The Second Fall

Romano Guardini's concept of the "Second Fall" is a main theme in "The Lord". He tells the story of Christ's life in terms of how the people of the time (and by extension, of all times - our modern times included) reacted to him. He contrasts how the Hebrews should have responded to the Lord - gladly, with open arms and cheerful heart, ushering in the Kingdom on Earth - with how they did react - fearfully, with closed minds and stony hearts, accepting the hour of darkness to avoid coming to grips with the Lord's message.

He compares the rejection and murder of the Lord with our first Fall. The consequences of Adam's sin echo in every soul to this very day: the difficulty of controlling our desires, the wish to exalt our egos in lonely isolation instead of accepting God's rule. The consequences of this second Fall are still with us as well: the difficulty of establishing and maintaining our faith, the wish to exalt our individualistic understanding of Scripture over the deposit of faith as handed down by the Church.

This book is so interesting, so packed with insight, so clearly written, that like "The City of God" I recommend it for all Christian readers. Just today I read beautiful chapters on the Church, the nature of revelation, and the meaning of the little child parables ("unless you become as a little child..."). I wish I had time to write in detail on all of it!