit and vital connection with the mysteries of Christian revelation. His extraordinary flair for drawing spiritual implications from the most profound theological insights is brilliantly displayed on so many of its pages. This is a book on prayer that stimulates our yearning for God as it points us toward ever-deepening and authentic encounters with Him.
- Margaret M. Turek, S.T.D ., Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, St. Patrick's Seminary and University
- Fr. Robert Barron , Author & Host of Catholicism In this modern classic, von Balthasar illumines the nature and practice of contemplative prayer in explicit and vital connection with the mysteries of Christian revelation. His extraordinary flair for drawing spiritual implications from the most profound theological insights is brilliantly displayed on so many of its pages. This is a book on prayer that stimulates our yearning for God as it points us toward ever-deepening and authentic encounters with Him.
- Margaret M. Turek, S.T.D ., Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, St. Patrick's Seminary and University
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
About the author
Hans Urs von Balthasar
389 books263 followersHans 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 1, 2014
Excellent book on prayer and one worth having on kindle for easy access. It didn't really clarify contemplative prayer for me, however ... well at least not very much. All the books I've read on the subject say pretty much the same things, none of which has been very helpful. Contemplative prayer is hard to describe because it is beyond words. Even attempting to journal an experience doesn't begin to capture the essence of the encounter. Yet it is important to try.
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Such things* cannot be proclaimed and propagated, however intense this “action” may be, unless they have been known in experience. Unless a person has gone through these things in contemplation, he will be hampered by a kind of embarrassment, a kind of bad conscience, in speaking about them or even in trying to act accordingly. Sometimes even his bad conscience will have been stifled by a naive busy-ness which, mistakenly thought to be spiritual, is in fact worldly.’
For me this brings to mind The Problem of Pain and makes me want to re-read it. How can we grow in our prayer life and really become contemplatives in the deepest and fullest sense of the word without pain and yes sin, for is there greater pain than the realization that at bottom one is a sinner?
*Of the ineffable peace of eternity above all earthly struggles, but also of the unutterable weakness and powerlessness of crucified Love, so “emptied” that it becomes “nothing”, becomes “sin” and “a curse”, and yet, in this “emptying” becomes the source of all power and salvation for the Church and for mankind?
<><><><><><><>
Such things* cannot be proclaimed and propagated, however intense this “action” may be, unless they have been known in experience. Unless a person has gone through these things in contemplation, he will be hampered by a kind of embarrassment, a kind of bad conscience, in speaking about them or even in trying to act accordingly. Sometimes even his bad conscience will have been stifled by a naive busy-ness which, mistakenly thought to be spiritual, is in fact worldly.’
For me this brings to mind The Problem of Pain and makes me want to re-read it. How can we grow in our prayer life and really become contemplatives in the deepest and fullest sense of the word without pain and yes sin, for is there greater pain than the realization that at bottom one is a sinner?
*Of the ineffable peace of eternity above all earthly struggles, but also of the unutterable weakness and powerlessness of crucified Love, so “emptied” that it becomes “nothing”, becomes “sin” and “a curse”, and yet, in this “emptying” becomes the source of all power and salvation for the Church and for mankind?
June 4, 2010
This book is so profound that I will need to reread it several times to let its insights sink in. This is one of the more accessible books by Balthasar I have read. The most striking part of the book is when he talks about our being brought to heaven by Christ in things like the sacraments. His focus on contemplation, the tensions inherent in it, and the proper focus on it is deeply theological and practical. I highly recommend this book. This actually might be the best book of Balthasar's to begin with.
April 26, 2020
"The believer has experienced heaven on earth in company with the Beloved; indeed he meets him anew every day in prayer, the sacraments, the eucharist, in his whole life of love. All this is life in and through the Lord, it is his presence among us who are gathered in his name to celebrate the memorial of his death, but also of his spirit, which, in his name, we endeavor to reproduce in ourselves."
"This is something we must be vividly aware of as we pray, contemplating the word of God: that the whole compact solidity of our creaturely being and essence, and of the everyday world in which we find ourselves and find our bearings, is afloat like a ship above the immense depths of an entirely different element (which alone is absolute and decisive), namely, the unfathomable love of the Father."
It seems silly to give a rating to Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most important theologians of the Catholic church in the 20th century. In general, this work focuses on contemplative prayer and the metaphysical implications of contemplation. It is less a treatise on how to pray as opposed to a reflection on what contemplation is at its core, what it does to us and in us. I now have a strong desire to attend a Jesuit retreat focusing on the Spiritual Exercises, which come back and back in this work.
This is a dense read which took me the greater part of a year with some stops and restarts along the way. I suspect it is the most accessible of his works, but for me was something of a challenge to read. Will likely spend the better part of the next year digesting what I read.
"This is something we must be vividly aware of as we pray, contemplating the word of God: that the whole compact solidity of our creaturely being and essence, and of the everyday world in which we find ourselves and find our bearings, is afloat like a ship above the immense depths of an entirely different element (which alone is absolute and decisive), namely, the unfathomable love of the Father."
It seems silly to give a rating to Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most important theologians of the Catholic church in the 20th century. In general, this work focuses on contemplative prayer and the metaphysical implications of contemplation. It is less a treatise on how to pray as opposed to a reflection on what contemplation is at its core, what it does to us and in us. I now have a strong desire to attend a Jesuit retreat focusing on the Spiritual Exercises, which come back and back in this work.
This is a dense read which took me the greater part of a year with some stops and restarts along the way. I suspect it is the most accessible of his works, but for me was something of a challenge to read. Will likely spend the better part of the next year digesting what I read.
February 29, 2016
Excellent book.
It is dense and took me almost a year to get through, but it was certainly worth it.
While there were spells of dryness, I also found sections drenched in consolation.
Not for light reading, but well worth the effort and time.
It is dense and took me almost a year to get through, but it was certainly worth it.
While there were spells of dryness, I also found sections drenched in consolation.
Not for light reading, but well worth the effort and time.
February 17, 2017
I read this book as part of my Lay Dominican studies. It is the first von Balthasar book I have read, and it was truly remarkable. Initially, because it was for study, I took notes about particularly beautiful passages. But after a while, I stopped with the notes and just treasured to the beautiful writing. One of my new favorites!
February 19, 2018
This is the best thing I have ever read on prayer and stands as a truly great work of integrated theology and spirituality. This is dense, deep and so very good. It deserves a better review than I have time to give it.
Want to read
December 7, 2009Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 16, as one of Eleven Books on Prayer, Belief, and Reflection.
March 14, 2012
An incredible read! The richness of its theology and the depth of its devotional quality is unparalleled! My favorite book on prayer!!!
February 7, 2020
I have found this book to be a challenging but rewarding read. Read it through once to get an overview, second time to get her message and subsequently to chew on selected passages for their affective value. Balthasar writes in a quasi-poetic style, reminiscent of writers like Alexander Schmemann and Abraham Heschel, on the subject of prayer and contemplation. He uses the word 'contemplation' in the broad sense of lifting one's heart and mind to God. He contends that the possibility of prayer is materialised through God's self-revelation in salvation history and particularly through the Word made flesh. It is the particularity of God's engagement with the world through the historical covenants that defines and gives shape to Christian prayer. This is different from attempts to connect with the Other through self-contemplation or absorption into the absolute being. Contemplation in the Christian tradition is therefore a concrete response to the Word of God that has entered into space and time through the particularities of human lives and supremely in the life of the Son of God. The fine example of Mary in her words, 'Let it be to me according to your word' is the embodiment of Christian contemplation that allows the Word to be born in us and take us where it will.
"Contemplation's ladder, reaching up to heaven, begins with the word of scripture, and whatever rung we are on, we are never beyond this hearing of the word.... neither can we get beyond the word in its human form. It is in the humanity that we find God, in the world of sense that we find the Spirit." (preface, p.9)
It is out of this Word-centred view of contemplation that Balthasar takes us through the various aspects of the prayer life that is rooted in the the total self-offering of the worshippers, liturgy, personal freedom and eschatology as well as the odd tensions within which one finds himself praying on this side of the eschaton. What we find here is a deep and comprehensive exposition of the full contours of Christian prayer that is characteristically trinitarian, rooted in salvation history and mediated by the Church. Written in the spirit of prayer, this spiritual masterpiece can be deeply nourishing when we take in a small portion at a time and ponder it deeply in our hearts.
"Contemplation's ladder, reaching up to heaven, begins with the word of scripture, and whatever rung we are on, we are never beyond this hearing of the word.... neither can we get beyond the word in its human form. It is in the humanity that we find God, in the world of sense that we find the Spirit." (preface, p.9)
It is out of this Word-centred view of contemplation that Balthasar takes us through the various aspects of the prayer life that is rooted in the the total self-offering of the worshippers, liturgy, personal freedom and eschatology as well as the odd tensions within which one finds himself praying on this side of the eschaton. What we find here is a deep and comprehensive exposition of the full contours of Christian prayer that is characteristically trinitarian, rooted in salvation history and mediated by the Church. Written in the spirit of prayer, this spiritual masterpiece can be deeply nourishing when we take in a small portion at a time and ponder it deeply in our hearts.
December 27, 2021
This is, without question, one of (if not the!) most challenging books I've ever read. At one level, I'm not sure why. Von Balthasar's language is not that "technical" (at least not to me -- I have theological training). Maybe it is conceptually challenging - I'm not sure. I am a Protestant, and much of von Balthasar's insights on the Virgin Mary (who he considers paradigmatic) were brand new to me. It took a LONG time for me to finish this book, but I am sure that I will read it again.
Though von Balthasar would (and does) contend that his insights are "practical," this book nevertheless is, in my opinion, more of a "theology of prayer" than a kind of "guide to prayer." That is not a criticism. I quite agree with von Balthasar when he writes, "A knowledge of theology's fundamental principles will promote such contemplation by shedding a clearer light on what the person is experiencing existentially; it will save him entering on circuitous and erroneous paths in prayer" (307). There is such a thing, in my opinion, as praying "poorly." A right theology of prayer helps us pray well. There is no way around it.
The theological insight I appreciate the most is summarized on p. 76, "we see that the very possibility of Christian contemplation [which is von Balthasar's word of choice, generally, for "prayer"] is founded entirely on the doctrine of the Trinity." The Triune God is involved in prayer, wire to wire. The Father reveals himself through the Son. The Spirit enables us to recognize and receive the Son. Then the Spirit exalts our prayers to the Son who, as our mediator, presents them to the Father. God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is involved in each and every part of Christian spirituality, prayer included. I once heard Fleming Rutledge say, "at all times, God is the object of the verb," and von Balthasar seems to think much the same. God takes the initiative in Christian prayer in particular and faith in general. Our responsibility is to respond (and important word for von Balthasar). Prayer is always a response to the Word, the person and the book.
This book cannot be read quickly. If you try, you will retain next to nothing. Take your time (it took me a long time). Take as many notes as you can. And go ahead and plan on reading it again. I am.
Though von Balthasar would (and does) contend that his insights are "practical," this book nevertheless is, in my opinion, more of a "theology of prayer" than a kind of "guide to prayer." That is not a criticism. I quite agree with von Balthasar when he writes, "A knowledge of theology's fundamental principles will promote such contemplation by shedding a clearer light on what the person is experiencing existentially; it will save him entering on circuitous and erroneous paths in prayer" (307). There is such a thing, in my opinion, as praying "poorly." A right theology of prayer helps us pray well. There is no way around it.
The theological insight I appreciate the most is summarized on p. 76, "we see that the very possibility of Christian contemplation [which is von Balthasar's word of choice, generally, for "prayer"] is founded entirely on the doctrine of the Trinity." The Triune God is involved in prayer, wire to wire. The Father reveals himself through the Son. The Spirit enables us to recognize and receive the Son. Then the Spirit exalts our prayers to the Son who, as our mediator, presents them to the Father. God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is involved in each and every part of Christian spirituality, prayer included. I once heard Fleming Rutledge say, "at all times, God is the object of the verb," and von Balthasar seems to think much the same. God takes the initiative in Christian prayer in particular and faith in general. Our responsibility is to respond (and important word for von Balthasar). Prayer is always a response to the Word, the person and the book.
This book cannot be read quickly. If you try, you will retain next to nothing. Take your time (it took me a long time). Take as many notes as you can. And go ahead and plan on reading it again. I am.
January 13, 2020
A rich book on the theology of prayer. While most books I have read on prayer function more or less as how-to or self-help manuals, Balthasar tackles the question of what prayer is itself. Focusing on the term contemplation when describing prayer, the author divides his study into three primary areas: the act, the object, and the tensions of contemplation. However, the content of these areas is not what one may expect. For example, instead of the act of contemplation focusing on how one should pray, Balthasar focuses more on how contemplation is possible. Also, instead of the tensions of contemplation focusing on daily struggles such as distraction in prayer, Balthasar addresses more abstract tensions in the spiritual life. While not what one may expect, the content is extremely helpful. Balthasar emphasizes the Word (Jesus) and the word (Scripture) as our examples for prayer, and that these are properly represented to us through the Church. He cites Scripture extensively throughout the book, and makes moderate use of Latin phrases and particular philosophical traditions. The use of Latin and philosophical terms kept the book being as accessible as it could have been, but that is not the author's point. This is not the first book on prayer I would recommend to someone, but it is one of the best books on prayer I would recommend. For one wanting to learn more about prayer I would first recommend Romano Guardini's Art of Praying and then this book.
October 27, 2018
I've wanted to read this book for some time now. Finally arriving at it, I have not been disappointed. This is fabulous, and beautiful. At several points above my pay-grade, but overall touching and helpful. Four and a half stars from me.
September 29, 2019
Difficult book for a layman to read. The last of the three sections on the tensions of contemplation was probably the most enjoyable for me as I could understand the paradox or balance between essence & existence, heaven & earth, cross & resurrection.
November 30, 2018
Another master piece!
Currently reading
December 1, 2023This is a book of theology. But it’s also poetry. Soft poetry.
Kind of babyish and otherworldly poetry. It’s beautiful.
Balthasar doesn’t live in the world. He’s like FRA ANGELICA.
Kind of babyish and otherworldly poetry. It’s beautiful.
Balthasar doesn’t live in the world. He’s like FRA ANGELICA.
December 28, 2023
DNF
Just can drink that much Kool aid
Just can drink that much Kool aid
September 25, 2020
This is a beautifully written and deeply thoughtful book. I learned a lot reading it and was stimulated to seek a deeper prayer life. I will need to read it again and I'm sure I will learn more and be led into a deeper commitment to contemplative prayer again.
June 21, 2016
Von Balthasar's book is incredibly rich and needs to be waded through slowly. The book is thoroughly Christological and that thick foundation makes the book and prayer come alive. The book is organized around three sections: 1) The Act of Contemplation; 2) The Object of Contemplation; 3) The Tensions of Contemplation. It is the second section that (rightly) grounds the book.
Here is a taste of the rich language of von Balthasar:
"Existence itself was only given to us for the sake of an even earlier and even more inconceivable purpose of God "before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:3, ff); indeed, our existence as a whole is immersed in a far deeper sea, the bottomless ocean of the love of the Father who creates natures and laws as a foil for his miracles. This is something we must be vividly aware of as we pray, contemplating the word of God: that the whole compact solidity of our creaturely being and essence, and of the everyday world in which we find ourselves and find our bearings, is afloat like a ship above the immense depths of an entirely different element (which alone is absolute and decisive), namely, the unfathomable love of the Father."
My only critiques of von Balthasar would be rooted in our theological differences (he, a Roman Catholic, myself a Protestant).
Here is a taste of the rich language of von Balthasar:
"Existence itself was only given to us for the sake of an even earlier and even more inconceivable purpose of God "before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:3, ff); indeed, our existence as a whole is immersed in a far deeper sea, the bottomless ocean of the love of the Father who creates natures and laws as a foil for his miracles. This is something we must be vividly aware of as we pray, contemplating the word of God: that the whole compact solidity of our creaturely being and essence, and of the everyday world in which we find ourselves and find our bearings, is afloat like a ship above the immense depths of an entirely different element (which alone is absolute and decisive), namely, the unfathomable love of the Father."
My only critiques of von Balthasar would be rooted in our theological differences (he, a Roman Catholic, myself a Protestant).
August 15, 2015
It's hard to explain why von Balthasar is so inspiring and so fun to read. This book has some insights that with God's help, will change my life:
"Penitence as the painful weaning from dependence on our faculties of sense and of the mind: they too must feel the polarizing effect of Christian life. The same senses and powers cannot delight simultaneously or alternately in the divine and what is inimicable to the divine; they cannot aspire to become detached from what is ungodly simply through delight in what is godly."
Thoughts like these are sprinkled every few pages in every single one of this author's books. This book goes some way to explaining the source of these insights; anybody that prays this way can't help but be transformed... somewhere in this book he mentions "the first 15 minutes, the second 15 minutes, the third 15 minutes".
"Penitence as the painful weaning from dependence on our faculties of sense and of the mind: they too must feel the polarizing effect of Christian life. The same senses and powers cannot delight simultaneously or alternately in the divine and what is inimicable to the divine; they cannot aspire to become detached from what is ungodly simply through delight in what is godly."
Thoughts like these are sprinkled every few pages in every single one of this author's books. This book goes some way to explaining the source of these insights; anybody that prays this way can't help but be transformed... somewhere in this book he mentions "the first 15 minutes, the second 15 minutes, the third 15 minutes".
September 11, 2009
I read and re-read this little volume. von B is dense and deep in his theological work, but here he's very moving.
December 3, 2009
What the purpose of prayer is!
June 15, 2013
Profound. One of my favorite Christian authors.
December 18, 2010
I love this book!
Currently reading
August 25, 2012This book is very deep. I take two days to read two lines!
September 16, 2013
Awesome
February 23, 2015
Loved this. Makes me want to read more of his work. Which I'm sure I will, especially at The Seattle School.
January 2, 2014
Brilliant!
August 13, 2014
A life book.
September 10, 2016
Really beautifully articulated study on contemplation and prayer.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews