MODERN SPIRITUAL MASTERS SERIES R OMANO G UARDINI. Spiritual Writings. Selected and Translated with an Introduction by ROBERT A.

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1 MODERN SPIRITUAL MASTERS SERIES R OMANO G UARDINI Spiritual Writings Selected and Translated with an Introduction by ROBERT A. KRIEG

2 Founded in 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind, nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. The publishing arm of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of the Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and to serve the cause of reconciliation and peace. The books published reflect the views of their authors and do not represent the official position of the Maryknoll Society. To learn more about Maryknoll and Orbis Books, please visit our website at Copyright 2005 by Robert A. Krieg Published by Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Matthias Grünewald Verlag (Mainz, Germany) for permission to translate the copyrighted material contained in this book. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Queries regarding rights and permissions should be addressed to: Orbis Books, P.O. Box 308, Maryknoll, NY Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guardini, Romano, [Selections. English. 2005] Romano Guardini : spiritual writings / selected and translated with an introduction by Robert A. Krieg. p. cm. (Modern spiritual masters) ISBN (pbk.) 1. Spiritual life Catholic Church. I. Krieg, Robert Anthony, II. Title. III. Modern spiritual masters series. BX G dc

3 Contents Preface 9 Chronology 13 Sources and Acknowledgments 15 Introduction: A CHRISTIAN HUMANIST LIVING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 47 God s Word to Each of Us 48 Finding One s Center 48 Becoming a Person 52 Being in the World 53 Observations about Human Life 54 The Inviolable Self 55 The Relational Self 56 Self-Acceptance 58 Created in God s Image 61 In Dialogue with God 65 A Prayer on Our Relationship with God THE LIVING GOD 68 A Journey toward God 69 God and Conscience 70 God s Activity in Our Lives 73 The Darkness and Light of God 74 Divine Providence 76 Reflections on the Mystery of God 77 5

4 6 ROMANO GUARDINI Truth 79 God s Distance and Nearness 79 A Letter about God 80 The God of the Bible 82 God s Wisdom 84 God s Goodness 85 A Prayer to the Living God CHRISTIAN FAITH 90 Losing One s Life 91 Faith and the Church 96 A Personal Commitment 97 The Life of Faith 98 Faith in Jesus Christ 101 Obedience to God 104 Hope 106 A Doubting Faith 106 Religious Experience Today 108 Acting with God 111 A Prayer for a Living Faith JESUS CHRIST 113 Meeting the Risen Christ 114 A Conversation about Christ 114 Christ in the Gospels and in the Liturgy 120 The Living Christ 121 The One Who Has Passed Through 123 Jesus Death 127 Jesus Resurrection 129 The Father s Epiphany in Christ 131 The Good Shepherd 135 A Prayer on Jesus Self-Emptying 137

5 Contents 7 5. CHRISTIAN PRAYER 138 Prayerful Moments 139 Worship and Private Prayer 140 The Sign of the Cross 141 Observations about Prayer 142 Prayer as Personal Recollection 144 The Rosary 148 Speaking with God 152 A Prayer on Prayer 153 A Letter on Trust in God 154 A Prayer during a Time of Suffering 156

6 Sources and Acknowledgments The selections in this book were translated from their original German texts into English by Robert A. Krieg. In the bibliographic information below, the names of two publishers have been abbreviated: MGV means Matthias Grünewald Verlag (Publisher), and WV refers to Werkbund Verlag (Publisher). Each German text s date of first publication is given in this book s five chapters, while the date of a more recent edition of the German text usually appears below. The title and date of Guardini s books in English are given below after the information about the original German texts. The bibliographic citations in this book s introduction and chapters refer to the German texts. When a German text has been published in English, its bibliographic citation specifies the chapter as well as the pagination of the German edition; this information is added so that readers can more easily find the text in the English edition of the respective book. AS Die Annahme seiner selbst (Mainz: MGV, 1987). BML CI EAN EC Berichte über mein Leben (Düsseldorf: Patmos Verlag, 1984). Christliche Innerlichkeit, in Wille und Wahrheit (Mainz: MGV, 1950). Die Entfernung des Andromeda-Nebels, in In Spiegel und Gleichnis (Mainz: MGV, 1990). Die Existenz des Christen (Paderborn: Schöningh Verlag, 1977). 15

7 16 ROMANO GUARDINI EN GRC Das Ende der Neuzeit (Mainz: MGV, 1989). The End of the Modern World (1956). Ein Gespräch vom Reich Christi, in Wurzeln eines grossen Lebenswerk, vol. 1, ed. Franz Henrich (Mainz: MGV, 2000). HE Der Herr (Mainz: MGV, 1997). The Lord (1954). HG JB LLB MA MEN MST RLF Das Hindurchgehen, in Geistliche Schriftauslegung (Mainz: MGV, 1980). Jesus Christ (1959). Johanneische Botschaft (Freiburg: Herder Verlag, 1962). Liturgie und liturgische Bildung (Würzburg: WV, 1966). Die Macht (Mainz: MGV, 1989). Power and Responsibility (1961). Den Menschen erkennt nur, wer von Gott weiss (Mainz: MGV, 1987). Der neue Mensch in der Sicht des Theologen, in Im Brennpunkt Der neue Mensch, ed. Gunthar Lehner (Munich: Lucas Cranach Verlag, 1961). Der Rosenkranz Unserer Lieben Frau (Würzburg: WV, 1949). The Rosary (1955). RM Der Raum der Meditation (Mainz: MGV, 1980). TAO TBF Tagebuch: Aus Oberitalien, in In Spiegel und Gleichnis (Mainz: MGV, 1990). Theologische Briefe an einen Freund (Munich: Ferdinand Schöningh Verlag, 1976).

8 Sources and Acknowledgments 17 TG Theologische Gebete (Frankfurt am Main: Josef Knecht Verlag, 1948). Prayers from Theology (1959). TU Tugenden (Würzburg: WV, 1963). The Virtues (1967). VB VG VL Vorschule des Betens (Mainz: MGV, 1986). Prayer in Practice (1957); The Art of Praying (1994). Vom Geist der Liturgie (Mainz: MGV, 1997). The Spirit of the Liturgy (1935). Vom Leben des Glaubens (Mainz: MGV, 1935). Life of Faith (1961). VLG Vom lebendigen Gott (Mainz: MGV, 1981). VSK VZ Vom Sinn der Kirche (Mainz: MGV, 1990). The Church and the Catholic (1935). Von heiligen Zeichen (Mainz: MGV, 1990). Sacred Signs (1956). WC Das Wesen des Christentums (Mainz: MGV, 1991). WP WU ZKG Weisheit der Psalmen (Mainz: MGV, 1987). The Wisdom of the Psalms (1968). Welt und Person (Würzburg: WV, 1950). The World and the Person (1965). Zwei Kapitel zur Gotteslehre, Die Schildgenossen 15 (July 1936): Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Katholische Akademie in Bayern (Munich, Germany) for permission to reprint the photograph of Romano Guardini that appears on this book s cover. The Katholische Akademie holds the copyright to this

9 18 ROMANO GUARDINI photograph, which was taken in 1955 when Guardini was seventy years old. Also, grateful acknowledgment is given to Matthias Grünewald Verlag (Mainz, Germany) for permission to reprint from copyright material the texts contained in this book. Matthias Grünewald Verlag holds the rights to these writings by Romano Guardini.