The Lord

When I was a Trappist novice at the Abbey of Gethsemani, in 1956, this is the one and only book Thomas Merton recommended that I read!

I cherish this book of Guardini. I remember reading it as a seminarian in college in 1957 and it was passed around with eager anticipation. What makes this book truly a classic is that, like classics, it never loses it touch. Guardini (remember this is before Vatican II) has a way of delving into the heart and mind of Jesus with deep reverence. It's not a psychology of Jesus which he says no can write anyways. But he reverently explores the life and words of Jesus in the gospels and with a clarity that is startling lays out the deep meaning of Jesus words. Sometimes, what he says is so rich in meaning, I have to catch my breath and sit back and try to let his words sink in. As I said it was written before Vat II but it fits in right now in the pastVatII era. The reason I'm sure is that Jesus is neither pre or post....He's Jesus for all time. Marvelous. This is the 3rd time reading for me and it won't be the last.

I stumbled upon Romano Guardini's "The End of the Modern World" in my readings concerning technology (Jacques Ellul) and culture (Walker Percy). "The Lord" provides a humble insight that deeply challenges the reader to reconsider their understanding of Christ (S. Kierkegaard's "Practice in Christianity" may have been an inspiration for Guardini). A powerful section of the book deals with Christ arriving in Jerusalem and the events leading to his death. Guardini draws on the humility of Christ and challenges the reader with the gravity of imitating Christ. Perhaps what I enjoy about Guardini is that he is readable by all Christians -- his theology does not adopt a dictated theological system. No, the reader experiences a man struggling to understand Christ as if Christ were contemporary with him.

I have never been so challenged by a book as Guardini's "The Lord". He takes you through every aspect of Jesus' life. The section on the book of Revelations was the best analysis I have ever read. This book will deepen the faith of the most pius as well as an everyday Joe like me. Every person desiring to be a minister needs this book in their library.

The Lord, by Romano Guardini, is a study of the life and person of Christ. Romano Guardini was at once brilliant, profound, deeply holy, insightful and "humanistic", and this look at the person of Christ reflects his essence as a "humanistic" man of God in our century. Christ is studied intimately from a spiritual/"psychological" standpoint. Guardini examines his profound holiness, his loneliness, his innocence, the misunderstanding and blindness he encountered, his origins, his impact on the men of his day, and of our times. It is perhaps unparalleled in its intimacy and beauty of an examination of Christ, although, in my opinion, it is NOT amongst the best of Guardini's writings because it can be long, and at times obvious. His best books are, in my opinion, The Living God, The Virtues, Prayer in Practice, The Life of Faith, Power and Responsibility, The End of the Modern World, and The World and the Person (the original titles of these works when translated), but, nonetheless, it is, like everything he wrote, masterful and well worth reading END