Review for Religious - Issue 07.3 (May 1948)
Issue 7.3 of the Review for Religious, 1948.
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sluoai_rfr-206 Review for Religious - Issue 07.3 (May 1948) Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus Jesuits -- Periodicals; Monasticism and religious orders -- Periodicals. Ellard ; Kelly Issue 7.3 of the Review for Religious, 1948. 1948-05-15 2012-05 PDF RfR.7.3.1948.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 Review for Religious MAY 15, 1948 Affective Prayer ....... ~. ¯ .. LaSalllan-Formula for Apostolate. P0~ssessing All Things.., ........ ~oncerniqg Patience ......... -~ Voca°fional. CounseJ;n9 - ,. G. Augustine Ellard Brothdr Charles Henry Joseph A. McCoy Stephen J. Brown Gerald Kelly ~uesfions Answered Communications~ Book Reviews VOL6ME VII NUMBER 3 ~ REVIEW FOR RELI IOUS VOLUME VII MAY, 1948 NUMBER 3 CONTENTS ¯ 2~"I~CTIVE PRAYER--G. Augustine Ellard, $.J ...........~II13 THE LA~’ SALLIAN FORMULA FOR A FRUITFUI~ APOSTOLATE-- Brother Charles Henry., F.S.C ...... 125 COMMUNICATIONS .................. 132 CONCERNING FIJTURE COMMUNICATIONS .... : .... 136 "HAVING NOTHING YET POSSESSING ALL THINGS"-- Joseph A. l~cCoy, S.M ........ 137 CONCERNING PATIENCE---Stephen J’. Brown.’S.J .... ~ .... 141 VOCATIONAL. COUNSELING---Gerald Kelly, S.J ........ 1~45 OUR CONTRIBUTORS ........ ,- . . ~ ..... 156 BOOK I~,EVIEWS-- , The Contemplative Life: The Religious and Catholic Action; Life Abundant ...................... 15 7 BOOK NOTICES ................. e, ., 159 FOR YOUR INFORMATION ............... 16 0 ; QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-- 17, Chapter of Fi~ults ............... 163 18. Council’s Vote to Admit to Profession . . . " ..... ’. . 164 19. Effect of Sale on Blessings and Indulgences ........ 165 20. Making ~p Absence from Novitiate ............ 166 2 I. OOicial Reappointment of Local Superior ......... 166 22. Silk Cov~’r for Missal Stand .......... . . . . 167 23. Novice Deeds House to Parents . . .. ......... 168’ 24. Novice Pays Debts with Bonus Money . . ¯ ........ 168 REVIEW FOR,RELIGIOUS, May, 1948. Volume VII, No. 3. Published bi-monthly: January, March, May, July, September,~ and November’ at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas. by St. Mary’s,College, St, Marys; Kansas, .with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January 15. ,1942, at the Post O~ce, Topeka, Kansas, under,~the act of Mar~h 3, 1879. Editorial Board: Adam C. Ellis, S.J., G. Augustine Ellard, S.J., Gerald Kelly, S.J. ¯ Copyright, 1948, by Adam C. Ellis. Permission is hereby granted,for quotations of reasonable length, provid~’d due credit be given this review and the author. Subscription price: 2 dollars a year. Printed in U. S. A. Before writing t9 us, please consult notice on inside beck cover. G. Augustine Ellard, S.2. ~, | EARLY all modern authorities on mental prayer admit a three~ | ~ fold division 0f it, namely, mdd~ation, affective prayer, and " contemplatidn. Of course the terminology varies, even greatly, but the underlying realikies meant seem t6 be more or less the lame. Similarly the division may take this or that form, without however introducing any very substantial difference. The work of the mind in mental prayer must be mostly tither reasoning or~ intuition. If the former, the prayer is meditation. If ,the latter, and if a. multiplicity of affections prevails, it is affective prayer; if only one o~ relatively few affections, ~then it is contemplation. Meditation Meditation, taken not in its. broad sense of interior prayer but in. the:’i~arrower sense of One particular.~ kind .of..it, is mental prayer in~ which discursive reflection predominatel. The mind proceeds from detail to de~;ail, from premise to premise and then to conclusion, from argumefi~ to argument, ~nd in gefieral from one:’ conside~ation to an, other. It is directed indeed toward eliciting good emotions and salu-. tary resolutions, but these do not make up its distinctive characteristic, as contrasted with the other species of mental prayer. Normally it is the form that is most apt t0~be .found in~ beg!nners0 andit’is deemed to beloi~g to these, in a peculiar way. Meditation under one certain. aspect~ that is, ~s beset with difficulties; was considerdd in this REVIEW (1947, pp. 5 ft., 98 ft.) and~now it is proposed to say something about the next degree~ affective prayer. Later pe.rhaps we shall~deal with c6ntemplation. N’aiural Developyngnt Given an intelligent and earnest cultivation of mental prayer for a greater or less space of time, ~it seems quite natural that discursive meditation should imperceptibly turn into something that is more affecti~ce. After ~11, the purp, ose of intellectual activity in interior .prayer is not to gain insights into the truth for its own sake, as may. be the case in reading or study, but rather to bring about moral and religious improvement, a greater union with God, a higher de~ree of love and charity for Him. .When one has by dint of laboriousmedi- 113 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD ~Re~ietu for ~Religiou~ tation acquired cdeep practical convictions in accord with the truths of faith, naturally thenext thing to do is to exercise one’s will and emo- ’ tions on them.. In any particular hour of mental prayer a point is reached a~ @hi~l-i°’o~e’~ energies and preoccupations should be directed to using the.light acquired rathe~ than to gain~more byoreasoning or considerations. ~ (As on,e meditates day afteroday the general tend~n~c~ will be to’arrive at that p,3~t .sqooer and more easily. As is truce of one. Who is~ m~astering some subject~o~°~tudy, a habitual fund of knowledge_ and. appreciation is gradually, built .UP and, a time comes when it can readily and quickly be recalled. Moreover, after pro-longed meditation for months or years, people approach the limit of their ability to sound the depths of the mysteries of faith o~ to’soar to their altitudes; and further effort would be~comparatively futile.~ Simultaneously there may grow. up a disinclination to. engage in more reasoning and a positive inclination to put to moral hnd religious use the knowledge that one has by hard wo~k’stored up. Thus reflection tends to give way ot,O affektivity; study is.succeeded, by desire oraver-sion, ,examination is-followed by hearty approbation or disappro; bation. ~ Any other course would be unnatural and unintelligent.~ After becoming thoroughly s.atisfied say, that God is really ~very lovely, one goes on, to love Him.~’ S.u~cient acquaintance is follow_ed by affection. ~t~ective Pra~/er ~ ¯ Affective~prayer therefgr_e is °that form oLmental ~pray~er in, which, affectivity and vglition preponderate over the discursive ac~tivi~ty’-of tbe~.m.ind. Whethera prayer should be called m~editatio, n 9r affective is a matter of relative proport, iom All mental prayer must of necessity include operatigns’of both the cognitive and the appetitive faculties. But in meditation the predominant or characteristic element is rea-soning and reflection, whereas in affective prayer it is the effort of the will and emotions. In meditation a man carefully pondered for example the f~arfulness of hell,; now :he gives himself up-to the~fear of-it."° Or he may haw examined the desirability of the ~ood life here and thebl~ssed,life hereafter; now he practices that desire:’ Affection or emotion in these pages is u~derstood to include every appetitive move-, m’ent of soul, whether deliberate o~ indeliber~te, whether purely spit-. itual or sensitive or both together. Love, fea’r,’~and hope are but-standin~ examples. Thus affective prayei is intermediate between meditation with its discursive reflection, and multiple affections at the i14 May° 1948 AFFECTIVE PRAYER one extreme, and contemplation with its intuition and simplified affection~at the other. The name "affective prayer" seems to have come from Alvarez de Paz (.1560-1620), one of the greatest bfit less well known of the - spiritual" writers of the Church. His work on the spiritual life and its perfection was written in Latin and fills six large quarto volumes. Advantages As compared with meditation, affective prayer has ~ertain a~dvantages. Of course, it must be practiced in its pyoper place:~ it must be used by a person who finds that it suits his present con: dition better than any other kind.of mental prayer. Then it is more natural and easy. It is just the prayer to which he feels attracted and which seems to promise more grace than any other. If a man were to persist in meditating when he should have advanced beyond that grade, he would be doing violence to himself, profiting compara-tively little, and making himself miserable besides. He would be like a pupil in school who is compelled, to repeat a year although really he should l~e in a higher class. Moreover, it seems to be easier, for many people at least, to foster emotional states within themselves than to pursue a train of thought or reasoning. This is all the more true when to exercise themselves in affection is precisely the natural and proper thing for them to do. Since the objective of. prayer is goodness~ of will rather than knowledge in the mind, affective prayer, concentrating upon affec-tivity and voliti~on, is a more efficacious means to that end. Devel-oping deep practical c6nvictions that follow from our relations to God is good and necessary, and for beginners even the best that they can do," But a time should come when something else is better. The very nature of moral or religious.progress indicates that the more one exercises one’s will well and rightly, the greater, other things being." equal, that advance will be. The famous dictum of Thomas 3. Kempis that it is better to feel contrition than to know the definition of it seems to have a certain relevance here. We please Gbd, and ultimately ourselves and others also, more by our attitudes of will than by our states of mind. After the limitations of our knowledge, " the great source of all ou’r troubles seems to be wrong emotion. We like the wrong things, or if the right things, then in the wrong measure or the wrong way: If all of one’s emotions were just what they ought to be, if noneof, 115 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD. " them seductive!y prevailed over one’S’love ofthe truth, one would never err in judgment. Nobody would ever be miiguided by preju-dice or unfair.prepossessi6n if he were not under the influence of some irrational feeling of hostility or partiality. Personality problems always have some.emotional factor behind them. Sin always con- ,ists ih giving in to sbme evil tendency iuch as inordinate fear,-desire, or love. The sinner may fear me.n rather than God, or he may desire wealth more than virtue, or he may love some fellow creature to the contempt of the Creator. Positively, all distinctively human excellence, after that which is intellectual, is to be found in some go~’d form of affection. The’good man is precisely he who really love~ good things.’ He has all the emotions, he is moved by them all, and he lets them all hav~ their leg!timate outlets. He fears, for example, the right things, and in the right measure and way. His emotions are under control ~ind at his servi~e, in so far as that is humanly and morally possible., oEmo-tional maturity, th~ con’dition of being well adjusted, ~nd~ integra-tion of personality all ideals which the psychol0gists would havre us realize--are exemplified by the marl v~hose hff~c~ions hre directed ~oward the righ.t objects and kept proportioned to tfiem: It is just this harmonious accomhiodation on the religious, spiritual, and super-natural level that affecti~ie prayer seeks to ~ff~ct. A person practicing this sort of prayer seriously would, a~ least at the moment, fear God, ¯ hope in Him,. and love Him rightly and appropriately. A third advantage of affective prayer over meditation is that it does more to give one a certain experimental’knowledge of God, and of course this is most desirable. One does not directly experience . God Himself -possibly that may come later in the mystical’ forms ¯ of prayer but it does add to one’s awareness’ ~f how it feels to deal with God and to find satisfaction.in it. It i~ one thing to know, say, God’s lovdly attractiveness merely intellectua11~; and~quite another, after having given oneself up to it, to experi~ence the happy effects bg it tipon one’s inner self. Now God seems decidedly more real, more pdrsonal, and better fitted to fulfill one’s deepest aspirations’and to evoke that practical kind of good will.that leads to better living. After tasting and feeling that the Lord is sweet, one is in every way better disposed. Another advantage of affective prayer (for what it is worth) is that it is more likely to be highly consoling. Thereare indeed-most exquisite delights consequent upon speculation, upon seeing the Review ~or Religious 116 Magi, 1948 AFFECTIVE pRAYER beauties of truth, or making fresh discoveries of it~ but allin all these are surpassed by those that follow lov~ and the other emotions that naturally go with" it. Not that affective prayer is concerned only with the exhilar~iting emotions. -. It may be saddening as well: as gladdening.- But in general and in contrast to meditation, it is more apt to fill the soul with spiritual joys and consolations. Enjoying these should not be one’s principal purpose:, however, they are means ~nd do’have a value. Disadvantages Like all other good things in this life, affective pray.er has its disadvantages also. ~The affectivity aroused may be more verbal than real. ¯ The. affections may be shallow~ and fickle, and lead rather to self-deception and, .disillusionment later than to anything else.. Devout feelings, in certain temperamental persons especially,, may easily degenerate into pious sentimentality or flighty emotion~illsm." One becomes like the man in the Gospel "that heareth the word and straightway receiveth it with joy; he hath no root in him, but is inconstan(, and when affliction or persecution cometh because, of the word; straightways chaend iash z.e..d. (Matthew 13:20~21)°. Persons with imaginations that are .lively and emotions that, are readily touched off by a spark would have .to guard against "affection in praye~ that is not sufficiently deep and stro’ng to stand ’the test ot~ wear and resistance. ’Such persons ~may need to cultivate medita(ion ---serious, sober, practical reflection--and tO .be slow about surrefi-dering themselves up to~seemingly,~holy feelings. Perhaps for them more sense and lesssentiment would be becoming. A man who does. well ih affective prayer is full of good Will, holy resolutions, pious projects, and perhaps~heroic dispositions. He least for the time being, as good as he can b~. This cbndition he may-notice, and then begin to feel well satisfied with himself, "and pos-sibly even really proud.. "The next step w6uld naturally be pre, sumption, attempting, or proposing to attempt, something beyond the limitations of his.strength and grace. To avoid disappointmen( and distress later, such a man should realize that there may be a great distance between good feeling and good living, between .resolving and accomplishing. He should, strive to make his good affections still truer and better by balancing them with a sense of his own weak, nesses and by making them conducive to genuine .advance in virtue ratherth~n to self-deception and lapses from virtue. 117 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD Retqeu~ for Religioub For ~hose pious people who are .overeagerto seek consolations, who are inclined to rest in the’ consolations of God rather than in the God of consolations, affective prayer presents ii peculiar danger. It gives them a b~tter opportunity to follow their.special propen-sity.. Theconclusion is not that therefore they shbuld shun it. That would be tantamount to renouncing progress in prayer. What they ~hou!d do is, being aware of their Own v~eakness, to take appropriate precautions against seeking too much gratification here and now in devout feelings and sentiments, and to cultivate those affection’s which in the long run will bring them most happiness and enable them to pl~ase God most. ’: The right sort of affection will always lead’ them to greater unselfishfiess and abnegatiofi and to greater attachment to God ;ind the things that pertain to His service.. If one’s emotiofial reaction be overoptimistic, it should not be given’ up altogether nor exchanged for a pessimistic one but moderated and reduced to what ~s right and appropri~ite. ~’ ’ ~ Transition Because affective prayer is better and higher in itself than medi-tation, one’~should not therefore abandon this latter prematurely and, as it.were,, jump from one grade .to.another in the school of prayer before one.is really prepared for the advanCe.The proper thing rather is to be informed in general about the nature, purpose, and degrees of mental prayer, to know what to expect, to do one’s best in the form that comes most naturally to one and seems most promising, and thus to be borne on, sO to speak, by the current of nature and grace. -If a person should leave meditation too soon, .he would lose the necessary~ aids it could give and not be in condition to reap the advantages of affective pray, er. If meditation is made well, it will automatically and gradually conduct one higher. ~ Methods or: At~ective Pra~ler. It is not surprising that some methods of prager should be’more apt to induce affection than others. To take an example from those recommended by St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises, his method of "contemplation" according to persons, words; and actions w~uld be better in this respect :than the mo~e rational mode called after the three powers: memory, understanding, and will. The Su.lpician method; as explaine~t, for instance, in Tanquerey’s The Spiritual Li~e, pages 335-339, is rated highly for the purposes of affective 1!8 May, 19 4 ~ AFFECTIVE PRAYER prayer. The method proposed by St. John Baptist de la Salle is in a special way. affective. An, outline of it follows: Part I. To recall the presence of’God and dwell upon it. Then to arouse these affections or make these acts: with reference to God. faith, adoration, gratitude: witl~ reference to ~elf. humiliation, shame, sorrow: with reference to Christ. appro- Frlation of His merits, union with Him, invocation of His Spirit. Part II. Some particular subject matter is considered, a mystery, a virtue, or a principle. Here also nine acts are elicited: with reference to the Savior, faith, ado-ration, than, ksgivlng; with reference to self. shame, sorrow, application: then three concluding acts, union with the Savior. p~tltion, invocation of the Saints. Part III. Retrospect over the results of the hour. thanksgiving, and offering. Means ol: Eliciting Emotion It is greatly to be desired that salutary affections should arise in the heart spontaneously and naturally after proper consideration of ihe objects that one is praying over. If they do not, then special means must be Used to elicit them. This way of proceeding may appear artificial. Granted; but it is better than nothing, and at times may be indispensable. When, therefore, it is necessary to take some particular step to shake off apathy and arouse torpid feelings, one, possibility would b~ to recall the principal emotions and see-which ones are applicable to the matter in hand. Onecould take as an initial point of departure the received scho-lastic classification of the passions or emotions~ These are divided in the first place into the concupiscible and the irascible:passions. The former are concerned witli flood or evil simply as :such. The latter respond to good or evil inasmuch as these have some difficulty attached to thdm. When one comes to know something good. it is natural to feel love for it: if it be absent or not possessed, to desire it: if it be present and possessed, to experience joy in it. If on the con-trary the object be evil, there is likewise a three-fold reaction: to evil considered simply by itself, hatred; to it as avoidable, aversion; and if it be present, sorrow or sadness. When one becomes aware of some good that is also arduous or difficult, one hopes for’ it, or if the_ diffi-culty be too g.r~at, one despairs. When a man is threatened with some impending evil, he fears: if he feels well able to surmount the danger, he has courage. Finally. in case it be necessary to combai evil already at hand. anger strengthens one. All movements of soul can be more or less reduced to these eleven. One could hardly pray at all without finding that at least two or three of them are in place. After a person thinks of God, to take one example, it is nat.ural 119 G, J~UGUSTINE ELLARD to feel some such sequence of affections as these that follow. His infinite excellence ~and behuty suggest complacency, the beginning of love. All the inexpressible and innumerable marvels in Him evoke admiration. His immense dignity compels awe and reverence. His strict sense of justice, intolerant sanctity;, and omnipotent power instill fear. His sublimity, especially in contrast to our human low-liness, inspires a feeling of’self-debasemer~t. Ifone has d6ne ~ome- ~hin.g improper, confronting God and His infinite prop~riety makes one experience shame. The idea of the divine .absolute goodness-at once suggests love. The thought of heaven, of possessing as. one’s own and acually enjoying that goodness, begets desire and longi.ng. Z, he anticipation of it brings joy meanwhile. Realizing that with God’s. help one can overcome the. difficulties of winning heaven and ¯ Sharing His beatific life for e~ernity gives one hoI~e. Knowledge that one is fighting the goo~l fight and is supported by all. the wisdom, benevol~nce; and power of God fills one with courage~ When a per-son recallsall God’s great and unnumbered benefits, it is only r~atur-al that a sense 0f"~r.atitud.e should arise in the soul. Refledting upon the ~easons why one ~hould not hive offended God by sinning tends" to ~ill the heart with regret and contrition. Similarly it’is.saddening to notice the discrepancies between the .way in which men should res~Pond to God and’the.outrageous manner in which only too many of them do,’ Thinking about the attacks made upon Gbd or’His Se~ants by @i~ked persons, whether diabolical or human, could inflame ~ne w~th aholy anger against the enemies of God. In a word, -thereis’hardly ~an~ aspect of God that we can advert to that is not apt, if conceived vividly and deeply enough, .to fill us with some salutary and moving affection. Another example of a possible series of prayerful emotions: a man is struck with the thought.that he should do something, sa~, to be more generous’ toward others, The idea of acting magn~.ni-mously fills the soul with a sense of moral’b’eauty and delight. A feeling of admiration ensues. A desire so to act is experienced. One ,notices the divergence between this ideal and one’s past conductand is stirred to shame arid sorrow: Diffidence also ifi self is suggested by these failures, Discguragement leads by contrast to the thought of hope in God. It in turn generates boldness and courage. The advantages for self in being generous ’are noticed and one’s legitimate self-love is aroused. Love for self in God leads to disinterested love of God and then to love and zeal for souls. Finally, .the resolve is 120 Ma~t, 1948 AFFECTIVE PRAYER" made to show ~reater g~nerosity in the future and it. is reinforced with all these good movements of soul. Dynamic Knowledge Necessary/ One may object ,that it is possible tb think of persons or thing~ which’should move us and still to rema~ia apathetic and untouched. We can notice God’s loveliness and not love Him, or thedesirablit~ of:heaven ahd not ~are about it, or the fearfulness of~e~ernai,punish-~ ments:arid~till ff6t fear~ Ur~fort6iiatel~,: this is just about ~vh~re~’oa~ g~ea~ weakness li~;. "It is the fir~st perversi~y"~hat prhyer ~nust’~fry~td correct. Very often movements of sensibility .are not’ under our power. being dependent,.,for example, upon different physiological condi-tions. But .wheia the will. the rational and .spiritual faculty of appetition, ~is.confronted with suitable objects and in a suitable way, it-must-react._ at least incipiently and. indeliberately., ~,It is, not indifferent’ t6Ward good, and evil in general and its first un, premedi2 tared ’stirrings are not free. If some~,knowledge does :not; aff~ect~ its. more may." If one kind of knowledge does not, perhaps another will. In. any case when there.is question’of what ought~ to, be one will have to keep trying better and better’ degrees or,~ forms Qf knowledge~until-something really moving is found. Thus if a man musLmake ari act of contrition or.’charity, for God and at the:moment is incapable .oL it, the only thing to do,.after begging God’s ~help. is t6 continue .considering the various motives, and valuei from variou~ points of view ~until he does become capable. For some people °the best way of achieving this aim mightbe to repeat a formula, delib-erately and meditatively, o _ ~Sometimes objects are known indeed, . but , not under the right aspect to excite emotion. ° If. for instance, .a person Should wis~ to increase his desire for perfection, it would not do to .think of perfec-tion in~,a gen~ral way, or as a duty to be discharged, or as a difficult a~cbievement, or as~simply admirable and beautifial, Attention and consideration must be focused on it precisely as desirable. Again, a certain quantity or amount of knowledge may be required, especially when~’ objects aie in competition: Suppose, to take an~ example from life rather, than from mental prayer, that d man knows~a lovely divorcee very well,,whereas the divine loveliness is a very vague, abstruse, and remote thing to him. He may.be temptdd (~. AUGUSTINE ELLkRD Reoiew for Religious t0. infringe the marriage"laws. Without effort we know the attrac-tions of creatures relatively_well, and accordingly ’we are affected by them. To acquire stronger affections for the Creator may cost much hard thinking and compariiag.. On thee basis of past experiences of fearful, desirable, or lovely objects it may be necessary to imagine in re:~listic detail how fearful it would be, for. example, to feel the tor-tures of the damned, or how desirable and delightful, it would be to enjoy celestial bliss, Or how lovelyLoveliness Itself mu~t be: All these possibilities inu~t be envisaged with reference to on s own dear self; the o~her man’s pains will not hurt me~ nor his pleasures thrill me. Knowledge which consists in immediate, intuitive, and concrete perseption is ~much more apt to move the emotions than mediate, discursive, and abstract conception. Think of the differences in emo¢ tional effect between seeing a spectacle and hearing or reading about it. ¯ A great effort may have to be made, while one is on the lower rungs ~f the ladder of prayer, t~ ~ompensate for our unrealistic knowledge Of God and. divine things by building up as much vividness, pictorial quality, and realism as possible. In certain cases, ~for instance, when p[ayin’g over scenes in the life or Passion of Christ, this can be done ~ather easily, ~spechlly by persons who have lively imaginations. Generally speaking, filling the imagination with appropriate, lifelike pictures is a first-rate¯ means to stirring the affections~ Novel ideas are more likely to impre.ss us.than old ones. Hence it is helpful ~to keep y~ewing an idea from all angles until we find a new aspect tha~ strikes and moves us. ~A discovery made by oneself is much more highly ,~timulating than a though~ presented by somebody else: a womafi loves her o~n baby more than another’s. o Tb sum up, factors that make knowledge ~dynamic. and affective are such as these: a suitable object; presentation of it under the r.ight aspe;t, that is, as odious, likable, etc., rather than as true; su~icient clarity; sufficient discernment and appreci_ation of the comparatix;e superiority of the better objects; utilization of one’s past experience of pain, .pleasure, arid love; reference to one’s own weal or woe; concrete visualization rather than abstract conception; vivid, color-ful, and rich dfi~agery; novelty: discovery b~ self: and ~finally and principally, the .utmost realism. A sane person cannot remain indefinitely indifferent or apathetic to emotional objects ;. only schizo-phre. nics can do that. 122 Ma~I,’1948 ~ ’AFFECT[VE PR/(~ER Colloquibs~ ~ ~ ~, Afte~ getting the l~tOl~er~ind of knowledge, the affections~ should be exercised. The more stror~gly0 ~Vithout )iolence, ~the better. Appro= pri~ite acts-of them. c~ah be elicited, proldnged, deepened, repeated; and "varied’ in different way.~. -. Tlie onlyo limit to this’sort oft holy occupation would seem t~ be one’s capacity and tilne: °Lbng ago, a great mistress~, of menial prayer wrot[ that "much loving-rathe~ ,than muchthinkin’g is the,great thing.in meditati6~ (SL ~Teresfi oLA~ila, The’Interior Castle, IV, 1 ). -’ ~ TMkinff’thihgs "over ~vith God, is, genelally hpeaking, a’ better means of increasing affectivity thaffmer~ly thinkifig’them"out by dne-s~ if~ and hence the free ~se of colioqu!es is commonly recommended by" autho’fiti~s on prayer. The practi~ of "tti~ saints’ and of other h~ly ’people seems to confirm tliis counsel’.’ Con)ersing ~with~God is more per~6nal~ wtal, and dynamic. ’~’° ’ ’ ~’ ..... ’ Aridit~ o "~ Besides the general torpor and apathy that characterize the human heart with respecL to spiritual r_ealities an.d~ valu3.s., there are chronic and acute attacks of that malady called aridity/,~ Q~ne’s~a.ffections .~in prayer are relatively irresponsive." It t.akes .different .fprms and has various causes. For~io.ur purpose it is enough to say that her~e, in a new. condition, ,affectivity is still to be cultivated, but in a new way, corresponding to the changed opportunities, an~ dangersi".E.videntl~r one should make the best use., ~without straining :or’racking one’s nerves, .of-the emotional pote.nfialities of, .natqre-’.~and grace that’ are left, "and for the rest to. be prudent and patient. Effort should .be directed to thos~ affections that befit one’s present~ condition and are apt to remedy it: for example, a sense of .humiliation and shame, feeling ~ one’s losses, desire for a return of easier ,graces, hope, confi-dence in God, .courage,. and so forth. On. the _contrary, feelings that "v,;ould take one away from~ p.rayer, or fervor in God’s love or~ervice, would have to be coml3ated and a counteroffensive’ instituted against them. :. ~. ~ ~" Objective The. ~im should be, "l~oth at times of praye~ ,and als6 a~ all:~ther times, as" far as huma’n ’shortcomings permit, state of soul,~vhich is inost reasonable~find worth~r of ~ne~lf find of all the persons and things tfiat one has to do with. Thus one ~0uld ,1-23 G..~UGUSTINE ELLARD have, not only while praying but e~pecially while occupied in other W.ays," the proper reverence and love for. God, the becoming desire for heavenly goods, and the right fear of;the consequences of sin. It would not be very satisfactory to boil and bubble over with an effer-vescence of all the holiest affections in the morning before breakfast and then during the working hours of the day, or when temptations and trials come, to go back on all one’s fine feelings. These are good, as far as they go, but it may be necessary to make them go farther. They must be made so deep and st~rong and, as it were, natural that they will safely weather all storms. Hence our emotions, besides being brought into conformity with divine realities and values, must be rendered whole-souled: that is, they must,~as far as possible~ really and permanently and effectively fill the whole person. Then one will continue to act well throughout the day as well as ~:ee! piously while praying. One deep, calm,~intellectually supported, and sturdy affective movement of soul may’be worth more than a score of them that are ebullient and tumultuous but less well-anchored and durable.. " If a man’s affections have been brought into.harmony with their truest objects and if they have been extended so as to occupy the length andbreadth and depths of his soul, he will, as a consequence, not only exemplify the psychologists’ aim and ideal Of a personality tha~ is integrated, well adjusted, and emotionally mature, ° but he will.also posse~s that happy impassibility or freedom from inordinate movements which may be called the rever~c aspect of Christian "per-fectionl In a word, it comes to something like this: a man loving God with his whole heart has nc~ imperfect love that would be delib-erate and the minimum of the indeliberate. Desiring celestial and eternal bliss as is pr6per, he-would not desire anything that would take him away from it. Fearing God as he should, he would not fear men or human misfortunes in any way that would be wrong. ’In addition to the positive perfection and excellence of such a state of soul, he would be comparatively immune from troublesome anal disturbing impulses of all sorts. He would approach the integrity, that ideal balance of appetites and~ tendencies, that characterized Adam and Eve before the fall, and. i~ historical times, Christ and His immaculate, mother. Free from the wrong kind of affection and having the right kind and enough of it, he would be ready for’ all good. 124 The La Sallian I::ormula t;or a I::ruifl:ul Apost:ola!:e Brother Charles Henry, F;S.C. [EDITORS~ NOTE: Since this ye;ir is the American Centenary of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, it seems an appropriate time to give our readers an idea of the spirit and method of the founder, St. 3ohn Baptist De La Salle. Brother Charles Henry is ¢Jolng this for us in two articles/of which the present is the first. ] ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE left an extensive spiritual and pedagogical literature for the guidance and inspiration of his religious family. The philosophy of education and the practical pedagogy contained therein have captured the attention of educators during two and’a half centuries. He is universally pro-claimed as the father of modern pedagogy because of his pioneer work in teacher-training, methodology, and the techniques of school admin-istration. He is unique among religious founders for having con-ceived a new type of teacher and religious, the male non-clerical reli-gious, vowed specifically and solely to the apostolate of education. " I. THE TEACHER’S VOCATION--AN APOSTOLA~TE OF SOULS The world has gradually adopted the professional outlook of St. De La Salle and as gradually has come to draw the conclusions implied in his ~ducational philosophy. It h~s adopted the simul-taneous methodand has accorded suprema’cy to the mofher tongue as the vehicle of .teaching. It is now universally accepted that the teacher must be trained as for a lefirned profession; that students should be classified by their ability and advancement in learning; ~that the school should be adapted to the needs of the pupils. The importance of pupil participation in the process of education and in the administrati6n of the school is universally recognized. The. value of a system of checks and balances on the teacher’s progress in his art and of the pupil’s progress in learning has led to an elaborate system of supervision in modern education. All of these are phases of the La Sallian revolution in education. The world has accorded them the honor of wholehearted acceptance in theory and practice, qt has, fibwever, hiled utterly, to understand, or even to recognize, the funda-mental premise Of all the saint’s.educational concl.usions, the founda-o 125 BROTHER CHARLES HENRY Review for Religious tio6 of his entire educational structure, viz., that the mission of the e~ItiCator. is an apo~tolat.¢, "an apostolate for the souls of youth. .His mission is not merely a disciplining of the mind or a cultivation of. the arts and sciences, it is also and morebasic.ally a formation of the_ soul, "a co-operating with grac~ in forming Christ in souls regener-ated to sonship of God by baptism." This noble definition of Cath-olic education, promulgated by Pope Pius XI, finds its counterpart in the words of St. La Salle: "You are destined by G~d to beget children tO Jesus Christ and to beget Christ in the hearts ofc.hddren." " "¯ The whole thought of the founder of the Christian SchOols in reference to the work into which Prc~vidence so ~ently but irresistibly led him, was to raise up a corps of men inspired by the supernatural purpose’of w~nnirig th~ souls of youth for Christ. "The ehd of Our institute," he. says, "is the salvation of soulS; God has called you tO rear Children in piety." In the Rules,’ which are the plan, of life of his teachers, the founder was careful to lay down in the first chapter this guiding principle, "The end of this institute is to give a Christian edu-cation to children, and it is fo~ this end that we keep schools, to teach children to live well by instructing them in the mysteries of our holy religion" by inspiring them with Christian maxims." It is ’because ’the’ mission of the teacher is such an apostolate that St. DeLa Salle urges him" to "attach yourself only to Jesus Christ, to His doctrine and His maxims, since He has done you the honor of choosing you to announce them to cfiildren; His well-beloved." I. God Has.Chosen and Sent the Teacher ’ St. De La Salle iaas analyzed for us the various aspects of this apostolate for souls. It is not merely a profession that-’we have chosen in consideration of certain altruistic purposes. It is an apos-tolate, "a ministry to whicfi God has called us. God has given you the order to dispense his word to your pupils, it is He who has called you and destined you for this employ. God has chosen, you to aid Him in announcing to children the Gospel of His Son and the truths Contained therein. You co-operate with G~d in His work, and the children you instruct are the field which He cultivates by you, since it is He who has given you the mission that you exercise." This mission is part of God’s eternal providence for the salvation and sanctification of souls. "Providence has charged you to form the children to piety. His goodness has provided for the spiritual needs of the children by giving them teachers to instruct them, whom H~ 126 M~g, 1948 L^ SALLIAN FORMULA FOR APOSTOLATE has charged with their care. ~ You have received a gre~t ;g~ace from ;God,;.called to a mifiistry which is ’concerned with the salvation bf souls~. You have the,happiness to Work at the instruction "of the pbo£; th’ahk God for having put:you in a state in which you san, c, tify yourself and procure, the salvation of others." ~ _ . : - : °- o" " " ~ 2. The C’hri~stiab Teache~---~Co-op’erat~?~with Ctirist The Christian teacher exercises~is apostQl~te~ not onl7 as a min~ ~:~er of God,but also as thd’~inister-an~ cd-ope~atpr of J~sus Ch~t~ "Whht sfi0ul~ efisourage you to .have,great zeal in your ~m~loy ~ thq fact that,~ot ~n~y are you ministers of God ffu~ .also of.Je~s Christ a~ ~h~’e’Church, Who has conferred o~ you_th~ h~.9pr, of annp~gcing His holy maxims to’children." In t~aching the "Gospel of the King-do~ o~ God, ~for ~hich Jesus Christ has sent him," the teacher has fo[~mgdel none l~ss~han Yj~esus Christ Himself~.who taught the cate-ch~ smandtfpier~’"n"c, p"a ’l t"rutfis" o~f r~e"h g"m’ n.’~ .Bei~sdn~ ~g Crib!st to ,m~tate Him as catechist, the teacher should c0n~id~r him~elff~niy as ~’.". t. h".e ~ am "b aossfa dJoersus’C "h ..,r. ~~.. .s..t.."~. ~ a c~tig~a"2n’ d", t ~e~a ’~c’h ~,in, g" a ’s -the miaister of Christ." ~ ~ 3. ’Th~"Ghristidn"Teache~" CdntinUes Wbrk ’dr ApOstles" Jesus Christ has choseh t~e ’Christian teacher ~o: c0nt~nub, the work which He confided to the apostles, saying ~t~;. them,;~"Gomg,’~;’~ .... teach hll nations." .~,labors,of.,yhe, teacher "age~an apostolic func-tion. -He has been called, as the apostles ~¢r~, t6 make God known, to succeed them,~n expla~nmg,the~doctrme of Jesus Christ. - He ~s the sucessor of the apostles in the work of catechizing and instructing.the poor. Following the e~ple of the apostles, which is that of Christ ~i~sdf, he should dai~y teach th~ :c~te~hism, exercising this fmpl6y in th~.sam~ s~irit in which the.a?,ostles perfgrmed their m~mstry. Thin’grace:of ~rti~ipatin~ in.the ministry of.the holy a#0stl~ to"b~" t~e’ b~ject’ gf’our th~hksgiving" t~ Gdd.’" - ::’’ ’- ," .".~,. .. ," ~,- ~ - -’~" ".4~ .The. Chbistian Teache?’~ Mini]ter~o~ the C~ur~h As co-operators with Jesus Christ and successors to the apostles,m teaching the truths of faith, ’,’we-are ministers of the Church. It is for~.~the.Church4as-being .the Body .of Christ~ that We labor." ~ The . Ghristian,’teacher ~has, been,commissioned. by Jgsus, Chr~st ~tq~build up~Hiv Body; ,which~ds the :Church, by~ instrucdng.~cbiMr~ forming, them~ to piety. : ’He~ oughg to~.work in his.employ ’to build up the,Church ow, th~)foundation:0f 4he hol,y~apost!es, instructing with :427 BROTHER CHARLES HEI~RY Reoiew [or,Rdigioa*, care the children whom God has confided to him and who enter into the structure of that edifice. If he is to render his ministry as usefifl to the Church as it can be, he should daily teacl~ the catechism, making the ch~ildren learn the principal truths of religion. He should be motivated in this ~ask by great zealfor the good of the Church. He will make his pupils true Christians, docile to the truths of faith and to the maxims of the Gospel, thus procuring the good of the Church. The teacher should be characterized by a ~aigh degree of simple, humble submission to the Church and to her decision. He should take for practice to follow in all things that which the Church teaches-in the catechisms she approves, that is, in the catechisms pre-pared and, adopted .by the bishops united to the Vicar of Christ." II. THE TEACHER MUS~ PREPARE FOR HIS APOSTOLATE prepaTrahtiios~ nn.o-ble vocation, cannot be exercised .without a careful The Christian teac~her must be~intellectuaIly equipped to undertake the instruction of souls, who are destined to be living stones in the Church of Christ. He must also be well .convinced that "it is God who gives the increase," and that the increase" must be merited by a rsincere practice of the spiritual life. Thus, a twofold o p.r.eparatlon must "be undertaken by the Christian teacher, one of ~tudy, the other, of practice. " o- "- I. The Christian Teacher must ’Prepdre b~l Stud!l~ -"In order to give. to others" the spirit of Christ it is necessary to possess it oneself. That erigages you to lead the Holy Gospel with attention and affection; let it be your principal.study. You are obliged by your ministry tO have sufficient knowledge to teach the children under your care the good and solid doctrine of the Church: One.of your principal cares should be to study it and to have a clear knowl-edge of it. God will make you render an account of this obligation," These are the t~vo objects.of the conscientious study of the Chri.stia’n teacher. Let.us’examine the complet~ thought of St. De La Salle on each~of thdm. Holy $cr|pture To be capable of his employ the Christian teacher must be full of the spirit of God. To that end he should-"study above all the books of Sacred Scripture? especially the New Testament, that they maylbe, his ~own rule. of conduct and that of the children he instructs. : Smc l~e’is "obliged to teach the holy doctrineof Jesus.Christ, h~ is b~mnd May, 1,948 : LA SALLIAN FORMULA FOR APOSTOLATE to learn it thoroughly that b,y its means he may make his pupils tru~ disciples of Christ." Tlie Christian teacher’should daily instruct his pupils in "truths drawn from the Holy Gospel. Therefore-ought he daily to nourish his soul with the divine maxims contained in "these holy books and make blm~elf familiar with them by fervent medita-tion." St. De La Salle especially recommends a serious study of St. Matthew’s Gospel "in which are proposed the most holy maxims of Jesus Christ and the principal foundations of Christian piety." Not only will the Gospel give the Christian ’teacher doctrine but also method, and "in reading the Gospel he ought to study the manner .in which ‘lesus Christ acted and the means He employed to lead His disciples to practice the truth~ of the Gospel." It is the maxims of Jesus Christ, which we find in t,he .Gospel, .that should be the o~ject of special study and reflection. "Instrtlct yourself well in the holy maxims ofthe Gospel and medit,ate them frequently. Nourish your~ self da!ly with. the holy maxims contained in the Divine Book. Take -great pains to nourisfi your souls with maxims of the Holy Gospel, studying the means of putting them into practice." The Epistles should also be the object of earnest study "since the Christian teacher continues the work of the apostles. "Your first care should be to possess the doctrine of the holy apostles in order, to give your pupils the spirit of religion." He should be joined in close friendship to St. Paul "by a frequent reading of the Epistles, by study-ing them, by meditating them seriously, and by,making it his glory to practice what they teach:" The instructidns given by St. ,lames in his t~pistle are admirable and worthy of ca_reful study., ’~They will serve you well in Sanctifying your own soul and in forming those of your pupils according to the spirit of Christ." The same advice is g’iv~n relative to. the Epistles of St. Peter, "whose holy maxims you should be faithful to’reduce to practice." The Doctr;~e of Holy Church It is not only in the Holy Scripture that "God communicates to us what we are to teach our pupils but also in holy books filled with the truths of religion and the maxims of the Gospel." It isa matter of absolute necessity that the Christian teacher "have a deep knowl-edge of the truths of- religion that he may be able to explain them clearly to his disciples." His mission places on him the obligation Of ¯ working for the salvation of others, from which develops the duty of studying the catechism and of reading good books. "It is necessary to 129 BROTHER CHARLES HENRY . "" R’evieto for Religious become profoundly instructed in the truth by study; ignorance would be criminal since it would ~ause ignorance in the students." If the Christian.teacher is to serve the Church capably, he must zealously study the catechism that he is bound to teach his s.tudents, and by means of salutary instructions inspire’piety in them. In a word,,the Christian teacher "ought to know the truths of religion well." But to be a truly valuable aiaxiliary to the Church,"this knowledge of religion must be joined to piety," and the knowledge of the Hol~r Gospel must be followed by a zealous practice of the maxims found therein. Secular Brencfies Although the primary purpose of the Christian school"i~ the religious education of the children, St. De La Salle wished it to impart also a~ thorough education in the secular branches. Conse-quently, the Christian teacher should be proficient in secular ldarning as well as religious. It was this conviction that led the saint to labor sohard, despite all opposition, to establish a scholasticate for the Brothers at Vaugirard an°d later at St. Yon, ’and to establish normal schools for the .country school teachers. In both establishments the future p~dagogues studied all the subjects that were taught in th~ primhry schools: Wl~en he undertook ihe~stablishment of’the higher forms of schools for the Irish. exiles, for the young artisans who at-tended Sunday courses, and for the various categories~ ofboarders at St. Yon, .his first thougl~t wasadequate preparation of the teachers for these establishments.. On the subject of intellectual forn~ation in the secular branches he said very little, but his action in this field is an eloquent demand for adequate training. Methodology The saint was clearly a~vare that it.is one thing,to have knowledge and quite another to know how to impart that knowledge to others. Hence the importance of th~ scholasticate and the normal school, not only to impart the content but also to train in the art of teaching. Hence, also, the hem of a practice school, like that of St. Hippolyie, where the aspirant teacher can learn~to apply the methods le;~rned in his class of pedagogy. Hdnce, too, the need of a manual of pedagogy, which the saint supplied by~ his’ Conduite des Ecoles. The~ study"of this Manual under the. tutelage of an experienced teach~r, and the oap- ~licati~sn of its prificiples under supervision and criticism in ~ra~tice school are !ndispensable preparatiofis for the apostolate of educa~tion. 130 May, 1948 LA SA’LLIAN FORMULA FORoAPO~TOLATE ~ 2. The Christian Teacher must Develop Spiritdtally° " Tl~e founder of the Christian schools proposes the example of St~ Thomas to our imitation. Like him, the Christian teacher ’~has to learn th~ science of religion and salvation: it’~will be difficult for him to possess it thoroughly unless, like St. Thomas,°he employs three means: study, prayer, and mortification." In fact, to attribute I~o one’s own study and effort the preservation of the innocence of one’s students, or their conversion, would be a sort 9f t,h_eft., This-isa work that can be only God’s and those-whom, He ’employs, who give themselves entirely to Him and who have continual recourse to Him to procure so great a good." Prayer, Espe¢;ally Mental Prayer "Mental prayer is the exercise that God has chosen for the channd - of His graces, a fact that should move the Christian teacher to apply himself to it with special zeal’, since he has the obligation of meriting both for himsblfand foi,those whom he instructs. It is in mental prayer’that God confides to you what He wishes you to teach your pupils. We must mount up to Him daily in mental prayer to learn from Him what we are to teach." The Christian teacher should be untiiiiag in announcing:2esus Christ and His maxims. For that end he should be frequently in His company by mental prayer. It is in mental prayer that he will learn his obligation of not sparing self in anything in order to procure God’s glory. He should frequently reflect on the obligation of being a man of mental prayer. "having to pray not only for personal needs but also for those of the pupils and for the salvation of their souls." The Christian teacher must recognize that he is lacking in the fulness of the Christian spirit and in adequate knowledge of the truths of religion. "He will, therefore, ask of God to supply what is lacking. He will knock at. the door, pray, demand with insistence, even wit?i importunity. He will demand a knowledge of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. If he obtains that, he will have the means of instructing those who have recourse to him." The Christian teacher should surely know his religion well. "but he should give, by his wisdom and piety, evidence of that knowledge." IVlor~ificaf;on The need of mortification as an adjunct to study and prayer is a frequent theme of tl~e founder of the Christian schools. "That your prayer for those you teach may be effective, you should join to it, mortification. It is by a mortified life that the saints who have worked ~131 COMMUNICATIONS Reoiew for Religious best for the Salvation of souls have disposed themselves and put them-selves in a state to achieve much good. You are obliged to !nstruct others. You will have reason to blush if you are obliged to teach them what you do not know yourselves, of to exhort them to do what you do not do yotirselves." -ommun{ca {ons Vacations [EDITORS’ NOTEi For the most part these letters on vacations ;~re merely ~excerpt~ from or digests of the originals. We had not the space to print them°in full. We have received other communications which are also too lengthy and which more or leas defied our attempts to select from or.digest them. These latter c6mmunications will not. be published. ] Reverend Fathers: ~.’I was. overjoyed to see my letter on (that is, against) vacations in the 3anuary number, and overawed to see the~editor’s, a’ddition to the ~effect that, I had missed the po.int. I was peeved for a long time. At one poin.t I’felt like throwing our summer house at him. But following one’s feellngs~is ~a modern mania, like vacations: and I am glad now that my madness did not make me mad.~ Besides, I would. doubtless have incurred the editor’s censure a second tirrie for wasting such a precious thing as a summer house. ~" I feel better now; and even grateful to you for putting it miM15;. You might easily have said that, while missing the point, I was also qtiite s~harp. And I meanf to be sharp .... They say that Nero fiddled while Rome bfirned. I think we are relaxing while the Roman Church rots. Don’t tell me the gates of Hell ale not going to prevail. I l~now that: What needs to be said is that we might cl’ose them a little tigh~er--a great deal tighter. This needs to be said o’to others besides religious, to me especially .... I do not think our nuns bad; but neither do I think the trouble with the w6rld is with the bad people. I think the.tr6uble is with the good people, that° they are not good en.ough. The point I am making is a challenge. Make the Cross as good as the Red Cross. Stop praying (these words are written after ten years’ thought) for yourselves first. Pray for God’s intention. Pray blindly for it. Pray for vocations as fervently as you pray for vacations. Pray for conversions as anxiously as you pray for enrollments. Pray for the 132 May, 194g COMMUNIC/~q’IONS other community as feverishly, if God wills, as for your own. B~ mothers of the American Church. Nurse it into higher holiness. Natural mothers’ work is never done. Yours is a greater calli’ng. F.ven harder work should be your order of the day--and the night .... -~SECULAR PRIEST SISTERS’ CHAPLAIN, Reverend Fathers: To me the’Scriptures show a sympathetic, merciful, and under-stan~ ding 2esus. Let me quote a passage from a book by another secular priest Sisters’ chaplain: "Learn how to rest with Christ. Do not think that you remain with Him only w!~en you are praying or working for Him. As soon as you become tired in a work which you undertook for Him, you have a right to rest with Him after your toils ..... Christ will encourage you to leave your work and take advantage of recreation. He will not reproach you for this, for He is the Master exceedingly good, who is most solicitous in His care for His servants. You can; therefore, devote moments free from occupation on lawful recreation without any trouble, with compldte freedom. This will be corn: pletely in accordance with God’s will, no less meritorious than work itself." (Rev. J. Pitrus, S.T,D., The Religious at tl~e Feet of Jesus.) I would not worry too much about the religious spirit suffering because the community has a home at the seashore where the SiSters take their vacations. Yet St. Paul has cautioned that aithough manor things are lawful, not all are expedient. And would it be expedient-- about this I would worry--for each community to acquire such a home, especially by taking over some hotel or estate? Those homes would be tax free, wouldn’t they? We hear much criticism, espe-cially in. our northeastern section of the country, because of the loss of revenue to municipalities when religious take over large homes and estates. And I would also worry whether our own Catholics would be pleased; .for it is our own poor Catholics who donate the greater part of the means which enable the communities to subsist and expand. How and where, then, can the Sisters spend a vacation which they need and which would benefit them? Could I suggest~an exchange of Sisters for a few weeks between communities, especially those that have convents that are located outside the cities~ This, would 15e a change of atmosphere and faces for some of the Sisters, though I suppose it would not take care of all.--WORRIED. 133 ° COM!~IUNICATIONS ]~eview for Religious ¯ Pray~. r , [E I’I=ORS’_NOTE: .A year ago we began a discussion on prayer. Many letters were received,, not all of which could be published. We give here some excerpts which Contain helpful suggestions.] A Dominican Sister writes: "Mental praye.r is often made very "corhplicated by too much mechanics. A retreat master ..who stated si~aply that ’Meditation is thinking and loving’ did much to simplify ir for me." While too much insistence is ~ometimes placed upon method, it nevertheless ahas its place, and an important place, especially for beginners~ The ~ubject is frequently touched upon by our’~corre-spondents. A’Sister writes: "Meditation in many religious communities is made very difficult, I~,believe, by certain customfi which may have been all right in the beginning of the institute, but which are outmoded. To be specific: meditation made"in a dark or dimly lighted chapel, while one listens to. the reading of the points, is certainly conducive to sleep. ;The early hour, the atmosphere, the straining to catch the words When the reader is indistinct--all this produces just the effect needed for day-dreaming if not actual’sleep. YDuring the past summer I had the opportunity of studying at a distant college. Aw, ay from my own community,. I was respon.sible for my spiritual exercisefi, which I had’privately. I was really amazed at the difference it makes to have one’s own meditation book and to be able to read it when so inclined. The conclusion is obvious, Let ~ach Sister have her own meditation book, and let her Use it when she; wishes, and I think I would even add, where she ~ wishes. If she chooses-to" make her meditation in the chapel--and-~L know that nearly all the:.Sisters would prefer that--then gi~e her enough light for reading. I.am sure that .under these condttlons much more spiritual light would illumine the soul." ~ A. Franciscan Sister agrees with the foregoing: "It appears: to me that very few r~ligious~can dispense entirely w.ith a tangible aid, such as a meditation book or other reading matter. A contemplative or mystic very probably can. However, most religious ’.’are n~ither: "q~rhen the mind is unusually beset by fatigue or’the .will by inertia, beaver reading is out of the question. In such cases some book of dex~otion containing meditative passages may be in order;, And when even" this ’s.ubstitute fails to accomplish our purpose,’ possibly we can concentrate on a meditative verse" card." 134 May, 1948 COMMUN[C.~T~ON$ A Marianist Father recommends two helpful leaflets, "When I Mean Business" and "Whe~ I But TAIL" He also suggests: ’"In every meditation,-no matter what is read for the commun-ity, or what subject is chosen by the individual religious, come back to three points, which can be varied indefinitely, according to daily needs, and ne~;er seem to lose their freshness and interest: "I. ’JesuS, make my heart like Yours . . . in faith.., in hope ¯ .. in love.., in ~tren~th.. ~ in patienc~e.’ It is helpful a’t times to feel one’s pulse, to adore God in having made the heart so wonderful (physically), and to beg Him to make it still more wonderful in virtue and grace. "2. ’Jesus, give me. many souls ~o bring to You...’_ It is usefuI to mention persons by name, asking special graces for them, making, reparation for them .... "3. ’Jesus, I thank You for ever~tbir~g .... " Go into~detail." Concerning resolutions, a Franciscan Sister gives good advice: "Have just one resolution for particular examen and meditation.. Many spiritual directors advise this. Keep to the one as long as you fed you are deriving benefit therefrom (a week, a month,"etc.) No matter What the subject of your meditation is, in the affecrions~ acts of’ love, contrition, humility, confidence, gratitude, praise, etc.--it is most natural to give to our Lord the greatest preser~t r~eed of the soul, and l~ere is where your resolution comes in. I believe many souls scatter their efforts, by having two, three, or more irons in the fire at once." Several coriespondents have found that "extra’" mental prayer is efficacious: "After years of mediocrity it is hard to make a start, but ten minutes at night in a darkened chapel without beads or vocal prayers--just listening to God and blindly desiring to open the heart to Him--ten minutes whether He seems to be there or not--will do wonders¯" " ’Making up’ by a few minutes of real communing with God at some other time of the day for meditations poorly., or carelessly made is a big help towards making meditation better." "Many would undoubtedly profit by giving a little extra time to mental prayer,, at least on Sundays and feast days. I do not believe any rule would forbid a religious taking 10 or 15 minutes for this. It keeps one out of ~the habit of, going to prayer just because x COMMUNICATIONS we have to; and fosters love for prayer, and the desire for recoll~c-tion and union with God." Exhortations to pr’ayer are recommended: "It helps considerably when the Superior reminds the Sisters frequently of the necessity of ’giving their best efforts to their prayer tim~; also encouraging them to practice recollection as much as possible. When such points are seldom or never stressed, they inevitably suffer some decline;, whereas, if they are stressed, occasionally, they do improve." Example is the best exhortation: "Learners in the spiritual life must SEE in the concrete the result of the doctrines which are so abstract at the outset. Those who teach must n~t be afraid to reveal themselves--they must put their light upon the candlestick. But if they have no light if the salt has lost its savor--what then? The Cur~ of Ars had little learning, and no gift of oratorybut he had holiness. God ~vas in Him and men saw and believed. ’I saw God in a man,’ remarkedone who visited Ars. Even one saintly religious in a community will be a living example that it all CAN be done .that the theoG] works." In conclusion, we quote from a Jesuit of Mexico: "I read somewhere in St. Theresa: ’What we are doing While kneeling before God, is, not so much trying to"move Him to hear our prayer, as to dispose ourselves to hear Him. And more briefly she repeats in The Wag of Perfection .-... ’You shall find Him just as you want Him.’ "St. Bernaid gives the reason for it .... ’The soul recognizes what is in God, according to its own dispositions. It is therefore necessary that God show Himself to you in the measure you prepare yofirself for Him.’ " CONCERNING FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS / Communications on prayer and vacations, particularly the latter, are still welcome. But we should like to start on some new topic. Do you have’any topics to sugg,~st? One topic that has already been suggeste~t is "Worldliness in Religious." Do you like it? Perhaps you already have ideas on that subject and are willing to start the new series of communications? Please address communications to our Editorial Office (St. Mary’s College, St. Marys, Kansas). Keep’them as brief as possible, and, if, you possibly can, type them double-spaced. 13.6 "l-lav!ng Not:hing Ye!: Possessing All Things" Joseph A. McCoy, S.M. THE central dogma of Christianity is the Incarnation. Through ~ ~it God the Father gathers ali things to Himself, and in it all things in the world of nature, grace, and glory are cehtered. It is the Great Sacrament in which, under the sensible form of man, .God give~ ’Himself ~o us and wins for us ~he grace through which we becomd His children. When the Word was made flesh, a portion ~f natural creation was sef aside hnd consecrated to be the earthly body of the Son of God, and thgough this union of our humanity and His divinity all the things which that humanity sees and touches and hears have taken on new meaning. The world, has been supern~tural-ized; it has become a sacrament.1 It is true that for untold ages the firmament has prodlaimed the workof God’s hands, that all the works of the Lord bless and praise and exalt Him above all forever. N-evdrtheless, it is especially since the coming of Christ that all things, whether on earth or in the heavens, have been reconciled to God (Col. 1:15-20). In His Incar-nation Christ has made all things new. Henceforth all creatures, each in its own way, will be elevated to do some supernatural work. No longer will water be a mere in’animate object, to be used by_.man with blunt irreverence and ingratitude; but, "Sister Water, humble, precious and chaste,’’~ for-to wi, ter will be given the power to wash the soul and to stamp it indelibly as a child of God when we are born again of water and the Holy Ghost. No longer will oil signify only bodily s~rength, but ratl~er the spiritual vigor which comes with con-firmation. And with what reverence will all of us who believe in the Blessed Eucharist see the wheat waving in the fields and the grapes on the vines.’which will one day become His body and blood. It is° thus that through His Incarnation He, who being rich became poor for our sakes, has enriched us through Hi~ poverty (2 Cot. 8:9), z"Sacrament" is here used in the broad sense of any material thing serving as the occasion of supernatural grace. ~Canticle of the Sun. 137 JOSEPH ~. MCCOY ~ Reoieto for Religious Faith in the Incarnation is, then, the soul of reverence, of that reverence which sees in each thing that is, a sacrament._ This rever-ence finds its highest expression in the three vows.of ~religion, and ~everence for material things in particular finds not only its highest expression but also its greatest reward in the voluntary renunciatipn we make of them by the vow of poverty. Forcertainly if anyone should love the world and all the truly good things in the world and rejoice in them, it ought to be one who belongs wholly to the God who made all of these things and who "saw that they were all very good." This deeper enjoyment of things, which is possible only to a man not desirous of possessing them, forms a portion of the hundred-fold promised by Christ--a fact which seems to be easily overlooked. Hence it appears necessary to clarify the positive aspect of our vow of poverty in order to increase our love and respect for this great renouncement which has become for us a so,much greater e,nrichment. "For the sea is His and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land" (Ps. 94:5). All things have been given to us by Our Father in heaven and ought to be received and used by us with an almost infinite reverence and gratitude because of their divine origin and sacramenta’l character. ~ Nothing is more foreign to the true spirit of poverty, for which we are declared blessed, than contempt for material things. ¯ These things are sacr:imental in character because of the part they have taken, and are taking still, in the divine plan of redemption. Now, no greater contempt can be shown any creature of God than to refuse to see in it any value in itself and to regard it merely as something for ourseloes, something to be grasped and hidden away and used b~ our-selves alone. This is avarice, which refuses to love ’things for them-selves and sees in them only a means of self-advancement. The avaricious man is incapable of reverence for the things which them Lord has made, for he does not love them for themselves but for himself. In like manner the proud man is incapable of true reverence and love. He would build a wall around the sea so that he alone, and those whom he would invite, could look at it. And when he looks into the sea he finds there a reflection of himself, not of God. Sur-rounded on all sides by the tremendous beauties of God’s creation he sees in all of them only himself; and so he stands desolate, blind to the sacramental character of those things he spends his life accumu- 138 Ma~l, I948 POSSESSING ALL THINGs !ating, deaf to the call of God which can be heard in every rustling leaf and singing bird, interested in things only insofar as they add to his own glory. For him, as for the avaricious man, Gbd’s world has become but the reflection of his own paltry self. The sensual man is likewise incapable of this reverence because he sees in things only a means to his pleasure. As he sits down to .the table of God’s bounty its deep meaning is lost to him. Were someone to explain to him that the union of all men in the Mystical Body of Christ is symbolized by the family at table or that the food which we eat ought to ~aise our minds and hearts to the Blessed Eucharist, he would be met with a dull unc’omprehending stare. His mind, blunted by a search for pleasure, misses the whole meaning of creation; and he too revolves stupidly about himself, blind and deaf to the true value of the good thirigs our Father has given us. The true attitude to be tak,en toward thinqs was laid down by the patriarch of monastic life in the West fourteen hundred years ago. St. Benedict writes, "Let him [the steward] look upon all the vessels and goods of the monastery as though they were consecrated vessels.’’3 Here we have the correct evaluation of all things that are--they are consecrated vessels. The stones around us are the building materials for a new and better world, the City of God; the flowers are to decorate His altar. The .man truly poor_in spirit is he who sees things as they really are, and who reverences and loves them because of their inner beauty and because of the God who "made and loveth all." He refuses to grasp them for himself. He refuses to store up pieces bf ’cloth or metal lest he store up his heart with them, and moth or robber get in and destroy both. He refuses to build a fence around the sea, for it comes from the Father of all, and belongs to all. He has seen it, and he has seen God in it, and it is his. He has heard the call of God in the sound of someone’s voice or in something he has read, and he does not hanker to keep the one for himself alone or to copyright the other. They are his, and he loves them and reverences them :as the proud or avaricious or sensual man never can because he loves them for themselves, not just for himself. He gets more joy out of them than the man who would wish to own them, for he is not interested in havinq something but in beinq something. He d6es not live; Christ lives in him; and the SeCond Person of the Blessed Trinity, who foresaw from all eternity that all the things that would come into existence would be very good, loves these things aRule of St. Benedict, Ch. 31. 139 JOSEPH A. MCCOY in him and reverences them for him andrejoices in them with him. It was said of St. Thomas More that, "He could love the things that pass because his affection was set on the things that do not pass." The religious can love all things because in loving them he is loving God. In them he sees the reflection of God’s glory, he hears the call of His voice and feels the breath of His divine presence. He is not interested in having them, for God has made them for His Own glory; but under no circumstances will he disdain them. He sees them "as though they were the consecrated vessels of the altar." Every-thing that God has made has become a sacrament for him, a "visible sign of invisible grace." There are two qualities which grow out of this attitude, gener-osity and economy. Generosity in imitation of the bounty of Christ, who worked a great miracle so that a huge multitude could "eat and have their fill"; e~onomy in imitation of the same Christ who, after having shown that He had no need of earthly resources, told His Apostles to "gather the fragments that are left over, lest they be wasted" (John 6:12). If a religious is in charge of goods he will look upon himself as taking the place of God the Father, who has placed His whole visible creation at the disposal of man, and will consider himself "as it were a father to the whole community.’’4 Whether these things are in one man’s hands or another’s, they are the Father’s patrimony, entrusted to us to be enjoyed and loved and reverenced for His sake, and to be distributed bounteously to all of God’s children. One truly poor in spirit is also economical "so that nothing may be wasted." With what care should the patrimony of God be administered lest what should go to Christ in His poor be lost! For the religious with the spirit of poverty life is, then, not only a continual "’Benedicite" in which all the works of the Lord bless the Lord, but also a continual joy, and even an adventure. Every day the world discloses new beauties’ and new values to him because he has opened himself to these values by detachment from self. For him, as for Christ, the birds ofthe air and the mustard seed, the bride and the bridegroom, the sheep and needle and the banquet and the discov-ery of hidden treasures are all sacraments--signs pointing to heaven and to the Father who made them and gave them to us to love and to reverence and to enjoy, but not to store up. ’Hbid., Ch. 3 2. 140 Concerning Patience Stephen J. Brown, S.J. THERE is an old rhyme which begins ~ Patience is a virtue Deng it if gou can ..... I forget the rest, but at all events that much of it expresses a truth: it is undeniable that patience is a virtue!1 It is not an attractive vir-tue: it looks at first sight too much llke apathy, stolidity, mean-spiritedness. And is there not the variety of patience enshrined in the wicked old rhyme, Patience and perseverance Made a bishop of his Reverence. But Christian patience is something very different. It will be worth our while to enquire into its true nature. It is clear, in the first place, that there are at least two kinds of patience. There is first the patience tha.t connotes suffering (the Latin pati means to suffer). Endurance is almost a synonym of this kind of patience; and its opposite is complaining, murmuring, whining self-pity, repining, rebelling, or simply breaking down and giving way. This is the patience of the martyrs under their physical sufferings, the patience of Job in his misfortunes, the patience of a patient (i.e., sufferer) in a hospital. It is also the patience of people who have sorrows and troubles and crosses of various kinds. You say of somebody, "He has need of great patience: he has a great deal to put up with." The prevalence of pain and sorrow in this life of ours is t/~e measure of our need of patience. " The other kind of patience connotes not exactly suffering, unless such as is involved in the passage of time without the accomplish-ment of something we have at heart or in our being thwarted in some’ way. Its opposite is impatience, or losing patience. It consists in a kind of reining in of forces tending to fling off the incubus or obstructiveness of the thing under which we are said to be patient, for instance, "back answers" under rebuke, angry retort under criticism. In this second sense one talks of unwearied or inexhaustible patience as though the passage of time wore down the resisting 1St. Thomas settles this point in the first article of the 136th question in his 8ecunda Secundae. 141 STEPHEN J. BROWN Review fo: Religious nerves. It is a kind of power of waiting without murmuring at having to d6 so~ Thus God is said to be patient. He can afford to be patient for He can afford to wait. Ought not we, all of us, feel deeply grateful for that divine patience which puts up with our fol-lies, forgetfulness, ingratitude, and sins, and yet forbears to strike. As Isaias says, "The Lord waitetfi that He may .have mercy on thee" (30: 18). Contrast the behaviour of the important people of the world. They do not know how to wait and they must not be kept waiting. Said Louis XIV in his impatience, when some expected person pleaded his punctuality, "d’ai t:ailli attendre’" (I was nearly having to wait). Now what is to be our attitude in the various circumstances that try out patience? We might call in philosophy to our aid-- a certain stoicism, or a touch of fatalism like the Moslem kismet, "It is decreed." We. might repeat to ourselves the saying, "What can’t be cured must be efidured"; or, as Horace put its, .... durum Sed levius fit patienti~ Quidquid corrigere est nefas. We might, in short, make up our minds to "grin and b~ar it." But that, for a religious or even an ordinary Christian, is not good enough. For us Christians, suffering, sorrow, persecution, and the like are not simply unmitigated evils. They are "crosses," frag-ments of H(s cross. If we lived the full life of faith we should wel-come them, embrace them. "My brethren," wrote St. James to the early Christians, "count it all joy when you shall fall into divers trials, knowin~ that the trying of your faith worketh patience and patience hath a perfect work" (1:2-4). And St. Paul kept repeating the same exhortation to joy in tribulation when writing to his much-trled neophytes. You will find some references at the end of this article. But I think it is not so much in the first kind of patience that we religious fail--at all events in the rounds of daily life; it is rather in the second. So let us look a little closer at the persons and things that try our patience in this way, the persons an~d things with regard to which it behooves us to keep patient. First come ourseloei There are those (and the writer is one of them) who, .when they catch them-selves doing or saying something of which their better selves disap-t~ rove, are wont to apostrophize themselves in opprobrious and in-suiting terms, "You ass!" being about the mildest term that seems to 142 May, 1948 CONCERNING PATIENCE fit the case. It may be just a harmless way of "blowing off steam," or it may betray irritation and impatience. And this impatience may be due to annoyance that the very high opinion which we entertain about ourselves has received a setback. Again the~e is impatience whether with our material defects and shortcomings or with our moral and spiritual faults and failings. I am afraid.it.is an outcome of wounded self-love, Sorrow and repentance, yes, that is all to the good; but impatience, no. It gets us nowhere. So With impatience arising out of the slowness of our progress in the spiritual life. It is quite out of place, to say the least. For, apart from moral miracles, all progress implies growth; and growth in all God’s living creatures is slow, even imperceptible. You don’t see trees or babies grow. Spiritual growth may be far slower still and even more imperceptible. So let us not try any yardsticks on our soul’s stature nor set a time limit to its growth. Then there are our dealings with other persons. Religious need a considerable fund of patience, for they live day in day out, often year in year 6ut, within a group some of whose members, however excellent, have their little peculiarities; and these may try one’s pa-tience as well as one’s charity. But without confining ourselves to community life let" us pass in review some types of persons who are liable to try one’s patience. I need do little more than name them. , There are, of course, the cranks or people whom we regard as such because their ways are not our ways. There are the difficult, the crotchety, people whom it is impossible to satisfy. There are the slow and stupid--they can’t help’it, but .... There are people of whom it is said that they do not easily suffer fools. Well, they are just im-patient people. There are the bores, well-m,eaning people, perhaps, but insufferably dull---or so they seem to certain others. There are the obstinate who refuse to give way or be persuaded. Somd of these, as we say in Ireland, would "vex the patience of a saint." All these types may be found among our pupils if we are teach-ers and among our penitents if we are priests. Now as regards teaching, well, "Education thy name is Patience"; a~nd as, for the cori-fessional, if there be any virtue more needed there than patience I should be interested to hear of it. Impatience means bad confessions or the torture of scruples. But ourselves and other people are not the only triers of our patie’nce. Mere lifeless (or at all events irrational) things and cir-cumstances can be very trying--weather that does not suit us, buses 143 STEPHEN J. BROWN that do not arrive, bootlaces that break at the most awkward mo-ments, cats that howl in the night, noises (doors that bang, windows that rattle, etc., etc.) which disturb us in the daytime, plans of ours that’fail to work out, all that thwarts us in whatever way. To lose patience with these, things may be less harmful than to lose it with persons, but it is even less reasonable, and it is quite uselessl ~Which wiseconsideration, alas, has not prevented the writer from doing it often. . Yes, patience is certainly a virtue, but it ought not to be an iso-lated virtue. Without humility it is little better than stoicism. St. Paul says .that charitg is patient, no doubt because it knows how to make allowances and how to find excuses--for others. And St. Cath-erine, of Siena says in her Dialogue that "love never goes alone, with, out her train of real virtues and of these the principal is patience which is the very marrow of love." She also says that patience and obedience are inseparable. Again, since patience involves self-restraint, it is a form of self-denial and of mortification. When wrongs and calumnies, insults and affronts are patiently endured, patience mfiy amount to heroism. Finally, to be something more than ~ merely natural virtue, patience ought to spring ’from supernatural motives. There is the abiding thought of what we deserve to suffer because of our past. There is the thought of what we hope is coming to us. For "the suf-ferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come" (Rom. 8~: 18). As the old song says, if I remember it rightly : Ot~l~ a little wag to strag Onlg a little wag to roam Then sate at last, all danger past ~Safe in our Father’s home. Above all there is the long-suffering patience of God, "’Miserator et misericors Dominus, longanimis et muttum misericors’" (Ps. 102: 8), and the patience of Christ which shines forth from the Gospel narrative. If our inward eye were ever on the Great Model, Christian patience wouldabide with us always. ~ Rfferenees-~St. Paul: Rom. 5:3, 8:5, 15:4~, 9:22;.’Cor. 6:4; 2 Thess. 3:5: 2 Tim..4:2: Hebr. 10:36. The Imitation of Christ, Book III, chs. 16 to 19 (incl.) ending- with a prayer to obtain patience. St. Thomas: Summa, Za-Zae, q. 136. Father Walter Farrell, O.P., Companion to the Summa, Vol. III, pp. 393 m5 (an admirable treatise). Treatises on the virtues b~" Archbishop Ullathorne, Mgr. Gay, and Dr. Pearse of Maynoo~h. 144 Vocational Counseling Gerald Kel.ly, S.3. LAST summer I had the enjoyable experience of leading a group of Sisters in a course entitled Christian Vocations. In the class were tbirty-slx Sistero, representing a variety of religious insti-tutes. I designedly say I led them, rather than taught them, for when we began the course I had only a few germinal ideas and some scattered notes and references for developing the ideas. The actual development was carried out as a co-operatlve venture, with the class contributing as much as the teacher. _At the concluslon of the course we were all satisfied, I think, that we had really achieved something substantial and that the process of achievement had been affythlng but dull. It has occurred to me that some of the main points discussed in our class would be of interest and profit to bther religious; for most religious are engaged, at least occasionally and informally, in voca-tional counseling. And even if they are never so engaged, they are naturally interested in the subject of vocations; and their personal ~ttitudes towards it can scarcely fail to influence their own lives and the lives of others. These attitudes~may receive some benefit from the points to be treated here. I might add that these po!nts are not intended as a complete development of the theme of vocational coun-seling; they are merely notes on some of its more important aspects.. Meanin9 of "’Vocation" What is a vocation? Theologically, this term can have a wide variety of meanings, as is ably shown by Father William R. O’Con-nor in The La~.tman’s Call.x In our class we considered two meanings, one primary, the other secondary. In its primary meaning vocation may be defined as "a divine call to embrace a definite state of life." In general, the Christian states of life are two: marriage and virginity; but the latter may take a.ny one of several forms: the priesthood, the religious life, ahd virginity in the world.2 Hence there are four basic states of life that may be" the aPublished by Kenedy, New York, 1942. 2Technica!ly, the division given here is not adequate; but for the sake of convenience I am including under0the r~ligious life those institutes which include community life without public vows. (See canons 673--81.) 145 GERALD KELLY .~" Revietu for Religious objects of a divine call; and it is imperative that a vocational coun-se. lor take cognizance of and appreciate them all. This may require considerable effort at mental readjustment and great care in the use of the word "voca’tion," for undoubtedly most of us religious, if not all (and the laity, too), have become accustomed to think of vocation as ’~ynonymous with religious ’vocal:ion--their is, with the call to the priesthood ’or to-the religious life. " " But this readjustmer[t must be made, first, because the ’narrower meaning is simply not correct. As Father O’Connor points out, the ~Church is careful to qualify the term: for example, in the Code of Canon Law, by speaking of the ecclesiastical vocation, and, in the Encyclical on Christian Education, of the religious and priestl~t tions., And Pius XIIi in his address to Italian Women (October 21, 1945), speaking of women who because of the tragedies of the war ~ were unable to marry, referred to their providential state (of enforced, or inevitable virginity in the world) as a divine vocation. I’am not sure whither "any ecclesiastical documents refer explicitly to marriage as a divine vocation, but ~:ertainly the notion is at least implied in the inspiring tone that pervades the encyclical of Plus XI. Theological accuracy, therefore, requires that counselors keep this broad notion of vocation, even in its primary sense. A further reason for preserving this breadth in our attitudes and our speech is that it increases the apostolic value of our dealings with youth. For youth; even thos~ who consult us specifically about a religious vocation, like to see that we have an exalted notion of other states of life and, as a result of this, they more willingly give us their confidence. As for marriage, in particular, if we are to accomplish the mission of bringing young men and women to a realization of the sacredness of family life, we must train them to embrace the marriage state and to perse-vere in it with the same desire to do God’s will that should ch~racter-ize the choice of and perseverance in the pri’esthood and the religious statd. A secondary meaning of vocation is "a divine call to do a definite work"--for example, to teach, to be a missionary; to carry out a ~certain form of Catholic activity, to be a musician, and so forth. Father O’Connor develbps at great length the idea that such things are the objects of a divine vocation. A vocation, in this sense of the word, is usually subordinate to the more general call to a state of l~fe, ¯ and sometimes it is merely what is termed an avocation. In our class we limited ourselves for the most part, though not 146 ~ay, ! 94 8 ~ VOCATIONAL COONSELING entirely, to the.primary meanlng of vocation: and that is Hhat I shall do in these notes, It ’should not be inferred from ,this, however, that the secondary meaning of vocation is lacking in importance. As a matter of facf, for each individual his cOr~lMete vocatior~ (that is, the complete plan of God for him’) embraces not.or~ly his state of life but alsothe work that he is to do in that state; and not infrequehtly individuals discover God’s will in regard to their state of life because they can~ easily recognize His will concerning the work they are to do. God’s Wi’li Since vocation is a div, i~ne call, it follows that those who wish to make a correct choice of their vocation must be willing to listen to God; in other words, they must have a sincere desire to know and do His will. And when they actually make a choice, they should do so, not.preclsely ~because of their own likes or dislikes, or their own preferences or prejudices, but rather because they are honestly con-vinced tha~ this is what God wants them to do.. Applying ’this lit-erally, it means that eVefi those who enter marriage should do so because they believe that OGod is calling them to that state of life. No doubt this sound.s quite idealistic: for it seems that very few~ of thos~ ¯ who marry dd so with any consciousness of a divine call. In fact, as regards marriage, they are simply ~iot vocation-cons.cious, it is for us to bring them to this consciousness. And it can be done, at least in a large number of cases, if the vocational aspect of marriage is given sufficient emphasis by teachers and other guides of youth. Failure to cultivate the disposition of placing God’s will first and ¯ of making one’s choi’ce of vocation according to that norm is not limited to the married~ .Many, who enter sdminaries and novitiates do so without sufficient consideration of the divine will and with too much consideration of their own likes or, as they say, their own "’happiness"--by _which they too often mean "earthly happiness," No dQubt it would be unrealistic to expect them to make this choice only on 5he basis of a purely disinterested love of God: ~ut at least they should be helped to make it with a proper understanding of their t.rue happiness,..and with an appropriate subordination of their fee!i’ngs to :the desire of pleasing God. The Counselor,~oo, must be devoted to God’s will. In practice, religious counselors do not easily acquire or sustain this disposition. When we observe a "fine boy or girl" we almost spontaneously think in terms such as these: "He would make. a wonderful. Pricst~ 147 GERALD KELLY Re.vie~ /or Religious or Brother"; "She would be a spI~ndid Sister." And we are very much inclined, to rest. in this decision without further thought of God’s will, and even to guide these fine boys and girls in the same direction. Yet, jlist as the young people must .have .the disposition of wanting to know and do God’s will in whatever state of life He wishes~ so must the counselor have the same detached objectivity. The inclination to forestall God’s will is perhaps even strbnger when we are guiding someone,who has deci,ded to enter religion but has not determined what institute he should enter. We naturally think primarily in terms of our own institute--we know so much aboi~t it;. we are so much attached to it; we are so deeply conscious of its needs. Yet here, too, the disposition of seeking only the will of God is a requisite for good counseling. Acquaintance with other tell- " gious ’institutes through association and reading is a help towards the desirable objectivity. " Obviously, I am not inferring here that we should not inform boys and girls about the priesthood and the religious life, or that we should not make known our own spirit and our own needY. It is our duty to do such things and to foster religious vocations-of all kinds.- -But in Rraying for’ and guiding any individual there must always be the condition, "if God so wills." A Plan of Study Almighty God no doubt has many ways of manifesting His will’ to us; in the case of some saints He has even made use of private revelations for this purpose. ’But the ordinary way of discerning one’s vocation in life includes the calm, reasonable answering of such questions as these: (1) What are my opportunities (or possibilities)? If the circumstances of one’s, life make it clear that only one of the four basic states of life is possible for him (for example, because of illness), then it seems rather obvious that God is calling him to that state of life, On the other hand, if one has at least the opportunity Of choosing, b~tween two or more states of life (as would usually be -the case with the youth .whom we guide), one must go on to the second cjuestion. (2) What are my qualifications? And here again, if one should find that one is really qualified for only one state of life, it seems that one may reasonab!y judge that Gbd wishes him to embrace that state. However, if the individual finds that he is quali-fied for .more than one, God’s preference is not yet apparent, and a third question must be answered. (3) For Which of these states of 148 VOCATIONAL COUNSELING life am I best qualified? The presumption~ seems to be that God gives a tkue grace of vocation when by the light of His grace He enables an individual ’ to judge: "I would best serve my own true interests---or best follow Christ--or best serve God--in this particu- " lar state’of life." That-is what I mean when I speak of "best quali-fied." Counselors should 15e prepared to help others to answer these questions. TEe answer to thefirst question should rarely present serious difficulty. On the contrary, the third question may require the help of a highly trained and experienced spiritual director. But all counselors should be able to give some aid towards answering the second questiom at least to the extent of outlining the required quali-fications for each of the states of life. In our class, therefore, we emphasized the second question, and made it the basis of the major Part of our course. How does one determine the requisite qualities for the various states of life? One evident way (and .perhaps the only way) is to study the duties of each state of life and the consequent demands that it is likely to make on those who embrace it. The logic of this method appealed to us, and we made it the basi~ for our plan of" study: we would consider first the duties of each state of life, and then the qualities necessary for fulfilling these duties. (A third point. might be added: namely, the preparation needed for acquiring the qualities.) It is one thing to have a plan, another thing.to put it into execu-tion. To carry out our plan we wanted texts--brief, inexpensive, adequate, and authoritative texts on the various states of life., Since our experience in seeking such te~ts may be of interest and profit to others, I will sketch it~here. ¯ ~Marriage: Texts on marriage are abundant and of all sizes. W~ had no difficult.y in settling on the encyclical of Plus XI’as the best ~ext for our purpose; and we did not regret the choice. _ Priesthood: For the.priesthood, too, there is an encyclical ofI Pius XI, which can be obtained in pamphlet form and which con-forms to all our specifications..It proved ideal for our purpose. Virt.linit~.l in the world: Though a distinct state of life, this has. not the clearly defined duties (except that of chastity) which char-acterize the others. An authoritativ~ text on the subject could hardly be looked for.. We decided to spend very little time in the study of "lay~ virginity." as a state of.life, but to keep it rather in the back- 149 GERALD KELLY ". Revieto for Religiods ground When..we discussed secondary ~’~cations. Fafl~er~O:Connor’i~ book,,Th~ Layman.’s Call, contains much helpful material con-cerning .many of the secondary vocations that might accompany the actual living of virginity in the world. ~ ~ In regard to’virginity in the wdrld, I might call attentidn ~to the ~postolic Constitution entitled Prooida Mater Ecclesia, issued by Pius. XII ~on February 2, 1947. This pipal pronouncement gave forma!’re~ognition to the so-called Secular Institutes (see REVIEW FOR: RELIGIOUS, VI, 191).. The text of the document can be found in "many periodicals, and .it could easily be ma’de available to a cla~s on vocations. We used this text~ and we found that one practical diffi-culty ih studying it from the point of view of counselors was this: w.e knew little or nothing about such "institutes as they actually exist. From our experience I would suggest that anyone who wishes to offer a similar course on vocations should first find out the names of some such institutes, the work that they do, the means of~con-tacting them, and so forth. Another statement of Plus XII that may be used with reference to?virginity in the world is his address to Italiar[ Women" which I mentioned earlier in these notes. ’An English translation was pub-lished in The Catholic Mind for December, 1945. Religious Eit¥: It was in searching for apt material on our own state of life that we experienced our greatest surprise~an u~pleasan~ one. We could find nothing in the vernacular that fulfilled our text-. boo~k’r~qu!sites. There are superb encyclicals on marriage and the priesthood; there i~ nothing comparable on the religious life. I f~el like suggesting a prayer for an .encyclical on the religious state: It would surely-give a great’impetus to religious vocations: And it would certainly be a great help to a course on Christian vocations! Because of~the lack of a suitable text~ we had to organize our own material on the religious life. In the next section of these notes, I shall briefly 6utline the plan we followed. The Religious Lit:e ,A prerequisite for entrance into the rellgious~life is freedom from canonical impediments, The duties common to all religious include the observance of the vows and of community life and the regular practice of certain acts of piety. And besides these general duties there ~ire the specifi( duties of the various institutes. In our class/after discussihg the implications of these various duties, we drew up a .150 May, 1948 VOCATIONAL COU~qSELING rather general questionnaire that might help to determine wh~ther an ifadividual is qualified for the religious life. The points included in, this questionnaire are as follows: a) Is the candidate free from canonical impediments? b) Can, h.e keep the three vows? c), Can he 4ead a community life? d) Has he the basic piety required .for a life in which spiritual exercises play a prominent part? e) Has he the moral stamina required in a life which is a quest f6r perfection and~ which, therefore, implies the ability to try to improve spiritually ? ¯ t:) Can he do some work that is done by some religious institute, active or conte~mplative? As they stand, some of these points are too general to. be helpful either.to the candidate or to the counselor. Our classroom discussions - made this quite clear; and we attempted to reformhlate the question-naire in a way that might prove more useful. Here are the restated questions with some comments: I. Is the candidate free from canonical impediments? These impediments are enumerated in canon 5~2, and were explained by Father James E. Risk,.S.J., in an article entitled "Admission to"the Religious Life,".in REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, II, 25-34. The pres-ence of a.n_ irremovable impediment would mean that a candidate lacks the opportunity to enter religion. However, it is well to observe with Father Risk that some of these impediments (for example, debts) might be easily removable by a change of circumstances; hence their merely temporary presence would not necessarily mean that the candidate is not called to the religious life. [When there is question of entrance into some particu.lar insti-tute, we must also see if the constitutions add impediments, to those established by general IAw. In regard to these particu~lar impedi-ments, I Would insist on the observation made above: namely, if the~’ are easily removable, their temporary, presence is not to be taken as.a sign th~it God is not calling the applicant to that parti’cular ~n~stitu(e. For instan~e,:suppose a girl were illegitimate, yet otherwise well-~ qualified and desirous of entering a congregation which makes illegitimacy an impediment to entrance. Before telling her that she is not called to that institute, a counselor should inquire Wh~ther the superiors arg Willing to obtain a dispensation and accept her. Bishops can grant this dispe.nsation if the superiors wish it. ] 151 GERALD KELLY ¯ Reoie~’[or ~ReIiglous ¯ 2." Is the car~didate e~ptionally mature? For a study of emo-tional maturity see REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, VII, 3’9, and 63-72. It seems safe to say that. one who is sufficiently mature can successfully observe the vows of poverty and obedience, can put up with the hard- ~hips of community life, and has the moral stamina required for trying to advance in perfection. Very likely this broad statement will not be immediately apparent to,those who read this: but I b’elieve that those who weigh it carefully will agree with it. In our c!ass we made lengthy lists.of the qualities necessary for observing poverty, obedience, and so forth, but after making the .lists we dis, covered that all thes~ qualities should normally be found in the truly . mature person. 3. Can the candidaie obserue the obligations of celibacy without extraordinary di~licalty? It may be that the mature person is suffi-ciently master of his emotions to observe perfect chastity; but this is not°clear to me, and I believe that the subject of chastity merits spe- Cial consideration in any candidate for the religious life. In this matter, both candidates and counselors must be careful to observe a fundamenta! principle of prudence: Do riot assume an obli-gdtion that you’ can fulfill onl~ with extraordinary difficulty, unless tl~ere are very special indications that God wishes ygu to assume it. This principl~ is universal, and it applies to all matters; but it has special reference to the duty of celibacy. To assume extraordinarily diftirult obligations without special reasons may be the equivalent of exposing oneself unnecessfirily to occasions of .sin and even to the danger of giving.great scandal to others. It is definitely not wise t~ assume, or to encourage" others to assume, the duty of observing per-fect chastity when one’s past record or one’s temperament indicates that the fulfillment of this duty is problematical. To judge these matters one must know the individual, his record, and his temperament. This is one reason why the advice of a con-fessor is often the deciding element in judging a religious vocation. Teachers ahd other counselors should be very careful about pushing one who seems to be "a good boy or a good girl" into religion, for they’are frequently quite ufiaware of the difficulties that make thes~- "good young people" hesitate. Of course, difficulty, even great diffi-culty, is not in itself an obstacle to the c~libate vocation: but difficulty. combined ’with manifest weakness, or with inability to confide in a director, or with a lack of appreciation of the safegu.ards to chastity, 152 May, 1948 ¯ . VOCATIONAL (~OUNSELING~ is certainly a sufficient reason to make One hesitate about assuming or encouraging the assumption of this obligation. To tell one who bus given evidence of habitual wegkness that it will "all clear up in the ~ovitiate" is the height of imprudence. It may clear.up in the novitiate, only to return with even greater force later! 4. Has the candldaie the solid piety required for leading a life~ i’n which the regular performance of spiritual exercises plays a promi~ nent part? How does one judge the presence or absence of this solid piety? In our classroom discussions we found it difficult to express any accurate norm. We all agreed, of course, that a likely Candidate for t~e religious life need not (perfiaps, Should not?) be the eyes-dow. n, hands-~olded-over-breast, always-in-church type. But his life should give evidence of a sound appre..dation of his religion by such things as frequent c6nfession and Communion, the consisient use of prayei; the willingness to aid° in apostolic ventures, and_so forth. This must seem rather indefinite tothe reader; but it is the best We can do on this point.. 5. Can the candidate do some work that is done by at least o~e religious institute, actioe or cont.emplatiue? "Work" in this questign has a wide meaning; it includes apostolic activities, intellectua!’puy-suits, manual ~kork, ’and prayer. The purPoSe of th~ questign is tO determine whether the candidate has the physical healt~h and ~he talent which would make him acceptable to one or more of the Various religious institutes. To conclude this section: The questions just listed and briefly, explained are the product of our study of the duties of the" rellgious state, and of the qualities reqtllred for entrance¯ A negative.answer,to any of the questions would mean that the candidate does not ha.ve a " vocati6n to the religious life, at least not yet. An affirmative answer, on the other hand, would not immediately.point, tosuch a vocation; for it may be that the ~andidate is even better qualified for some other state of life and that God prefers him tO embrace this other state. And I might add, just for completeness, that even when the vocation to the religious state is clear, there is still the problem of deciding what institute one. should enter. Doubts? In our class on vocations we studied marriage and the priesthood in. the same detailed way that we studied the religious life;~ and we gave about.an equal amouht of time tO each of these thiee State~. I ~GERALD KELLY Review/6r Religious chose to give an" example of our method by referring to the religious life ~because, :as I said, we had to Work this out fo~ ourselves. Before concluding these notes I should like to return to the~g~neral topic of .vocations and .touch upon three very important points. " The first .of these.C6hceins doubts. ~"Doubts about vocation, c~n take a variety of forms, and we cannot treat them all here. But we can~refer to some of them. Forinstance, a young man’ or young woman. (~oi both) is hesitant about getting marfidd; ihey keep putting it off be’cause one or the other (or both) cannot make a deci-sioif.’. Or °a young woman thinks she should enter~ religion’, but she. ;’is.~ not sure she has a vocationS" ’These ,are typical cases. What should the counselor do about them? One thing a cOUnselor should not do .is make the decision for his consultant. 2~ divine vocation is a grace or, perhaps better, a~series of ~races’culminating in the light to. know .the divine Will: It is a grace given t0"the individual~ not’ to his cbunselor; and no decisioh: of’the cbunselor is~.a-,safe ~ubstit~ite .-- T-he: counselor’s function, therefore, \is’,~tb ~help "the" 0ns~Itaht clear, i~phisown doubt. One way of doing this,is tooinquiie into the ieas0ti for..the doubt. It may~.be that~the~consult;int~is~habituall~ inde’cisiv.’e,:~or, habifually dependent on others for his decisions..° ;If this~is .the :case, :he, seems to lack: the maturity~ necessary- f0r"erabracing a permanent °sta~e of life and,sh6uld first acquire this" maturity learning to make decisions for himse1f. ~Jr it may be tha~ the ’~’doub~t’’ is?rather a m..is.understanding of the’. certainty required~ for a vocation. Some young men and women apparently think ¯that an extraordinary degree ot: certainty is required for this decision,: through their ignor~ ance:they~10ok for~an illumination ,that.has the force of a private teyelation.° Their entire difftculty may clear up if it is pointed ~out to them. that the grace of, vocation may well .be indicated in a quiet j~dgmen.t .to this.0effect: :’As far as I can. see, this---or that,~-state of life’seems ~best for me." . Finally,,. theie.is the case¯ in which~’one has the requisite maturity, has prayed earnestly,-has considered the matter r~asonably, and is..still.~ unable, to decide: what,,he.should do. Granted th~se coffditions, it seems that he does not yet havela v, ocation .to embrace ~some definite state of "life: and a permanent decision should be postponed.° °! " ’~° Role ~’Parent~ The..conduding section .of the,’Encyclical on Christian’Marrhge Ma!t, 1948 VOCATIONAL COUNSELING Contains. many °wise directives for young men and women with regard to the choice of a partner, for marriage. The last of these directives runs as follows: "Lastly~ let them not fail to ask the prudent advice of their par-ents with regard:to the partfier and let them regard this advice in no light manner, in order that by’their mature knowledge and expe~ri-ence of human affairs they may guard against a baneful mistake, and on the threshold bf matrim6ny may receive more abundantly the Divine blessing ..... " In th~se words, the Holy Father clearly indicates th~ role~of par-dnts regarding the vocation-of marriage: the parents are Counselors and, all~other things being ~qual, the first among counselors. But they are only-counselors; they have no right to make the choice for °their children or to force them to this or that choice. The Church insistently defends the right of the ~:hild to make" his own choice of a state of life.- ¯ ~ In regard to other states of life, parents also have a right to advise, in so far as they are capable. However, their ability .is greatly limited because of their lack of knowledge of these other states, Nevertheless, with regardto religious and prie.stly vocations, they often asiume powers.that belong to no human being; their discourage such vocations and even blindly prevent them. It would be w~ll if all would take to heart these Other words of Pius XI: ¯ ."Yet it must be,confessed with sad~aess ~hat only too often par-ents seem to be unable to r~sign themselves to the priestly or religious vocations of their children. ,Such parents haveno scrupl~ in opposing the Divine call with objections of all kinds; they even have recdurse to means which Jcan imperil not o.nly the vocation to a more perfect state, but also the very conscience and the eternal salvation of those souls they ought to hold so dear. ,This happens all too often in the case even of parents who glory in being sincerel)r Christian and Cath-olic, especially in the higher and more cultured ~lass~s." This is a deplorable ab~se, like that unfortunately prevalent in centuries past of forcing children into the ecclesiastical career without the fitness of a vocation. It hardly does honor to those higher classes of s~ciety, ~which are on fhe whole so scantily represented ~in the ranks of the clergy .... Did they indeed look at things in the light of faith, what greater dignity could Christian parents desire for their sons, what ministry more noble than that which, as We have said, is 155 GERALD KELLY worthy.of the veneration of men and angels? A long and’sad experienc~e has shown that a vocation .. betrayed--the ~v6rd is not to be tho,ught too strong--is a source of tears not only for the sons but also for the ill-advised parents; and God grant that those tears be not so long delaye~d as to become eternal tears." I have referred to this question of parental duty because in our capacity of counseling youth it is one of the most frequent vocational obstacl~s we must face. Parents impede good marriages and .promote dangerous ones for what they call "social" reasons; they discourage talented boys from studying for the priesthood or from entering the religious life; and especially they make use of cunning or of moral~ pressure to keep their daughtersout of convents. As teachers we must repeatedly give the true doctrine in a calm, objective way; anff as "counselors we must tactfully, but persistently, do what ~e, can to see :that it is followed. Many parents, thank God, are wonderfully co-operative; but not a few exaggerate their rights and are ignor~’nt of their duties. Prager In .any study of vocations there is a danger of overemphasizing the "mechanics" of making decisions and o’f losing sight of the func-tion of prayer¯ In concluding these notes, therefore, I wish to repeat that vocation is a gra~ce, or series of graces; and it follows the law of distribution of graces. Hence, the one who is making the choice must pray; and his advisers must pray; and all who are interested in a happy outcome must pray. Prayer for grace, and grace through ~rayer that is the ordinary law of God’s providence. OUR CONTRIBUTORS STEPHEN ,J. BROWN is a professor in the National University of Ireland, D~b-~ lin. He is a recognized authority on Catholic literature and a well-known Irish writer. BROTHER CHARLES HENRY is Director of De La Salle College, the Chris-tian Brothers’ scholasticate at the Catholic University, Washington. He has con-~ trlbuted articles to various Catholic magazines. ,JOSEPH A. MCCOY is a Chinese missionary who is at present studying theology at the Catholic University. G. AUGUSTINE EL~LARD and GERALD KELLY are editors of this REVIEW. 156 THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE.~ By Julianus Pomerius. Translated and An-notated by Sister Mary Josephine Suelzer. (Ancient Christian Writers Series.) Pp. 220. The Newman Book Shop, Westminster, Maryland, 1947. $2.50. 3ulianus Pomerius came from °Mauretania to Arles in Gaul as a teacher of rhetoric sometime after 450 A.D. His renown for holiness became as great as his fame for learning, and ,his bishop ordered him t’o put at least some of his teaching about Christian perfection into writing. Of the four books written, only The Contemplative Life survives toda.y. ,. The title of the book is apt to prove deceptive to present-day readers, who ordinarily understand .the contemplative life to’~mean-the life of the third degree of prayer. If Pomerius were writing his book today, his tide would probably be The Life ofPeffection for the Clerical State. The-first tWO sections; addressed directly to bishops and indirectly to all clerics, give the ideals of the inteiior life of Christian perfection, ,together with directions as to~ how these ideals can be maintained amid the active duties incumbent on: clerics. A third section’ is added discussing virtues and vices, for Pomeriu~ thinks that a discussion of these is needed to complete his instruction on perfection. , . While the doctrifie and practice contained in Ponierius’ work may have been of great help to the Clerics of his day’ and is"of great va.lue for a stud~i of the historical development of ascetic~l and pas-toral, writings, it does not seem that the book will be of much interest for the ordinary religious. What Pomerius says may be found pre-sented in most other spiritual books today, and in a more interesting and readable manner, it is a very difficult job to put the long peri-odic Latin s.ente.nces of an ancient author like Pomerius into the Eng-lish style of today. For the most part Sister 2osephine keeps the long sentences ’initead of, breaking them down. The Latiff flavor, is pre-served in thi~ way,’but one becomes weary trying to read for any length of time. Besides the text, the translator furnishes an instructive introduc-tion, twenty-three pages of notes, and a good index. As the notes are mainly philological or grammatical, they do not throw !much BOOK REVIEWS Review for Religious light upon questions of the life of perfection which c~rtain passages of the text ,may ~rais~ in the reader’s mind.. R. G. PATES, S.J. THE RELIGIOUS AND CATHOLIC ACTION. By the Reverend Stephen Added and ~Sf~ter ~M~’ R~h~ F.S.P.A.’ Pp. 239. St. ~Rose LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 1947~ $ I ~00 (paper). - " In this valuabl~ book, Catholic Actionr is donsidered in its official .meaning, namely, as the apostolate of the laity~exercised in a ~efinite organization diri&ly mandated b~r the bishop. ~Part ’I ~howsofrom, papal’,and episcopal ~statements that the Church is calling upon all religious, even upon contemplatives, topromote the movement.. This p~irt sketches wl~at, and how religious shbuld ’learn’ ab’ou’~ ~Eath~li~ Action; and the-what and why 6f Catfiolic Action;itself with" its theological foundations: it also suggests concrete ways .in~ which’reli-gious. can promote the movement. Part II’prints fifteer~~papal and episcopal letteis in full.~ .:Part III gives a very fine outline fdr teacl’iing a course of Catholic: Action to religious.. If~used together" with’ thd bibliography it shou-l~ p~6ve ver~r~useful.l’ o~here are over a hundred concrete suggestio~is to teachers and pareritsofor cultivating .the ~po~:. relic spirit~in children. ~ "~ The book is recommended reading~ for all religious.~esp~cihlly superiois, and a ’~’must’~ for those, not yet~up-to-dhte with the pap~I program furore-Christianizing the worldl ~It-should do much° to advance’ that Catholic Actibn "without,, which;" said Pius~XI; "it would require a miracle, which we cannot ask of God, if any practical result orany tru.e .success ow, ere obtained,in the w.ork of rest6ring soqiety "--~-G. GALLAGHER, S:J. ¯ LIFE ABUNDXNT. By A. A.~ Ara~mi. Translated by RoY: Joseph A. Fre- ~ ~ deffe:~ PI~. x~;; Jr 266.- Frederick Pustef Co., In~., NeWYSrk,~ 1948. , "I am com~ that they may have~ life, and may hav~ it more abu.ndantly.". This’is the’theme of Life Abundant, a ~transli~tion from the fohrth~French edition of Araaii’s Vivre. Just as natural life is more th_an freedom from death, so the life of Sanctifying grace is more than. freedom from mortal sin. ~ It is thrilling!y positive, ;ifi-act~ve partici1~agiofi~ in tile li~e of God. With "~uch emphasis Arami attempts to impart a "thorough knowledge, realization arid personal conviction of’.~all that is contained in’the tremendous~d0ctrine of Sanctifying Grace." ’ ’~ ’ Much success ~hould attend his effori.. He treats of the nature 158 Mayo 1948 BOOK ~0TICES ~.nd effects of sanctifying grace, and the means of preserving, recov-ering, increasing, and diffu.sin, g it. At the same time he~ weaves into his pattern of grace such d6ctfine’s.as th6]e ’dn pkay~r,sii~, ~onfessiqn, good works, Mass, Holy Communion, and the apostolate. The whole tapestry is colored with examples and s~yings from the lives of the saints, with stories from biblical and secular history, with quo-tations and scriptural texts. Ascetical considerati6~s tie in "doctrine with practice. : Life A~ar~clam is not beamed at priests, religious, and theo-logians alone. As St. Paul preached sanctifying grace to the steve-dores and "dockmen of C~rinth, so the author hopes to put across this doctrine to" the laymen of today. At any rate, religious are indebted to Father Fredette for his translation of this treasure-hou’se of material for meditation,.Spiritual rea~ling, and religion classes. Retreat directors will’ appreciate the three plans for. retreats on sandtifying grace appended to the work.---M. B. MAJOLI,’S.J. BOOK NOTICES PASTORAL SPANISH,’.by Alphonse Simon, O.M~I., is a second edition, ~evised, ?f aevery useful book"~ for priests and religious ~working among the Spanish,speaking people of. the United States or of Central’ and South America. (Sa.n ¯Antonio, Texas, DeMazenodScholastieate, 194~. Pp. xxiii .+551. $3.00~) MY BOOK ~,B~UT GOD (by Jalie Bedier with illustrations by Louise Trevisan) is a religious book for ~reschool youngsters. I thus a colorful format, large type, i~hd delightful drawings. Though the words used in the text are sin~p!e and the sentences short, the thoughts are deeply spiritual. "Fake for example this passage: "God loves Olga. I love.Olga, too.. God is Olga’s Fathdr. Olga is my iister. 01ga says every day, ’Thank You, God, for making me. Thank You, God, for everything.’ " This book. by two Maryknoll Sisters will .help to teach many a youngsterhis first ideas abou~ God. (New York: The ¯Macmillan Company, 1948. s2.00.) I SING OF A MALDEN is a beautiful anthology of poetry from all ages and literatures on a beautiful theme," the excellence of the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God. Though no anthology can ever lay claim to having the best, all of it, and nothing else. this selection should be very good sinc"e it was made by one who is herself the writer of two volumes of poetry, Giue Joan a Su~ord and Not~ There is Beaut~ and Other Poems. At..all events, Sister Th~r~se’s choices have been very well made~ An introduction sketches the history of Marian poetry, and biographical notes (pp. 373-447) supply the desirable background. For one who can appre-ciate it, I Sing’of a Maiden promises hburs of devotional ex:~ltation and aesthetic delight. (Ne.w ,York: The Macmi.11an Company, 1947. Pp. xlviii + 459. $4..50.) 159 ,l or Your Information Guy de Fontgalland ~ An official announcement of o the Sacred Congregati0rf of Rites (December 18. 1947) declares the cause for beatification:of Guy ’..de Fontgalland is closed in fact. that it has been closed since 1941:. Religious and Coth’ollc Action The host recently publish~ed, nu~nber of Cornmentariu,m P.ro Reli~ gi0sis contains an important letter on Catholic Action addressed by the Sacred .Co.ng~r~gation of Religious to th~.e superig, rs o,f.all~,reoligious ~insti~utes in Italy. The substance of the letter is as follows: ¯ Tbe’Congr.egatidn P0int~ out the tremendous wor.k, to. be done~hy the Church in the reconstructionof society and t.he absolutely~:neces-sary part that Catholic Action must play in this reconstruction. While praising religious for their co-operation with ¯Catholic Action in the past, the Congregation encouraged them to an even greater co-operation in the future., It called attention once more to the let-ter of the Cardinal Secret~y of State (the present Holy Father) addressed to all religious superiors on Mar~h 15,. 1936, ,emphasized the directi~,es givea at that time,~ and i*dded ~hore. (For the Letter of the Car~linal Secretary of State, see’ REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, IV’, 326~ 28: and in the same number, pp. 318-26, "the article by Father Fran-cis B. Donnelly. "The Contribution of R~ligious to Catholic Action/’) 0 -o "o In the present letter, the Congregation of Religious says that the education of religious men is not complete .without a knowledge of the palpal messages and the social d6ctrine of the Church: for’ they should make these topics the subjects of constant preaching and of ~pecial courses of"stud~r. And religious women engaged in teaching should also be specially prepared in such .matters, for today education ’which omits reference to such problems is incomplete.¯ Co-operati0n with Catholic A~tion is not to stop with~edtica-tion. Religiou~s should also lend their aid to the promotion of works designed to uplift the working classes and to fortify them against the influence of "false ideologies: in a word, piomote the p?o-~ grams of justice (and not a substitute, false charity) outlined by the Popes in their encyclicals. Moreover, religious should help in what-~ 160 FO~ YOUR INFORMATION ever way they can-~educational, financial, and so forth--in works of Catholic Action’,designed to form true Catholic attitudes towards the press, the motion pictures,’ the theatre, and the~ radio. Finally, since women are now allowed to vote, the Sisters themselves should know the implications of this obligation and make it known to the "girls whom they teach and to other women with whom they come in contact. ¯. A ~ery important’part of this letter is a paragraph fin which, the Congregation insists that its appeal, for continued co-operation with " Catholic Action is not intended to diminish the vitality of special organizations and societies: conducted 1iy the religious themselves. These organizations too form a part of the great work of the.Church. and those, engaged in them may "well be considered as collaborators in the apostolate of the’ hierarchy." - Catholic Action School The schedule for the Summer School of Catholic Action is as follows: St. Louis, Missouri, 3une~Tal2: Montreal, C~nadai~June 28-3uly 3; Detroit, Michigan., 3uly 12-17: San AntoniO,~ Texas, 3uly 26-31: Washington, D. C., August 9-14; Ne~v York. City~ N. Y., August 16-21; Chicago,’ Illinois, August 23-28; Denver, Colorado, Auguit 30~S~ptember 4. The 1948 theme is Action N6tO. The 1948 program will refl~ect the five points~:given-in the H01y Father’s addres~ last September to 200,000 Italian Catholic Actionists in St. Peter’s Square. Over sixty’ ~ourses will’be offered. Foi a catalog containing’complete information about dates, places, courses. faculty, tuition, and accommodations, write to: SSCA Secre.tary, The Queen’s Work, 3115 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis 18: Missouri. Summer Sessions, The University of Detroit offers the following Institutei: dune 24-dul~l 2: Problems in Catholic Educational Philosophy, by Francis A. Ryan, Ph.D,, Associate professor of Education at Fbrd-ham university; and Mental Hygiene. in th~ Religious Life, ,by F.ather Hugh P. O’Neill, S.3". (’Fhe latter Institute is for superiors only.) dul~ 6-16: Canon Law for Religious, by Father ,lames E. Risk, S.3., Piofessor of Canon Law at Weston College, Weston, Mass,; and The ~Interior Life, by Father Robert B. Eiten, S.2. dul~t 19-30: Guidance in Catholic Schools, by Alexander A, Schneiders, Ph.D., ,161 FOR YOUR INFORMATION Revie~v for Religlo~s Director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Detroit: and Catholic Teacher Education and Supervision, by Sister Mary Edana, Ph.D., Community Supervisor, Sisters of Mercy. For further information~, write to: Dr. Francis ~l. Donohue, Director of Summer Session, University of Detroit, Detroit 21, Michigan, Immaculate Heart College (Los Angeles) will conduct a 5-week summer session, July 6 to August 7. Among the courses offered, ..... the following are suggested as. especially valuable .for Sisters: Summer Theatre Workshop--with participation in the production of three major plays: Workshop in the Teaching of Religion for Elementary ¯ and Secondary Teachers; Theological Science Program ; Kindergarten Experimental Laboratory: Audio-Visual Aids Course; Supervision and Administration of Nursing Schools and Hospitals; Master-pieces in Catholic Literature: Ceramics, Painting, Weaving. --For further information write to: The Dean of the Summer Session, ,Immaculate Heart College, Los. Feliz and Western Avenue, Los Angele~ 27, California. ~ ., The Institute. for~ Religious at College Misericordia, Dallas, Pennsylvania (a three-year summer course..of twelve days in Canon Law and Ascetical TheoIogy for Sisters) will be held this year AuguSt 19~30. This is. the second year in the triennial course. The course in Canon Law is given by the Reverend Joseph F. Gallen, S.,I., that in Ascetical Th.eology by the. Reverend Dafiiel J. M. Ca City of Saint Louis (Mo.), http://www.geonames.org/4407084 http://cdm17321.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/rfr/id/206 |