The awakening Church. Resilience and the people of God in Guardini

Abstract

The 50th anniversary of the death of the German theologian and philosopher Romano Guardini is a milestone to rethink the resilient Church. One may think of resilience as an attribute pertaining only to the Church institution in times of difficulties and challenges, however, resilience is not only the institution’s reply to difficult moments in history, but also the responsibility of every person to acquire. Theologian Avery Dulles discusses resilience and mentions that “Catholics tend to wait passively for some directive to come down from on high, and when it does they are all too likely to receive it without enthusiasm.”1 Resilience involves reform within the whole community, which integrally proposes new methods to inspire the present without destroying tradition. Hence, resilience implies knowing well what constitutes one’s own being and identity, in order to present it anew and implement change according to necessity. Guardini’s manner of resilience, when confronted with his changing society, was one which kept loyal to eternal truths, while proposing a Church which adapts to the needs of the community.