Prayer in the life and writings of Romano Guardini

Abstract

The dissertation herein, regarding prayer in the life and writings of Romano Guardini, intents to highlight the importance of prayer in one's life; and that a life without prayer is indeed frail. Prayer is undoubtedly tied to a life of faith in God, a life wherein the interior Master, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, allows us to participate through the Holy Spirit in his prayer to the Father. This dissertation, hopes to make evident that Guardini's theology stems out from his ordinary life. He passed through the difficulties of adolescence. He studied and experimented with philosophy and faith in a Godless society. He had to choose his way of life and abandon that which was not in God's way. Guardini lived in Germany during the two World Wars and subsequently he witnessed his country's journey towards becoming a nation. This involved experimenting with politics and democracy along with economic instability, secularism and materialism. Adding to all this, Nazism and the New Faith Movement presented also a challenge to young people of his era. In this context, we study Guardini' s challenges for a prayerful life. Besides being a prolific theologian and liturgist, Guardini was a man of prayer. In his book Prayer in Practice he defines prayer as nourishment for our faith and in The Life of Faith he continues to highlight that prayer and faith cannot exist without each other. In fact when one approaches Guardini, it becomes clear that he holds on high personal prayer comparing it to breathing. For him the textbook of prayer is Sacred Scripture wherein we find the manual of prayer par excellence. It is in the Bible that we find the Lord's Prayer in which he sees the model of all the life of prayer. Indeed as he states in his other book, The Lord's Prayer, Jesus' life is in itself a school of prayer. Guardini gives also great importance to Marian devotion especially to the Rosary of Our Lady, seen as an instrument of meditation and contemplation which are an important aspect of personal prayer. Alongside personal prayer, Guardini's .experience and teaching lead us to share our love for worship to God in a communal way through the liturgy. In his famous book, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Guardini explains the nature of liturgy and the method how it should be celebrated. Liturgy reaches its climax during the Eucharist in which the 3 Church comes together to praise, worship and give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ. Guardini explains this very clearly in his Book, Meditations before Mass. Aesthetically prayer is a manifestation of God's Reign in our life, leading us to participate in the definite Liturgy of Heaven where God is praised and worshiped in the New Jerusalem before the Lord. There with all the elders we bow down in adoration to praise our Lord with golden bowls full of incense singing along a new song, saying; "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou were slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth." With the numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands of angels we sing with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" With all the Creatures in heaven we will adore and praise the Lamb upon the throne and say, "To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!" With the elders and all the creatures we will fall down and say "Amen" while we worship the Lamb" (see Rev. 5,7-13). Until that moment of fulfillment arrives we, here on Earth wait for the Lord and pray; Maranatha - "Come Lord Jesus" (see Rev. 22, 20).