Spiritual Exercises
New York: Herder and Herder, 1965. Octavo, original blue gray cloth, original dust jacket. Fine book, modest wear and toning to bright, unclipped dust jacket. Very good indeed. Item #966
"ST. IGNATIUS PRESUPPOSES THAT GOD SAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE IN A VERY PERSONAL WAY WHERE HIS OR HER ELECTION SHOULD BEGIN. THAT IS A SHOCKING PROPOSITION!"
First edition in English of Karl Rahner's meditations on the Spiritual Exercises—collected over the years by Jesuit novices taking Rahner's eight-day retreats.
Karl Rahner entered the Society of Jesus in 1921, three years after his older brother Hugo. "By the end of his life Rahner had become the most widely read and respected theologian in the church, his influence extended by the vast numbers of his students and his own efforts to write in a more popular vein" (Robert Ellsberg). The jacket copy acknowledges the challenges of Rahner's work: "Those who have complained of the density and difficulty of Rahner's thought will find here, as he writes in the role of an ordinary retreat master, an understandable compendium of all the leading themes of his religious message: commitment, openness, and responsibility." Though published in 1965 during the Second Vatican Council, this is a good example of the thought of the earlier, pre-Conciliar, Rahner. "Some readers believe his spirit is best appreciated in his prayers and works on spirituality, particularly Ignatian spirituality" (Robert Royal).
The text is preceded with Rahner's short Foreword and an Introduction in three parts (I. The Situation of the Exercises, II. The Essence of the Spiritual Exercises, III. The Right Way to Make a Retreat). Rahner's introduction describes St. Ignatius's vision of the retreatant alone with God: "St. Ignatius presupposes that God says to each and every one in a very personal way where his or her election should begin. That is a shocking presupposition! It says that God Himself manifests to the retreatant—going beyond whatever is presented by the retreat master—what only He can manifest." Translated by Kenneth Baker, S.J., with a short Glossary of German terms. Approbations. Ellsberg. All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time. Royal. A Deeper Vision The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in the Twentieth Century.
Price: $75.00