Jacques Servais, S.J., has served as Rector of the Casa Balthasar, a house of formation and discernment for young people, since its foundation in Rome in 1990. He worked under Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and taught spirituality for over a decade at the Gregorian University. A regular contributor to Communio, l'Osservatore Romano, and Gregorianum, he was a personal friend of Father von Balthasar until the theologian's death in 1988.
Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) was a Swiss theologian widely regarded as one of the greatest theologians and spiritual writers of modern times. Named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, he died shortly before being formally inducted into the College of Cardinals. He wrote over one hundred books, including Prayer, Heart of the World, Mary for Today, Love Alone Is Credible, Mysterium Paschale and his major multi-volume theological works: The Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama and Theo-Logic.
Fr. Jacques Servais, S.J., renders a service to those who love and
apply the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, this 'theo-didact,
' as von Balthasar names him. These texts, springing from the
author's personal experience and knowledge of the Spiritual
Exercises, wedded to a fecund theological mind, will interest all
who seek a deeper grasp of these Exercises.
--Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V., Author, The Discernment of Spirits: An
Ignatian Guide to Everyday LivingThe Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius of Loyola were composed to rely on commentary, the
commentary of one's own life experience. In this very unique
volume, von Balthasar's dear Jesuit friend and brother Jacques
Servais, S.J., has compiled his mentor's diary entries and
reflections in such a way that they act as a running gloss on the
Exercises. It is refreshing to see how the deepest of
spiritualities is never separate from the most robust of orthodox
theologies. As such, these pages are filled with the deepest
convictions of von Balthasar's heart and mind, bringing the reader
through many encounters with grace as well as with some real
darkness.
-- David Meconi, S.J., Director of Catholic Studies, Saint Louis
University; Editor, Homiletic & Pastoral ReviewIn this engaging
anthology, Fr. Jacques Servais presents a compelling demonstration
of the unity of theology and spirituality in von Balthasar's whole
work. Here we see the profundity with which von Balthasar draws out
and interprets the theological content embedded in the Spiritual
Exercises. Here too we see that his chief concern is to draw us
into Christ's own mission of total self-abandonment to the Father,
for the life of the world. We are indebted to Father Servais for
this entry point into the 'prayed theology' which is von
Balthasar's signature!
-- Margaret Turek, S.T.D., Professor of Dogmatic and Spiritual
Theology, St. Patrick's Seminary and UniversityA singular service
both to scholars of von Balthasar and to those with a significant
interest in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The
extensive introduction, drawing from his long association with
Balthasar and his many years of engagement with the latter's work,
has rich insights. In his choice of excerpts for this anthology,
the editor has provided a treasure chest from which the individual
may draw for contemplation and the scholar-thereafter-for profound
theological research.
-- Sister Gill Goulding, C.J., Ph.D, Professor of Systematic
Theology, Regis College, University of TorontoJorge Bergoglio, the
first Jesuit pope, has popularized Ignatian terms: 'discernment (of
spirits)', 'finding God in all things', 'thinking (or better,
feeling) with the Church', 'consolation', the 'magis'--that is,
God's greater glory. Hans Urs von Balthasar, too, was fascinated by
the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola's Spiritual Exercises and
over a lifetime explored their significance for the Church. Fr.
Jacques Servais offers an eminently readable key to Balthasar's
profound reflection on the place of Ignatian spirituality in the
lives of individuals and in the life of the Church. I highly
recommend this brilliant synthetic study.
-- Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, Bishop of
Alexandria-CornwallHans Urs von Balthasar is one of the most
significant representatives of Catholic theology in the twentieth
century. His many works, each quite different, all hinged upon his
reading of the Gospel, and what's more, he always developed his
thoughts in dialogue with the great figures of Christian
spirituality, most significantly Saint Ignatius of Loyola. So many
of Balthasar's writings echo this Ignatian influence, which touched
the most fundamental decisions of
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