Dietrich Von Hildebrand - Transformation in Christ: On the Christian Attitude

TRANSFORMATION IN CHRIST

DIETRICH VON HILDEBRAND

____________________

On the Christian Attitude

IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Transformation in Christ was first published in German in 1940 as Die Umgestaltung in Christus . Because Dietrich von Hildebrand was at that time proscribed from publishing by the Nazis, Benziger Verlag (Einsiedeln and Cologne) published the book using the pseudonym Peter Ott for the author. Longmans, Green and Company published the first English edition in 1948. Franciscan Herald Press reprinted it in 1974, and Sophia House printed it again in 1990. This 2001 edition is published by Ignatius Press with permission of Alice von Hildebrand.

1948, 1976 Dietrich von Hildebrand
1990 Alice von Hildebrand
All rights reserved

As this book was first published long before the liturgical changes instituted by Vatican Council II, it sometimes refers to prayers or other acts that are no longer in use in the Liturgy. However, familiarity with the pre-Vatican II Liturgy is not necessary to understand these passages: their context suffices to explain them.

References to the Psalms are based on the psalm and verse numeration found in the Vulgate.

Cover design, by Roxanne Mei Lum

Reprinted 2001 Ignatius Press, San Francisco
ISBN 978-0-89870-869-1
Library of Congress control number 2001090564
Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Introduction

by Alice von Hildebrand, Ph.D .

WE MUST have an unconditional readiness to change in order to be transformed in Christ, These are the very first words I heard from Dietrich von Hildebrand, the man who was later to become my husband.

His words were a revelation for me. Even though I had been raised a Catholic, I had never been concretely taught how to relate my beliefs to everyday life. There was something sadly lacking in my education: it is not enough for us to believe; we must know how to live our beliefs.

This book transformed my spiritual life

Dietrich von Hildebranda laymangave me the key that was to open for me the treasures of the spiritual life. Thanks to his lecture that day, I understood that my soul should become malleable like wax in Gods hands, so that I could become what He wanted me to become (and what I was so far from being): transformed in Christ .

The impression Dietrich von Hildebrands words made on me was so strong that I returned home soberly inebriated . Finally I had found what I had unconsciously been seeking: a concrete way of living my faith. That dayNovember 27, 1942was one of the most decisive days of my life.

Alas, I was too soon to learn that enthusiasm for a virtue does not guarantee possession of that virtue; and that a clear perception of the beauty of spiritual transformation can coexist with a deep reluctance to let oneself be re-formed by Christ.

But I also soon learned that The Readiness to Change was the title of the first chapter of Transformation in Christ , a book in German by Dietrich von Hildebrand. At the time, Transformation in Christ was available only in German, so I dedicated myself to learning German so I could profit from the treasures contained in this book.

Later, my husband often told me that Transformation in Christ was the book of his heart because it considered the theme he loved most: the glow of supernatural virtues made possible through Christian revelation. It also became the book of my heart : reading it opened up for me completely new vistas of spirituality which, until then, had remained totally closed to me.

I could now understand why the German reviewers had called Transformation in Christ a modern Imitation of Christ . Like this perennial classic, Transformation in Christ is timeless, for it maps out the path leading to holiness; the one thing necessary, the one unchanging thing in the tempest of changes that characterize our earthly situation.

Regardless of our circumstances and regardless of the age or place in which we live, we are all called to sanctity. Our guide is Christian wisdom, which is not subject to time but rather should shape the time in which it is found. Transformation in Christ helps us to achieve sanctity in our time because its roots lie in the ageless tradition of Christian spirituality which goes back to Christ Himself. This wisdom retains its full validity from age to age. Being anchored in eternity, it conquers time.

No one would dream of scaling a mountain without an experienced guide; no one should try to ascend the mountain of holiness without the help of someone knowledgeable in things spiritual, who points out dangers that threaten to jeopardize our ascent towards the mountain which is Christ.

Transformation in Christ became such a guide for me. Again and again as I read it, I was led to realize how often I had fallen into illusions about myself, and how often I had followed a path that actually had led me away from the true goal: to be transformed in Christ. It was as if scales had fallen from my eyes.

I discovered that my own readiness to change was highly selective, for whereas I was willing to improve in some areas of my life, I wanted to remain in command and to determine myself the scope and limits of my transformation. Rare are those (and they are properly known as saints) whose readiness to change is total, absolute, unconditional, and who let the Divine Master decide how deeply the marble is to be chiselled.

How difficult is it for us fallen men to will what God wills, for much as we believe we love God, we are tempted to love our own will more. How hard it is for usthe sons of Adamto speak truly and fully the words of Christ: not as I will, but as Thou wilt. And yet, this absolute and unconditional readiness to change ought to be the very basis of our spiritual life, so that we may become new men in Christ.

I learned how difficult it can be in the spiritual life to discriminate between things which seem similar but which are, in fact, profoundly different. How tempting it is for us to believe, for example, that we possess the readiness to change because, lacking in continuity, we follow every fashionable trend of the time. How often we believe that we are truly forgiving when in fact we are really too thick-skinned to notice offenses or we find it advantageous to make peace. How often we assume that we are spiritually recollected because we can concentrate fully on a task, when, in fact, we are merely capable of efficient mental concentration, which is radically different from recollection. To help us see such important differences in ourselves and to help us avoid other pitfalls, Transformation in Christ provides spiritual guidance for those who are serious about making progress toward holiness, enabling them to discern more clearly the path to holiness.

Since first reading Transformation in Christ and having my eyes opened by it, I have discovered that my experience has been duplicated in the lives of very many other people. Over the years, my husband received innumerable letters from persons testifying that reading Transformation in Christ profoundly changed their lives.

Reviewers of the book have also been unanimous in recognizing the extraordinary spiritual wisdom it contains. In 1949, a year after its American publication, it received the Golden Book Award of the Catholic Writers Guild.

Transformation in Christ awakens our longing for supernatural virtues

Too often, well-intentioned spiritual authors believe that in order to make the supernatural more palatable, they must water it down and use a vocabulary borrowed from down-to-earth, trivial experiences. This often creates a spiritual hiatus, a false note which is painful for those whose spiritual ear is attuned to the music of the angels.

One of the striking characteristics of this book is that the author never uses a word which is not in perfect harmony with the sublimity of his topic. With an unfailing holy instinct, he always pulls us upward toward a higher sphere clouded over today by our secularized anti-culture which constantly pulls us downward. From this point of view Transformation in Christ is a much needed spiritual medicine. It will inevitably sharpen our sense for the supernatural and reawaken the deep longing which exists in every human heart for what is above . Indeed, this was the call that St. Paul addressed to us: Seek the things that are above.