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The Countenance of the Father
A twentieth-century mystic's meditative reflection on the role of God the Father in eternity and in time. The book brings the reader a greater awareness of the First Person of the Trinity in eternity, and the interaction of the Three Persons. Then the reader is helped to consider the role of the Father in creation and throughout salvation history. Finally we are led to contemplate the Eternal Life toward which the Father's love is drawing us. A very approachable and beautiful work, Adrienne closes her prayerful and meditative exploration with: "Thus, by virtue of the Son's sacrifice and his having brought the world home again, the Father is able to regard men as his eternal creatures. Eternal life is not situated in heaven, far from man's grasp, something self-enclosed; it is the life-filled Word, in which men have a share because they are capable of taking it in. And that capability is itself grace."
131 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
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About the author
Adrienne von Speyr
138 books42 followersAdrienne von Speyr was a Swiss medical doctor and the author of over 60 books on spirituality and theology.
Von Speyr was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Her father, Theodor von Speyr, was an ophthalmologist. Her mother, Laure Girard, was the descendant of a family of noted watchmakers and jewelers from Geneva and Neuenburg. Speyr was her parents' second child.
Speyr's mother scolded her daily and this led her to form a strong trust and devotion to God, as well as a recognition of the meaning of sacrifice and renunciation. She formed a deep relationship with her grandmother, a holy and pious woman. She also had a devotion to her father, who treated her with mutual respect and understanding, often taking her with him to the hospital to visit sick children. In her primary school years she began working with the poor and even formed a society with her friends for those living in poverty.
Speyr became a Roman Catholic on 1 November 1940, the Feast of All Saints, when she was 38, under the spiritual direction of the prominent priest and theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
She is considered by many to have been a mystic and is reputed to have had mystical experiences of the Trinity and the saints.
While in a state of contemplative, mystical prayer, she dictated to Balthasar over 60 books, including commentaries on the Bible and various theological topics. With Balthasar she co-founded a secular institute, the Johannesgemeinschaft (Community of St. John). Her reputed mystical experiences grew in frequency until her death in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 September 1967.
Von Speyr was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Her father, Theodor von Speyr, was an ophthalmologist. Her mother, Laure Girard, was the descendant of a family of noted watchmakers and jewelers from Geneva and Neuenburg. Speyr was her parents' second child.
Speyr's mother scolded her daily and this led her to form a strong trust and devotion to God, as well as a recognition of the meaning of sacrifice and renunciation. She formed a deep relationship with her grandmother, a holy and pious woman. She also had a devotion to her father, who treated her with mutual respect and understanding, often taking her with him to the hospital to visit sick children. In her primary school years she began working with the poor and even formed a society with her friends for those living in poverty.
Speyr became a Roman Catholic on 1 November 1940, the Feast of All Saints, when she was 38, under the spiritual direction of the prominent priest and theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
She is considered by many to have been a mystic and is reputed to have had mystical experiences of the Trinity and the saints.
While in a state of contemplative, mystical prayer, she dictated to Balthasar over 60 books, including commentaries on the Bible and various theological topics. With Balthasar she co-founded a secular institute, the Johannesgemeinschaft (Community of St. John). Her reputed mystical experiences grew in frequency until her death in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 September 1967.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 15, 2018
In “The Countenance of the Father” Von Speyr proceeds through a powerful exploration of the paternal mystery in being and person through attribute, movement and relationship within, περιχώρησις, and without, to creation.
December 28, 2019
Beautiful. This books takes us deeply into the heart of the Eternal Father and helps us to understand- as best we can- the inner life of the Holy Trinity.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews