Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)

Issue 3.6 of the Review for Religious, 1944.

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spellingShingle	Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
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title	Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
title_short	Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
title_full	Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
title_fullStr	Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
title_full_unstemmed	Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)
title_sort	review for religious - issue 03.6 (november 1944)
description	Issue 3.6 of the Review for Religious, 1944.
publisher	Saint Louis University Libraries Digitization Center
publishDate	1944
url	http://cdm17321.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/rfr/id/156
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spelling	sluoai_rfr-156 Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944) Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus Jesuits -- Periodicals; Monasticism and religious orders -- Periodicals. Issue 3.6 of the Review for Religious, 1944. 1944-11-15 2012-05 PDF RfR.3.6.1944.pdf rfr-1940 BX2400 .R4 Copyright U.S. Central and Southern Province, Society of Jesus. Permission is hereby granted to copy and distribute individual articles for personal, classroom, or workshop use. Please credit Review for Religious and reference the volume, issue, and page number and cite Saint Louis University Libraries as the host of the digital collection. Saint Louis University Libraries Digitization Center text eng Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus for Reh NOVEMBER ~! 5, 1944 t ’~ (~°uesfions. Answered,’ I Ind~=x tOVolumeThree ,~ ":RE, I EW "FOR R G-IOUS ¯ , "VOL0~ I~I - NOVEMBFR I~, 19.44 - No. 6., CONTENTS- ~ PIUS XII ON BIBLE STUDIES Clemen~J. MeNa.sp~, S.J ..3..6.1 SCRIPTURE IN,THE CHRISTMAS LITURGY~Robert G. North, S.J. 3~68 ’~. BOOKLET NOTICES ’. ...~.. .......... ~t~OOM FOR THE EBONY CHRIST?John E.! Coogan, S.J. 377 ~ OUR CONTRIBUTORS " A HUNDR’ED YEARS OF’ APOSTOLIC PRAYER~ Alban J. Dachauer. S.J ........~. 385 . THE DEGREES’ O~: PRAYER~Edward J. McNally, S.J .....391 BOOKS RECEIVED , . . . . ~ .......... " ; . 40l RELIGIOUS PROFESSION: A SECOND BAPTI~M?~Ja~es E.RIsk, S,3,,,, ;~.402 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS~ - -._ , Abbreviating’the Postulancy: Obligation~ to go to Ordinary Confessor: " Commut~)ty Doctbr and Secrecy: ~Dispensa~tion from Eucharistic Fast: ~ Obligafion of Novice to make a Will: Converts and Ent~’ance into Reli- , g~on: Use bf Money given for Specified Purpose: PortiuncuJa~ Indulgence i~ Churches of Third Order Regular: Holding Bd’ads, for Cr6zier Indul-gence: Time for Saying. Little O~ce:" Questioning of Boys by So¢ial~" Workers: Novitiate without Isolation or.Novice Mistress: Transfdr from ¯ " Activ~~ to Cloistered Instit~ute: Re-admission to Religious Life; Division of Institute into Provinces. ~.- " . ...... . . 410 BOOK REV, IEWS (Edited by Clement DeMuth, S.J.) ° . The Ascetical Life: A World to Re¢gnst~ruct; Paul of Tarsus: The Pas-torabCar( of’Souls: Molders 6f the Medieval Mind: Canonical Procedure in Martimonial Cases: Voll II, Informal Procedure: Abridgment ,of the Interior Spirit of the Religious of the Visitation: Maryknoll~ Missi6n Let-terL Vol. I, 1944": Dea¢onship: Conferencel on the Rite of OrdinatiOn; Our Lady’s Praise in Poetr~ .... " ........ ’ ~ . 42 INDEX TO VOLUME III. ’ .......... ; ~ .... 42’8 "~ REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. November. 1944. Vol. III. No. 6.: Publish¢d bi-monthly: ~lantlary. March. May. duly. September. and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Stfeet, Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary’~s College, St. Marys; " Kansas, with ecclesiastical al~prob;ition. Entered as second class matter danua~y 1942, at the Post Office, Topeka, Kansas; under the act of March 3, 1879. ~Editoria[_Board: Adam C. Ellis, S.d., G. Aughstine Ellard, 8.J., Gerald Kelly, "~.~I,~ Copyright. 1944. b~ Adam C. Ellis. Permission is hereby,granted for’quotations of reasonable I~ngth, provided due credit be given this review and the aut-l~r~. SubScription price: 2~dollars a year: Printed in U. S. A. Before writin(J to us. please consult notice ~n inside back cover. Pius XII on’. Bible $ udies Clemer~t J. McN.aspy, S.J. ~.~,IHEN Rome speaks it is always news: when Rome ~W ¯ speaks in the solemn form of an encyclical it ~is l~ead- line ne~s, But whim" the,Holy. Father gives a pro- , nouncement on Scripture, the whole Catholic learned world feels especially, concerned.. It is .now-just .over a year since ,o-the Pope sent out his.encyclical on Bible" studies, called by its oPCning words Divino.A~ante Spi.rim (that is, "Under ,th~ Inspiration of theDivine Spirit’:’~). Even, before actuhl. copies We.re available in America.interest was so higla~that ’arti~les beg~,n appearing ~n Catholic, publications of: all ,tyises .... -: T~ue,. this encyclical;is~.lar~ge!y directed .to pri~sfs, seminarians, arid theology teachers, Whose. profdssion plainly’has to. do with preachi~ng and studying God’s ii~Si~ired word. Yet. the H01y Father speaks to the lait~ ’too and invites them to become outstanding in studies d.eal.ing with the Bible. For they too can "render a. con-spicuous service to the Christian cause." ’ ¯ ". . Bi’shops are urged fo "effcourage all th,6se initiatives by ivhi~h men . . . laudably strive to excite and foster among ,.Catholics a greater, knowledge of and love for th~ SacrCd Books." They are to favor ’.’those pious associations whose aim it is, to spread copies of ~theoSacred Letters, especially of. the Gospels, among the Faithful and to pr6cur~ by every means that in Christian families the same be read daily, with .~piet~r and devotion." All the more would this seem-to apply to religious 7families," particularly th6se whosd regular program of ~ s~tudies-d~es not a11ot,c.ourses in Scr!pture. To. use the Holy_ Father’s words again, if the faithful "are to be nourished CLEMEN’I~ ~J. ~ MeNASPY -~ " Review ~ fo~ Religious °with .thiS same food that:they may, draw fro’~ thence~the~¯ khowle~dge and"lov~ ~f-God a~nd."t~he pr?gress~mperfectton and’ the happiness of their own souls," evidently h~does not mean to exclude those striving to live the very~of~ulness of the Christian life:~ - The new encyclical’~is now easily available. Tran~l~- tionshave.appeared in rr;any dio(esan newspapers; th, e May oissue.-of The Catholic Mind c6ntains one, which is being* publish_ed in, pamphlet~ form by America Pres<~ Among-many fine :articles that,may be profitably read, perhap~ most complete and authoritative sttidy is that contained in -the May, ,/ul~i, and August issues of Tile American Eccle-siastkal Review for’thisoyear. The following brie~ Sketch is not meant to b~ a substitute forother articles, still less "for the ency.clical itself. In fact, it will simply present the r~ain features of the document, frequently in the Pope’s Own words, with emphasis on what is, of general-interest’to¯ religious, o. The H~Iy Father begin~ by commemorating the iiftieth?o~o anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’.s celebrated ency~clical on -Scr.ipture, the Pro.videntissimus Deus. This ."supreme, guide in Biblical studies" had been written-at a time when. the Sacred Books were under vicious attack. Bravely arid -forcefully it had,~rejecte[t the charges that the Bible con- -tained error. In that crucial.age, when unbelief had orn2 bined-with ~ .radical interpretation of certain neff sciintifi~ findings, and assaults on the’Scriptures were-in vogue, PO~.e Leo had called Catholic schdlars to a~deeper and more care-ful study of both Old:and New Testaments. " In letter after letter, Pope Leo and more recent poiftiffs:~ e~pressed their interest in-Scripture studies. They, per~. s0nally promoted vast undertakings, such as"that of the~. Dominicans in3erusalem and of the Benedictlne~ in their: 362 ~Nov’emb’~r, I~4~ ~ " "" ~ o : ~ PIUS XI(ON BIB~LE~STUDIES textual.revl~slon.of the ~Vulgate. They" fgund~d:th~i~bli-." cal~ Con~mission~and the Biblical Institute in Romk,, f0.r"ithe investigatio.n and defense of thd Bible; and, to ensure high° standards,in seminary teaching all .over the world, !they requir, e~d all professors of Scril3iure~ to receive a degree from :’:’~ one of t1~ese papal~establishments., Partly as a results,of : ~these inoves, during the past. fifty years Catholic Biblical "scholarship has.made immeasurable progress.~ Meantime, .the Bible was repeatedly offered to the faith- ~’.~fti.l.~ Again and,again popes_ urged the laity to"take,~Up, ..... the truly praiseworthy cust6m of reading and meditating ," on:the.. Holy Gospels." F6r "in these pages is to be sought ,thai food~ by w.l~ich the spiritual life is nourished unto per-i f_ectiori." .To make this more-practicable the ;Pontiff ’encourages tra~nslations,~ since th~ Church in no way _."impedes the reading of. the Scripture in the vernacular." This mbvement for.the Spread.of vernacular Scriptures ,Pius XlI now.endorses. He approves of/translations made from the dri~inal languages, not merely from,the Latin ¯ ~rersion .used in theliturgy and sermon~. Andit was-this ¯ ,,,n, ew’appr°val, tBat inspired, in part at least, the translators., of: our new American .version to make¯ this version of the ~ Old Testament directly from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and "- G~eek originals, ratl~er than from the Vuig£te, as hadbeen" ’.p a,nned and partly carried out. While this reversal has _" unfgrtunatel¥ held up publication of the ~Old Testament,- when it dbes appear it will be’far more ~’aluable and intel-~ ~ qiTgible. .The eficyclical goes on to urge-scholars to stud) care-.: "~lly the BiBlical languages so that they "may underst-and :~the authors’ mind n/ore deeply and fully." "-Moreover they are tp °make.every effort tfiat,, at the first favorable oppor-. ¯tunity, editi6ns 6f tiae sacred writings be. provided by, Cath5 [ o.lics¢., w~bich~combine the highest reverende’for the sacred 363 "" ~CLEM.4 ¯ NT¯ J: M NASPY, ~ ~ _. " ~ -~ Re~eo~ /:or " ehg~oi~s text with an accurate observafi~e 0of_all Critical hws.’~’~’ . indeed; not until we have faitfiful- editi~n~ of the Bible in t.he original languages can we be~sure of the. full i’n~spired:’~ meaning. ~ Whdn~ ~resenting the SCriptures" to the .fai_thful, "inter~ preters are to beai in mind.that to discrimina~t.e clearly and define the so-called literal ~sense ’is their greatest-concein:" The other sense, called the spiritual or r~pical, ~is t’o ~be used sparingly a~nd accurately. Great caution too.is urged with regard to certaii~ "mystical" senses, which, are-really pri~ate" ~acc0minoda~ions of the sacred text. Thus we are--t0 "beware of pibpoling o.ther ~ransferred meanings~ as" the gen.uine sense of Sacred Scriptures." As a matter oF fact: any broader or more u’naglnat~ve use of the .Bible is allowed only.’:pr°vided this is done. with moderation and pru-’~ ¯ dence.’~’ For the. faithful "seek what God Himself ma.ke~ known tO us in Holy Writ rather than the things that some" eloquent,-orgtor or writer expounds with ~a somewha’~:::dex-terous uie of th~ words of the Bible." ~This insistence on~.: what thefinspired words realh.l ~ean, and this~ severe cen~-- sure Of fanciful of extravagant g~rblin~s of ~the true. sense, aie ~among the most emphatic ideas contained in the,, encyclical. ~ ¯ . But noLonlyis languagestudy to t.ak~its l~a~t in Scrip-~ ~ural research; other modern sciences ~ire needed; by the/- -interpreter: arch~eblogy,-aficient historyl ethnology; .and allied branches. While Very many of the probl~m~ that~ }erplexed Catholics in ~he daysof Leo XIII are now s61~e&’i there remain difficulties for the modern student to face squarely and tinravel. And though hdshould keep a sane:: ,ieipect for. older commentators, h~ (and for th, at ma’fter, everyone) ".should abhor that intemperate imagii~es that whatever ~is new shbuld for that :be dpposed or suspectdd." 364 , zeal which very~ r~ason ~fo~embero 1944 PIUS ~II ON BIBLE STUDIES This last statement of the Pop.e, against.undue, con-servatism, seems one of the mosttellin~ a~n.d~ far-reaching in the encyclical. It seems to indicate that our .pre~ent state of Scripture studies is quite different from what it was fifty years agb; .that it is now so s, atisfa~ctory ~that the degree,of ~’cautious reserve seribusly needed then is at present scarcely so. important. This positive, constructive, ever/aggrdssive~ tone of the encyclical seems, a new note in-modern papal documents on thd Scripture, and will stimulate scholars:to a new zest for those exacting, almost thankless, tasks pre- ’ liminary to scientific re.~arch. The encyclical closes with an exhortation to all---cleti~al hnd iay,’learned and unlearned to return to Him Who has .the words of eterfial life. -Him willthey "more fully kno@, m~re ardently love and more faithfully imitate in prop0r- _~~ion as they are more as~idu0uily urged to know and medi-tate the Sacred Letters, especially the New Testament, for, as St. Je~:ome the Doctor of Stridon says:. ’To ignore the Scripture is to ignore. Christ’." These strong words of the ¯ Church’s greatest Doctor of S~ripture, the Pontiff mhkes his owh, adding,the same Doctor’s advice: ";If~there is anything in this life which sustains a wise man and induces him to maintain his se~renity amidst the tribulations. ~and ~adversities of the world, it is~in th~ first place, I consider, [he meditation and knoyledge of-the Scriptutei’." Btit what has all this to.d6 with the religi0us.whose everyday service of God is not in the. Scripture .classroom or the library? Evidently the encyclical is addressed maiialy° to professors-and students of the Bible: yet very much-of it applies immediately to the laity, still more to religious. What can religious do by way of putting the Holy Father’s wish~s into practice? ¯ 365 CLEMENT. J,.-MCNASPY _Z Revi~.u~ fo.~ Religious First; the ,near encyclica!,m~ay be read and even studie~l ~r~vately and leisurely. ¯ In, addition,_ one or other article" dealing with it shodld throw light on it~ rich contents. Far more important, however, is thfi inspired ,wo~rd~0f. God Himself., Too often .non-Catholics" accuse , us olics of ignorance. In. some cases the cha-rge is.ju-stified. We- Catholics are~so much accustomed to relying on the Church for spiritual guidances--and rightly so---that we easily overlook the fact that the Church herself wants us to know the Scriptures too. Recent Pontiffs have been lavish in their .praise of the Bible.~ Pius XII speaks of it as "this Heaven-sent Treas-ure." Leo XIH calls it a "Letter.written by our heavenly Father and transmitted by the sacred Writers to the human race in its pilgrimage ~o .far from the Fatherland." The Scriptures too-speak highl~y of their rise: ~"All~ Scripture is inspired by, God and Useful for teaching; fgr reproving,, foi~ correcting, for instructing in justiceL that the man of God may be perfect, equipped for every, good otto. These are St. Paul’s words" (2 Timothy 3:16-1:7) And Pope Leo brings out the fact that Christ our. Lord" "used with the greatest effecLthe sacred writihgs, in ordei to per.suade the nations everywhere of thewisdoin of Chris-tianity." For~uni~eiy we now have se~ceral fine new English trans-- htions at hand. Besides the Confraternity version, with it~ helpful notes and dear text,-there is another America~ work: the late Father Spe~ncer’s excellent transla~tion" of the~ .New Testament from the original Greek. England has. given, usTM the~ Westminster Version: the New ,Tes~tament - complete, wit_h notes and some commentary, and also fr0ia the Greek; the Old~Testament~ complete only in part, it too from the ~original languages. Monsignor Knox, the famed convert and writer, is publishing his own’translation df the ~ No~ember, 1944 - ~ " ~’ " ". ~ PIUS~XII ON BIBLE S~DIES New Testament, ~hd everyofid looks "~brward to a work’of .~:~ :r~a~scholarshi~ combined with literary-quality~ By’way-of aid to one wgo hasn o" opportum~y to_ take ~o~.rses in Scripiure, several handy ifitr0ductlon~ and man-~ uals are available. Of special’ worth ii thatput oUt.by the " -Cdnfraternity~as a c~mpanion .volume. to the" ~ew tr~nsl~- ~ ~idn. I~ is inexpensive, clear, scbol~rlg, and ~et nbt too technical. It covers the’entire NeW Testament. ~ ," Snice th~H o ly Father" urges tpicar H uyla the redai n"go f ~-~ ~the Gospels, it ~ay be useful to. know ~he newer, ~ientN~ lives~of Christ. Every religious.!ibrary ~ontains~t.ra~la~ -:~tions of ~ork~ by Fathers Lebreton, .Lagrange, Willam. - -Fiilion, and other outstanding modern guides to th~ Gos: :p~Is~ Father Prat’s e~inent Life of ChHs~ is ~.translated for publication and will ~rove one of the mo~ ~ valuable. aids to an Understanding of our Lord’s life and Work. ’ :- Yet the Pope urges ~ot onlystudy of the Sacred Boo~s~ :nor.wall busy religious have as much tim~ as they wo~ld ,..like. for" such study. Prayer and meditation will help our :’~ndeistanding df God’s word and our kno.wledge of Him , Who came to teach us.that word. ~ ". When the two dis~iple.s., met our Lord on the way~ to’. .’- EmrrlaUs, we are told that_ "beginni.ngwith Moses and with ¯ all the Prophgts, he interpreted to them in all the Sc.r!ptures "the.things referring to himself" (.Luke 24:27). ?And by ~-:p.rayerful study of the inspired words, perhaps we too shall " expe~ience wtiat tlqe .disciples expe~rienced and handed on to . us: "Was not our heart burnin~ within us while he wa, s. f~speaking on (he road and explaining to us .the Scriptu.res?" 367 °- hrist:i~as kd :urgy Robert G.Northi S~J. THE liturgy doe.s n6t profess to’be a textbook of Sacrid .l: Scripture. Ydt’it draws heavily on ~he Scriptures; ari’d~ indeed man~7 good religious people find that their bnly cdntact With vast sections of the Bible comes in the portions put befbre~them a~ Mas.s. Hence the value of applying to tile Missal ce’rtaiJa principles governing the Use and interpre-i .~tatioi~ of the Sacred Text, according to the recently-~ expressei:l desire of our Holy Father.. ¯ The three Cfiristmas Masses i~re among ~he’most famil-- iar. and appealing pages in the liturgy. It is commonly taught that the" Midfiight MaSs’expr.esses primarily the eternal birth o~ the Second Person of the Blessed T, rinity°~in. ~the bosom of the Father; the Mass of Dawn,’the Nativity atBethlehem: and-the Mid-day Mass, th~ birth of Christ in the hearts of the faithful. This last we may al~ply ~tb’his ~omi~ng t~ our own sotil in Holy Communion; Or preferably~ ..... to the’rebirth of the whole human race in Christ~ what we rrii~ght call the birth of the Mystical Christ. Each Mass, a10ng with its own central motif, features hlso in several passages the mysteries proper to th(other two Mass~s, so that the three together form a harmoniously inkerwoven unity, keeping the ~ntire Christmas atmosphere before our minds ~onstantly, This general structure may be presumed in discussinff the individual sections from a" S~riptural point of view, Liturgical Adaptation Twof~td )’’..It’seems appropriate at the outset to distinguishl~e-": tween two uses of Sacred Scripture in the liturgy: instruc:" ~ . C ..... SCRIPTUI~E~IN THE~ CHI~IS LITURGY , : - ¯ tlon ana de~rofion,~, "Fhe~ins~’~uction-passagei; ~t e?Epistles find’Gospels, are:~lUoted~.at some length !n their context, and .... are, intended ~to convey’ for our information exactly what ,the original ihspired au~thor had in mind when .he’wrote -them. This is ~called the literal sense of Scripture; this is its’ most ..tru, e and proper sense, and the one which the Holy" Father has recently ~urg,~d Catholics to value, alcove ~all ¯~The.other liturgical use of Scripture is to set the atmos-phere .and give the.. spiritual tonality .o,f_ the feast. All the ;s’acred chants, Introit, Gradual, Qffertory, and Commun.- o ign (like the antiphons and :esponsories Of .the BreViary) seem to express with peculiar’conciseness and poignancy the spiritual motif of the day. For this the Scriptures are gen: .erall~r quoted in detached phrases, and Often accommodated,, ,~.that ii~, riot u.sed in the same sense as in their original.~on-~ te~t. Sdmetimes even there seems to be question of merely verbal allusion.~ It is im ortant to understand.the mind,of the Cl~urch when she presents to us the.Scriptures, in this fo.rm." Instructidn: the Literal Sense °The" Epistles_ and .Gospels of the Christmas Masses exemplify the informational function of Sacred Sc~iptuie. ¯The Gospel "of the Midnight Mass is Saint Luke’s simple account of ~he birth of Christ and the coming of the shep- .~herd~: The Gospel of the Mid-day Mass is the. mystic Pro- Iogue of.Sai~at John describing the eternal gene~ration of the ~.Secbnd Person of the Blessed Trinity. The first is easy to uhderstar~d: the second is bard. But both-passagds yield .their’ intende.d meaning only when considered word,, four word, in,their context, and acco~diiag to the social and intelc ’l~tual bfickground o~ the-writer, "There was no room for them in the "inn," says Saint Luke. If.we merely catch at-striking phrases, we migbt 369 Ret~etu for Reltgtotts cori~lude" thatoMary. ~.was turned away from the co~afoi~t~ble - warm m6ms 03 a’ hotel to~th~ di’scomforts of a bleak ~ave:- B~U,t it is more than likely that the"’inn" was .the rude_’~t of "’~ outdoor shelter.~ where the animals, were corralled in the" center and the tra(,eler~~ bi;couacked on the fringe--alto- ~gether no fit. place for a birth. Even less appropriat~-hospi:.: tality would be that of a private home, crowded 9¢ith family and .guests all sleeping in a singl~e room. The bir.th in a warm animal-shelter on the. hillside was a tbken~ oLpov’-" ¯ erty, ~erhap~, but not of rejection; rathe~ of modesty ~d~ the desire for seclusion. Again~ the meaning of Saint 3ohn’s Prologue is’not derived from reading anything int~o the t’ext. We can inves-tiga. te scientifi-cally just what the.ex, press~on, "the ~Word," meant ir~ the circle-in ~which John was living When applied itas a personal flame to the Son bf God. From that inV~.~tigition, and from the. present context, ffith0ut an.v~ wishful thinking or emotional bias, we derive logicall~y thd td.a~hing on ttie Generation of the Son which the Church:~o! defends so .tenaciou,siy, and proposes so appealingly in ~his third Christmas Mass. From the concluding phrases on the Word made Flesh, with an equal rigor of logic, we ge.t-our knowledge of the Incarnation and all its corollaries to the Person of Christ. Traditionalism. Not Canonized :~ -The Epistles’ of Christmas, too, are doctfinal:~ not s.oberly, but in. an exalted strain.. The emphatic positiofi-of the first word, Apparuit, An each of the first tWO Epistles is.a’littlepoem !n itself. With the Christmas carols ringing ~m oui ears, we ~ nd to translate Apparuit as "’He has ¯ appearea. Weread on to find that it-is "the grace 6f God’’~ which has appeared: b~ut,the slight readapta, tion blerids" ~ar"-~ moniously with our though~t. " 370 N~vember, 1944 SCRIPTURE IIq~’THE CHRISTMAS LITURGY I. ~, -It-.may be opport,une to mention here the~ contrast between the. fragments from Saint paul in the. fir_st two Epistles. and’the exordium .of the Ep’istle to the Hebrews in the third Mass. Here we have a quick striking_summary 6f the, differences in style a~d manner which lead many critics to ca!l the Epistle to the’Hebrews, the work of another ~writer than Paul, at least in part. This is a perfectly safe .a~nd orthodox opiniori to maintain. No argument from the authority of the ChUrch can be drawn from the title in the Missal, "A read!ng from the. Epistle of Blessed Pai~L"tbe Apostle _to’ the Hebrews." The’liturgy merely uses Scrip-ture; it-does not pronounce upon it_critica!ly. We now turn to the chants, the devotional passages from S~ripture. Even these are sometimes used in the lit2. e~al int~en’tion¯ of their context. For example, r the first Introit expresses in the exact terms intended’by the Psalni-ist the. mystery of the eteriial birth, in the. bosom of the Father. And the third Introit, taken eqdally, literally, .gives" us Isaias’s foreknowledge of the coming of the Prince of Pea~e as a babe upon this ear(h. Such literal quotations ~re perhaps to be expected in the present case. The mystery of Christmas is after all the subject of the New Testament, and ultimate.ly of ~he Old T~estament as’well. Yet even here the liturgical .compiler has adapted phrases from other contexts to the present .mystery: and the Church has approved theseadaptations as satisfying popular devotion. D~vout Accommodation Permitted For example, th~ Laetentur Caeti offertory which.has abpeepnr osop rbirailtleialyn‘tl yd eexspcrreisbsiendg i nth me uesnict,h ios ntaekmene nfrto omf ;tah Pes Aalrmk of the Covenant in the new Terhple built by the Jews after their release from the Babylonian Captivity. Sin~e the 371 ~R~B~RT~G.~ NOKTH -~ ¯ "~ Review for Religio~u~- :Ark of the Co’tenant occupied a p?sition of.rn~diation ~ between God and man in the Old Tdstam’ent siniilar td ~th~t-of Christ inthe New, we might con~eiv~ibly say that the Ark was a type of.°Christ. In that supposition, whatever~ is spoken of the Ark as type may~ be applied to Christ fulfilment." This would giv~ us a t(/pical sense, of Scrip-. ture here, which is better than accommodation: it is a true and proper sense, .based ultimately~on the literal However;~ w~ should not follow private~judgment or isolated readings °of the Father~ in deciding What.Old Testament events truly types" of the New. We niust be guided by the uni-: ..versa1 and tong-standing teaching of the Church. - Even with no semblance of the type~antitype relation, vdrses may_ be extended from one context to another, i’n~ ’moderation, "for the sake of devotion, and where there~ is some basis for the extension. The verse, "Blessed is he who-cometh in the name of the Lord" (second Gradual),’if looked at in its context, would seem to have less reference tO the Christmas mystery_. than to-that of Easter:: since the-Psalm includes several verses a~plied by the Church to the events of Palm Sunday, ;Goodfiriday,_and Easter Day. But taken by~i~self, just o as’the words stand, the v~rse expresses.an appropriate senti-ment for Christmas morn. .Similarly the Psalm containing the ~¢ords, "Behold,° t.hy King cometh, the Holy One and the Savior of the. World" ~iecond Communibn), dontinues, "~He is pogr and. riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." The applicability, in the present instance obviously depends ,upon prescinding from the immediate context. St’ill, in applying the text to the birth 0f Chris~- the Church" is merely extending; ’ not distorting, its Original significance.~ ¯ - The" two verses, "The Lord hath ma~de known his sal~. vation" (~third Gradual), and "Allthe ends of the earth 372 N6vember/ I ~ 4 4~ ~:’ SCRI P’I~J~tE iN" THE CHRISTMA~ LITURGY .ha~e seeri2t~e salVation of our God’: (third C0mmuni6n) ,’~ refdr literally to the coming of C.,hrigt as King in power and majesty to judge~t.he world.. In an extended-sense, that coming is ~onceived as begun already With the ~birth in,, Bethlehem. Some Accommodations Inadvisable. In all these cases the liturgy prudently "extends" the -literal. meaning to fit the present ~Feast.- A ~lear under- -~ stariding of the literal and primary ~eaning in question, far from destroying the intended connotation, -dill lend/ ~ ",d~pth and richness ,to our ’realization of the Christmas . spirit.. Such accommodation Pius XII approves in his encyclical and recommends to the prudent imitation of piea~hers and writers But,~f we would understand,, rightly the mind Of Church with regard to’ the liturgical Scriptures, we must ~go on to point out that the~d is ariother form of accommo-datioff Which the Pontiff d!sapprov.es. This consists in mere verbal alluiion,or seizing upon a word orphrase .. reminiscent of the day’s-mystery-though utterly uncork-. ¯ nected with it in-the original text. ~ "Fhere is a temptation for°those who relish this type of ~ allusion to point to0 the. liturgy as justifying it. It might perhaps be admitted that iri one or other instance the litur-gical~ adaptation seems extravagant. But this willgeneral,ly, be traceable tosome error of translation in the present Latin Vulgate. We must consider the fact that certain of these errors seem to embody a doctrinaland dogmatic context : quite foreign to the inspired Hebrew text. ,An example is the, Gradual, Tecum principium, of~ the first Christmas Mass: ROBER,T G. NORTI~I Origina! ln~pi’red Text Thy people shall come will- °in~ly on the. day bf thy muster; unto thee on the sadred hills (?) cbmes the freshness of thyyoung m~nhood from the womb of morning. ~ -R~vieu~,for Religious ¯ Vr~lga’re With’ ,thee is princely powe,r in the day of thy strength; in the splendor of holiness I begot thee from the womb before the day-star. _ There is: ob~riously question of a idng collecting an army for some crushde, as the prese.ding verse suggests: ."The Lord shall send the’rod of thy strength out of Sion; rule thou in’the midst of thy enemies:" The Vulgate, on¯ the other hand, seems’to prove the etern~l generation of the Diirifie Son, find evidently .as such it was-inserted in tl4e .Christmas Mass. By’her, generous and insistent approbation of the Vul. gat,e text ~he Church at all times-meant tO proclaim only. that it wgs in general conformed to the original and in. no i~articulai c6ntained doctrine contrary to faith and morals. She doe.s not claim that the Vulgate is without errors exther Of translation or of fact: still less that it is inspired. The same attitude applies to her liturgical u~e of Scrip,, ture. She authorizes this’as t:ostering devotion: no more..- Much. of the liturgy Was composed’by devout men .at a time .when correct iiiformation was less widely diffused, and" de,i, otion coul’d afford to be~ less critical in p~oportion as it ~as less besieged by critical attacks.. The Church acts with-perfect consistency in proposing for our own day a norm-somewhat mor,e strlngentthan .she applied in the past.; Hence it is no disparagement of her. authority ~toosay Of a certain liturgicaltext, after due,_ studFand with becoming respectfulness: "This is simply .a misinterpretation," -"This is simply amistake." A Practical Attitude . Apart from si~ch difficult contexts, it will be found that 374 " ". -the liturgy in general. on’f6rms~ admiraNy to’this safe~.rule .... ’~ .~h~c-h might be~drawn from:the~ Christmas Masses: Scrip_-- ture-accommodation-mast be dignified, simple~ and appro-pilate; never gaudy, far:fetched, or, ludicrous; itmust-. o~- -un.obtfusi~ely foster devotion, rather, than call attentiont0 "~- itself by reason of a clever or showy ,play on. words;~" . and it must have at least some ~recognizable conne_ction v~’ith ~ "the brigifial context. If this rule is followed, there,is~no~ need to fear that our veneration for the liturgy ~xght lead ~’° Us’astray in our attitude toward Sacred-S~rip.ture. .o. Aft~er one has considered the th-ree principal senses’of. ,sc~ripture, the literal, the t~Ipicat, and the accommodated, , a~ exemplified in the Christmas Masses, tog~ether with cer- ¯ ~ rain norms for their interpretatiofi, similar reflectmns might, ~ 2. ~ be.made,on the Scripturalpassages used ifi oth~er-.seasons of .- .~"~he liturgy.- - " -- A di~culty i~ at once app~irent. During.~he celebration .’ oof’Mass itself, . the exact following of the liturgy demands . rapid, reading which would scarcely allow sufficient time for; ponderingthe-more significan~ Scriptural passages. Admit, ~’te,dly this move-for-move~ contact with the priest at" tl’ie : altar is most praiseworthy. Even so, to avoid the morlotony of routine where" the Mass is.said inaudibly,~areligious might"p’rofitably attend .Mass ~ometimes by meditati~’ely.~ ~ ,reading only the Prbper of the d~y, lingering as St..!, gna_tiu.~ . : o/unsels on "those parts where special devotion or°~rofit is found. "", Again, during the prepa~.ation of meditation When that is nor rea~d aloud in common, or at some other time ~uring. °the evening, it might be possible~to go over tl~e next morn-ing’s Mass, consulting a Biblical commdntary w, hen~ neces-sa~ ry to make sure of itsmeaning. ~ ~ I.fi any case, it is sufficient and most important to cul2 tivate a basic attitude, a s~nsible and modern Catholi~ atti- 376~ -, ROBERT d. NORTH - tude., toward Scriptural passages~ ~vh-erever ehcoufitered, This will.consist~ in emphasizing’~he literal sense,-consid-ering the context and. the temperament of the particular author, andprudently withholding judgn~en~ when cofis.cious of insufficient data or undu.!y/attracted by the fascination of merely verbal re.semblance or allusidn. -The greatest compliment we can pay an author is seek the message he himself in.tended, in whatever" contex~ his.words b~ presented. God’s authorihip of,the scri15tures extends also to every liturgical text,-and-it is on.HiS intended me.aninig that-our devotion must primarily; be based."~ BOOKLET NOTICES ¯ ° Our ~rei~hbo~e the Chinese/by F. D. David (a Maryknoll Sister). -A class~oom, text on China. prepared with full attention to Catholic requirements.,. Can be used for a Social Studies cot~rse in junior high. senior high. of college; al~6 for iupple- ~mentary reading in a Social Studies or Religion course; also for study clubs. 92 pages; 35 cents a copy; 25% school diicount. Distributed by: The Mar~rknoll Book~sh~e!f. Maryknoll P.O.. N. Y ..... De~tions to our Lord desus Cbrist Crucified A[32-page pamphlet of indul- - genc~’d devotions¯ No price given. Order from ~ CathOlic bookstore or ~rom’: ¯’,’Prosvita-Enlightenment." 611 Sinclair ,St.. McKeesport. Pa. .. The Role df Jesus in the Teacher-Trai’ning Program of 8t.~dohn Baf~tist de La, 8alle, by Brothei~ Denis. F.S.C. The purpose of thik booklet is to show fiom extant writings"what role St. John Baptist de La Salle aisigned to Christ in the te~a~h~er-t,.r.aining program which he devised for the Brothers of the Christian Schools. A valuable and inspiringbooklet for any teacher. 50 pages. Will be sent free C~fo chafgg.to any one interested: Write to: Brother Director. La Salle Bureau. 122 West, 77th St.. New York 24. N. Y. " "" "Plenar~l l.ndulgenced Praf/ers. 48 pages: 15 cents’.a copy. Published b~;: Cate-chetical Guild. 128 E. Tenth St., St. Paul 1, Minn. ’ .. I~ I Be Lifted Up, by the Reverend Paul Bussard:,~ A booklet on the Mais. edited for use’in sch6ols and discfission groups. 64 pages;~ 15 cents a copy. .Pub- _’~lished b)?: Catechetical Guild, address as above¯ Spiritual First Aid, by R. Southard. S.J. A leaflet on perfect, contrition. 2 cents a c.opy. Published by: Catechetical Guild¯ Address .as above. i~i Anda~ Pearl of the So~rh S’~as, by~ Mother M. Dominicao M.$.C.- /~ trtie s~ory of .the daily life of the people in the Marshall Islands. The stoiy~pri’ncipally ¯ cbncerns the sacrifices of ,a convert¯~ 80 pages: 40 cents a.copyi Published _b~: Missionary Sisters~ of the’ Most Sacred Heart of’Jeius. Bernharts_ (Reading). Pa. (Continued on p. 390) ~.- ." -,~ he" bony Christ:?’ John ]E. C6og~n’, S.J. ~ : ~’LQWLY but sure, ly the American Negro apostolate is ~~ ai~proaching the focus of Catholic attention. Five "years ago Plus XII expressed his "special paterhal. affection" for our colored, and invoked "an abundance of --.heavenly-blessings" upon religious and educational .effortk ~ih. their behalf. Since th~n, echoing ..this interest, the " American hierarchy, through the administrative board’.of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, has repeatedly ,~hrown~ its: influence .behind the efforts of "our colored fe!- ,~ .~ow-c~ zens. in ~their fight for social justice, adding, ’.’~U ,.fully, appreciate ~heir many native gifts~ and aptitffdes" ~: which,: ennobled and enriched by a-true Christian life, wi!l make them a powerful influence in the establishment of - Christian social order." With such encouragement an~ welcome our Negro Catholics should now increase: " Catholics of e~ery race ~and color must feel it intolerable, that iheir Ohurch should h~ve the allegiance of but one in fifty of th~ "~Am6iican Negro millions. The traditional de’and of the~ , Church that each racial group be encouraged to contribute its bes~ to the ranks of ~ native lerg~’gives some promise’of bearing fruit. At present there are but ejghte~n’Negr0 .priests in tfiis country, little more than one for each milliofi ,[of ~heir:racial fellows: but there are almost a hundred-suCh seminarians in the United States on their way to. the altar. May it soon be possible for us to disprdve]the’bitter charg~ ,~’ ’~,that~"’It is.easier fora colored"~oung man to become,g priest i~ Uganda th~n it is in the United St~te~." "- ~ One’reason for hope~n the N~gro apdstolateis the lack~ ’" ~f traditional antipathy.on the pa~t of, the "colored for the ~ Re~iem~for Religious Church. l~ace leadi~rs f~r tl’ie rhos~ part realize that,~in~pite "Of tiae failure of"individual Catholici, the debt of the Negro to the Church is great b6th ~$bsolu.tely and relativdy, ~Wherever their paths have-joined, r the Church herself .has b~en ~found a loving, self-sacrifici_ng guard and guid~. While this is .true. of conditions in Africa itself, the Americaia - Negro.leader is now bette~ acquainted with the fact that it~ has alsobeen the case in the New W6rld. Historians-of,: both Americas have not been slow to conc~d~ ~he zeal of th~ Church-herself. for the Negro during .the entir~ period of ~ slavery and after. Of the historians who tell that story in,- ’most detail and with greatest appreciation, the emin’ent~ non-Catholic Negro, Dr. Carter Woodson, is outstanding. ’~ When in his many volumes Dr.’.Woodson .has occasion to, speak of th~ Cathblic Church it is with respect and grati-tude; and sincehis works ~ire widely read by the leaders of o: his race, the-iinpression he has created is most happy.- The story he has taught his people’begins with~South," America and his dedlaration that "Being’ mainly.Catho_lics; the Latins had~m~re compassion for ~th~ lowly and treated the Negro slaves more sympathetically than did the Prot-~ estant pioneers that settled in what is now known ~as "the United States.." He explains that the Latin missionaries~ were so much moie kindly disp0se~t towards Negroes than~.~i. ~were the Protestant English that the latter feaied the Nd- " groes would make common cause with the Latins in case of W9.r. Slavery, he says, tended to b~come milder in .Latin .Americ~ with the passage of tim’e, while in the Unii:ed Stales it be~a~e more severe. While our slave stat~s made laws to preveht Negroes from leaining or being taugh.t~:, ~lSafins were much more liberal inthe matter of secular edu~ .c~ation arid more zealous for religious instructibn. Almost ~all plantations in’Latin America had chapels and priests to " .minister to all: "Negroes both .bond~ and free were thor- 1~overnber_,~I9.44 : . _~ ROOM FOR THE EBONY~ CHRIST? ’ 9ughiy instructed just as.any other element~.of the colonial :. po13ulati~n~-. They had ~heir ov~nreligibus societies under the.direction of-’leaders of .tl~eir race, and they participated both actiyely arid passively in the, work of the Church." " CiSntrasting the interest shown the slaves by the Cath-olic a~d the Protestant- clergy, Dr. Worlds.on says the moie Secure position of the priest enabled him to stand forth in ~’:,~0pposition to o~pression;.while, on .the other-hand, in _ Protestant America "it was very seldom that the clergy, on siave territory had sufficient courage to object to cruel treat- ~- ~ent of slaves. The Catholic °clergy of Latin America ,. tended to treat the slave as a brother of the white communi-. cant, with God as the Fatherof all: and t.hisprinciple was not only referred to occasiorially ifi s~erm0ns,-but Jrtended to become, a working principle wherever the Catholic ’reli- -gion had full sway." And the historia~n strikirigly a~lds: ".While the Protestant slave:h01ders in the United States "-were writing arid rewriting argument~ to prove that the Negroes were brutes and, ther~f0re, should_be enslaved as beasts Of ~burden, the Catholics were accepting the Negroes ~as brethren and treating them as men." After freedom, Latin :Americans g.ave .the colored the rights and privilege£possessed by the whites arngng whom ~~ they lived: _"This element of the Negro populatio~n held p’ublic offices, served as cl~rgymen’of both rac~s’, and eveia held b~shopr~cs in the Catholic Church"; whereas in Prot-estant America, "In freedom the Negroes hive e,ncoi~ntered every sort 0f race prejudice and discrimination and hax;e found the door of opportunity dosed in their faces.’~’ Dr.~ Wobdson calls "Protestant and Teutonic" the spirit that~ i.n North America hampered the development £f ~he ’ex-slave: He ".was to be a slave turned loose to make l~s" °-- .own li;¢ing r~her than to solve the~pro.bl~m~by permanent ~attachmerit.to a master." 379 Reo~eto for Rehg~otts - B.ut (O the North American Catholic als0,not~ mereiy to t_hg~L~tin, this able.Negro historian teaches his people they are indebted. Regarding the former b6th befbre°and?after- ~theoAmeri~an Rev61ution, he sa.ys, "Where~c~er they had the -ppp0rtunity to give slaVes religious instruction, they gen-" ~erally __taught the unfortunates everything, that would broaden their horizon-and help them ~o 0nderst~nd life. The abolitionists and Protestant ~hurches’were also in the t~eld, but the work of the early fathers, in these cities was more effective,’.’ Maryland, as a special center ofCatholic.lif.e,;he makes noteworthy: "The Catholics admitted th~ colored_- people to their churche..s on equal footing with others, when __ "the~y Were.driven to the ga~lleries~ of the Protestant churches-. ¯ Furthermore, they continued to admit them-to thdir paro-- -ichial .schools. The Sisters of~ Georgetown trained colored gi~rls; an’d:the parochial! school of the. Aloysius ChurCh at one~ time had as many as two-hundred and fifty pupils of color. Many of the firstcolored teachers of the District of Colum-~ bia obtained their education in these scfiools." Dr. Wood~.. son has taughthis people too that wh~’n the other churches adopted the policy of mere verbal training,’with no" reading _ o-r ~riting,~ the Quakers and Catholics adhered to their idea"~ that the Negroes should be edu~:ated to a thorough grasp of the meaning pf the Christian re_ligion; it was; he claims, the zeal of Catholics for ’the Conversion of the Negro that aroused the Puritans to imitation. These latter, "like the Angli~ca.ns, felt sufficidnt compunction Of conscience to take s~eps-to Christianize the slaves, lest the Catholics, whom/ _t~_ey had derided as undesirable churchmen, should put~_o Protestants to shame.". To win the b~t~er disposed leaders-of the colored group -Zand through them their foll~wers--to our Chu~cl~; need but-show them that our spirit of Christian charity is at -one wit_h tl~atof their Catholic champions. We need ~btit~ "Is there aught besides presumption That enables man tb say Of, the works of l’iis Creator Whichis greater, Night orDay?" Although only that Catholic interracial kindliness found in an earlier day and in Latin America---even today is needed to bring the Negroes to the Faith, many c~f their leaders feel that somehow we Cathglics have ch-~nged ; they frankly doubt their whole-hearted welcome to fiall fellow- " ~ship inthe faith. Acct~stomed to little more than toler-ationin a countrs Whose dominant- racial attitude is tha~ of Teutonic Prbtestantism, th~se Negro 1callers’do not,see that vce Catholics are today so very different. They do not see thattoday in AmeriCa the Catholic Church is color-blind. The American Negro does not see that Catholic~ in Amerida are---, no matter what their race--all "one in Christ 3~s~us Our Lord.": - It would of course be miraculous if, in a country so .,raciaily prejudiced as is ours, the Catholic minority did not to some extent become infected. And yet such bigotry amon~g children of the true Church can only be tragic and threaten loss of souls. As a fine colored Catholic girl has said, ’iHo,w many colored convertsI have known whofell away¯ when they cam~ to feel themselves step-child.rend-of Mother~ Church!’.’ Many Catholics in a position _to influ-, ence Negroes towards conversion" hesitate.for fear that,. repel.led by bigotry within the fold, the converts’ "last end may be .worse than the first." Nooember, 1944 ~ ROOM FOR TH~ EB6N~ CHRIST~ show ~he~ that’all races are really one"in brotherHood’since God iStheir common Father; We riced bfit~et them se~ that ,brotherhood in Chris~. common membership in His mystical’ - .god~, is not a mere matter of Words; that a man’s worth determined by his virtue, not by the color of his skin. Eor, ~s ~he colored Catholic poet;.Theresa Caver, asks: 381 If the Negro is to-become. Ca.tholic he must be m’ade- to. see that, as ir~ Latin "America and in oi~ro’wn land in fofrfier. ~’days, Mo~her Church is still no. mere white man’s Churc.h. The American~ Negro must riot :be "’jim-crowed" in’his approagh to Christ: Pulpit and pew. alike must labor to bridge the chasm that surely seems to divide the children of acommoii Father b~fore the altar of God: If our C~itiaoli~~- institutions are riot to be unworthy of the Cross they bear, they mu~t add to their present too dove-like prudence mb~e ~of the wisdom of the serpent, to find ways and means of administerif~g without discrimination to our religious breth-~, ren no matter what their color. This means that tO be truly Catholic--wbrld-wide--our hospitals must heal the wounds of whatever race, our orphanages must cease pro-claiming that no colored need.apply, our parishes, must gladly admit to fulloparish rights all Christ’s brethren living ~ -within those pa~ish limits. ArdCatholic schools must scorn sendin.g Catholic colordd children from their halls to the halls of Horace Mann. Catholics who practice such destruc.tiVe racial discrim-ination 6ften deceive themselves that they are only acting with proper discretion~ They tell you th~it Negroes are immoral; as though this where found were not a con:. quence quite commonly of white exploitation: laws invali-dating, slave marriages, custom’leaving tO the master the mbral code of the slave,-economic conditioris forcing the,’~ Neg;’o to a level Of living less than human, education skimped or..totall~; neglected ~or made largely meaningless because leading nowhere, religion largely ignorant and ~emo- -°tional because no better was offered. Moreover, in this mat-ter of morals we white have often too little .to boast of,. -though with less excuse. - That the Negro, given, a chance,- rises to m6ral excellence," priests experienced in that apos-tolate are emphatic to assert. - Alrdady at least twenty-five . o November, 1944 ". ROOM FOR" THE ’EBOI~:Y CHI~IST? ..N~’roes-have been raised to the honors of the altar.. . " By some Catholics the Negro is.reftised- rel.igious broth-- erhood because "unclean," this largely on hearsay e~iidence a"nd without allowance for his forced ignorance arid pov-erty. "We white CathOlics might here savingly tern_ember that it has not been ve.ry long sincethe same charge of uncleanness was being leveled at many of our immigrant and pre’-immigrant elders by nasty-nice.critiCs sneeringat men ~-,with dirt tahne db r o g "u e . "Of cours~ we know their dirt ,was honest, dirt; our ancestors preferred to suffer in their bodies rather tha~n to betray their.land a~d faith." M’ay. we be as understanding in our explanation of Negro deft-ciencies!" Some amo~ng us may.justify segregating the Negro,from.- full religious °f,ellowship because of hisalleged innate mental ~inferio~rity. Such a contenti6n is purely gratuitous, for--as, " the American An.thropological Association, two-hundred -and. eighty strong, una,nimously declared six y~ars agog-o "Anthropology proyides nb scientific basis for discrimina-tion against any people on the grounds o~ racial inferiority:" ~And oi~r National Resources Committe also in 19 3 8 affirmed all claims of racial inferiority unproven. . When all.0ther reasons-for even religious racial segrega-don have been. destroyed, we are sure to bel asked, ".~Ye~, but would you want your sister to marry a Negro?" answer is frankly, No. Not because racial, crossings are bio-logically bad; they aren’t, as witness "foi example hybrid corn. Neither is our opposition to racial mixing bhsed on .the laws’ of the Catholic Church; in Latin Amelica sfich marriages are legion..The’sufficient argument against in.ter-racial marriages in America is that public opinion Negro no less than white-~-will likely make it tragic for all-cc~n-cerned. However, association much more frequent°and intimate than that consequent upon common use of religious 383, JOHN 1~. CO~I " ~ " . p~ivileges very sddom results’in.interfa¢i~l ~arria~. Hence the t~emendous and.even conclusive importance pla¢~d in’his fear of :inter-marriage is commonly looked hpon by ~he in.formed as a sign of ignorance:of race matters.. The-fear sur£1y no sufficient reason’for humiliating, scandalizing dis-thin, nations among Christ’s brethren in the Church of-~ Christ. And are there not’, by the way, many white men~ whom we should.no, Want married into our familiesL - _. Our Holy Father and the American hierarchy are, we Y~p4at, truly interested in makifig of the Negroes bFo~hers ~n the Faith. And’Ame;ican Negroes; conscious of their debt to Mother Church in other lands and in better-d~ys~are inclined to seek th~ Cross-crowned ChurcK But it rests,~ith the-masses of so’called white Catholics (among w~om religious have influence) whether these colored will~com4 to -~~feel such welcome as~will bringthem streaming to our doors. OUR CONTRIBUTORS CLEMENT J.. MCNASPY is especially interested in Biblical studies and is a con-tributoi to the Carbolic Biblical Quarterly. ROBERT G. NORTH is the ~uthor of the recently published life of Father 3ohn Roothan. The General Who R~builr the desuits. 3OHN E. COOGAN, of the University of Detroit~ is-a constructive advo-cate" for various aspects of social reform. ALB,~N J. DACHAUER has long_ been a’n ardent promoter of the devotion-to the Sacred Heart,. particularly throug~ the "Apostleship’ of Piayer. EDWARD ,I. MCNALLY. now engagec~,in graduate studies-af,~ St. Louis University, is’ vitally interested in the science O~ asceticS’sin. JAMES E. RISK ii Professor of Canon Law at Weston. College,Weston. Massachusetts. 384 - -A i.-iandrod Years +t: A ost:olic[ Praye+ ¯’Alban J.Dachauer,+ SiJ. ~"ATHER Fr3ncis X. Gautrelet, S.J., spirifilal directo -.1~-+ of several score of young re!igious,, was f~ced for,the ;+ ’ first time byan old problem.. ’He was to gi.ve.the com- °.rnunity instruction to "the yofing men~+ in his car~, +and he -~ wanted to make it~as-13ractical+ as possible. ~ Hi~ kn~wtheir great zeal and generosity, and, ho~ anx-ious, they were [o ~et down to the acttial work o~ their" calling: preaching, hearing confessions, teacl~inl~. But in ++ this secluded country town of southern France, these men ,, were still"f, aced with the prospect of years of hard study. .,~ Cgrefully he examined,,the elements oftheir life "as it _ was: much,, prayer, much.study, some+re¯creation, with~now: and-then a slight taste of work with souls in teachi;ag cate~ chism-in nearby ~ch0Ols. Undisttirbed recollection," ha~d work and (in such a large,, community) unlimited o.ppo~ ¯ -tunity forstir-mastery and self-disciplinehere were the elements that make.for sanctity. If only he could find a driving motive that would somehow, intimately connect+- - their present status with the worl~ of the ministry which _ theyso desired! "+ It was December 3, 1844, the-Feast of his own’patrofi, ’Francis Xavier. Perhaps it, was the Apostle of the I;adies ~-. ~whginspired himand gave him the solution to his problem, a.. solution °that has been an answer to the ~ame problem for" ~, countless spiritual directors of rdigious ever.sinc~e and that’ .haS~been productive of Untold good for a" hundred years. Father Gautrelet told hi~ listdners that they cofild, if +they wishedfmake their life of prayer anal stud~r (even-in. ~Review for Religious °~ th’e seclusion of Vals)" ~just as fruitful an apostolate as-thav dr:any actual worker in a large city like Paris, or in the mis-sions ot~-the Indies or the Americas¯ Prayer itsdf _.i[ an .apostlesh, ip. If thi~y.would offer ~all their work hnd stud,t "- for the good of souls, milking their whole day and every-thing they did a prayerin union with the heart of Christ: o they would amass a treasury i~rom which each could draw for his own intentions¯ - His simple words struck fire. .Within a few days a list of intentions’w.as drawn up, containing the great-needs ~of th~ Church throughout the universe¯ These-were recom-mended to the prayers of all, as.both an objective and an ~inc~ntive. -It" was really a sort of "Co-op" or "Credit .Union" of prayer., Among the-students at the scholasticate of Vals young.’ men from France itself were in a minority. It was less a~f international h0.use, with numerous ~epresentativei from Spain,. Italy, England,. Ireland, and Germany. These men ~nthusiastically .wrote to their home provinces about this new aj~ostleship. This was the beginning of its rapist spread thr6ugh-the whole of Eurbpe. " " - " Closer to home, the catechists among the seminarians ~’soon°learned how easily the ~di~a could .be adapted to ordi-nar. y lay people living in the world. To help ’spread it even further, Father Gautrelet published his little ~ book. -The Apostlesbip o1: Prager~ in 1846. There we.r~ad of the three elements that constitute the Apostles,hip: prayer, ? prayer, in common, and in unior~ with Jesus Christ; zehl i9.spire the igrayers themselqes, and to transmutg _eyeryday°, actions and trials.intoprayers; and lastly union and an ~dxchange of benefits, a mutual ~ understanding of the .pressing needs,of the Church and of the interests of Christ : ~ in the world. :’ The Apostleship grew ral~idl’y and spread all over the ~ Nou~ernb~r, 19o4"I A i~itmDRl~D’ Y~I, RS O1~ APOSTOLIC PRAYER world in the course of a few years. By 18g I 1=a~her G~au: ~ trelet realized that its direction was beyond his capacity; ~He therefore~ enlisted the recognized talents of Father ¯ Henry Rami~re, S.J:,- who had been among those pres.ent at the inaugu~ati0n of~the Apostleship in the sch01astic~te Vals. -- Father Rami~re had a.~great reputa.tion as an eloquent ._orator and retreat master all over Europe. Destined at first f~r~ missionary work in the southern part 0f .the United States, his ~uperiors sent him to the famous college-at. Stonyhurst ifi-England. Plans were changed,, however, ~nd he was retained at Stonyhuist fo~ four years as teacher; and .later for twenty years atoVals. A more zealous or talented man could.hardly have be~n ~found for the work Father Gautrelet.gave him. His.first step iii the organization of tl~e Ap0stleship was to clari~ and summarize the sound theological principles .on "which it was founded. -This he did sys.tematically in his,book,’ The ~Apostleship of Prayer, in League .with the Sacred Heart. : It is interesting to note that froin this date the associa- °tion was known by either title, or by both: "The Apbstle, "ship of Prayer," and-the "League of the Sacred Heart." Father .Rami~re added nothing to the elements of the ,. Aposfl~ship by lengthening the title, except to make still" more dear ~vhat~ its aims had been from the beginning.’The book went through five editions in~ .little more than twic~e~ that many years. Td further systematize and order the workings.of the League, Father Rami~re decided on .the publication of a periodical, which he called The Messenger of the Sacred Heaet. The first issue appeared in June, 1861: Fiv~ years laidr the first American edition, was edited by Father Bene-didt SestinL S.J. Father Rami~re lived to see his~ work 387 oALBAN J, DACHAUER -..~ R~eoieto for Religious spread far aiidr wide, with twenty "Messengers"-app.ea.ririg in-a dozen different languages. " We al;o owe. to this zealous Fa(her-Rami~re itie conse-cration of the whole Church to the Sacred Heart: Appointed official~ theologian .of the Bishop of Beauvais at the Vatican Council in 1869, he ~ec..ured thd’ signatures of twd"hundred and seventy-two Fathers of the Council for the petition for’ the world-wide consecration. On April 22, 1875, Pope - Pius IX granted a Plenary Indulgence to-all .who partici-pated in the Act ofConsecration, and gave to Father Ra-mitre the responsibility.~of~ announfing :this fact to all the bishops oi: the world through the directors of the Apostle-- ship of Prayer. The consecration itself’took place,on ~Jun~ 16 th of that s~me ylear. Besides these-two great men--Father Gautrelet~ they founder, and Father Rami~rg, the organizer, of the League of the Sacred Heart--we must also make mention of Father Victor De~ron, S.-J. He it was who instituted the practice . of the Communion of Reparation, which.has lo~n~ been identified with the Third Degree of the League. ¯ From the relatively fewr members with which this Association started in the little town of Vals a-hundred years ago, and by the efforts of their brethren all over the "world, it has grown to an 9rganiz~tion of thirty million. Catholics enrolled in ~one hundred thousand-local centers: No small measure of this growth .is due to religious, Broth-ers and Sisters, especially those who teach in .grammar° ~"~chools. The ~ood ~effected. by. their magnificent work ,ir~ "~, spreading and maintaining interest in the League is all but incalcuhible. -The note of unton, of many hearts praying, as one for : the same intention, is characteristic of the Lea.gtie. The °~custom of asking the Holy Father to bless and confirm the Monthly Intentions of the Lehgue was begun. 388 Nooiraber, 1944 . .~.~. HUNdReD .YiARS Op]tPOSTOLIC PRAYEI of" P6Pe Leo XIH.~ From~ the~very- b~ginning; the pope~ have ;always been remarkably-’generous in their blessings ~ and recommendations of the Leag~ue. PoRe Be_nedict XV spoke very highly of it in his circular_letier 0n" the "Mis-sion~, Maximum Illud: "If there is one intention for which -our prayers ’will~ surely be heard, it is-that for ~the Mis-sions, an intention, very fundamental. ~ai~d plea~ing to God. To.help Christiang’do their part in this matter, the work of t~e~postleship’0f Prayer was foundi~d. " We recommend "this organization most earnestly-to all the Faithful without excepfio.n~" desiring that everyone be enOlled in it~and t.ry to cooperate, if not,physically,, at least in Sp’irit~ ii~ the Work ’of "the" Missions.’~ That, surely, is. proof of the a~ost.olic -Valud of the League. -. : -~ ’ " ) " Speaking to ~.grou13 of directors in 1925, Pius XI said; I’You-are, the voice and the apostles, Of Our intention£, Which you-recommend to the prayers .of your Assoclates] "In ihat thought ,is our hope and,peace in the midst of abundant sorrow and sadness." . .... In this ,Jubilee .year of the Apostleship, nothing could ~.be better done by. way of celebration than to renew and deepen the Original spirit of its founders and orgafiiz¢rs. How important° this is in the light .of present economic con~ ditions" and world- wide .war, cduld hardly be better ex- .pressed than by these words of Our present~ Pope,~Pius XII, in his re~ent encyclical on°the Mystical Body~of, Christ. o ~’From a father’s heart We appeal to all who from what~ ever cause are plunged into grief, .to lift their eyes-in confi-dende to heaven, and to offer their sorrows to Him who will one da~ reward them\abundantly. Let them remember that their sufferings are not in vain, but will be to their gryat~ gain and that of the Church, if for this purpose they but ~ take courage and bear them with patience. To make this intention efficacious; the daily_.use of the offering- made ,b~1 ALBAN J. D~,¢H~UER, " the members of the Ap~stleship..of’Pray~r ~will contribute~ ycry, ve.ry much; and We welcome this occasion, to recom- ~mend that Association highly, as one which is~ most, pleasing to God.~’ To see to it that the wishes of the Holy Father in this matter are carried out is the glorio~u~s privilege ~f every ¯ member and especially every promoter of ~he Apostleship of Prayer.~.If it is brought about that the suffering wrought’ "by th.e~p.,resent war is not viasted, but used,as most effica-cigusl prayer in thi~ apostolate, it will be due, in large ~easure,o to the~rdigious who teach in our schools ~and nuts3 the sick an,d the wounded in our hospitals. There ’ cgu!d be no better way of celebrating the anniversary of the Apostleship of Prayer in League.with the Sacred Heart than to ~rrk with might.and main that this. suffering be not, wasted,i, but turned to prayer and to God’s greater ° glory, through the Sacr.ed ,Heart.. Boo~le÷ Not;cos (Crntinued,from p. 376) I Looe the Beauty & Thy House, bya Missionary Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of J~sus. ~A description of a, chapel of the Missionary Sisters. with explana-’ tiono~ symbols. 39 pages: 10 cents a copy. " Publication address asabove. Under the Banner of the 8dcred Heart, by a Mi~io~ary Sister Of the Most Shc~ed Heart o~ ,Jesus. A historii:~l sketch of~the Missionary Sisters. 44 pages; I0 ~n~s a ¯ copy. .Publication address as above. Walk with Him: A paml~hlet of 36 pages; containing the ~"33 Points" of Venerable Vincent Pallotti. These points are ascetical principles drawn from the study of the Gospels:. in other words. 33 rules of Christlikeness tha~ should govern ~he life of the apostle. No price g~’ven..Fdr information write to: The Pallottine’ Fathers. 5424 West Bluemound Road. Milwaukee 13, Wisconsin. Saint" Joseph’s Nooitiate. A vocational l~ooklet published by ,thg.Sain~ Paul -Province of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet. Contains a minimum of text and a maximum of attractive pictures. For further information write to: Mistress of Novices, Saint Joseph’s Novitiate. 1890 Randolph Avenue, Saint Paul I. Min-nesota. ~ood Counsel tlub Handbook, by Fr. Howard Ralenl~otter, C:P:. Goo~l’Coun-sel Clubs exist to encourage vocations to our Sisterhoods. " The present 2_4-page . booklet is for the use of moderators who wish to ~stablish such clubs. For further. in.formation write to: Good Counsel Clubi" 5700 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago 31, Illinois, 390 The Degrees oft. Edward J. McNally, S.J. I T IS~HELPFUL for those practising mefital p.rayer to~ p6ssess a clear understanding Of the various stages through which the soul usually passes ih its progressive .u,nion with Godby prayer.- The-aim of this artidle facilitate siich an un.derstandjng. . of the soul to God in order to signify to Him our sentiments-’ and "desires. It is called mental a~. opposed to" vocal, owhen~ no fixed formula of words ~s adhered to. Either no wor~ls are used and the prayer consists mere!y of internal a(t~-~_~ concepts, judgments,’ ~esires, acts of love, and so forth--or, _if-one does use words,, they are such as he spontaneously ~chooses to express hi.~ own se~ntiments. - .~ Authors are ribt agreed in assigning ~he Various stages of mental prayer. According to De Guibert, Poulain,ahd ~ Tanquerey, the successive stages are: discursiye, affective, and contempl’ative; and ~ontemplative. prayer may. be .either a.cquir~d or infused. ,In what follows, we iatterript to ~explai~n these vari0us~stages of prayer accordin~ td-the three authd~s just mentioned. Discursive Prager " The most. elementary, fbrm of mental prayer is discur-sive praye.r, which is characterised by an internal discourse. By discourse here we mean any intellectual pondering. "As a result of sush,consideration, the will elicits various tions. , Thee object of discu~sive ’prayer may beta tiuth such as eternity, death, judgment, or a historical event such~as an ~ 391 Definition and Division of Pr. ager Pray~r~may be defined as the devout and humble lifting." " ¯~ ~ EDWARi~°J. M~NALLY - "~ ° ! Review tot Religio~ . ,: episode in our Lord’s life. T fruit of this p.r r onsi.st~’~{ ; ".in’getting a greater realization of the truths cbnsidefed; as a result of-prayer, these truths e~rt a greater influence on our conduct. Hence, although the intellectual discourse sets ~this form of pra~er apart and gives.it its name] it is not the most vi’tal.part of the prayer. The affections of the Will. ’-aie~more important,, since it is the will which must bring °’about ~h~ amelioration ~of. life that prayer should produce. The intellectual acts of meditatibn, "unlike those of study -and speculation, are performfid precisely ~s ameans to excite the will to acts of virtue.- Affective Pra~ler ~ One advances from discursive to affective prayer. -A~ ~one progresses, elaborate intellectual functioning becomes--- unnecessary, since the affectioni are ar6used by a brief inteb ¯ "lectual glimpse of the truths tha~ have become-increasingly familiar through repeated c~niiddrations.. Thus merely re-~ calling the passion and death of our Lord undergone’for dadi-one persbnally will, for-one who has frequently explbred.- this truth in discursive prayer, suffice to arouse’man~affec-, tions of gratitude, compassion, and the high purpose .o~ more generous, service. It is to be noted that the aim of .l~ra~er~n~im~ly arousing affections-~-is attained ~in higher, degree in affective prayer. ,There is a more-sustained ~ill-a’cti, ity, with little or no speculation. Of.course, th;e .intellect is ’not entirely rembved from this prayer, sincelit must present the truth to _the will. Contemplative Pra~ter .o ¯ One next arrives at contemplative prayer. Whereas in discursive prayer the intellect was engaged in progressively thinking about the truth under consideration, in contem-plation- the intellect’s act is limited to a rather simple intui- , tion." It. merely rega.rds the truth. This intellectual gaze is 392 -. " °~ooember,~. 1944 ~:’ ~ .., , 2 " THI~ DEGREES.. OF .PRAYER/ ., the~character distingidshing contempiatioff. Moreover,~ ¯ affections excited are less varied and are protracted longer ~.,. tha6n dini> r ry n fafe .cat i v e prayer. ~ ;- o Is there .a ~ype of contemplativ’e~ prayer, wl~kh we can - bring about at leasi: partially by. our’own efforts? It is importar~t to grasp the question at issue" here. Since ~all: me~ritorious prayer requires grace for its performance, we _~are2not ihquiring into our :ibility, to contemplate ,~’ithofit gr~ic~, but Whether, by utilizing the graces which are2avail, -~able. ~to all Christians, we can positively, help in building 6ur owns.ability to pra_y contemplativ~ly. The contra.ry sfippositio~n is that all contemplation, is infused and that we are restricted to-remov.igg the obstacles to such pra~ye?~ Then ~t would be given, finally as. a pure gift of God ~"-. 6ut any infallible causal ’connection with 0hr preparator~r acts. The atlthors v~e are following maintain that there °~n acquired contemplation. Father DeGuibert cites, f~r :thi~ ~ ~po~ition such le~di~ig auth6rities asoSt. Thomas Aquinai,i-~.. St. Teresa, and St. 3bhn of the Cross. Experience confirms this teaching and reason would-lead. us.to expect it, For just as in " natural sdehce and ,philosophy when one has become thoroughly, familiar with his subject, he c~an find.mental repose in contemplating the ’ ~rderliness 6f the system oftruths he hSs learned, so ih th~ ~bnsideration of the truths of faith, one. would be prone..to ,-,_~ @pect~ that a similar stage Would be reached iri due time2 The practical moment of holding this position is tl~at it~ .-founds the~convic~ion .... that contemplatige prayer, admit-.~ .tedly a most efficacious means of spiritual progress, ~s ~. wlthin, the grasp of all and will certainly l~e our~,~ provided. w~ make the necess~ary efforts. _ . >. Method in Disdursioe Prag~r ~ ’ 0f~ the forms ~of pi:a~rer thus far considered, discursive. EDWARD.:J. MCNALLY .... ~ Reoietu for Religious~ ,, prayer is the only 6ne which may properly bE said,t~ be ~ go~rerned~ by method: These methods have been worked " °out in accord wiith~sup~rnatural prudence and so do" not oppose, obht work’ alon~g with, the 0.pera.tions 6f ~race," At’ all times it is to be borne in mind that they.are intended’ as means to subserve God’s _sanctifying influence ~upon the. " soul and-are to be adhered to precisely in the degree that they are helpful to this end. Gerierally speaking, the use of ¯ method°is a real need for those beginning to pray mentally. Not infreq,u~ntly also those who have been p.raying-for., some~years are still unabie at times to make~ use of the ~. simpler forms of prayer profitably; in such cases method sh6uld be followed; ’ We find that the various methbds of prayer in use~in the Church ,possess certain common elements.. Thus, all methods-insist on ~he importance of the remote prepara-ti0n)~-, This is summed up. by Father De Grandmaison as follows. One ought always sinceiely to pu~ the thin’igs~’of’ "God in the highest placd. He shohld trust that intimate friendship with God is possible and relatively easy. should practise self-denial. It will make prayer easy if ond seeks God:in all things, practises interiorsilence~ and tries to put. on the sentiments of Christ Himself. " : 0 ~ According to.-the Ignatian methOd, .which is quite. widely practised today,, the proximate preparation iricludes ¯ a choice of material for prayer.- It shows reverence for God 15y~spending ’some time beforehand in fixing on what we .are to consider in prayer. Furthermore, "the pray~er itself is mdre deeply r~cdllected as a result,-since the entire time of °~rayer can be’ spent i~n direct relationship with God and not. ~in the extraneous business of deciding what the~prayer is to-be about. For morning prayer, if’khd preparation be made the evening before, this me’thod has the added adv.an.tageof .enlisting the sub~onsci6us activity of the preceding night ih 394 Of humility and re;terence, and a petition for grace to.rn’ake~ -. the prayer weli. The use of a composition off.place is recom- o --* mended if the subject is an event in our Lord’s life, in order ~ ihat thus the’one-praying may as it were projedt himself into the scene. Its use in subjects that are not historica!,bi~t ihvisible,, f3r example, a theological truth, is not favored ~by all.. Utility to the individual seems to be the final test~’.- ’here. ~ " .THE DEGREES’ OF~ PR)gYE~ the cause of’player. Th~ matter :chosen~-should fit the. needs and inclinatibns of~each one:" The start o~f the player .will, include an act of redalling the presence of God, an act~ An important question is" whether a definite~grace~ sl~ould .~" ~- be sought., Here a distinction is ~o ~be made between the time’of making the Spiritual Exdrcisesof St: Ignatius (for "one who.makei t.hem)and, ordinary daily’prayer. Durifig the Exercises, . the petition for the grace appropriate to each~ exercise is clearly essential, since the Exercises are a cohesix;e wtiole wherein each grace prepares for the succeeding .... ~n the other hand, in daily prayer such a specific petition is not hlways required. Yet it is well tO make it frequently in -o~der t9 have definite, sp~ritua.1 aims. The dose of the .prayer should be more directly ~concerndd with God and have some bearing on the p~esent day’s endeavor. A definite" resolution, however, may not always be needful ~ince th~ prayer is sufficiently prhctical if therd is a general up!.ifting ,of the heart:saffectibns to God or if a clearer grasp of a truth~ of fai~:h be gaine.d. The fbllowing suggestio.n~ g6v- ’~rn the" prayer itself: 1) One ’should Stay where one findsdevotton’-’ ~and as l~on~ a.~ one does so. ~ .2) Mote value is to be put on ~he affections of the heart and will than on intellectual considerations. - 3) Yet as the will’s affections spring from ~hat the mind apprehends, the intellectual acts are not .to.~ be..-, cut 395 ED~CARD" d. ~McNALL¥~ " ~ )- ’-~ Reuiew ,f6i- R~liqious "- ~ -short, prematurely:. ~4) The fUil.time’is to. be given to. pra:yer dedpite desola-. "-tibn. ~" 5) Violent efforts to seek devotion should be avoided. In itself, the e~irly morning se~ms the best-time" for-m~ iking mental prayer, sirice at that tim~ the mind is riot ~yet taken up With the responsibilitie~ of thd "day’s work. .Yet if fatigue is too noticeable then,.some other tim~ free f.rom ii~ter.ruptions, i~ preferable. -This’ latter suggestion. " applies to those for :whom th-~ time of prayer is not fixed’ by ’: rule. The posture should be the one most suitable to Obtain the fruit.desired and foi.due reverence:" ¯ - Timel~j:Trarldtions to Higher Forms o~ Pr.a~ter ¯ , .It i~-important that.~he transitions, first fr6m discursive to-affective’prayer and then from affective to contemplative :, prayer, occur at the proper times. To dela~; them.too 1,o.ng would be unnecessarily to render prayer tedious.and to fail to take advantage of the grace God intends for the soul. On ’~ the other hand, to encourage the affective or contemplative way befor~ the grace for it is offered would be an atte ~mpt" -..c.ertain to fail., Hence it is important for the director to be ¯ able to recognize the Ordinary signs of a call to’these types of .prayer. The .principal test is the one suggested b~r[ St. Teresa, that the prayer rnu.st produce its effect upon the [,whble life of ~he individuaE by making him more humble, mpr¢closely united with God, and more careful to perform-[ well the duties of his state of life. Besides thi~, there~hould be at least equal facility in" the more. advanced-prayer. In addition to these two principal"criteri_a two others will help. -, recognize a call. They are a distaste for’ discursiv~ p~aye’r. ~an~. a persistent attraction for affeCtive prayer: These. lat-’. ter t~o.signs may be called supplementary, as they are not ,always present. ~ Sqme personsad’vance early~to affectjveprayer. In such. ~-:~ casesch~e {s ~obe tak4n cha~ 5~ o~her means--for~examPle, - -~:,.6y conferences and re~ding--s~ch p~rsons’attain tothe deep unders[anding and,personal convictions of the great otruths ": ~ " of the-spiritual life and of their obligations that ordinaril~ a~e the result of discursive prayer. ~, -~ Dan~ers to Be A6oided ¯ Even after one is practising affe~tive praCer and shoul~ ~ bd practising it, certain dangers are to be watched fo~: One of these dangerd is a tendency toward too-violent excitgtion 6f affections ~hich usually occurs when one is laying stress on the sensible emotions instead of the will’s determination. be ~givefi in order that affective or "contemplative prayer be : ~ ~ ,made with the g~eatest possible fruit. Another danger is that of spiritual gluttony for "sensible. onsolations. This caff le~d to a "neglect.of the duties.of, one’s state of life ,in order noYto be deprived of anysensible consolation. There is also daniier Of presumption based on the judgment that one’must.be far ahead of others.spir-~- itually since one is enjoying great intimacy.with God. , Similarly, acquired ,conteinplation is also attended’b~r ~ certain’ spiritual darigers. For example, there may be’dejec-. tion. of mind when this contemplation; at first very swe_et,:- o he.crimes arid and tasteless.: Or one may conceive a gr~eat rep~ugnance for making any distinct act.of the mind, such. as reasomng, even though impelled thereto by grace. A~in: dne. m~iy presume to despise 16wet forms o_f. prayer. Fin~ill y, laziness an,do a superficial spiritual life may derive-from a lack of cooperation with the. graces ,of contemplative prayer. ~ Hence. speaking_p~sitive!y, the following advice might 1) Solid and fundamental~ virtues are:to be rather than subjectively, plea~ing experiences. ,2) Greater recollection should be cultivated. :[.3) The examination of.consciefi~e is" to b~ kept up and - gr3ater purity of consci¢.nc.~ sought. " ., 4) No inspirati.on .of g~race should be disobeyed. " Even for those pr.actising these more advanced forms of .,~ : prayer preparation of material is recomm~n~l~d. °This.!may ~be done more simply than formerly. Thus, the subject chosen might merel, y be a’ passage from Holy Scripture ~in, event in a saint’slife, or a certain, supernatural affection "of the will[ The Night of the Senses ¯ " -Th, e,final-pre, p~ratiofi of a soui for the gift of habitual rhysti~al" prayer is almost always the first passive nightof" >the soul, known as the nigh.t of the .senses. This is ch~iracte~- ized by a .great ari,dity. There is a simple memory’ of God ~hich persists throughou~ prayer. This is the one constant -~ttraction of the mihd and ’it endures more or less inde-~ pehde,ntl~r of the will. S0metlmes .this i"nemory has conso-la’tion in it. ’-MUch more commonds a painfu~ and persist-ent need, of a closer union with. GOd. Those who h~re already had some transient experiences w.ith consoling mysticalprayer can define wha’t they Want:,,,,it is the return of that prayer flowering in the possession of God. ~,Grace. begins to induce a distasfe for even such sensible:ple~isures as are lawful. The will is free to resist this purifying proc-e~, ss~ and One is tempted to immerse oneself in, excessive indul-~ genceoin sense experience. The proper course tO be.f6.11owed is just,the opposite. Recoll~ktion is to, be presereed, and the "senses mortified..During time of prayer one should be con-tent with the simple, thought of God; this is all. that ongcaff do withOut tooviolent efforts; 0fie should pray for quick "deliverance from this time of trial if it be’God’s will. - Distinctive Nature of MqsticalPrager Three qualifies set infused contemplation, apart f~om ¯ " 398 ’ Noi~mbec, 19~44 - T~E DI~_aREES OF PRAYeRs-. ~ill ot~er ~rayer. First,’God’s 15r~sehce till now l~nbwn dnly b~r:faith seems ~d be expdrienced. It is felt. This conscious-ness of God’s presence has beeia e.xpressed analbgously by othqse who have had it as a~fouc14 of God or a Sl:;iritual ta~sting. Only. in.,the more advanced m~stical~ prayer do the analogies~of hearing and sight.0ccur. .Secondly, this ihtui-tion is simple, not bringing any other new knowledge to soul.~ Thirdly, ttie prayer is simply received from ~od, sifice no human efforts can produce it even for a short tinge. Grades of Myst.ical Prayer " Th~e. ar~, according to the authors we are ~fol~lOwing, three principal-stages’ of ~mystical prayer:, the "prayer 6f quiet; the prayer of fhll union; and the .tra.n, sfgiming union, also known as the .mystical marriage. The pr~ayer of ..quiet may be described as mystical union.in which tlqd ~divine act.ionis not yet strong enough to exclfid~ distrac- =tio~s. -At first,-this prayer will last only for very brief intervals, say for the space of a Hail-Mary. Gradua113~ attains lofiger duration until finally it is Eossessed almost ali the"time that is spent in prayer. .. :-~In the, second stage, of mystical~ prayer, known as the prayer of full.union, the experience of God is su~cient!y ~absorbing to preclude all distractions. At first, this prayer tgo is had "only very briefly, though with profound_effedts .upon thb soul. A half an hour is considered rather 1ong..A person gifyed with .this prayer falls back to the. prayer of ~quie~ in the intervals between periods of full union. I~s_ ~rea~tiofi on the body is rfiore or less pronounced, accc~rding ~.~ to, the[temperament of the recipient. I~ can result ii~ ecstasy. Before ,being admitted to..the final stige of mys~tical’ praye[: the transforming union, the soul must be further purified: ~. This purgation is effected through~ the.’ 399 MCNALL¥ Reoieu~ for ReligiOus passive~i~h(of the soul known~fis tl~e night of the S]~irit. ’ This state is not ~without j0y~resultin~ drom the infused 5ontempla~tion of God~ But it is-chiefly characterized-by" very -. great sufferings. Understanding.God’s holiness and love in" a~nev~ way, the’ soul also perceives the enormity its own ififidelities and conceives "a torturing abhorrence, c~F- ~them. This great sorrow and destestation of its faults~ cleanses the soul from them and so fits it for more exalted union with God. There is at times agreat aridity making ~ prayer seemimpossible. Very_delightful periods of infused contdmplatjon have been experienced, arousing the soul’s desire°for more peLfect union with God; now these graces ha,vd:been Withdrawn, leaviffg the. soul without joy and acutely and painfully conscious of its g~eat .need fo p.os-sess God. ~ - - -/~ At-length th~ finai stage of mystical prayer is reached_. ~, This transformingunion or-mystical marriage has ~’th~reeT’ distinctive properties. First, it’is almost .permanent; goin~ ,on’practically all the time even amid external activity. Per~ ;~ so/as gifted With this kind of-prayer ~have been impressed witffa Rindof duality within themselves. - The h!gher fac-ulties of the soul are n~early always_ rapt in prayer, while the lower Qnes are capable of engaging in all sorts of work~;" ~I’n~ .some cases this prayer lasts even during sleep. Ecstasy is -rarer than in p@e~eding degrees[ Temptation~and interidr sufferings Occur only infrequ’ently. ~ ~ The second_ property of this _degree of prayer is an, ~xperience of the transformation or divinization of the°~ 16ul. The supernatural divine concurrencegranted to÷soUls, in~ grace becomes the object, of conscious° appreh~nsiom ~. There" is a Sp, ecial percept.ion of union with G0d~ ’an~t all a~t~bns are. consciously performed with Him and through Hiifi. ¯ Thirdl.~, so~e ~ersons gifted With this prayer have an No.tuber, 1~44~ ~ ~ ,~,~ ~THE DI~GREF~ 01~ ~YER :ilmost con--tindous vision ofthe-Blessed Trinity.-St. Teresa: ~---says that~this is always-so. But St. zJohn of the Cross does not merition it and there seem t6 have been cases-of the tr.ansform!n~ union With God as ~ne, without any co_n- ~.~ sciousness df Hiin as Three. ~,The part phyed by the Sacred Humanity of our Lord with regard to this spiritual marriage seems to be that Of !e.ading the soul to if.- The relations,hip.is between the soul ~and the Divinity. In .different recorded instances of this-union,~ the divine r~ature has ~anifested itself more ~learly as identical with the Word or with. the Holy Spirit. ~ _" AI~ very close ufiion of the will with God’s Will is ~the~ result of the transforming union. Deliberate’venial sins: are a~most completely excluded. The soul feels that’ it’ w0uld be imp6ssible to sin serio~usly. Yet there is no cer, o _~aihty that confirmation in graci is granted., St.~3ohn of theCross thinks that it is. ’ But~St. Teresa holds that a fall° is possible, since there is no absolute guaranty th;it~ God.wifl continue to hold the $o1~11 so. close to Himself until death. Books Received (From August~O to October ZO) -THE BRUCE PUI~LISHING CO., Milwaukee. A Month o~ Roses. By the Reverend P. H. Fages. O.P. $1:75. Canonical -~Procedure in Matrimonial Cases:, Volume II. Informal Procedure. By .the Reverend William J. Doheny; C.S.C.. J.U.D. $8.00.The Man Nearest" io .Christ; By the Reverend F. L. Filas, S.;J. , $L50. B. HERDER BOOK CO., St. Louis. Lent, By-the Reverend Conrad Pepler, O.P. $~.00." P! J.’KENEDY.~ SONS, New York. Three Reliqious Rebels: By the Reverend M~" Raymond, O.C.S.O. ~’ Her Silence 8peaks. By the Rey~erend John S.’Middleton0 Ph.D, GROSSET ~,DUNLAP, New York. " $2.7.5.. Men o~ Mar~tknol_l. By the Reverend James K~ller and Meyer Berger. Reprint., $1.00. " R li{gi uS pro e Si ~ a ~Seffo~nd Baptism? 3ames:E. Risk, 8.3. .\V! A~ TOLD~in. the liyes’, of the early Fathers that . ,~ one of these heroic men behdd in~ vision two persons. . ~’ .~receiving the grace of complete remission~ of th~~ terdporal phn!s~hm_ e.~.t due to sin. One of these @as a neo- -~" phyte, the’6ther a religious assuming;the habit of .his order. Be it, fact or legend, this represents an opinion’that has held: an honored .place among the traditions, of the .religious life; " ..For centuries theologians and spiritual writers have. likened; ’ th4 religious profession to baptism or mar~yrdom,both ~which~car, ry with them the immediate and entire remission of the temporal punishment due to sin... ’In an article publishett in a recent issue of this REVIEW i(~Vo!. 3~ p.-28~),, Father McAuliffe explained the notion of _temporal-punishrfient due to’sin and several ways effecting its payment in this life. If the tradition about the" ,expiatory effect of the religiou~s, prqfess~on~s sblidly founded,-theq we hav~;~in the" pronouncing of th~ thr& ,.public vows, still another means Of riddinKour~elves of-o.u’~- ~ debt of temporal punishment. Some commentators on the religious life ~tate that ~the religious, profession hhs the l same expiatqry, effect, as bap- ~ tism or.martyrdom, but th.ey leave us to search for an argu-ment ,in support of this statement,.. Som~ ~imply,~est their case on authority,, partic,ularly on St. Thoma~ Aquinas, -~St. Robert Bellarmine, and Suarez. It is the purpose of the pre.sent investigation to test the merits of the 1png-stand, ing tra.dition° by scrutihizing the testimony of these three emi-rient authoriti.es. 402 " REI~IGIOU$ PRO~$IION~A SECOND t~PllSl? ~ The Problem." By the religious profession we understand the pro-nouncement of the~ ,three vows of poverty, chastity,~~nd obedience in a religious~institute~approv~ed by the Church. --For the moment we. ate not distinguishing .between the simple and the solemn profession. Our problem .may .stated simply in the form of a question: if a religious, in.th~ state of grac~ and free from attachment to all sin, were to die< immediately after his profession, would, his soul .~be admitted without delay fo the, beatific vision? Let it.. be noted from~ the outset that we presci~id-from ~J~e’,plenary _indulgence accorded some religious institutes, whereby their ~members enjoy this spiritual favor on the day that they receive the habit or on the day of their profession. Such a grant, for example, was~ made by Pope Paul V in 1606. We are considering the religious l~rofession in itsel~: and inde- ~endently of the_ remission of the~ temporal punishment’- occasioned by the g~:ant of,a plenary indulgence. -. Baptism, or the r~-birtl~~ of a person into the life of.- ~ s~nctifying grace, the. sacrament of regeneratiori, remits the entire guilt 9fsin and with it the eternal and tempor.al puff-ishment due~to sin. On the neophyte, no work of satisfac- ~’tion is imposed. The c~ebt i~ cancelled by the grat(Utous applica~ti~n of Christ’s own su{Serabundant satisfaction., This complete,liberation from the’bond of sin and its con- _"~equen(penaltie~s follow~ s immediately in virtuedf the per-., formanc~ of the ~baptismal rite, or, in the language of the theologians, ex opere operato. The,remitting effect of bap-~ tism, theiefore, is rather in the nature of a. free gift than one produced by the laborious procedure of personal penitential. acts. , The voluntary act by which the, martyr sheds his blood ~ in testimony bf the faith likewise produces tile entire remis-siofi of the debt oftemporal punishment, even though the 403 _.-’ JAMES’E~ RISK . -, - Review for Religio~us martyr should have only ’imp~rfe¢i-¢ont-ritiom This com~ ,,- plete remission; though not the: result of a sacramental rite, ~ iS als6 prodi~ced ex. opere operato, Or as some. would express ~.--it’ quasi ex opere .operato. : St~ Robert Bellarniine; in his . treatise on ,Ihdulgenees, explains this, " " ¯ "For it is’clear that martyidom is such a complete.sat-isfaction that it.can make expiation’ for the guilt that has been contracted from sins, no;matter how great their num-ber ~and enormity. For, provided~ it i~ certain that ..one i~: ’ truly a martyr, the Church does not.heSitate to list him . among the saints and blessed, ¯even if before his martyrdom° he hadbeen coveied with many crimes." What, ofthe’ religious profession is :it on a level with baptis.m and martyrdom as an e~piatory ag~ht?’" In sol’ring thd problem we gi~e first consideration to the opinion of the Angel Of ,the SchoOls.~ " ~ " ~ -OPinion of St. 7:l~omas o.. ,.Commenting, on the relative~merits of the vow to make - a¯ .pilgrimage and~ that" of entering the religious state, St. Thomas in his Summa Theotogica (2, 2ae, q.~!89, a. 3; ad3) says: ~ "The vow to enter religiom~being perpetual:is greater ~: than thw vow of .pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which is a ," -tempdral ’vow: and as--.Alexander III says, ’He ~wh~ exchanges~a temporary service for the perpetual service of religion is in no way,, guilty of~ breaking his vow.’ More, ¯ over it may be reasonhbly staled that alsoby entrance into religion a man obtains remission Of all his sins. F6r if ¯b3i~ giving alms a man ,may forthwith .satisfy for his ~sins, according to Dan. iv, 24, ’Redeem thou thy sins With alms’, ~ much more does it suffice to satisfy for all=his sins’that a ~ man ddvote himself wholly to the divine service by entering religion, for this surpasses all manner of satisfaction,- ever~ 404 November, 1944 ~,. REliGIOUS PROF~’S~ION--A SECOND BAP~SM?~ -that ofpublicpenance, acCording to the Decretals,-jus~ as’a holocati~t exceeds a sacrifice, as Gregory declares. Henc~ we read:in the lives of the Fathers that by entering’religion one receives the same grace as by .being baptized. And yet, if- One were not thereby absolved ~from all debt of punish-ment, nevertheless the entrance into religion is more ~profitable than a pilgrimhge to the Holy Land, which, as regards °the advancement in good, is preferable to th~ abso-lution from puriistimen~.’’1 In.explo.ring the. probative value of this almost uni~ y;ersally cited passage 6f’the Ange!ic Doctor, i’t is well to note carefully thephrases used. Otherwise than some com-mentators ~duld lead ug to believe, Sf. Thomas does not-mention explicitly the religious profession, that is/the .vows taken ~fter the novitiate, or the final profession,. He speaks first of all of the vow to enter religion, a vow there-fore taken before one embraces the religious life. He then ,°mefitionsth4 entering into religion four times, three of which are associated with the .idea of the complete .rem)ssion of ~ins dr of punishment due to sin, namely: l) "’It,may be reasonab, ly stated that also by entrance .into religion a man obtains remission of all his sins.’" 2) ’" . . . much more,does it suffice to.sati~fg for all his sins that a man devote himself ,wholl~t to the divine servi’ce bg. entering religion, for this surpasses all manner of satis-faction, even that of public penance... "" , ~ 3 )’ "’Hence we read . . . that b~j entering religion one receives the same grace as bq be(n~ baptized.:" ~ " From the° foregoing we may safely say that St. ,Thomas ~~held it as highly probable that entrance into religion is ~n act of the hi~hest satisfactory value, capable of deleting the ~Cf.~The_ Summa Theoloqic-a o~ St. Thomas Aquinas, literally translated b~, Fathers of the English Dominican Province. L6ndon: Burns. Oates. and X,Vashbourne. ~V61. 14, pp. 301-302. - ~ o ., 405 JAME~ E: RISK ,a ’~" Revie~ for Religious entire: temporal punishment~ due to sihl~ iind this independ-ently’ 6f any special indulgences granted by the ~Church. ’ Sinie entrai~ce into religion implies tile voluntary~assump-. - tion of a life of perpetual self-restraint from a supernatural motive,, it is more perfect than~a pilgrimage to the Holy. Land, which=implies only temporary hardships; and since ,it implies a complete giving of-self to God, it is more perfedt’ ~- than almsgivin.g. Yet both the pilgrimage to theHoly Land and_ almsgiving were considered to have even complete sat-isfactory- value. " [t is true; as w~ noted, that in the text cited St. Thomas speaks only of the vow to enter religion and of entrance into religion; he does not mention the religious profession. -_ itself. Ye~, surely we can ~easonably argue thht if One may .receive complete pardon by entering the religious life, all the more so will he receive such complete condonation by actually pronouncing the vows: Did St. Thomas hold this opinion as certain? From o the text this is not clear. He seems to have made allowance for a contrary opinion when he says: "And yet, even if one were not thereby absolved fr0m~ all debt of punishment, nevertheless the entrance into-religion is more profit-able... " St. Robert Bellarrnine ~ Commenting on the same problem, another Docto~ c;f the Church, St. Robert Bellarmirie, says: ~ ’-"Finally we.say, that~ between baptism and the pro~es-sion of religion, there is some similarity... And just_ as in ° baptism the guilt and the punishment of all sins are per-fectly r.emitted, so when the profession.of the religious life is assumed with th~ proper dispositions, it is’piously~ believed that there is remitted the entire temporal punisl~- merit, for which otherwise satisfaction would have to be made, even after the guilt has been forgiven. On-that 406 Novembbr,’1944-~’~ REliGIOUS PROFESSlON~A SECOND B,~PflSM?, acco~un.t, ’however; we _dcf not rate th~ monastic ,~rofession~s~ ahead of baptism, no~ .place, them o~ an.~qual plafie, ’. For_ baptism remits hot, only the tJfinishment bur also the guilt, -hrid that we.know for certain. "The monastic profession, however, does not remove the guilt,-but only the punish-ment, and .this we do not. affirm with certainty, but it is our ~pious belief . . . "~ ,From this text emerge the following conclusibns: " )) (~Ve know,/:or certain that one of the effects of the sacrament bf baptism is the perfect remission of all the pun-isl~ ment due to sin. That the asiumlbtion of the obliga;- tions~of the religious life ~effects a, complete condonation of the ~temp0ial punishment is a pious betid and not a certain j 0pinion. - - 2) We do not, therefore, plac~ the religious professio on an equal plane with~ baptism, mudh l~ss do we rank the vows ahead of the sacrament. - .,,. The conclusions of St.. Robert here-stated are cor- .roborated-by_an0ther passage of the same treatise in which he-s~ys that the Works properto the religious state; namely~’ tO live c_hastely, to retain proprietorship Over nothing~ and to obey_one’s superiors are conducive to satisfaction’ for one’s sins. ’ oo .. Th6 0pinign of Suarez. .... Comme.nting on the,doctrine of St~i Thomas~and o(her great theologians who refer to" the expiatory capacity of the ~rehg~6u.s profession, Suare~ conte’nds: 1 ) It is rash to assert.that the religious professio~ pr~o-du& s’its propitiatory effect in sacramental fashion. (that is, ex o-pete operato), for the tradition of the Churchoand the .. ~estimony of the Fathers-~offer. us no ihformation on the "~ subject. 2Controuersiatum de Membris Ecdesiae, lib. II. cap. VI. ~’~ ...... 407 r ~eO~ew for Religious 2) "The ai~thors inentioned m.er.ely teach-that-this. ~raceds diyinely granted tothe profession, so that,if any~- one haakes~it in.the.state of grace~ the entire debt of tem-poral punishment is remitted him. [This come~] from the divine generosity or from a ~ort of gratitude~, even though. he.would not otherwise make satisfaction proportionate the guilt. This assertion I admit to be pious.and probable, because 0~ the authority 9f the do~tors of such standing, because "it favors the religious state,..and because ’it seems fi_tting ~hat God will show that liberality, towards a friend Who has given his all to Him.’ However, I admit that I dd not see a ~ufficiently Cogent proof. For St. Thomas makCs nb~ menti,on of either~h privilege or of.~divine generosity, "bu’t endeilvo~rs to base :~thls effect [of "the-profession] on the excellence of that act.’’a Suarez, then, ad~nits the. probability of this opinion because 6f th4 number of great theologians who see in the act of ~ssu ,ruing the religious state, or at least in the consum-mate geneio~ity of the profession, a~work of such merit to gain the condonation of the entire debt of temporal pun-ishment: Of the c~rtaint~.t of this opinion~ however, h~ remains unconvinced: The Simple Profession F~llowing the lead of these, and other, 4mi~n~nt tb’eo-logians, we may consider it as highly probable tl~at, in vir-: ttie of the self-surren~der made in the perpetual prc~f~ssion, the religious, like the neophyte or the martyr, obtains tl~e perfect remission of the temporal punishment due to sin, provided he is in the state of grace and free from attach- ~inent to sin. " May this conclusion, which we accept "as reason;ible, apply ti~ the simp!e as well. as to the solemn pr6fession? A~~, ~Opera Ornnia, vol. XV. lib. ~rI, cap~ XIII. n. 6. 408 " ;Nooember, f944"< " ~ RELIGIOUS PROFESSION.-~A SECOND BAPTISM~ " the time°of St. Thomas~ whom so many authors cite as’ an ,;~thorlty, the solemn p’rofe~ssion was the only°.~form, of profession kn6wn,.. The approval of the simRl~ religiou_s profession, occasioned by the founding of the’Society .of -~ 3.esus about three centhries later, marked a decided :depar- " ~ ture from the existing law that the religious vows should be exclusively solemn. Hov~ever, it appears justifiable to at~t, ribute that same expiatory quali~y, to the perpetual; -’simple profession, for according to the present disposition- - of the Church, the juridicaldifferences between the simple ,_ and the solemn profession little affect the actual prosecution ~3f one’s-quest for perfection in the cloister." The demerit ot~ self.surrender, the factor that probably effects tl~is remis-sion, ~s going to be qmte the same in both cases. The a~gu .... ments eipressed above.should .be as applicable to the one ÷ form of profess!o~ as the other. COMMUNICATIONS? When possible, we like to have a Communications section in the REVIEW. We "think that (his adds interest and practical value. However¯ as we hav~ stated before. w-e prefer to direct the communications towards a definite topic, especi~lly a topic of ge~u~ral interest and value. Our first topic for communications was "Spiritual Direction by the Confessor." This ran "through several issues aiad was. we think, both enlightening and hellbful. \The second topic chosen was "Vocation." The third was on "’Retreats:" Com-munications on these latter subjects were also helpful, but, we believe, not so’useful as the first. ° We should like to have more communications on some definite topic, but we fihd it hard tb choose a topic. Hence. we throw the question "’open to the hbuse." Can you give us some suggestigns regarding subjects that would provide forinteresting and useful discussions? Any ideas will be~appreciated. ; Address~’our suggestion_s to: Th~ Editors, Review for Religious. St. Mar~"s_ ;College, St. Marys,~ Kansas. 409- ues ons and Answers’ Because of a slight illness, a postulant dntered ten days a{~er her class of March 24. May she receive the habit with her class on September Yes, she may. She had fully intended to enter with her class but" was prevenked from doing so by illness¯ Normally the six months should be complete. However, the prescriptions of the Code regarding the time of thd postulancy do notbind under pain of in;calidity. For grave reasons.superiors m~y shbrten this. tirrle by a few days. " In the presentcase the illness which caused the involuntary delay in~ enterin~ would be a sufficient reason to allow the postulant’to recdive the habit _ with her class, even thoughten days are lacking to complete the six -.months. ... --37-- ," What ;s the obligation of a religious regarding the ordinary co.nfe.s.sor~t~ When the confessor a Sister prefers is stationed close to thd convent, may sh.e go to him rather than to the one appointed? It is the mind of the Church that religious women should ~en-erally confess to the ordinary confessor. While canon 522 allows a religious woman to go to any priest who has diocesan faculties for Women, it supposes, that this will be done drily occasion~illyoi because of~iome special reason ’of conscience, which,may persist for’a short time. Mere preference does not justify a religious woman in going to confession regularl~ to another priest stationed close to the convent. Please read explanation of this point in REVIEW FOR RELI-GIOUS, Mar~h, 1943, page 81. Our community doctor (the, only doctor we can consult o~dinariiy) reports to the superior on the phys,cal’con&hon and ~eeds~of. the sisters. In addition he sometimes makes known to the superior damaging facts which he ~has learned through consultation with or examineti6n of patient. Has ~ community doctor an obligation to guard even from the superior the professional medical secrets of ir~ferlors? : A doctor.has a strict obligation to guard tlqe secrds of his clients which come to him in the way. of busindss. When, in virtue of his 416 ~Offic~ he bears or d~scovers a’secret damaging to the clientbe is bound to respect i~ as an inviolable confidence. ~He. can ~reveal it only ~n. the most pressing reasons of ~he common good of s~iety demand the re~elation. Even then he must keep in mind the harm that would b~ ~one if the public-lost confidence in the prudence and silence of its p~ofessional advisers. In a religious community the house .doctor occupiesa peculiar position. To some extent he acts for the superior,’~, yho~must care for the health 0f the religious as a parent does for~a child. But.since the community doctor is the only one to whom the members of the’community can go, he must consider that the infe~or_ is h~ client. He cannot consider himself the me~e agent of the-superi6r, a~d hence enmled to reveal to the sup~or,confide~ces or damaging facts which he has learned professionally fro~ a member ~bf the community. On this point Vermeersch (Tbeologia~ Moralia, lEd. 3, q937], II, n. 649, 3) says :,."Note finally that the case ofa-religious community doctor is differentia doctor to whom the reli- ~’gious men and women have. to ~o. For since they have no choice, they ~ave a right that a strict professional secret be observed in their regard, ex o~cio." Then he remarks: ’~A superior who knows some-_ ~:thing through the violation of the secret [i.e. the professional medical-secret], cannot on that account dismiss a subject against his will." Of course, since the supe~or must provide for the subject, the d~tor ~s allowed to make k~ow~ the state of the patient’s health, but in such a way as to pro~ect his reputation. ~ Whaf~type of dispensation from the Eu~:harisf;c fast do rel;g;ous~and lay nurses have who are obliged to wo;’k on night duty? We have heard, ;~’thaf in some States the .night workers are bound to abstain from. solid food ~f~ur hours Before reception of Holy Communion and two hours frSm liquids. ¯Does Canon Law provide for. such a dispensation? The general Ia~ .of the Church as~ expressed in canon 858, § l, -~requires that all pe.rsons who wish to receive Holy Commdnion must fast from midnight: In paragraph 2 an exception is made for those who have been sick for a-month, as was explained in REVIEW’ FOR REI~IGIOUS, May 1944, l~age 171. There are’no other exceptions as~ fa~ ~s the general law of the Church is concerned--except, of course, those .~vho are in danger ~of death and those who communicate to save ~the t~lessed Sacrament~from profanation. ~ ~ ~ The Holy See can and does grant d~ispensations from~, the law bf 411 QUESTIONS~ AND" ~NSWERS i~he Eucharistic fast in special cases. Thus there’are special d~spensa tions’for members of our Armed Forces, includihg nurses who beloqg to these same Armed Forces. ’Again;’P0pe Piiis XII has granted~ to ,the Bishops.of the Uni~ed~States special fadulties in favor of persons engaged in work of National Defense (see REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. .,March, ~1942, page 1431_. We do not believe that these faculti~’s have been extended to religious and .nurses on hightduty in hospitals. The. only way to find out is to get in touch with your Diocesan Chaficery. Religious and nurses on night duty may follow standard time in compu.ting the fast from midnight: henc~ they may eat and drink up to one" o’cl0ck war time, and receiveH61y Communidn ih the m0r;n-ing. ’This was explained in REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, May, 1944, :- page 213. ¯ A novlco who is amlnor owfis a sum of money which was willed %~hlm," ,and,whlch is bolng held under ~juardianshlp by {.he courts of his ~hls’ {.6onty-firs{. birthday. Gonsoquontly he has never boon able any disposal oL{.hls money, which was his before en{..erln9 {’he novifia{.e. In such-a case Would {.he novice be permiffed {.o .make a provision in: his will (which will be made~ before his. twenty-firs{, birthday) {.hat this money be cji~en.% his pa~en{.s as soon as {.he courts release ff ’to him? Since the novice, though owning~ the money in question, did not. have the.free, disposal of it before entering the novitiate, he will si~bj~ct to the regulations of canon law regi~rding it. Before taking his first vows he must appoint/in administrator and determine who is to get,the annual income from the money during his lifetime.~ H~ may give this income to his parents if he Wishes, but as long as he lives he" "m~y not dispose of the capital itself without the permission of ~the: Holy See. As to the woill which he must make before taking his first vows, he is free to name the beneficiary of it, and may will this money tb his parents. But the will does not take effect until after the death of [h~ novice in question. Therd is widespread misunderstanding among religiou~s with simplevows regarding ~the nature of the will which they~must mak~ before taking their first vows.¯ This is owing in no small.part tO the. wording of canon 569, § 3 "as found in most texts of con~it.u-tionsoand which is taken from the authorised English translation the canons of. the Code regarding~religious. It reads as follows: "In Nooembei, 1944 . " ~ ~ "QufSTIONS AND ANSWERS " e,~ery religiouscon"grega;ti o"n the nbvice, before maki.ng profession te_mporary vows, .-shall _freely dispose by Will of all" the proper~ty, h~ a~tually, possesses or may subsequent.ly possess." The" Latin. ~ext of ’~tbe Code merely states: "’testarnenturn de bonis praesentibds oboenturis ffbere condat,’" and-may b~ translatCd simply: "He shall ,.freely make a will regarding his present possessions.as well as regard-- ing those which may possibly come to hifia in the future." ~Wbile the ~afithorized translation "he shall freely dispose by v~ill" is techni-- callyocorrect, still the word "dislSbSe" misleads many. religious into thinking that they are free tO give away their possessions during t~eir lifetime. This notion is absolutel~/fals~ and is contrary to the ¯ ~meanling of the word¯’’will or testament," ~which is defined, as~ "~the_ ~ legal°°declfiration of a.man’s intention as to disposition of property,. etc., that he wills to be performed after his death." The will .which ~ the novice mak, es has no effect during his iifetime,.but only after his" death.. Hence the term "dispose,by" WiW’ means simply ~o determine’~ who is to receive his property after his’death. The novice’in question may, therefo~re, determine that his parents " are to receive the’income of his~money during’his lifetime, and he-may ~ ~ make th~.m th~"beneficiaries of his will so that they’will recei~’e the -. ~0 m_oney after his death. But if he wishes to give them this money whet, ~-~ ~iig domes into l~is full possession, on his twenty-first birthdaw, he wi!l ha,ie t0,obtain~permission to do’so from the Hol~ See, since canon ¯ o- 583;-1° forbids him to give away~his po,ssessi.ons during his lifetime;, Is{there any’i’egulafion ;n canon law regard;ng fhe f;me wh;ch musf ’elapse a~er fhe recepf;on of a converf ;fifo fh~ Church before he or she ma) enfer r~l;g;on?" If nor, please g;ve us some adv;ce on fh;s po;nf. Canon 987, 6° tells us that converts are~impeded from the recep-.. "tion of orders until they ha/re been sufficiently tested acc6rding to the~" .judgme_nt of the Ordinary. This is the only prescription of the C0~ ~r,~garding~ neophytes.. Hence there is no time limit prescribed, before all~wii~g them to enter religion. The determination of such ~ time~ ~ ~<’" li?~it will, therefore, be lefv to the prudent judgment of the superior ~ Who is to receive the candidate. This will depend uPon the circum-stancesof age, education, and other, conditions.. Generally _speaking, it will be well to make the candidate wait at least a year after"con-- version .before receiving him. Further extension of this time w~ll _. 4’13 -~ :-. _~: , ~, ~, / ,, ’, The ans~ve’r ,pertaining to the Porfiuncula IndUlgence ;n th~ last ,ssue of t_he Review for Religious (July 1_5 "1944, pp.’280-281) gave me. the ;,~- pression that Sec~,lar Tert;aries of St. Francis cannot gain this ;hdulgence ~n a parish church of the Frim’s of the Third Order. Regular of ’Saint Francis ofPenahce. Has this privilecje been revoked or has ;t n6ver ~been g;~ven-for churches of the Friars of the Third Order Regul.ar? This impression is hardly justified by the text of the answer. referred to above. "The answer concerned itself p.rin.cipally with the.~ question of Religious Tertiaries (members of a. Religious Institute ~with simple vows, for example, Franciscan Sisters) gaining the In-dulgence in their own community churches and oratories. Neoer~ho-le~ s, the answer also stated that "the faithful" hence, sure. l~ Secular Tertiaries---can .gain the P’ortiuncula Indulgence in all the churcl~es and public oratories of Franciscan ~’ertiarg Communities with’simple. ~Vod~s---a fortiori, Of the Third OrderRegular, a comr~unitg°with solemn oows. ’ ~o answer the question asked above: Pope Urban VIII, hy a 414 19~4~ " ~- ~ .QUESTIONS ~ND B_rief, dated~Janu~ry.13, 1643, gra~nted the privilege wher~by~all the faithful’ can gain ~he Portiuncula Indi~l~enc~ in "all"churches- (public oratorles are included in wrtue of subsequent grants by the Holy~See) ~of.’ the Third Order-Regular of Saint FranCis bf Penance. A~s statett~ in ~he answer referred to in the question, the ~Sacred Penitentiary on 2uly 10, 19~4, declared: "Perpetual grants of thisIndulgence given ~iia ~ny manner up to the present time remain unchanged for the~ fu-ture." Hence there is no doubt whatever that not only Secular.. Ter~. ~ tiaries of St. Francis, but ali the faithful as well, may gain the Por: :~’~ tiunc61a Indulgence in :all_ the churches and public oratories of~ the ~." ~Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance. ’ When sayln~ Hail Ma~s durln9 the da~ is if necessary to ~a~e a.bead jn one’s hand to 9ain the Crozier indulgence affached thereto, or would°ff ~: s~ff;ce fo have.the rosary on one’s person? -~ " Generally speaking, one must hold the be~ds in one’s hand in, ~order ~o gain a.ny of the various indulgences_, attached_ to th~ recitation o of the rosary. Through a de’red:~issued by the Sacred C6ngregation of Indulgences on January 22, .1858, Pope Plus IX allowed, that when the rosary ~s satd in common by- two or rriore, personL it iuf/ice~ tha~ one.of them hold a phir of beads and lead in ~he recitation pro- ~/ vided tha_t the others abstain froth all external occupation which ~ _ ~vould impede intdrior rec011ec~ion: , In ~an audience granted to the Cardinal Penitentiary on October 20;’ 19~3, Pdpe Plus XI deigned to grant that ’:when_ever either ma.nu~al labor or some reasonable cause prevents" the faithful from. ".__’~ carrying, in their~hands,: accordifi~ to the prescriptibn, either ~he~ roshry or tl~e crucifix, which, has been.,blessed for the gaining of~ the indulgences dither of thee holy rosary or of the W~ty.of the~ Cro.ssl, the, " faithful may gain those indulgences, provided that, during tl~e reci-~ ration of the prayers in ques~ion,they carry~ with them in any way~ ~the rosary or the crudifix." Will yo~. I;!ea_se inform us,,.whether there is a set time specified "by ~oCanon-law for the recitation of the Liffle Office of th~ Blessed Virg!n~ "" that is, for the J.iHle° Hours, Vespers and Complin, and, the anticipated :-Matins and L~uds. ~ ~R¢l~gious who are ~bound by their constitutions to the r~citation~ 41-5 Rd6iew for Rdigidu~. ~"of t~e Little O~ce’of the Blessed Virgin are not bound by the litur-gical prescriptions’ r~gardingthe time of the recitation of the~ single. hours of the Divine O~ce. T~ey may follow these times if .they wish, but they are not obligedto do so. H~re are ~he times allowed for the Divine O~ce: Matins and’ Eauds may ~e.said any time after V’espers and Complin have been recited (b~t not before t~o’o’clock in the afternoon of th~ pre~ng day) up’toone hour after s~nrise: Prime may be s~i~ from dawn up" to two. bouts after sunrise, thesmall h6urs u# till boon. Vespers Complin in the afternoon (except during L~nt when ~es~ers should~ be said b~fore noon). I am d~irector of a home for Catholic delinquent boys and a member o~ the Amer,can ~Assgci~tion of Social Workers. In this field Of work, ffofte~ ~becomes necessary in the line of~ duty ..to question b~oys recjardincj prob~ lems of a’strictly ’moral-nature; The feeli.ncj~is that one may’be or perhaps. i~ encroachln~ on the ricjhts of the confessor. This fedincj is especi~l!y present in fhe~are,~s.pertainln9 to tSe Sixth Commandment. Is~there any norn~, whereby social, workers ca°n tell when they are cjeHincj into areas ~hat belon~ to the confess~or? , ~ ¯ ~reli’minary to answering the question as stated, we recommend ~i’that so~ia[ glorkers read Father Ford’s article, Paternal Government." .dn’cl ’Filial, Con/idence in Superiors (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, II. p. 146), Father Ford expl.ains th~ impoftant distinction between the judicial and the paternal forum. A superior (and the same-may~ be said of the social worker) act~ judiciall~t, when he questions ~ ~,ubject principally for the common good, and seeks to inflict pu’ni~b-’ ment as a vindication of violations of discipline. In this case he must "r~member that ~,the boy qudstioned has a natural right to defen&him-self and to avoid "answerihg any question that would incriminate.° himself. The superioror social worker would l~e acting paterna!lV if ~ were questioning the bo.y prindipally for the good of the boy him-self (for example: to help him "avoid an occasion of sin or to correct a bad habit). In this matter the superior or social, worl~r has ~he :right to ask .any questions he deems necessary for his puri3ose, but he -must observe certain cautions. (l) He is not free to punis~ a b~y who" confes’ses guilt, except in so far’as some punishnient of’a purel_y °’ 416 Not~e~b~;, 19~4 ~_ ~ : .... -.QL~ESTIONS~ _ _ AND ANSWERS~: ’ - ...... 2. ~private nature might be judge’d a mdans necessary to l~elp the- , (2) He is-bound by a yigid ’professional sec~recy with regard to the answers given by’ the boy. ’(3) He should prudently¯refrain from ,~iskjng questions that’he foresees will be answered with a lie. (~)~He ~ sh6uld not ask questions concerning problems with Which he kno~s ~s not competer~t to deal. Perhaps it i~ the fourth cafitibn that causes some social workers to feel that they are trespassing on the rights of the confessor, par- ,ticularl# when they ask about things pertaining to the Sixth.Com- ,~mandment: As a matter of fact,-the confessoi has not an ekclusive righ~t to-ask such questions. But in practice it is frequently true that :6nly~priests are competent to deal wi_th conscience problems that such " questions might’reveaL The social worker, therefore hi~ own i:[ualifi~ations. In some things’i no doubt, and even in very delicate matters, he-may be c[-great help to the boys committed to ~his care: and he may put prudent~questions.on these matters without infrii~ging on the right of the cdnfesso_r. ~ ~ ~We add a final word, of .caution for ~all religious who, as ~ocial -workers or i~ ,some other¯capacity, must treat with youth about ~ sexuaF~atters. We’fhink it is important, for the good of the Church: -=th~zt they-should not underake such work without having a clear ~ ~°: unders[anding, with th~eir dwn superiors as to. what they intez~’d tb. ~-~o~: Entire religio~u~ communities, and even the whole Church iri ,a certaih locality, can ~.suffe~ -grievously -from the imprudence of-one ~erson. ~" Our nov;flare has been wffhout a mistress of novices or a subst;- ~ ~,fute fo~:the past" seven,months. ¯ The novices work with fhe professed, Sis-ters ahd wifh the’lay h~lp. "l’hey’are also allowed fo associate freely with ~:’fhe;younger professed Sisters engaged.in their preparafo~ studies. May ~e i:onsider~as valid a novitiate made und~)r such irregular ci~nd;fions? "_ ~.The novitiate is not invalidated by the~ absence 0f~i "mistreSs 6f 2,_~iz6viceS or by tFie failure ~ isblate the novices fiom the oth~’r_ Sis~ers.~ But~certainly conditi6ns like thes constitute a gravd¯abuse thht shbuld b~ quickly remedied:. _ Canon 559, which preicribes that the novitiate be made under the -supervision of a mistress of novices, enumerates her.qualities, and ~’~-demands,~hat she be free ~from all’offices and duties that might inter-fer~ with the "care and training of the n~vices, makes it. qui~e clear that ~QUES’I~IbN~; AND Alq’.SWER.S :.- ; Revieu2 for Religio~s the~’Church’ considers this~" an. offi. ce Of the,. highest importance. As-for the isolation of the novic,es,-canon 564 prescribes that., ,"the novitiate shall b~e, as far as pqssible, sept;rated-from that part of the house inhabited b~ ~he professed religious, so that n6 communi--~ cation may be’carried on b~tween the novices anal professed religious except for some spec!al reason and with thepermission of the Supe-. riot 9r Master (Mistress)." . With much greater reason should inter-mingling with the lay help and other externs~ be avoided, s.ince these naturally have an outlook on spiritual matte’rs quite different.from religious novices. The ideals of ~the novices are b6und to stiffer ~,fr~m ~.such regular contact with Lxterns. Does canon Jaw permit a relig;ous Of’ an active institute’ to transf6r tO a clo;stered cor~munify? "~f ~o, what ;s the procedure? ~° ° By taking vows in a religious institute, a religious becomes a ~erla-ber o~f that institute and, uhder, normal ctrcumstances, should per~e- .vere in tl~at institute until death. The Church does not favor the transfer of a religious~fro~ one institute to another, since it iscon-trary to the common" good of religious societies: However, in indi-vidual cases the Church will allow such a transfer for the private" good " of the~itidividual, but she reserves t9 herself to pass-final judgment ’i.n each case. Canon 632 tells us: "No religious c~n, without authortza-tidn from the Apostolic See, pass to another institute, even(stfic.ter, ~ or from one independent monastery to another." In practice, in order to pgss j.u~dgment, the Sacred Congregation Of :Religious requires that the religious who wishes to tranifer to another institute must first find an ihstitute willing to receive him. This will-ingness’- must b~ expressed in writing by the proper superior~ Th~n .tpo the Sacred Congregation wishes to know what the religiohs supe: riot thinks abbut~the transfer of his Subject. Hence this sup~rio~r, ~also, must write a letter giving his ~incere opinion whether the trans-fer is desirabl~ or, no~. The religious~wfishing to transfer, will then"~o write out a form’al petition~ to the Sacred Congregation of Religious asking’ to be transferred to the institute that is willing to receiye him, and send this. petition,~ together with the two letters mentionedabove, to the Sacred Congregation of Religious. o If a favorable reply.is received, the religious may transfer to the -,.new instftute and must make a novitiate,’ during ~rhich the vows 418 - -.. Nooernbero i 944 "- whicl~ he has .taken in~ the first’ institute remain intact., He is bound by his vow of~obedience to obey the superiors of his new irlstifute. "At,the end of the novitiate, if he does not make profession in the new~ institute, he must return to the 01d one unless, of couise, he had taken only temporary vows, and .these have expired. ’ QUESTIONS~^ND AN~WEI~S " ~" Some years ago a Sister who had. taken perpetual vows ;n our °concjre-cja~ ion appliedL for and secured the. necessary~ dispensation to leave in order to take care of her aged parents. Now the parents have died and she has-asked to be. re-admiHed, stating her willingness to repeat the ~novltlate and to do whatever,is required. May she take perpetual vows at~the end of th, e canonical year? Or must she spend three years with ~temporary vows before her perpetual profession? What is her.rank in the_~ community? - Since the Sister in question actually left the institute after having- 0brained .a dispe~nsation from her vows, she sevefed all connection with.it. Superiors will.have to-obtain a dispensation fro~no the Holy See before admitting her a second time (canon 542, 1°). This dis-pe, n~sation will be granted for the asking, since the ~Sister had a very~ good reason for leaving in the first instance, SuppOsing that the dispensation has been gr.anted, the former member ~f. the institute will have to make-her novitiate again and take temporary vows for three years before being admitted topyofes~- sion of perpetual vows. In a word she is’in the’ same conditi~on as any ~other novice entering for thefirst time. The only exception will .beo that she may omit the period of postulancy, since she made it before and its purpose is satisfied. , ~ As fo her rank in the community, she Will take it in the class in which she enters, just as any other nowce does. . When, and for what reasons, should a rel;glo.u~ institute b6 divided ~;n~o pro~.,inces? For obtaining such a division, what procedure~is fo followed7 The Code of.Canon Law contains no Provision which directly forces an institute to divide into. provinces. Canon 494, the only canon which de~Is with this subject, merely states: "It pertains exclusively to the Apostolic See: to divide into provinces an institute approved 419. QUESTiOnS AI~:ANSWER$ -- fly the Holy ~e," to uniteexisfing .provinces or otherwise r~Odify their boundaries. ~to estal~lish new provinces or to ¯suppress exis_ting" ones, to separate independdnt monasteries from one monastic congre-gation’and to’unite them to ~nother" (§ 1). ¯ The decision-concerning the necessity or utility of ~lividing into provinces is, therefore, lefLto the .prudent and conscientious judg-ment of the proper superiors. The reason~ Commonly. given for’ ¯ divi~ing an institute into provinces ar~ the following: (l) the culty~ of government either because of the wide diffusion of houses; or becai~se of the large number-of subj.ects;~(2) the need of a second ~novitiate--~or ~example, ,because of different nationalities, or becahse of the great distances¯ from the novitiate to the other houses, or because . of the di~cuity, even iinpos~ibility~ for one master~ of novices t~o ~ ~roperly train a very large~number~of novices. The 1~rese~t practice of the’ Sacred Cdngregation. of Religious is~’to r~quire for the division of an institute into provinces that at least’roger provinces can be established, each of which will have about two’hun-dred subjects and at least four houses in which twelve or mo~e reli- :gious reside. In some institutes the~constitutions approvitd by the H01y See ~ determine explicitly.tha~t the right to petition the Holy See fpr a diyi-sion of the institute into provinces rests with the general chapter. In ~’others the constitutions grant this power to-the superior geneial, with the consent of his council If the constitutions are silent on the sub-ject, it seems reasonable for the superior, general and his council, to make th~ petition tO the.~Holy See, especially if a general chapter ~ill not be held for several ~rears. "The Holy See will then’either grant the petition or provide for a spedif general chapter to pass on the subject. 420- THE ASCETICAL LIFE. By the Reverend Pascal P. Parente, S.T.D., P’h.D-, J;C.B. Pp. viii -~ 271. B. He~:der Book Co., S~’. Louis, 19_44. $2.50. This work, which has grown out of lectures by-the author at thd Catholk University, Washington, may be said to have two distific-tions. First, it is an American treatise on ascetical theology. As the first American systematic, deve, lopment of ascetical the61ogy, itis of course v_ery much to be xcelcomed. ~ .It~ presentation of the subject seems rather brief and sketchy, leaving one with the ~wish that the writer had gone further. To some extent this wish is fulfilled in the third.p_art of ’the book (pages 181-251), in which certain-select questions are discussed more thoroughly. Numerous quotations from the Fathers~of th~ Church add to the literary and inspiratibnal value Of the work. , : o Secondly, ~:~ither Parente sets out resolutely to steer a middle course ¯ between the two.schgols of opmzon that divide ascetical and "mystical theologians. Moreover he strives to reconcile the two opposing views "’~through opportune.distinctions, whenever feasible." ,Though this volume is limited to asceticism and ~nother volume on mysticism is promised, the author could not avoid touching on certain prbblems !nvolving the differences between the two and between acquired and ¯ infused contemplation. He believes "that there is both ’a distinction and ~ a continuity between acquired.and infuse~l contemplation." " "The distinction is not essential or in the very ziatures of the two forms of contemplat!on. Rat.h.er it is to be found in the mode or, manner in Which the twb forms of contemplation are attained. . Such a difference. is l~ss than specific and more than merely a matter of degree. Acquired contemplation can and ought t0~be the aim of all who ctfltivate~spir- ~, ituality, and it is one of the principal links between the ascetical and the mystical life. On~religio_us ;nd ascetical theology the authoi writes: "It is neces-sary for religi6us to. be well instructed in ascetical theology. Ordi- -~ naril~ they receive a thorough explanation of their vows and rule, bat bften only a superficial and frhgmentary jntroduction in ascetical -and mystical theology. Some of’them do not know any .form of mental prayer besides meditation. The impression prevails that 421 . BOOK REVIEWS Reoiew /:or Religzous_ _ ,myst!cal graces are.dangerous for both the individual and"the cbm- -mumty. The-consequence is that many are retarded or hindered in theirspiritual advancement. The position of. the religious who has been favored with-extraordinary graces becomes very delicate. A well:enlightened community is better disposed toward mystical phenomena and higher forms of mental prayer" (page 215). Father" Parente’s book is suffikiently~ clear, brief, and ,free fr6m .technicalities and more recondite investigations to be intelligible religious, generallg,.-~-~.G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD, S.J. A WORLD TO RECONS~’RUCT. Plus XII on Peace and Recons~ruct;om By Guido GoneJla. Translated by the Reverend T. Lincoln Bous-caren, S.J. " Under the auspices of the Bishops’ CornmiHee on the Pope’s Peac~ Points. .Pp. x~x -I- 335. The Bruce Publlsh!ng’Co., Milwaukee, 1944. $3.50. The Papal Peace Plan, explains "Guido Gonella, proposes as the basis for a future peace a. "f~derated society," of free and independ~ent . peoples. This "Sgciety of Nations" is to be: Constituted by all states. - joined into an organic union , b’ being organized into groups of states. wl~ich groups would be regional, continental, international. All states would be equal ~fore the law, bound by the same morality that governs private action, unarmed,. committed to arbitration of all internationai disputes, wit~ all force and sanctions delegated to the authoritativd, and City of Saint Louis (Mo.), http://www.geonames.org/4407084 http://cdm17321.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/rfr/id/156

Review for Religious - Issue 03.6 (November 1944)

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