I am a firm believer that each person should have a hero: a person whom we admire for their courage, their life, and their witness. A person we want to imitate in virtue, not just in the joyful seasons of life, but especially in the difficult ones.
My hero is a philosopher from the twentieth century, a man who lived during the height of the Second World War: Dietrich von Hildebrand. Named Hitler’s number one enemy, due to his philosophy that upheld the dignity of each human person, Dietrich von Hildebrand stood for and proclaimed truth in season and out of season. Contemplate that for a moment: it wasn’t a physically strong commander in an army that Hitler named his primary enemy. It was a philosopher! That is the power of thought, the power of philosophy!
A Life-Changing Reading Goal
Dietrich von Hildebrand’s life story, his writings, his love of beauty, his philosophy, his belief in the religious transcendence and dignity of each human person, what he defended, and his witness to truth, have shaped my mind and how I think, act, serve, speak, and love.
Last year I set out to read all of Dietrich von Hildebrand’s published writings. I have slowly been collecting his works since I first heard about him from my ethics professor, Dr. Maria Seifert Wolter.
Transformation in Christ
One of the books that affected me the most was his Transformation In Christ. This work offers a rich, vulnerable, and beautiful guide to grow in holiness, culminating in a full transformation into Christ’s body—Christ Himself. Hildebrand writes about the spiritual virtues necessary for that growth.
Challenged to Grow
Reading this book challenged me to reflect on areas of my life I had never even considered. It revealed to me where I desperately needed to be fine tuned and vices that I needed to let go of if I truly desired a life lived in and for Christ. From the difference between meekness and sulking, to combating the natural aversion to help those who are ill out of protection for ourselves, Dietrich von Hildebrand gives the reader both the reason and the spiritual tools to cultivate a life of virtue, discipline, surrender, and love.
Read the profundity of this when he writes about how sulking is motivated both by pride and concupiscence:
The sensitive person, with a penchant for sulking, is hungry for love; not that he is himself rich in love and eager to see his love reciprocated, but he craves the soft comfort of being ensconced in a snug corner, the gratifying sensation of being petted, cajoled, and pampered. Two motives underlie the attitude of sulking. In the first place, pride: that is, an essential and seemingly self-evident claim to importance; a need felt for riding high on the consideration of others. Secondly, a certain type of concupiscence, which renders the subject particularly susceptible to the charms of velvety cushions, figuratively speaking; of being softly treated, and spoiled. True love would require on his part the capacity of loving others, which implies a readiness for heroic self-surrender. ” (Transformation In Christ, 411)
The Hildebrand Project
With Hildebrand as my hero for over fifteen years, I am always on the lookout for those who also know and love him. A few years ago, I came across The Hildebrand Project, an organization whose entire mission is to present, promulgate, and explore the thought and witness of Dietrich von Hildebrand. Their work is amazing and each year they release and sponsor more published works, programs, and events that allow the world to get to know the person of Dietrich von HIldebrand.
This year, one of their projects is sharing the content of Transformation of Christ on their podcast, Lily: The Voice of Alice von Hildebrand. The podcast is a series of recordings of Dietrich von Hildebrand’s late wife, philosopher Alice von Hildebrand, who spent her lifetime teaching at Hunter College and then sharing in the promotion of her husband’s thought. She also has a number of beautiful books, especially on what it means to be a woman, which pair well with Dietrich’s work. The thirty-five episode series on Transformation in Christ brings to life this pivotal work in a powerful way. You can listen to the podcast here.
Get To Know Him
Whether you have never picked up a philosophy book in your life or you have been reading his works for years, I encourage you to take time to get to know the person of Dietrich von Hildebrand. Each year, more is being discovered about this man, a truly great man, a man whose witness, faith, teachings, and philosophy our world needs right now. He instructs us how to live—not with empty words, but rather through his own witness of a life of sacrifice, beauty, and redemption. He teaches us to be transformed in Christ Himself.
I echo the words of Pope Benedict XVI in saying that “I am personally convinced that, when, some time in the future, the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time” (The Soul of a Lion, 12).
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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