Staying in the Word with Balthasar
 |
Description
Book Introduction
The great theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar,
The practical act of 'meditation' that he talks about
In today's world, where it's easy to lose your balance, meditation helps modern people calm their minds and find direction in life.
However, meditation is not ‘a personal spiritual time to read a Bible passage and pray for a while.’
In these days when meditation is increasingly occupying a smaller place even in the life of faith, "Staying in the Word with Balthasar" introduces the true meaning of Christian meditation.
This book contains Balthasar's theological reflections condensed into the practical act of 'meditation.'
Through this book, readers will be able to discover the true value of meditation.
Balthasar describes meditation as a 'Trinitarian and at the same time entirely human response'.
The subject of Christian meditation is Jesus Christ, who is the Logos, the Word of God.
All the words and actions of Jesus Christ, as testified in the Bible, are closely connected to God and are God himself.
Christians, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can meditate on the silence and obedience of Christ, and through this, they come to the realization that all the mysteries accomplished by Christ are preserved and passed down within the Church.
Christian meditation, which flows entirely under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is essentially passive.
In other words, the Christian meditation that Balthasar speaks of is a personal and communal response that takes place within the church.
To engrave the mystery of Christ in our hearts through the liturgy and to respond to the world with the strength we receive through the Eucharist is an extension of meditation and the perfection of prayer.
Meditation cannot be complete without a response.
Therefore, Christians do not need to turn their backs on personal and social humanity in order to find God.
Because Christian meditation is fulfilled through practice in daily life, and the mystery of Christ becomes clearer.
The practical act of 'meditation' that he talks about
In today's world, where it's easy to lose your balance, meditation helps modern people calm their minds and find direction in life.
However, meditation is not ‘a personal spiritual time to read a Bible passage and pray for a while.’
In these days when meditation is increasingly occupying a smaller place even in the life of faith, "Staying in the Word with Balthasar" introduces the true meaning of Christian meditation.
This book contains Balthasar's theological reflections condensed into the practical act of 'meditation.'
Through this book, readers will be able to discover the true value of meditation.
Balthasar describes meditation as a 'Trinitarian and at the same time entirely human response'.
The subject of Christian meditation is Jesus Christ, who is the Logos, the Word of God.
All the words and actions of Jesus Christ, as testified in the Bible, are closely connected to God and are God himself.
Christians, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can meditate on the silence and obedience of Christ, and through this, they come to the realization that all the mysteries accomplished by Christ are preserved and passed down within the Church.
Christian meditation, which flows entirely under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is essentially passive.
In other words, the Christian meditation that Balthasar speaks of is a personal and communal response that takes place within the church.
To engrave the mystery of Christ in our hearts through the liturgy and to respond to the world with the strength we receive through the Eucharist is an extension of meditation and the perfection of prayer.
Meditation cannot be complete without a response.
Therefore, Christians do not need to turn their backs on personal and social humanity in order to find God.
Because Christian meditation is fulfilled through practice in daily life, and the mystery of Christ becomes clearer.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
preface
Chapter 1: The Son Who Is the Word of the Father
1.
Mediating Words
2.
Introduction to Meditation
3.
The Light of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 2: The Practice of Meditation
1.
Existence
2.
Silent Word
3.
Stay in the Word
Chapter 3 Agreement
1.
The Way of Mary
2.
The Way of the Church
3.
On the roads of the world
Translator's Note
Americas
Chapter 1: The Son Who Is the Word of the Father
1.
Mediating Words
2.
Introduction to Meditation
3.
The Light of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 2: The Practice of Meditation
1.
Existence
2.
Silent Word
3.
Stay in the Word
Chapter 3 Agreement
1.
The Way of Mary
2.
The Way of the Church
3.
On the roads of the world
Translator's Note
Americas
Detailed image
Into the book
Christian meditation is therefore fully Trinitarian and at the same time fully human.
No one needs to turn their backs on personal and social humanity to find God.
But to find God, everyone must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as God sees them.
--- From the "Preface"
Jesus' claim has no parallel in the history of religion.
He demands absolute love for himself, leaving aside any divine human love for one another or any orderly self-love (Luke 14:26).
He rebukes those who enter God without going through Him, the only door, calling them thieves and robbers (see John 10:8).
Anyone who does not hear the word of God in Him, does not understand it, and does not love Him as the word of God cannot claim any relationship with God.
Those who meditate, while listening, gain faith that opens themselves to God, not as a simple act of human nature, and in doing so, continue to pray.
The listener is not given something complete that can and should be given back to God.
Rather, it is through the openness that lies within the Word that he is given his own openness, the grace to become free.
We will later consider that this gift of freedom is the Holy Spirit of God.
Here, it must first be made clear that Jesus Christ is essentially a dialogue from the very beginning, as the Word, as the perfect covenant between God and man.
However, it must also be remembered that the divine dialogue that He conveys through His own being is always more than a simple conversation between two separate human beings.
--- From "The Words of Mediation"
If we weigh ourselves on a scale, our worldly concerns and prejudices on one side will always rise, while our being in God on the other side will always fall.
This is because our existence in God has “infinitely greater meaning” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17).
We don't have to create our own path to God.
“For our life” is always already “hidden with Christ in God” (cf. Col 3:3).
--- From "Introduction to Meditation"
We can stay at home when we are not traveling.
Our home is where God's self-revelation takes place in Jesus Christ.
It is a region where one can never end up wandering and passing through, where new prospects always appear.
But it is an area that is familiar to us, and the more we live there, the more familiar it becomes.
This means that although we are strangers and foreigners in this world (cf. Heb 11:13; 1 Pet 2:11), we are “citizens of heaven” (Phil 3:20) on earth.
--- From "Staying in the Word"
There is much that is personal in the life of the church, but nothing that is private.
All prayer takes place within the community of saints, is supported by them, and goes forward with them to God.
When a Christian seeks to delve into the mysteries of the Gospel, he knows that countless others have done so before him, and above all, that the Church in heaven is doing so with him right now, possessing insight into the depths of the mystery whose very foundation he is striving to penetrate.
Therefore, the prayers of this holy church will surely help him find treasure in the field he is digging.
No one needs to turn their backs on personal and social humanity to find God.
But to find God, everyone must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as God sees them.
--- From the "Preface"
Jesus' claim has no parallel in the history of religion.
He demands absolute love for himself, leaving aside any divine human love for one another or any orderly self-love (Luke 14:26).
He rebukes those who enter God without going through Him, the only door, calling them thieves and robbers (see John 10:8).
Anyone who does not hear the word of God in Him, does not understand it, and does not love Him as the word of God cannot claim any relationship with God.
Those who meditate, while listening, gain faith that opens themselves to God, not as a simple act of human nature, and in doing so, continue to pray.
The listener is not given something complete that can and should be given back to God.
Rather, it is through the openness that lies within the Word that he is given his own openness, the grace to become free.
We will later consider that this gift of freedom is the Holy Spirit of God.
Here, it must first be made clear that Jesus Christ is essentially a dialogue from the very beginning, as the Word, as the perfect covenant between God and man.
However, it must also be remembered that the divine dialogue that He conveys through His own being is always more than a simple conversation between two separate human beings.
--- From "The Words of Mediation"
If we weigh ourselves on a scale, our worldly concerns and prejudices on one side will always rise, while our being in God on the other side will always fall.
This is because our existence in God has “infinitely greater meaning” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17).
We don't have to create our own path to God.
“For our life” is always already “hidden with Christ in God” (cf. Col 3:3).
--- From "Introduction to Meditation"
We can stay at home when we are not traveling.
Our home is where God's self-revelation takes place in Jesus Christ.
It is a region where one can never end up wandering and passing through, where new prospects always appear.
But it is an area that is familiar to us, and the more we live there, the more familiar it becomes.
This means that although we are strangers and foreigners in this world (cf. Heb 11:13; 1 Pet 2:11), we are “citizens of heaven” (Phil 3:20) on earth.
--- From "Staying in the Word"
There is much that is personal in the life of the church, but nothing that is private.
All prayer takes place within the community of saints, is supported by them, and goes forward with them to God.
When a Christian seeks to delve into the mysteries of the Gospel, he knows that countless others have done so before him, and above all, that the Church in heaven is doing so with him right now, possessing insight into the depths of the mystery whose very foundation he is striving to penetrate.
Therefore, the prayers of this holy church will surely help him find treasure in the field he is digging.
--- From "The Way of the Church"
Publisher's Review
Hans Urs von Balthasar, the great theologian of the 20th century.
However, it was not long before his theology and spirituality began to be fully illuminated.
Balthasar's life spanned the Second Vatican Council, and all of his extensive writings were written before and after the council.
But Balthasar's life, unlike that of his contemporary theologian Karl Rahner, was far removed from councils and even teaching.
Rather, Balthasar's theology and spirituality were formed independently, somewhat removed from the center of the 20th-century church, and it is precisely in this respect that they approach us, living in the 21st century, in a unique and creative way.
Catholic Publishing House has introduced readers to the theology and spirituality of Balthasar through 『Balthasar, Reading Jesus』, which guides readers on the path to a deep encounter with Jesus beyond the level of knowledge; 『The Only Thing Left Behind, Love』, which reveals Balthasar's unique theological aesthetics; 『Balthasar, Meditating on the Mystery of Death』, which sings of hope that transcends death; and 『First Encounter with Adrien von Speyer』, which illuminates today's spirituality through Adrien von Speyer.
And the fifth book is titled ‘Staying in the Word with Balthasar’.
Through this book, readers will experience Balthasar's unique theology and spirituality condensed into the practical act of meditation, and achieve deep unity with God.
Meditation empties me
A time to completely entrust oneself to God
In “Staying in the Word with Balthasar,” Balthasar examines the essence of meditation.
For him, meditation is not a mere sentimental consolation or solace for the mind, but a complete surrender to God, emptying himself completely.
He calls this 'passivity'.
In other words, meditation means trusting in God, surrendering everything, and then patiently waiting for the time when God will be with me.
This is the essence of meditation.
But paradoxically, this surrender is only fully embraced and transformed when God stays with me.
Balthasar presents Mary as a model for this meditation.
Because Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, raised him, and accompanied him until his last moments, she is the person who achieved the deepest unity with the mystery of the Trinity.
When Mary wholeheartedly responded to God's decision with a single word, "Yes," the mystery came into the world and was realized.
In this way, Mary is the most concrete example of how Christians can surrender themselves completely to God in meditation and respond to God's presence.
Christians can follow Mary's example of surrendering to God and responding to Him, emptying themselves and entrusting themselves completely to God.
"Staying in the Word with Balthasar" introduces meditation as "a process of being completely embraced and transformed by entrusting oneself to God," and provides a concrete example of this through the path Mary walked.
This opens up an opportunity for readers to think about the value of meditation on the journey of life.
“The essence of Christian meditation is passivity.
Christian meditation becomes active only through waiting, trusting, passivity, and surrender.
For God dwells in him who receives Him, and he exists with God in whom He dwells.”
- From the text
The true meaning of meditation revived in the church,
Christians now moving forward into the world
Balthasar goes further to say that Christians can practice meditation through the act of 'hearing, remembering, and responding' to the Word of God.
The Word is Jesus Christ.
Balthasar emphasizes that Christians must immerse themselves deeply in the times in which Jesus lived, feeling his words, actions, and even the smallest expressions.
And we must continue this experience through the process of ‘listening, remembering, and responding’ in our daily lives, and move on to a place where we can stay with God.
This whole journey is what Balthasar calls 'meditation'.
The starting point of this meditation is not the individual, but the church.
There is nothing that a Christian can possess privately in his faith.
Meditation is ‘the encounter between me and God that takes place in the church’ and at the same time, ‘the encounter between me and God toward the world.’
Because Christians should not remain in the church and within themselves, but should go out into the world.
Balthasar says that all Christians are called to grow through the sacraments and liturgy within the Church, the “body of Christ,” and to see the world and themselves through God’s eyes in the Holy Spirit.
Meditation enriched with spiritual nutrients thus obtained is never disconnected from the world or from oneself.
"Staying in the Word with Balthasar" allows readers to experience a deep encounter with God that transforms their lives through meditation.
It also contains Balthasar's desire to live in the world with God's perspective, based on the faith we have established within the church.
Therefore, readers of this book will encounter the 'meditation' that Balthasar wanted to convey, which fills life with God.
“Christian meditation is fully Trinitarian and at the same time fully human.
No one needs to turn their backs on personal and social humanity to find God.
But to find God, everyone must see the world and themselves as God sees them, in the Holy Spirit.”
- From the text
However, it was not long before his theology and spirituality began to be fully illuminated.
Balthasar's life spanned the Second Vatican Council, and all of his extensive writings were written before and after the council.
But Balthasar's life, unlike that of his contemporary theologian Karl Rahner, was far removed from councils and even teaching.
Rather, Balthasar's theology and spirituality were formed independently, somewhat removed from the center of the 20th-century church, and it is precisely in this respect that they approach us, living in the 21st century, in a unique and creative way.
Catholic Publishing House has introduced readers to the theology and spirituality of Balthasar through 『Balthasar, Reading Jesus』, which guides readers on the path to a deep encounter with Jesus beyond the level of knowledge; 『The Only Thing Left Behind, Love』, which reveals Balthasar's unique theological aesthetics; 『Balthasar, Meditating on the Mystery of Death』, which sings of hope that transcends death; and 『First Encounter with Adrien von Speyer』, which illuminates today's spirituality through Adrien von Speyer.
And the fifth book is titled ‘Staying in the Word with Balthasar’.
Through this book, readers will experience Balthasar's unique theology and spirituality condensed into the practical act of meditation, and achieve deep unity with God.
Meditation empties me
A time to completely entrust oneself to God
In “Staying in the Word with Balthasar,” Balthasar examines the essence of meditation.
For him, meditation is not a mere sentimental consolation or solace for the mind, but a complete surrender to God, emptying himself completely.
He calls this 'passivity'.
In other words, meditation means trusting in God, surrendering everything, and then patiently waiting for the time when God will be with me.
This is the essence of meditation.
But paradoxically, this surrender is only fully embraced and transformed when God stays with me.
Balthasar presents Mary as a model for this meditation.
Because Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, raised him, and accompanied him until his last moments, she is the person who achieved the deepest unity with the mystery of the Trinity.
When Mary wholeheartedly responded to God's decision with a single word, "Yes," the mystery came into the world and was realized.
In this way, Mary is the most concrete example of how Christians can surrender themselves completely to God in meditation and respond to God's presence.
Christians can follow Mary's example of surrendering to God and responding to Him, emptying themselves and entrusting themselves completely to God.
"Staying in the Word with Balthasar" introduces meditation as "a process of being completely embraced and transformed by entrusting oneself to God," and provides a concrete example of this through the path Mary walked.
This opens up an opportunity for readers to think about the value of meditation on the journey of life.
“The essence of Christian meditation is passivity.
Christian meditation becomes active only through waiting, trusting, passivity, and surrender.
For God dwells in him who receives Him, and he exists with God in whom He dwells.”
- From the text
The true meaning of meditation revived in the church,
Christians now moving forward into the world
Balthasar goes further to say that Christians can practice meditation through the act of 'hearing, remembering, and responding' to the Word of God.
The Word is Jesus Christ.
Balthasar emphasizes that Christians must immerse themselves deeply in the times in which Jesus lived, feeling his words, actions, and even the smallest expressions.
And we must continue this experience through the process of ‘listening, remembering, and responding’ in our daily lives, and move on to a place where we can stay with God.
This whole journey is what Balthasar calls 'meditation'.
The starting point of this meditation is not the individual, but the church.
There is nothing that a Christian can possess privately in his faith.
Meditation is ‘the encounter between me and God that takes place in the church’ and at the same time, ‘the encounter between me and God toward the world.’
Because Christians should not remain in the church and within themselves, but should go out into the world.
Balthasar says that all Christians are called to grow through the sacraments and liturgy within the Church, the “body of Christ,” and to see the world and themselves through God’s eyes in the Holy Spirit.
Meditation enriched with spiritual nutrients thus obtained is never disconnected from the world or from oneself.
"Staying in the Word with Balthasar" allows readers to experience a deep encounter with God that transforms their lives through meditation.
It also contains Balthasar's desire to live in the world with God's perspective, based on the faith we have established within the church.
Therefore, readers of this book will encounter the 'meditation' that Balthasar wanted to convey, which fills life with God.
“Christian meditation is fully Trinitarian and at the same time fully human.
No one needs to turn their backs on personal and social humanity to find God.
But to find God, everyone must see the world and themselves as God sees them, in the Holy Spirit.”
- From the text
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: August 28, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 164 pages | 208g | 127*188*10mm
- ISBN13: 9788932119731
- ISBN10: 8932119732
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