Os seus pais eram László Balás, funcionário bancário, e Mária Borbély.
Entrou na ordem em Zirc, a 29 de agosto de 1948. Fez os seus primeiros votos a 30 de agosto de 1949. Após a dissolução das ordens religiosas, desertou. Fez os votos perpétuos em 2 de janeiro de 1954, em Casamari, com estabilidade em Zirc. Foi ordenado sacerdote em Stams, na Áustria, em 29 de junho de 1954. A partir de 1962, estudou filosofia na Universidade de Santo Anselmo, em Roma, onde obteve o título de doutor. Posteriormente, lecionou durante dois anos na Universidade de Santo Anselmo, em Roma. Foi membro e, entre 1982 e 1984, presidente da North American Patristic Society.
O seu túmulo encontra-se em Irving, Texas, na cripta do mosteiro cisterciense.

Μετουσια Θεου: Man’s participation in God’s perfections according to saint Gregory of Nyssa. Róma, 1966.
Christian Transformation of Greek Philosophy Illustrated by Gregory of Nyssa’s Use of the Notion of Participation. In. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 40 (1966), 152–157.
Az evilági város: A radikális teológia – Isten halála után. In. Mérleg 3 (1967), 58–67.
The Encounter Between Christianity and Contemporary Philosophy in the Second Century. In. Anglican Theological Review 50 (1968), 3–15.
Participation in the Specific Nature According to Gregory of Nyssa: Aristotelian Logic or Platonic Ontology? In. Actes du quatrième congrès international de philosophie médiévale (1969), 1079–1085.
Recent Serveys of the History of the Early Church and the Tasks of the Historiography of Early Christianity. In. Church History 41 (1972), 444–451.
Theology as Interpretation of Tradition. In. Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America 28 (1973), 225–233.
A tevékenység és a szemlélődés a korakeresztény hagyományban. In. Szolgálat 17 (1973), 10–18.
The Idea of Participation in the Structure of Origen’s Thought. In. Origeniana: Premier colloque international des études origeniennes. Bari, 1975. 257–275.
A hála gondolata az egyházatyáknál. In. Szolgálat 25 (1975), 56–59.
Új hermenautika a filozófiában és a teológiában. In. Mérleg 11 (1975), 165–175., 264–273.
Eternity and time in Gregory of Nyssa’s Contra Eunomium, In. Gregor von Nyssa und die Philosophie (1976), 128–155.
An Introductory Examination and Interpretation of De infantibus 16, 4-21, 5. In. Colloquii Gregoriani III Leidiensis (1976), 47–53.
The Unity of Human Nature in Basil’s and Gregory of Nyssa’s Polemics againts Eunomius. In. Studia Patristica XIV (1976), 275–281.
Plenitudo humanitatis: the unity of human nature in the theology of Gregory of Nyssa, In. Disciplina Nostra. Essays Robert F. Evans (1979), 115–131.
Marcion Revisited: A „Post-Harnack” Perspective. In. W. Eugene March (ed.): Texts and Testaments: Critical essays on the Bible and Early Church Fathers. San Antonio, 1980. 95–108.
The Meaning of the „Cross” (De Tridui Spatio p. 298.19-303.12). In. The Easter Sermons of Gregory of Nyssa: Translation and Commentary. Cambridge, 1981. 305–318.
A Thomist View on Divine Infinity. In. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 55 (1981), 91–98.
Gregor von Nyssa, In. Theologische Realenzyklopädie T. 14, (1985), 173–181.
Basil of Caesarea. In. The Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. II, New York, 1986. 78–80.
Response to Professor O’Meara (on the theology of K. Rahner). In. Communio XVIII/2 (1991), 252–258.
The Use and Interpretation of Paul in Irenaeus’s Five Books „Adversus Haereses“, In. The second century. A journal of early christian studies, Bd. 9 (1992), 27–39.