“One reliable way to enrich our own prayer is to ponder and assimilate the memorable prayers of others, especially those who have spent a lifetime in conversation with God . . . The prayers of [Prayers for a Lifetime] . . . span a period of almost 50 years in the life of the late Karl Rahner, revealing once again that his often difficult and demanding theological insights were ultimately rooted in a simple and profound life of Christian faith.
“By most estimations, the late Karl Rahner was the seminal Roman Catholic theologian of our age. Prayers for a Lifetime is a compilation of his prayers published in Germany on his 80th birthday and now edited and translated by Albert Raffelt. Although Rahner’s theological works may be tough going for many, his prayers are remarkable for their devotion and clarity of faith. This collection is commended as a welcome addition to anyone’s library of devotional books.”
“Prayers for a Lifetime, the last and most personal book of Karl Rahner . . . contains prayers from different phases of Rahner’s life, highly personal meditations and reflections on different points of Catholic teaching. There is in his life and writings an intimate connection between theology and spirituality or piety. As he himself said at one time, abstract theology ends up in a vacuum if it cannot rise from mere words about a particular topic to prayer. These reflections should serve all, learned and unlearned, as a guide to prayer.”
“This is the last and perhaps the most beautiful book by Karl Rahner, who died in 1984 at the age of 80, leaving the world the astonishing legacy of over 3000 writings. The collection includes about 50 prayers with titles like ‘God of My Life,’ ‘In Praise of Creation,’ ‘Freed by God,’ ‘The Life of Grace,’ and a unique ‘Prayer for Creative Thinkers,’ The Book is an excellent way to approach the thought of a towering genius admired by liberals and conservatives alike, not only for the brilliance and uplifting beauty of his work, but for the quality of his life and unyielding strength.”