Hans Urs von Balthasar - Our Task: A Report and a Plan

OUR TASK

HANS URS VON BALTHASAR

A Report and a Plan

Translated by Dr. John Saward

A COMMUNIO BOOK
IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Title of the German original:
Unser Auftrag: Bericht und Entwurf
1984 Johannes Verlag, Einsiedeln
With ecclesiastical approval

Cover by Roxanne Mei Lum

1994 Ignatius Press, San Francisco
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-0-89870-515-7
Library of Congress catalogue number 94-75999
Printed in the United States of America

1. Adriennes Path to Her Conversion

2. My Path to 1940

1. Adriennes Early View of the Foundation

2. The Dictated Works and How They Were Composed

3. Adriennes Themes

4. Adriennes Help with My Work

5. From Adriennes Letters

6. My Works since 1940

1. Introduction

2. The Name of the Community

3. How the Community Understands Itself as a Secular Institute

4. Understanding the Life of the Counsels

5. The Spirit of Obedience

6. The Spirit of Virginity

7. The Spirit of Poverty

8. The Spirit of Penance and Joy

9. Discretion

10. Balance

11. New Life, New Departures

12. Old Age, Sickness, and Death

13. The Organization and Leadership of the Community of St. John

1. Secular Priesthood

2. The Communitys Image of the Priest

3. Ecclesial Status

4. Entry and Formation

5. Obligations

6. Understanding the Evangelical Counsels

7. Membership

8. Leaving the Community

1. Admission

2. Choice of Profession and Formation

3. The Life of Prayer

4. Profession and Work

5. Manner of Life

6. Leadership

7. The Circle of Associates

8. Departure and Dismissal

1. Spirituality

2. Admission

3. Formation

4. Promises

5. Manner of Life

6. Following the Counsels in Professional Life

7. Leadership

8. Leaving the Community

This book was first published because of the wish expressed by our Holy Father, John Paul II, in 1983 that a symposium on Adrienne von Speyr should be held in Rome. It took place in the fall of 1985. A symposium of that kind required the publication of Adriennes entire works, and so in 1985, with the express permission of the Pope, the hitherto restricted posthumous works ( Nachlawerke ), which provide profound insights into her personal experiences, were made available to the general public. To many people these works will at first seem astonishing, perhaps even disconcerting. That is why the present book is needed. (It, too, was published, after some minor emendations asked for by Rome, with the permission of the Holy See.) It is intended to help the reader understand the ecclesial orientation of Adriennes works, to see them as graces for a foundation within the Church. The reader should constantly keep in mind the interior connection between these three things. Many biographical matters, mentioned here only briefly and abruptly, will be explained more comprehensively by the detailed diaries. However, as I have often emphasized, whatever Adrienne experienced subjectively was meant to bear objective, theological, and spiritual fruit for the Church as a whole. This fruit is the criterion forjudging the significance and genuineness of experience and becomes obvious to anyone who reads the writings already published. All the various aspects of her charism are directed concentrically at a deeper interpretation of revelation. That includes the developing community outlined here. Like all of Adriennes work, it is intended to serve the whole Church.

This book has one chief aim: to prevent any attempt being made after my death to separate my work from that of Adrienne von Speyr. It will show that in no respect is this possible, as regards both theology and the developing community. At the same time, it is worth saying that no one should expect this to be a biography of Adrienne or my own autobiography. It is concerned solely with our common work. During Adriennes lifetime, there were repeated warnings that the work entrusted to us might later be endangered. Adrienne once saw in the night eight or ten black birds, facing each other in a circle. These turned into demonic women, who did not want to pray. Some days later she saw Mary with the future community in her arms, and underneath her these same women, who, among the others, did not attract attention in a special way. She realized it would be some of her own children who would gravely endanger the community, perhaps even try to break it up. Adrienne thereafter had to pray that they would not do too much damage.

Another night she felt the walls closing in on her, to the point of crushing her to death. The message here was that the walls of the community should be built more solidly than at first envisioned.

For Adriennes biography, we have at our disposal her two descriptions of her life: one composed in written form ( Aus meinem Leben [From my life]) and another where the story comes from the awareness she had of each stage of her life ( Geheimnis der Jugend [Mystery of youth]). There are also the three volumes of diaries, Erde und Himmel [Earth and heaven], which continue the story from her conversion in 1940 to her death in 1967. These include some reminiscences of youth passed over in the other writings. Some biographical information has to be given in this report section in order to explain the background in our own two lives to the work we carried out together from 1940. The posthumous works are not yet generally available. Their circulation has been restricted up to now, so that Adriennes objective message, which is so important for the Church, might first be heard and pondered.

There are some parts of Adriennes complete theological works which, when taken out of context, may occasionally disconcert. When weighing up individual statements, readers of her works are implored not to lose sight of the complete whole that is her theology. The more one attends to the whole, the clearer the inner coherence of the parts becomes. However, such general exposition is not what this book is about; it would require a work many times larger. Here I simply touch on the themes that are in some way or other common to her and to me.

I should also add that the extraordinary charisms of the foundress are not only meant to benefit the Church as a whole, as is evident, for example, in her scriptural commentaries, but also can and should have an even more specific effect on the daily life of the Community of St. John: for example, her understanding of the Communion of Saints in heaven and on earth, her view of the oneness of the confessional attitude (total openness) with love and obedience, the way she links deep contemplation with down-to-earth action in ones secular profession, and so on.

There are very many different kinds of mission in the Church. Some are alone with God, as Adam was alone with God at the beginning

In our case, the plan was that we should collaborate intensively on a common external work. The long period of preparation (for Adrienne, from 1902 to 1940) was meant to make us ready for the complementary task. This involved two things. First, there was the great difference between our two paths. For Adrienne, there was the seemingly endless quest for Catholic truth, the medical profession, and the experience of marriage. For me, there was an educationfirst of all literary, then philosophical and theologicalwhich was intended to give me a knowledge of the spiritual tradition of the Church, within which I could situate what was special and new about Adriennes insights. Secondly, there was an affinity or association between us enabling what was different to become complementary.