Meditations before Mass

Romano Guardini (1885–1968) is regarded as one of the most important Catholic intellectuals of the twentieth century. He lived in Germany most of his life and was ordained a priest in Mainz in 1910. The focus of Guardini’s academic work was philosophy of religion and he is best known for such works as The Lord, The End of the Modern World, and The Spirit of the Liturgy. Guardini taught at the University of Berlin until he was forced to resign for criticizing Nazi mythologizing of Jesus and for emphasizing Christ’s Jewishness. After World War II, he taught at the University of Tubingen and the University of Munich. While Guardini declined Pope Paul VI’s offer to make him a cardinal in 1965, his prolific status as a scholar and teacher heavily influenced the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, especially liturgical reforms. His intellectual disciples are many, including Josef Pieper and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.

Rev. Eugene F. Hemrick is a research associate at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, of which he has been a member since its establishment when it was known as the Life Cycle Institute. He is a priest of the Diocese of Joliet stationed at St. Joseph on Capitol Hill as well as a nationally syndicated columnist for the Catholic News Service. Hemrick is also the author of several books, including The Promise of Virtue and One Nation Under God: Religious Quotes, Symbols and Images in Our Nation's Capital.