The Christian and Anxiety

The idea of sorrow has dominated both philosophy and spiritual theology, from Luther to Kierkegaard, from Heidegger to Sartre. This issue has lately acquired vigour in our "depression societies," when people face their own loneliness.

In these dense and beautiful pages, he not only demonstrates how deeply this yearning is etched in the heart and word of God—from the Psalms to the Gospels—but he also engages in an intimate conversation with current philosophy, particularly its existentialist form. For Balthasar, the Christian faith is a journey through the anguish of the cross and the release from fear provided by the gift of grace, rather than a ready-made answer. In the aftermath of a Bernanos or a Péguy, Balthasar highlights how much faith in God leads to an unlimited hope.