The Christian State of Life
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
This book, one of von Balthasar’s masterworks, is a profound meditation on the Christian’s choice of a state of life according to God’s will. It discusses the lay, religious, and priestly states of life, and examines the ways in which we recognize and respond to the call of God. Written in a deeply Ignatian spirit, the book provides a comprehensive meditation on Saint Ignatius’ “Call of Christ” and demonstrates that we must answer Christ’s call if we want “to give greater proof of our love".
The goal of this meditation is to understand why the act of choosing a state of life is possible and necessary-so that we can arrive at the perfection of Christian love in whatever state or way of life God may grant us to choose. It affirms that the act of choosing a Christian state of life is found in the Gospels and emanates from the personal meeting of the believer with Jesus Christ.
Among the topics in this book are the following: The Great Commandment, Creation and Service, Grace and Mission, Image and Truth, The Nature of the Call, and The Historical Actuality of the Call.
- Discusses the lay, religious, and priestly states of life according to God’s will
- Examines the ways in which we recognize and respond to God’s call
- Demonstrates that answering Christ’s call is essential for greater proof of love
- Preface on the Scope of This Book
- PART I BACKGROUND
- I. The Calling to Love
- 1. The Great Commandment
- 2. Obligation and Choice
- 3. Love and Counsel (Thomas/Ignatius)
- 4. Love and the Vows
- II. From Original State to Final State
- 1. Creation and Service
- 2. Grace and Mission
- 3. Man in Paradise
- 4. Heaven
- PART II THE CHRISTIAN STATES OF LIFE
- I. The First Division of the States of Life
- 1. The Process of Division
- 2. The Founding of the State of Election
- 3. On the Relationship between the States of Life
- 4. Image and Truth
- II. The Christian State of Life
- 1. Christ’s State of Life
- 2. Mary’s State of Life
- 3. The Christian’s State of Life: “In Christ”
- 4. The Married State
- III. The Second Division of the States of Life
- 1. The Priestly State
- 2. The Priestly State and the State of the Counsels
- 3. The State of Lay Persons in the World
- 4. The States of Life and the Secular Orders
- 5. Evangelical State, Priestly State, Lay State
- PART III THE CALL
- I. The Nature of the Call
- 1. The Divine Call
- 2. The Stages of the Call
- 3. The Forms of the Call
- 4. The Elements of the Call
- II. The Historical Actuality of the Call
- 1. The Call Is Made Known
- 2. Recognition of the Call
- 3. Acceptance of the Call
- 4. Rejection of the Call
- Key to Abbreviations
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