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Spiritual Exercises
. 1976, covers slightly marked
- GenresSpiritualityTheology
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
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About the author
Karl Rahner
681 books83 followersKarl Rahner, SJ (March 5, 1904 — March 30, 1984) was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century.
He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and died in Innsbruck, Austria.
Before the Second Vatican Council, Rahner had worked alongside Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac and Marie-Dominique Chenu, theologians associated with an emerging school of thought called the Nouvelle Théologie, elements of which had been criticized in the encyclical Humani Generis of Pope Pius XII.
He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and died in Innsbruck, Austria.
Before the Second Vatican Council, Rahner had worked alongside Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac and Marie-Dominique Chenu, theologians associated with an emerging school of thought called the Nouvelle Théologie, elements of which had been criticized in the encyclical Humani Generis of Pope Pius XII.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 20, 2011
This is one of the books that I have had on my To Read bookshelf for quite a while; this year, I am trying to read Catholic-oriented books, a chapter or thereabouts at a time, in the evenings. I found this book to be a worthy and rewarding one to read, it basically being the thoughts of Karl Rahner, S.J. concerning the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, and I very much enjoyed reading it, with some very minor reservations.
As the Forward to this work notes, the great theologian did not set out to write a book about the Spiritual Exercises; but some of his former students who had been participants in the many eight-day retreats Rahner gave of the Spiritual Exercises collected their notes of the retreats, and edited and published the notes notes in mimeograph form. The interest generated by the mimeographed manuscript gave rise to publishing the notes in this present book form (in 1965).
Rahner notes two points concerning this work: although these notes and thoughts are based on the Spiritual Exercises, they are not themselves the Exercises; and that, properly speaking, the Exercises are given fairly individually (by a director to one person, or to a small group of persons), preparatory to those who making an attempt to make a definite decision or choice at a decisive point in their lives, and thus the notes and thoughts in this book cannot be anything but the most general content. He cautions that the reader of this book should not make the error that, having read it, he or she knows what the Spiritual Exercises are, or thinks that by reading the book he or she has just done the Spiritual Exercises.
Having said all of that (and noting, in my own case, that I have been to several three-day retreats, based on the Spiritual Exercises, given by the good Jesuits of Our Lady Of The Oaks Retreat House, Grand Coteau, Louisiana), this book is a marvelous work. The notes take one in more or less order through the “weeks” of the Exercises, and give much good food for thought. My only reservation in the work is his contrast of The Church (which has Christ) with The Synagogue (which does not have Christ); while it is very true that one has Christ and one does not, I am wary of what sounds a little like anti-Semitism.
The book ends with an exhortation for those who have gone through the Spiritual Exercises to start immediately in implementing the choice or decision that the retreatants have made; and that is good advice, for just about any point.
As the Forward to this work notes, the great theologian did not set out to write a book about the Spiritual Exercises; but some of his former students who had been participants in the many eight-day retreats Rahner gave of the Spiritual Exercises collected their notes of the retreats, and edited and published the notes notes in mimeograph form. The interest generated by the mimeographed manuscript gave rise to publishing the notes in this present book form (in 1965).
Rahner notes two points concerning this work: although these notes and thoughts are based on the Spiritual Exercises, they are not themselves the Exercises; and that, properly speaking, the Exercises are given fairly individually (by a director to one person, or to a small group of persons), preparatory to those who making an attempt to make a definite decision or choice at a decisive point in their lives, and thus the notes and thoughts in this book cannot be anything but the most general content. He cautions that the reader of this book should not make the error that, having read it, he or she knows what the Spiritual Exercises are, or thinks that by reading the book he or she has just done the Spiritual Exercises.
Having said all of that (and noting, in my own case, that I have been to several three-day retreats, based on the Spiritual Exercises, given by the good Jesuits of Our Lady Of The Oaks Retreat House, Grand Coteau, Louisiana), this book is a marvelous work. The notes take one in more or less order through the “weeks” of the Exercises, and give much good food for thought. My only reservation in the work is his contrast of The Church (which has Christ) with The Synagogue (which does not have Christ); while it is very true that one has Christ and one does not, I am wary of what sounds a little like anti-Semitism.
The book ends with an exhortation for those who have gone through the Spiritual Exercises to start immediately in implementing the choice or decision that the retreatants have made; and that is good advice, for just about any point.
April 28, 2013
This is a very challenging book that offers Rahner's reflections on growing closer to Christ. Especially focused on priestly spirituality.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews