Suchergebnisse

Issue 8.3 of the Review for Religious, 1949. ; Review for Religious MAY 15, 1949 Mary's Place in Our Life T.~: Jorgensen Mystical Life--Mystical Prayer . M. R~ymond Reception of Profession . Joseph F. Gallen In Praise of Prayer--II . Augustine Kla~s (.~onformlty to the Will of God . CL A. Herbsf Books Reviewed Questions Answered VOLUME VIII NUMBER 3 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS VOLUME VIII MAY, 1949 NUMBER 3 CONTENTS MARY'S PLACE IN OUR LIFE 'T. N. Jorgensen, S.J . 113 MYSTICAL LIFE--MYSTICAL PRAYER-~M. Raymond, O.C.S,O. . 121 " RECEPTION. OF PROFESSION--Joseph F.~ Gallen, S.J . 130 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER--II--Augustine Klaas, S.J . 139 CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD--C. A. Herbst, S.J. 150 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-- 18. Postulants Begin Novitiate on Last Day of Retreat . ¯ . 157 19. Sign of the Cross at Benediction . . . . 157 20. Delegate to General Chapter in Place of Superior; General Coun-cilor as Local Superior . 157 21. Interruption of Canonical Year of Novitiate . 158 22. Use of Cuttings from Altar Breads . 159 23. Religious Communities Accepting Widows .~ 159 24. Votes to Be Announced after Each Scrutiny . 159 25. Filling Unexpired Term of Local Superior . 160 BOOKS . 161 OUR CONTRIBUTORS . 165 FOR YOUR INFORMATION-- Summer Sessions . 166 Gethsemani Centennial . 168 Catholic Action Booklet . 168 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, May~ 1949. Volume VIII, 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. Mary's, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter Jafluary 15, 1942, at the Post Office, Topek, Kansas, under the act of March 3, 1879. Editorial Board: Adam C. Ellis, S.J., G. Augustine Ellard, S.J., Gerald Kelly, S.J. Editorial Secretary: Alfred F. Schneider, S.J. Copyright, 1949, by Adam C. Ellis. Permission is hereby granted for quotations of reasonable length, provided due credit be given this review and the author. Subscription price: 2 dollars a year. Printed in U. S. A. Before writing to us, please consult notice on inside back cover. / ary s Place in Our Life T. N. Jorge,nsen, S.J. NAS Mary the prominent place in our life th.at God wishes her to have? What He thinks of her imp6rtance to us is revealed by the following points: I. The Proto-Evangel "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and, thy seed and her seed. She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." (Gen. 3:15.) This potent prophecy summarizing the history of our race is spoken by God Himself. At the dramatic moment of our exile from Eden, it foretells Mary's part in God's victory over hell. Each of us throughout life necessarily shares in this world-wide struggle, for all of us are children of Adam and Eve. By ourselves we are no match. for Satan. But under Mary's banner, fighting with Mary's Son, we are sure of winning. Though Christ Himself is our sole Redeemer, we emphasize Mary's union with Him in this struggle because God emphasizes it. What He has joined so dearly, solemnly, even dramatically, we must not separate. Whatever His reasons may be, it is God's idea, not yours or mine or Mary's, that He make her His mother and give her an out-standing place in this fundamental struggle between good and evil. That Mary and her seed will crush the head of the s~rpent is our ¯ pledge of glorious victory if we seek it through Jesus and Mary. This vigorous, unqualified prophecy, given at the time of the Fall, is God's wayof urging us to remember Mary when we search "for Christ. 2. The Types, Symbols. Figures, and Other Prophecies of the Old Law The Old Testament reveals God's preparation for the coming of Christ and His mother. Some of its Marian references are prophe-cies, such as Isaias' "A virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son." Some are things, such as the ark of incorruptible wood, which held the manna in the Temple as Mary Was to hold Christ. Some are per-sons, such as Judith, .who cut off the head of the hostile Holofetne's as Mary was to crush the head of Satan. Many such references, writ-ten by God's inspiration for our instruction, show His interest in 113 T. N. JORGENSEN Review for Religious Mary through the centuries before her birth. 3. The Immaculate Conception Since sin is our greatest evil and grace our greatest good, the Immaculate Conception is a most desirable gift. Of all the billions born of Adam, Mary alone was conceived without sin. This gift manifests her complete victory over Satan and her leadership of the rest of the redeemed by her more perfect redemption. Through this fullness of grace she stiares generously in God's own life. And all thi) was given to her not only for. her own sake but also for the sake of us, .her children. 4. Mary's Presentation in the Temple Mary as queen of all saints is an inspiration to all. She is a shining model not only for those who live in the.world but also for those called to the cloister. She lives in God's world; selfish wbrldli-heSS and the world which Satan sways she conquered from the begin-ning. The Temple in Jerusalem was God's dwelling place, the place for prayer, the home of the manna foret~lling the Eucharist. Through the centuries God calls I-1]s favorite children to the cloistered life, calls all to conquer worldliness, calls all to prayer and devotion to the Eucharist. Mary leads us on this wonderful way by giving herself to the Temple, to praye~, to God. 5. The Incarnation This is the most important point of all. God chooses Mary for His mother from among all women, actual or possible. He honors her by sending one of the sacred seven who stand before His throne to deal with her. Gabriel, his message and explanation given, awaits Mary's consent. No one but God could choose hi~ own mother; mother but Mary accepted a definite, well-known Person to be her Son. This mutual acceptance of each other in a relationship more complete and eternal than even the bride-groom compact means that Mary shares willingly in Christ's work and sufferings. It leads neces-sarily, as she knew and accepted, to her sorrow on Calvary and her glory in heaven. Christ is eternally Mary's Son, His Body (though glorified now) is still the one He received from her, His love for her is still a filial love. We know that the mother of a great hero rbceives more praise ~han the mother of a lesser hero. We know that as a man advances from mayor to governor to president, the honor and influence of his mother increases proportionately. What limits, then, can be assigned 114 May, 1949 MARY'S PLACE IN OUR LIFE to the power, dignity, and glory due to the beloved mother of Oni~ who is Infinit!! The Incarnation is God's chosen way of uniting us to Himself. The manner of the Incarnation shows Mary's share in His plans. Cardinal Newman writes (Discourses to Mixed Congregations. p. 348) : "She, as others, came into the world to do a work, she had a mis-sion to fulfill; her grace and her glory are not for her own sake, but for her Maker's; and to her is committed the custody of the Incarna.- tion; this is her appoqnted office . Asshe was once on earth, and was personally the guardian of her Divine Child . . . so now, and to the latest hour of the Church, do her glories and the devotion paid ber proclaim and define the right faith concerning Him as God and man." The Church is an extension of the Holy Family and needs Mary as Nazareth needed bet. St. Augustine reminds us that Mary is the mother of the Mystical Body, bearing the whole Christ, the Head and the members. Her divinely appointed task is not finished until all the members are fully formed. 6. The Manner of Christ's Birth By the miraculous virginal delivery God preserves Mary's physi-cal integrity that it may be in harmony with her spiritual perfection. The other circumstance~ of His birth--the angelic songs calling the shepherds, the star guiding the Magi, the words of Simeon and Anna, the murder of th~ Innocents-~-all seem to attract premature attention to One who wished to stay hidden for another thirty years. But these manifestations during Christ's infancy serve to give the mother prom-inence. By bringing Christ to 3ohn the Baptist, to the shepherds and the Magi and ~-imeon and Anna, and soon to Egypt, Mary is the first Christopher, the first to offer Christ to ignorant and learned, to rich and poor, to Jew and Gentile, in Jerusalem and in pagan lands. God, who plans all ~t-hings carefully and lovingly, planned it thus. 7. "He went down to Nazareth and was subject to them" (Luke2:51) Gbd spends thirty-three years on earth t~eaching by word and example; thirty of these are spent leading Mary to higher sanctity. He serves her lovingly day after day and year after year, and inspires Luke to write of it that we may follow Him in this service and love. 115 T. N. JORGENSEN Ret~ieto for Religious ,~. Cana and Calvary Although Mary naturally stayed in the background during Christ's public life, God did arrange that its miraculous phase be-gin at Cana at her request and that it be finished on Calvary as she stood beneath the cross. On Calvary Mary, who had accepted Christ at the Annunciation on His own terms as tI~e Lamb to be slain, sur-renders her mother's rights lovingly, willingly though heart-bro-kenly, that her Lamb may die to remove the sins of the world. We are grateful to priests for their share in bringing us the Eucharist with Christ's real presence and His symbolic death. We must not be unmindful of Mary's great part in the first coming and the actual death of this same Christ. .9. Pentecost This is the birthday of the Church. As the Holy Spirit comes to abide with us permanently upon earth, Mary is present to welcome Him (Acts 1:14 and 2:1). Her presence when Christ sends His Spirit of Love to dwell with us is as necessary for the full harmony and development of God's plans as. her presence on Calvary had been. She is the first and perfect member of the Church, its most glorious jewel on its birthday and throug, h all of its days. She is so much at one with the Chtirch that both are described simultaneously by ,John's "a womati clothed with the sun"; both are the beautiful Spouse of ChriSt admired in Solomon's Son9 of Sonqs. I0. Mary's Assumption and Coronation : If we love a person greatly, we wish to be as r~uch like him as possible, to share our possessions and honors generously with him. Christ's Ascension into heaven as King of angels and men is paralIeled by his gift 'to Mary of her Assumption and Coronation as heaven's Queen. The mother of the Creator is made queen mother of creation. This reveals God's love for Mary and His wish that we acclaim her glory and power. Naturally He wishes us to honor her whom He honors, to love her whom He loves, to know and praise this master-piece of His creation and redemption and exaltation. God's judgments are true; one worthy of His honor and trust and love is worthy of ours. Mary is Christ's gift to us; to slight her is to wound Him. I I. The Church's Devotion to Mary The Church honors Mary greatly. The Mass, for instance, be-sides other prayers to Mary, starts with th~ Confiteor's ".I confess to 116 Ma~, 1949 MARY'S PLACE IN OUR LIFE Almighty God, to the Blessed Mary ever Virgin," continues with the Communicantes' "honoring in the first place the memory of the glo-rious and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God," and closes with the Salve Regina's "our life, our sweetness, and our hope." Besides the many Marian feasts spread through the year, the Church dedicates to Mary the months of May and October. It urges . ¯ the wearing of the scapular, the saying of the Rosary, the making of Marian novenas. Think of the variety of religious orders dedicated to Mary, the number who have taken her name, the host of books written about her, the many hymns sung to her, the countless altars bearing her statue. All this devotion is a true manifestation of God's love for Mary, for the Church is guided by His Spirit of love. 12. Her Mediatrixsbip of All Grace Tbig gift means that God grants no grace to 'us except through Mary's mediation. All of' our supernatural activity depends upon grace. At every moment we have power to do good, to avoid evil, to increase our glory for eternity, to help save other soulS. At every moment, therefore, Mary must be interceding for each of us with all of her great love and prudence. Since God orders all things harmoni-ously and justly, the lower for the higher, the temporal for the eternal, the physical an~t mental for the spiritual, Mary's charge of the spiritual life of all on earth means that this is Mary's world in a won-derful way. To her more than to any other creature is addressed that promise of Christ, "Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place theeover many things; enter thou into the joy of tby lord" (Mr. 25:21). This position of Mary's means as much to us who need the grace as' to her who gains it for us. Our superiors and teachers and parents and closest friends all taken together do not enter into our life as intimately, deeply, fully, endlessly as Mary does by her universal mediatrixship. The twelve points just enumerated show that God loves and favors Mary exceedingly and wishes us to give her a prominent place in our search for Him. The often repeated statements ."God wants us to go to Him as He comes to us--through Mary" and "To God through Christ, to Christ through Mary".are true and impqrtant guides for us. As Father Faber writes: "Devotion to Mary is not an ornament in the Catholic cult, 117 T. N. JORGENSEN Reoieu~ lot Religious something superfluous or a means among many others that we may use or not as we choose. It is an essential part of Christianity . a definite arrangement of God . Devotion to Mary is not half 'enough preached, not the prominent characteristic of our religion which it ought to be. Hence it is that Jesus is not lo~'ed . He is obscured because Mary is kept in the background. Thousands of souls perish because Mary is withheld from them.", A deeper knowl-edge of Mary brings the Incarnation into clearer focus. For one who wishes to understand Christ more fully, reading about Mary is not a waste of time or a roundabout way any more than putting on glasses is a waste of time or a hindrance to a nearsighted person. It is a direct and effective means. Father Leen writes: "Without Jesus no salvation, without Mary no Jesus. And as without Mary it is impossible to have Jesus, so too without~a knowledge of Mary it is impossible to have a knowl: edge of Jesus . The cause of all the heresies that have ravaged the Church, the explanation of all failures in the spiritual life, can be traced to a lack of recognition of the spiritual maternity of Mary." (Our Blessed Mother, p. 103.) This is strong and sweeping language, but the spiritual maternity of Mary is a broad and vital gift deeply affecting the spiritual endeavork of all who seek to find God through the Incarnation, our God-given way of finding Him. God desires that we love Mary. Knowledge of her does much to foster this love. Therefore we should study Mariology. Su.rely that is a logical conclusion. We cannot love one deeply whom we know but vaguely, and even educated Catholics often know but little of Mary's greatest gifts. Devotion to Mary is great and growing, but its very growth increases the need to protect it from all super-stition and error. The widespread study of Mariology will bring many more to Mary, and at the same time it will place their devotion firmly on a Correct intellectual and a safe emotional basis. We are creatures of both head and heart, and God wishes us to serve Him according to our full nature. Too much emotion and too little dogma is ineffective and dangerous. Emotional religion, a transient turning to prayer in time of stress and a multiplication of novenas or other prayers for the novelty, fosters superstition and selfishness. On the other hand, too much intellect, a dry and imper-sonal study of theology, fails to warm the will. Advance in theo-logical knowle~tge, if it overemphasizes the head approach, may make us proud instead of holy. The gre~it heresiarcbs often knew much 118 May, 1949 MARY'S PLACE IN OUR LIFE the'ology. Many Christians know enough about their faith to be ~aints, but they still live in sin because they know these truths only in a cold, detached, theoretical manner. The will needs a nice balance of the two win~s of knowledge and love to carry it safely to God. The study of Mariology brings us a devotion with the perfect head-heart combination, the correct union Of thought and emotion. It is firmly based on fundamental dogma, for Mariology leads us .to study the mysteries of the Trinity, the Incarnation and Redemption, the horror of sin, the glory of grace, and so forth. Think of how much dogma is needed, for instance, for an understanding of the mysteries of the Rosary. True Marian devotion also offers a strong heart appeal. What is more moving than the sight of the Virgin Mother in quiet adora-tion beside the crib or in ,courageous adoration-beneath the cross? The theme most popular in world literature is the Cinderella plot. No variation of it cari be more moving or amazing than the story of the little girl of Galilee become God's mother and queen of.heaven. And it increases in appeal when we realize more deeply our own part in her story. This great queen who charms the angels serves us lovingly every moment of our lives! Truly Mariology offers us a devotion in which both head and heart work energetically yet har-moniously and safely together to carry .us to God. Studying Mariology gives help to all of our prayers, but espe-cially to our Rosary and Eucharistic devotions. When meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary is successful, it reveals G~d's love for us, teaches us ~ working answer to the problem of pain, keeps our eternal reward vividly in front of us, and leads us to meet the joys and sor-rows of life.wlth a deeply supernatural viewpoint. A Mariology course aids greatly in gaining this success. The Eucharist is the center of our spiritual life. A devout under- .standing of it depends mainly upon grace. Union with Mary secures this grace. We seek Mary because sl~e is Christ's mother; we fi~ad her to find Him. He is distant to those who slight her but gives Himself lovingly to those who seek her. This is true for all devotions to Christ but most of all for our Eucharistic devotion, for "the flesh of Christ is the flesh of Mary." She gave of her flesh that God might become man and dwell among us. The study of Mariology will enable us to please Christ by defending the honor of His mother and by bringing her love to others who need her. "Why did Christ seem to snub Mary? Why T.N. JORGENSEN does Scripture seem to say so little of her?. How can one who is free from concupiscence fully understand our trials, or one who is free from sin understand our weakness? How can we find Christ more quickly and fully by studying Mary and Jesus together than by studying Christ alone?"--if such questions are asked of us, can we give good answers? In the day-after-day study of the classroom, the answers to all such questions can be so throughly learned that they will always be remembered. One who has studied Mariology will gladly and effectively speak about Mary, encouraging her friends, converting her enemies. We all need Mary's strong help in our hourly struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. She is truly our spiritual mother and wishes to enter fully into our spiritual lives. Because of.her position, her virtues, and her sufferings for us, she has a right as well as a duty to aid us. We have the right and duty to discover her for ourselves and for others. These are some of the reasons why Mariology courses should be available to all students, strongly urged upon all. Our work for the introduction and success of these courses will delight God and bring ¯ His blessings to us, to the students, and to the school. If we cannot work directly for this, we still have a vital part to perform--we can pray for the success of such courses. These prayers will be our share in fulfilling Mary's Fatima desires and will bring great help to count-less souls. The generals of religious orders, the bishops, and the Pope strongly urge all to be devout to Mary. If many thousands of our Catholic students took Mariology courses each year, think of the help Jesuits would have in running sodalities, Dominicans in spreading the daily and meditative saying of the Rosary, Carmelites in moving all to a persevering and devout wearing of the scapular, the Marian-ists and Montfort Fathers in leading all to make and keep an act of full consecration to Mary, pastors in fostering May and October devotions and membership in the Legion of Mary, those interested in Fatima in securing great numbers for the First Saturday Com-munions, and the Pope in sharing with all his great devotion t6 Mary. What virtue and wi?dom and power this would bring to the Church on earth, what joy and peace to the world. Considering God's great love for Mary, we can have all this and heaven too-- if we praise her tO please Him. 120 °/V yst:ical Life .-tV ys!:ical Prayer M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. [There are three theories concerning the normal development of the Christian life. According to one theory, the normal culmination is mystical prancer; according to another, it is a mystical h'fe,'but not necessarily mystical prayer: and according to a third, mysticism is outside the normal development. It may well be that the differ-ences represented by these theories are more verbal than actual. But it seems advisable to note that, even though the differences be real, each theory is tenabl~ within the scope of sound Catholic spirituality, and none of them is certain. In the present article, Father Raymond strikes a vigorous blow for the second theory, the mystical llfe. W'e believe that his article should produce the effect he desires: namely, afford consolation to religious engaged in the active life who may wonder how theg also, without enjoying infused contemplation, can become mystlcs.--ED.] THIS little effort was almost titled "Thanks to Carcinoma," for it was one carcinoma that took me from Gethsemani to St. Jo-seph's Infirmary, Louisville, and another that brought Father Carl Miller, S.,I., all the way froha India to the same hallowed spot. So in very truth it ~vas thanks to carcinoma that I saw theory borne out in practice and have been urged to tell you the consoling truth that the distinction between, mystical life and mystical prayer tells of a very real differenc!! As [ have watched my monastery these late years become over-crowded and have seen foundation after foundation made from this Ladybouse, I knew there was a definite drift toward the contempla-tive life. As I .read letter after letter from earnest souls in almost every stratum of society, however, I began to suspect that too many were confusing contemplative prager with the contemplative life. But it took a carcinoma to show me that my suspicions were very well grounded and that the world of religious needed to know the distinc-tion made by Dora Lehodey, O.C.S.O., and Jacques Maritain. It is unquestionable that every Christian is a potential mystic; but it is not true to say that all baptized persons are destined to develop into mystics of prayer, are to know the heights of infused contempla-tion, and are to have an experimental knowledge of the Triune God dwelling and working within them if they will but live the ascetical life to the hilt and nurture the growth of the "seeds" planted in their souls when they were reborn from the womb of the water and the Holy Ghost. 121 M. RAYMOND Review/:or Religious I had read much about the "'normal development of the spiritual life" in books, brochures, and articles that have enjoyed wide popu-larity. I had seen the possibility of too many becoming confused and thinking that be or she alone had developed properly who had reached the state of mystic prayer, or infused contemplation. But it was St. Joseph's Infirmary tbat convinced me that it is not enough to point out to people that when John of the Cross and the three great Western Doctors, Augustine, Gregory, and Bernard, say that "con-templation is the normal and natural issue of the spiritual life" they may be talking of "acquired contemplation" and not of that highest limit of contemplation which involves an experimental perception of God's Being and Presence. No, one must go further and state clearly that there are three distinct mysticisms. -- But don't let me run ahead of my story. Father Carl Miller, S.J., was only skin and bones when I was called to his bedside. Cancer of the pancreas had eaten away all his flesh, but had left his mind as alert as flame. God graced me with four days filled with short visits to the side of this man who had spent twenty-four years of his life amongst the aborigines of the Patna Missions in India, and who was still burning to go back there in order to bring God to these benighted peoples and these benighted peoples to God. Secretly I wondered if the great St. Paul, with his longing to be "an anathema" for his brethren, excelled the zeal and love that fired this skin-covered skeleton called "Father Carl.". And yet our conversations seldom touched India, for once be learned that I was a cloistered contemplative he had but one topic for discussion. One morning he brok~ out with an exclamation that can be described on.ly as hungry. "Oh, father," be cried, "if I had my life to live over again I would go to India, of course, but I would devote ever so much more time to contemplation!" I chuckled softly, and even more softly quoted: "Our hearts were made for Thee, O Lord, and they will never know rest until they rest in Thee." A wondrous smile flamed in those luminous eyes that looked at me from a skull that had but a transparent skin tightly drawn over it. Then a voice that was colored fire said: "Exactly! Exactly! Won't you tell me now how to become a contemplative; how to be a mystic!" That last word made me laugh aloud. How often had I heard it since leaving my monastery just a few days before! And didn't its 122 May, 1949 MYSTICAL LIFE--MYSTICAL PRAYER every use connote a confusion! Weren't all these earnest souls--the nursing nuns," the teachers from our best academies, the priests from the neighboring parishes, and even some of the more advanced lay-men- weren't they all thinking of infused contemplation when they used that word? Weren't they all unacquainted with, or forgetful of, the distinction between the mystical life and mystical pra{ter, properly so called? Naturally I was thrilled to find so many souls athirst for God, for I am in hearty agreement with the man who had written "the. strength of Religion at any period of history is to be measured by the number and quality of its mystics, of its 'God-intoxicated' men and women." But I was both amtised and a bit alarmed to find so many of them thinking of only~ one kind of mysticism, one kind of "God-intoxication"-- that found in infused contemplation strictly so called. There is real danger in that delusion, for discouragement is still the devil's most pot~iit weapon in his campaign against religious. Had I not spent so much time at St. Joseph's Infirmary, I might not now feel the urge ~o tell the truth about the three mysticisms so pressing, nor know the truth itself to be so pulsingly practical. I believe that God allowed me to see each of the mysticisms in action; I know he allowed me to see that there are quite a few souls'who will know no peace until they have been persuaded that infused ~ontem-plation is not for each of us, nor is it the normal, natural, inevitable outcome of an ascetical life lived with utmost generosity. I understand the longing in these souls. I exult in its genuine-ness; for I know that Augustine of Hippo struck off a universal truth when he said that we shall "never know rest until . "' Yes, I re-joice in the strong drift toward .mysticism so manifest in our day'. ,But I would like to keep some from drifting too far, and others from wrongly resisting the drift. So, in the wake of the authorities men-tioned above I first give a word of encouragement. I say: Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, don't be disheartened if you have never known anything like infused contemplation. Don't be deluded into thinking you have not lived the religious life properly just because you cannot now call yourself, or be called by competent authority, a mystic in the sense that your prayer has been or is manifestly passive. And, above aI1, do not for a single moment consider yourself abnormal or subnormal because you have not reached that develop-ment which some b'ooks on prayer, or perfection, or contemplation say is the normal development of the spiritual life, namely, infused 123 M. RAYMOND Ret~iew for Religious contemplation. For it simply is not true that the ascetical life, lived to the utmost, inevitably leads to mystical prayer in this sense of word. Normally, you cannot be a mystic Without first having been an ascetic; but you may well be a true mystic without ever having known infused contemplation. The question which has caused more than one controversy in the past--"To what does the spiritual life normally lead ?"--seems to me to have received its final answer in the reply: "Not into mystical pr~tyer, but into the mystical life.'" This is the reply I found in the appendix to the French version "of Dom Lehodey's Wags of Mental Prayer. He felt forced to add this explanation because his name had been used to support both sides of the controversy ~eferred to above. He very carefully, and even somewhat laboriously, moves from premise to premise until he is finally able to say we must distinguish between mystical life and. mystical prayer if we are to avoid serious error. Having reached this conclusion he supports himself by numer-ous quotes from Jacques Maritain and Father Garrigou-Lagrange.* Briefly the thesis resolves itself to the .old dictum that "Practice makes perfect." Their teaching is one that leaves little room for doubt or questions. They see grace, the virtues, and the gifts. They watch them in action. In the beginning of the spiritual life they see that grace remains bidden--though operative; and we, it seems, have to take the initiative. Grace here seems to adapt itself to our "hun~an mode" of acting in prayer and in all other things. We are now definite!y i6 the ascetical lif~. But as the spiritual life deepens and develops, the gifts take the ascendancy over the virtues. When this happens one is in the mysti-cal way. When the gifts dominate habitually and in a manifest man-ner, then, unquestionabiy, one is in the mystical life. Hence, Dom Lehodey defines this life as "a life lived under the habitual direction of the gifts of the Holy Ghost in what St. Thomas calls their 'super-human mode.' " And for the consolation of all let me cite Maritain to'the effect that "the precise moment at which the mystical life begins cannot be ascertained in practice, but every Christian who makes progress in grace and tends toward perfection will, if he or she lives long enough, enter the mystical life." XTo avoid misunderstanding, it should be added here that Garrigou-Lagrange, while admitting this mysticism in action, would hold that normally the mystics in action should also be mystics in contemplation. 124 May, lP49 MYSTICAL LIFE--MYSTICAL PRAYER That would sound not only like a large statement but like an erroneous one if we looked at history and believed that the mystical life was synonymous with mystical prayer. The list of mystics who enjoyed infused contemplation is not so long! What does Marltain mean then? He means that there are three mysticisms, each of which constitutes a separate vocation. There is the mysticism of prayer, the mysticism of action, and the mysticism of suffering. On what do these men base their thesis, you may ask. It is on the unshakable fact that there are seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, only two of which are pre-eminent in the lives of the mystics of prayer. They very wisely point out that most of us have not been cast in the mold of the contemplative mystics. Our native endowments run cgunter to the requisites of temperament, disposition, and a multi-tude of circumstances independent of our own wills which must be had befbre one is an apt subject for the special infusion. Dom Lehodey clinches this point by telling how he has seen souls of equal good will and generosity, in the same environment and under the same director, develop differently. One is seen to reach contempla-tion very rapidly, another very slowly, another not at all. He says the ultimate explanation lies in the fact that God wishes to remain Mas-ter of His gifts, and distributes them according to the design He has on each soul. That truth coming from such a master should stop each of us ¯ from thinking the "grass is so much greener in our neighbor's yard!" Those in the "mixed life" should not "envy" cloistered contempla-tives; nor should cloistered contemplatives "begrudge" the active ones their work with and for and on souls! His further remark should come as silver waters to slake our God-thirst. He rather forcefully states that prayer and perfection are not synonymous, and that con-templation is not the prayer of the perfect alone. Many who are very imperfect have been graced by God with infused contemplation, while many truly perfect souls have never known that boon. Any experi-enced director, he says, will tell you that he has met souls further ad-vanced in virtue than in prayer and others that are much further ad-vanced in prayer than in virtue. The practical conclusion seems to be, then, to rest satisfied with the native endowment that is ours, to rejoice that God has given us so much, and to concentrate on our efforts rather than to be studying their effects. It will do us little good to be continually taking our spiritual temperature, feeling the pulse of our souls and counting our 125 M. RAYMOND Review for Religious mystical respirations. The truths to remember are: we are called to be rngstics (but not.necessarily'mystics of prayer); and secondly, that if we advance in grace and tend toward perfection we shall inevitably enter the mystidal life. Variety is the spice of life, and God the Holy Ghost likes the mys-tical life spicy. Granted that this life is fundamentally one, it re-mains patently true that it can'assume the most varied forms, not only because there are seven gifts, but also because the Holy Ghost, their lnltiateur babituel, can set them in motion according to His good pleasure and have the same gift shine out differently in different souls. Who cannot distinguish Catherine of Sienna from Teresa of Avila; Teresa of Avila from John of the Cross; John of the Cross from Paul of the Cross; Paul of the Cross from Ignatius of Loyola; Igna-tius of Loyola from Francis Xavier; Francis Xavier from Francis of Assisi: Francis of Assisi from Francis Borgia, etc., etc.?--all mystics of mystical prayer, but each as different from the other as star from star and individual from individual. If the Holy Ghost should wish your sanctification to assume a distinctly contemplative character, He will make use principally of the gifts of wisdom and understanding; but should He desire your life to be less contemplative and express itself in a mysticism that is pre-dominantly actlve--e.g., in the perfection of humility, or obedience, or some other religious virtue; or in the suffering of trials along with holy abandonment; or in zeal for souls along with an intense interior life--He will call upon the active gifts rather than the contemplative, and you will be a mystic truly, though not one of mystical prayer. Now don't mistake me. These active mystics will be prayerful souls; 'their prayer will be simple, tender, and childlike. But, re-markable though they be as pray-ers, the m6re remarkable trait about them will.be their mysticism of action. Wisdom and understanding will not be as manifest in their lives as will be counsel, knowledge. piety, fortitude, or fear of the Lord. Would you not tl~ink that you had seen this thesis verified in fact had you stood beside Father Miller and heard him ask everyone who came to his bedside to pray that he "might give God cheerfully, promptly, and without reserve whatever God asked of him"? Is not that fortitude that is extraordinary, that works effortlessly, that dominates a life? Would you not recognize real knowledge in the man when he joyfully cried: "My best work for the Patna Missions began when I arrived at St. Joseph's Infirmary." And what would 126 Ma~l, 1949 MYSTICAL LIFE--MYSTICAL PRAYER you have thought of his mystical life if you had heard him. say: "Father, I want everyone who meets me to meet Christ desus"? Do you see now why I laughed aloud when he asked me to teach him how to become a m~jstfc? Is it not obvious that he had lived the mys-tical tffe of action in Patna Mission and was crowning i~ by a mysti-cal life of sufferfhg in Louisville? The moment I saw the light in this man's eyes I knew I was viewing something that had not been kindled on this earth; and now that he has gone to God, I know I spent four days with a real mystic who had never known mystical prayer. As I watched the nursing nuns in that medical center I shook my head and said: "Indeed you are right, Dora Lehodey: Mystical prayer is not for all, though the mystical life is!" How could I refrain from such a statement when I saw these women pui in day after day of a service that could be motivated only by extraordinary lo~)e? .They were up at ten minutes to five every morning, and I know some of them seldom retired before ten minutes to eleven. They gave eighteen hours, crowded with service, to Christ in His mystical members. And they did it with an ease and effortlessness that made me conclude that the lnftfateur babftuel was working in their souls every moment with His gifts. The tho.ught of these nuns suggests the insertion here of a very true paragraph from the brochure What Is Contemplation? written by my confrere, Frater Louis, known to you as Thomas Merton. He rightly remarks: "The great majority of Christians will never become pure con-templatives on earth. But that does not mean that those whose vocation is essentially active, must resign themselves to being excluded from all the graces of a deep interior life and all infused prayer. There are many Christians who serve God with great purity of soul and perfect self-sacrifice in the active life. Their vocation does not allow them to find the solitude and silence and leisure in which to empty their minds entirely of created things and lose themselves in God alone. They are too busy serving Him fn His children on earth. At the same time their minds and temperaments do not fit them for a p'urel~j contemplative life. Complete isolation from all temporal activity would upset their souls. They would not know what to do with themselves. They would vegetate and their interior life would grow cold. Nevertheless theft hnoto how' to find God by devoting themselves to Him in self-sacrificing labors in which they are able to 127 M. RAYMOND Review [or Religious remain in His presence all the day tong. They live and work in His company. They realize that He is within them and they taste deep, peaceful joy in being with Him . Without realizing it, their humble prayer is, for them, so deep and interior that it brings them to the threshold of contemplation." (Italics mine.) My confrere uses the word contemplation in the restricted sense of infused prayer throughout his work. But you can see how neatly his theory fails in with the correct thesis of the authorities I have quoted throughout. You can see that those whom he calls "quasi-contem-platives" would be called by Lehodey and Maritain "mystics (or con-templatives) of action." I cited the passage because it fits my nursing nuns so perfectly. I had seen much of the mystical life in action and in suffering on St. Joseph's "First East" and "First West," but it waited for my re-turn trip home to show me the mystical life in prayer. It was in, one of the large motherhouses of our nuns where I was asked to bless the sick in the infirmary. I gladly acceded, but soon saw that God was blessing me through the sick Sisters much more than He was blessing the sick Sisters through me. I was ushered into a tiny room where an old, old Sister lay awaiting death. The atmosphere of that little cubicle struck me like a blow. What I have said about the light in Father Miller's eyes, I say about the atmosphere surrounding this aged, prayer-filled nun: It was not of this earth! If you had heard her cry of joy when I softly said: "You know God loves you, Sister," you would have realized that you were listening to a soul, who knows God intimately, become articulate. If you had seen the light that suffused her coun-tenance when I added: "And you love God dearly, don't you?" you would understand why I wanted to kneel and receive her blessing rather than raise my hand to trace over her the sign of the cross. My escort did not need to whisper: "This is our saint. She never stops praying." I knew! As I said in the beginning, I belieoe that God allowed me to see the three mysticisms in actuality. You do not have to agree with me on that point. But I beg you to agree wholeheartedly with the truth of the thesis I have been propounding: We are all called to be mystics; but not all to be mystics of prayer. There is a mysticism of action and a mysticism of suffering. Each of us is to fit into some one of those mysticisms; some of us perhaps in all three. But do not grow disheartened just because your temperament, disposition, and present 128 Ma~l, 1949 MYSTICAL LIFE--MYSTICAL PRAYER occupation militate against anything like the mysticism of prayer. And now I know you have only one question: "How can we in the active life become more contemplative or mystic?" Well, Dom Lehodey ended his appendix with the advice that we "examine ourselves, in a peaceful and childlike manner, to ascertain Whether or not we are doing what is necessary to keep our souls free for the divine action." He then urges us to obedience and humility, saying, "It is by obedience and humility that the soul enters spiritual childhood." You can guess the rest. "He who humbles himself shall be exalted" (Mt. 23:12). Or, as Divine Wisdom had said long before: "Si quis est parvulus, veniat ad me" (Prov. 9:4). Dora Lehodey concludes: "To make ourselves little, and to let ourselves be made little, is the means par excellence of keeping our souls open for God's action. If He finds us little, He can lead us, according to Hid choice, either by the mysticism of action, the mysticism of suffering, or the mysticism of prayer; or, if He prefers it, by all .three together.'" If that does not appeal to you might I dare the.suggestion that you remember but one thing? Just remember: We are His members! That's all. For it is by living the doctrine of the Mystical Body that we become true mystics; since the best description of a mystic I have ever read runs: "A mystic is a Christian fully cbr~scious of himself,'" That means to be conscious of our dignity as members of Christ Jesus; conscious of our supernatural endowment of grace, virtues, gift~, divine indwelling, adoption, elevation,, etc., etc., etc.; very con-scious of our duty to "fill up what is wanting to His Passion"; and conscious of the destiny of all men to be members of that Body of which Christ is the Head; conscious of our own destiny. Let me conclude with a few words from Father Walter Far-rell, O.P. In his Companion to the Summa he says: "The first con, dition of contemplation is love.'" The contemplative is to be visua-lized as "a gallant lover reckless of the cost of his love.'" "Contem-plation begins in love, endures by love, and results in love . This love of a contemplative is a holy, clean, beautiful love; for holiness, cleanliness, beauty are conditions for contemplation." So if you would become a mystic--fall ir~ lover. But remember that love not only adores--love serves; love Suffers; love sacfi£ces! Now don't ask me if it is legitimate to desire mystical pr~yer; for the answer is that it is inevitablet. We all want to see God. That urge is as deep as our instinct for self-preservation, if not deeper. But let us remember that the "face to face" vision is for the other 129. JOSEPH F. GALLEN Religious life, and that we who are not cast in the moId of Teresa of Avila or John of the Cross can say with the Founder of the Sanguinists, "If it is so sweet to tire ourselves for God, what will it be to enjoq Him?" and go along in our active mystic lives as happy as angels. Reception Prot:ession Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. THE receiving of the vows is subject to misunderstanding in itself, and its importance can be overlooked by the priest pre-siding at the profession and by religious superiors. Any priest knows the necessity of delegation for a marriage at which he assists: he may not be as keenly aware of the equal necessity of delegation for the vows that he receives. The principles governing the recep-tion of the vows are applicable to both clerical and lay institutes. The following discussion is explicitly concerned with lay religious congregations of Brothers and Sisters. The subject is treated directly as it exists in congregations of Sisters, since these are the more numerous. Distinction between Admission and Reception Reception of the vows is often confused with admission to the vows. These are two distinct ideas and acts, but both are required for the validity of the profession. Admission is the juridical act by which the competent superioress decides that a person may and should be allowed to make a religious profession. The act of admis-sion appertains to the higher superioress designated in 'the constitu-tions and bet council. The Code of Canon Law permits that the vote be of either the chapter or the council, but this power will not be given to the chapter except in institutes that have the govern-mental structure of an independent monastery. Admission to the vows, therefore, is an act that precedes profession, an act in which the future professed has no personal part. By admission the subject does not become a professed but is only rendered apt for making a future profession. Reception of profession is the act by which the legitimate supe-rior, in the name of the Church and of the particular institute, ,130 May, 1949 RECEPTION OF PROFESSION accepts the profession. Reception appertains solely to the superior designated for this act in the particular constitutions. The Code gives the council or chapter no part in this act. R~ception is thus concomitant with profession. At the same time that the subject makes profession, the competent superior accepts the profession. Canon 572, § I, 6° clearly states that the vows are invalid if not received by the competent superior personally or thr6ugh a delegate. There are two reasons for this law: (I) religious vows are public vows, and canon 1308, § I defines a public vow as one that is received in the name of the Church by a legitimate ecclesiastical supe-rior; (2) religious profession is also a quasi-contract between the professed and the particular institute. A contract demands the con-sent of both parties, and thus the institute also must consent. Practical applications.--It is possible that the distinction between ~dmission and reception is not universally realized. This case can occur not only from a misunderstanding of the constitutions but also I~ecause of omissions in the constitutions. There are three articles of the constitutions that are at least helpful in emphasizing reception and in ascertaining the person competent to receive the vows: (1) the general requisites for the validity of every juridical profession; (2) the formula of the vows; (3) the article on signing the declaration of the profession. There are a few constitutions that omit the first and third articles and that mention neither a superioress of the institute nor the local ordinary in the formula of the vows. It is not of obligation that either of these be mentioned in the formula. Another difficulty that can occur under this heading is the con-fusing of a juridical renewal of vows with a devotional renewal. All religious realize that the first temporary profession and the perpetual profession are not the same as a devotional renewal. However, if we take the example of an an institute that has three professions of temporary vows for one year instead of one profession for three years, it is possible to find religious who do not distinguish, at least adequately, either these annual juridical professions or the profession consequent upon a prolongation of temporary vows from a devo-tional renewal of vows. This is a serious error. All of these annual professions, as also the profession in a prolongation of temporary vows, are as strictly juridical professions as the first temporary and perpetual professions. A juridical renewal is a new profession of vows that have already expired or will soon expire. A devotional renewal may be made at any time, whether the vows are temporary 131 ¯ JosEPH F. GALLEN for Religious or perpetual. No new obligations are assumed in a devotional renewal, whether it is made individually or in common. The sole purpose of a devotional renewal is to reinvigorate fidelity and fervor in fulfilling obligations assumed in the past. A devotional renewal, inasmuch as it is not a strict emission of vows, does not have to be received. Any juridical renewal is a real religious profession and must be received. A moment's thought shows us that the second annual profession.of temporary vows is as strictly a religious profes-sion as the first annual profession. All of the general requisites demanded by canon 572 for a valid religious profession must be observed also in the juridical renewals and in the profession of a Sis-ter whose temporary vows have been prolonged. Who Is Competent to Receioe the Vou)s? Canon 572, § 1, 6° states: "That it be received by the legitimate superior according to the constitutions, either personally or by dele-gate." The constitutions, therefore, are to determine the sfiperior who is to receive the vows. The Code of Canon Law leaves this superior undetermined. In pontifical institutes that are not divided into provinces the constitutions almost universally prescribe that the vows are to be received by the mother general or her delegate. This is also the prevailing practice in pontifical institutes that are divided into provinces, but in these the legitimate superior is also frequently prescribed as the higher superioress or her delegate, the mother pro-vindial or her delegate. Different superiors may be assigned for the various professions, for example, the mother general for the perpetual profession and the mother provincial for all professions and renewals of temporary vows. The constitutions could also assign the recep-tion of profession to local superioresses. Constitutions that contain determinations such as those listed above cause no difficulty. They clearly and accurately determine the legitimate superior. This determination should be made in the article that lists the general requisites for a valid profession and that reproduces'canon 572. The part of this canon, given above, that treats of reception should read, for example: "That it be received by the mother general either per-sonally or by delegate." In diocesan institutes also it appears to be the prevailing practice for the vows to be received by th~ mother gen-eral or her delegate. It is most unusual for these institutes to be divided into provinces. The constitutions that cause practical difficulties are those that 132 Ma~l, 1949 RECEPTION O,F PROFESSION fail to determine the superior for reception Under the general requisites for a valid profession. This is an inaccuracy; in the compiling of the constitutions, since the Code of Canon Law clearly presupposes that the constitutions determine this Superior. The usual case of this lack of determination is found in constitutions that merely repeat the words of canon 572, § 1, 6°. Thus one set of constitutions reads: "that it be received by the lawful superior either personally or by delegate according to the constitutions." The article of the constitu-tions that primarily should determine the superior competent for reception has failed to do so, and the problem now is: Who is the legitimate superior? The Code Commission has given a reply on such cases and stated implicitly that the secondary source of deter-mination of the competent, superior is in the formula of the vows. According to this reply, the local ordinary is the one competent to receive the vows, if he alone is mentioned in the formula of the vows. The reply did not go beyond this case, but if we apply logically the principle that is implicit in the reply, a superioress of the institute who is the only one mentioned in the formula will be the person competent to receive the vows. The case becomes more complicated " when both the local ordinary and a superioress of the institute are mentioned in the formula. The reception in this case appertains to the superioress of the institute mentioned in the formula, since the receiving of the vows is the act by which the subject is incorporated into the institute and thus by its nature appertains to the superiors of the institute. We cannot say that this last rule is universally true. It is not impossible to find such an institute in which the local ordinary has always received the vows, and it can be held that he was the one intended in the expression "legitimate superior" of the constitutions. Finally, there are constitutions of this type that mention neither the local ordinary nor a superioress of the institute in the formula of the vows. In this case it seems that we shoul(i resort to the article of the constitutions on signing the declaration of the profession. Canon 576, § 2 commands that the declaration of the profession be signed by the professed and by the one receiving the vows. Therefore, this article also should specify the one competent to receive the vows. If this article reads: "and the mother general or her delegate and the professed Sister herself shall sign it," we may hold that the mother general is the superior competent to receive the vows. However, in actual practice this article is often ambiguous. In the absence of any other determination, the superioress of the institute who has the right 133 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review for Religious to admit to the particular profession is also the competent superior for the reception of that profession, since reception is the complement and execution of admission. The principles given above apply equally to pontifical and diocesan institutes, since reception of the vows is by its nature and by the laws of the Church a matter of internal government. The practical conclusion of this discussion is that no institute should tolerate obscurity in its laws concerning the person competent to receive the vows. The Local Ordinartj as Recipient of the Vows There are a few pontifical and a greater number of diocesan con-gregations whose constitutions prescribe that the professions are to be received by the local ordinary or his delegate. The reply of the Code Commission, mentioned above, makes it evident that the ordinary in such cases receives the vows only in virtue of a general mandate or commission given to him in the constitutions of the institute. The facuity to receive the vows in either a pontifical or diocesan congre-gation does not appertain to him in virtue of the fact that he is local ordinary. In these institutes the local ordinary either personally receives the vows or delegates another to do so. It is the common practice for him to delegate a priest. Therefore, a priest who is invited to preside at a profession is to be vigilant when the constitutions prescribe that the vows are to be received by the local ordinary or his delegate. He will receive the vows; and he is to make sure, before the professions, that the superioresses of the institute have secured delegation for him to do so. He will not be overcautious but only prudent if he asks to see the letter in which the delegation is given. He may find that the local ordinary was asked merely for the faculties for the retreat before professiori, or for faculties to preach, and that the letter contains nothing about delegation to receive the professions. It is the practice for the local ordinary to delegate a priest to receive the vows, but the Code of Canon Law does not oblige him to do so. He could delegate a superioress of the institute, since the reception of the vows is an act of dominative power, not of jurisdic-tion, and thus does not presuppose the clerical state. The constitu. tions would oblige him to delegate a priest if they prescribed that the vows were to be received, "by the local Ordinary personally or by a priest delegated by tiim." This is rarely found in constitutions. Even in such a case a priest would not be required for the validity1 of 134 May, 1949 RECEPTION OF PROFESSION the reception, unless the constitutions clearly and certainly demanded a priest for validity. It is very unusual in the constitutions of lay institutes to find anything purely of their own law prescribed for validity, with the exception of matters that demand the deliberative vote of a council. When the institute has houses in several dioceses, it is the local ordinary of each diocese or his delegate, and not the local ordinary of the mother house, who receives the professions in his diocese. The local ordinary receives the vows only in virtue of a general commission given to him by the constitutions of the institute. The question can thus arise: Have the superioresses of the institute, by granting such a commission, completely abdicated their native right to receive the professions? At least four authors (Coronata, Schaefer, Vidal, Muzzarelli) deny such a complete abdication and hold that the religious superioresses could validly receive the vows. It is not the practice of religious superioresses to do this, but the doctrine of these authors ~annot be said to be improbable. None of these authors specifies the superioress who would have the right to receive the pro-fessions. This would be the superioress that is mentioned in the formula of the vows or, in the absence of such mention, the superior-ess who has l~fie right to admit to the particular profession, since reception is the complement and execution of admission. Religious Superioress as Recipient of the Professions When the constitutions prescribe that the vows are to be received by a superioress of the institute or her delegate, it is the universal practice for the superioress to receive the vows personally or to dele-gate another Sister of the same institute for the reception. In such a case the officiating priest says the Mass and presides over the cere-monies, but he does not receive the vows. The Code of Canon Law permits the competent superioress to delegate either the local ordinary or a priest for the reception. Such a delegation could be forbidden by the particuIar constitutions. For example, one set of constitutions reads, "that it be received by the Superior General either in person or through a delegated Sister." To delegate anyone except a Sister in this institute would be illicit but not invalid. The original approved text of the constitutions is to be examined closely wih regard to the delegation of the local ordinary or a priest. In at least one set of constitutions, the "'per alium" of canon 572, § 1, 6° was changed by the Holy See in ;the aigproved text to "'per aliam.'" The general 135 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review/:or Religious norm of canon 490 states that in matters concerning religious the masculine gender applies also to women, but the feminine gender does not apply to men. Therefore, the correction in this set of constitu-tions would exclude a licit delegation of men. Delegation of Faculty to Receioe the Vows The Code gives to the legitimate superior, whether the local ordi-nary or a member of the institute, the power of granting to another the faculty of receiving the vows. Therefore, this power of delega-tion is possessed, even if the particular constitutions do not explicitly grant it. Habitual delegation may be given.--Tfie legitimate superior has what may be called ordinary power of receiving the professions. Such,a power may be delegated in whole or in part. For example, if the mother general is the legitimate superior, she may delegate the mothers provincial to receive all professions in their provinces, the local superioresses to receive all professions in their houses, the mis-tress of novices to receive all professions in the novitiate. The local ordinary, if he is the legitimate superior, could delegate his vicar for religious to receive all professions within his diocese of institutes that prescribe that the vows are to be received by the local ordinary or his delegate. He could likewise delegate the chaplain to receive all pro-fessions in the convent to which he is attached. He could also dele-gate for all professions of an institute the priest designated by the superioresses of the institute to say the Mass or to preside at the cere-. monies of profession. A few institutes grant habitual delegation in the constitutions. Tl~e following articles are taken from constitu-tions approved by the Holy See: "The vows shall be received by the Superioress General or her delegate. Regional Superioresses in their region, and the local Supe-rioresses of the house where the vows are made, are habitually dele-gated." "that it be received by the Superior General either in person or through a delegated Sister. In virtue of these Constitutions, the Superior of the house where the profession is made is considered delegated unless the Superior General has stated otherwise." Delegation and subdelegation may be git)en for particular cases.- One who has either ordinary power or habitual delegation may dele-gate others to receive the vows in particular cases. Delegation for a particular case is that given for a determined case or for several deter- 136 May, 1949 RECEPTION OF PROFESSION mined cases. Thus a delegation to receive all the professions at a determined ceremony is a delegation in a particular case. If we sup-pose that a local superi0ress has been habitually delegated to receive the professions in her house, she can subdelegate another to receive all the vows at a determined ceremony, e. g., that of August 15, 1949. If the chaplain has been habitually delegated by the local ordinary to receive all the professions in a novitiate house, he can subdelegate another to receive all the professions at a determined ceremony. However, one who is subdelegated to receive the vows cannot again subdelegate his power unless he has expressly received the faculty to do so from one with ordinary power (canon 199, §5). Person delegated.--As explained above, unless the particular con-stitutions declare otherwise, the person delegated may be amember of the institute or one who is not a member of the institute. The legitimate superioress may deleg~ite the local ordinary, a priest, or a Sister of her own institute. The local ordinary, if he is the legi-timate superior, may delegate a priest or a Sister of the institute to receive the vows. Manner of delegation.--The delegation may be given orally or in writing, but the latter is much preferable. The letter of delegation should be retained in the files of the institute. When the vows are received by a delegate, it is advisable to note that fact in the register of professions together with the date of the letter of delegation and the name of the one who gave the delegation. Manner of Receitaing the Vows The act of receiving the vows does not have to be expressed in words but is understood to be sufficiently externally expressed by the physical presence of the one receiving the vows. Reception and pubticit~l of the vows.--The vows of religion are public solely by the fact that they are received by the legitimate supe-rior in the name of the Church. The Code does not demand other witnesses nor that the profession at least ordinarily be made in the presence of the community. These are frequently prescribed by the particular constitutions. Rite of profession.--The rites and ceremonies of profession are foreign to the present subject. One point of the rite, however, may be noted. It is more suitable that the formula of any juridical pro-fession should be pronounced separately by each Sister. This is not 137 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Reuieu~ for Religious required for the validity of the profession but is of obligation when prescribed by the particular constitutions. The reason for the above doctrine is that the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on the rite of profession during Mass stated that the juridical profession was to be pronounced individually. Some constitutions approved by the Holy See. explicitly command that the formula be pronounced individually. Signing the declaration of profession.--Canon 576, § 2 reads in the Vatican translation: "A written declaration of the profession, signed by the person professed and at least by him in.whose presence the profession Was made, must be preserved in the archives of the institute." The clause, "at least by him in whose presence the pro-fession was made," is a literal translation of the Latin, "'saltern ab eo corarn quo professio ernissa est.'" This clause can have but one meaning, that is, "at least by the one receiving the vows." This sense is evident from the fact that the Code is here speaking of a witness to the profession, but in the canons on profession that pre-cede canon 576 the Code has prescribed only one witness to the pro-fession, namely, the one receiving the profession. Therefore, the one who receives the vows must always sign the declaration of the pro-fession, whether this is commanded by the particular constitutions or not, since it is an obligation of the Code. If the local ordinary personally receives the vows, he must sign the declaration, and not any other priest who, may have been present at the ceremony. It is evident that this article should be of help in ascertaining the person competent to receive the vows. It is of such' help when it specifies properly the person who is to sign, for example, "by the Mother General or her delegate." It is oftentimes of no .help, since the article merely repeats the unspecified language of the Code, enumerates with-out distinction many witnesses who are to sign, or omits entirely any indication that the declaration must be signed by the One receiving the vows. This same clause is sometimes mistranslated in constitu-tions, for example, "by the person who presided at the profession." It is licit to prescribe, and some constitutions actually prescribe, addi-tional witnesses who must sign the declaration, such as the officiating priest, the local superioress or her delegate, or two Sisters who were witnesses to the profession; but the constitutions should not omit the prescription of the Code that the declaration must be signed by the one who received the profession. The Code does not demand that either the professed or the one 138 May, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER receiving the profession sign the declaration immediately after each profession. 'This may be done for all the professions after the cere-mony is finished. This does not exclude the custom, which exists in some institutes, of having each professed sign the document of profession immediately after her profession. In Praise ot: Prayer--II Augustine Klaas, S.J. m~HE Fathers and ecclesiastical writers of the first seven centuries | have already told us of the nature, excellence, e~cacy, and r~ecesslty of prayer. (Cf. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, Vol. VI, No. 6, pp. 363-371.) Pursuing further our study of these early Christian writers we flote that they held that the amount of formal prayer for each will yary with his peculiar circumstances of life and work, of nature and grace. Thus the his(orian Palladius (d. circa 425 A.D.) tells of a certain monk, Paul, who came to Abbot Saint Macarius for some pertinent advice on this point. "Uninterrupted prayer was his work and his asceticism. He said daily three hundred formulated prayers. Collecting as many pebbles, he kept themin the bosom-pocket of his garments and then threw away one at each prayer recited. Coming to Saint Macarius, called the Statesman, to speak with him, he said: 'Abbo~ Macarius, I am despondent.' Urged to give the reason, he replied: 'In a certain town there lives a virgin thirty years old, given to the ascetic life. Many have told me that she eats nothing except on Saturday and Sundays . She does seven hundred prayers a day. When I learned this, I chided myself that I couldn't do more than three hundred.' Saint Macarius answered: 'For sixty years I have been doing one hundred set prayers a day, but also working for my food and holding confer-ences with the brethren. My conscience does not accuse me of being negligent. However, if you, who do three hundred prayers a day, " are reproved by your conscience, you clearly show that you either do not pray perfectly or can do more than you are doing now.' " (PG 34, 1070B.) 139 AUGUSTINE KLAAS " Ret~ietu for Religious VI Time of Pra~ler The best times for prayer are indicated by Tertullian (d. circa 222 A.D.) in this striking passage which reveals the prayer customs of the primitive Church. "As for times of prayer nothing at all is prescribed unless, of course, it be to pray always and in every place. But how in ever.q place (1 Tim. 2:8), since we are forbidden to do so in public? Every place, he is saying, where opportunity or even necessity demands prayer . As regards the time, it will not be fruitless to observe certain hours, those common hours, I mean, which mark off the peri-ods of the day--terce, sext, and none, and which are found in Holy Scripture to be more solemn. The Holy Spirit was first infused into the assembled disciples at the third hour. Peter, on the day he saw the vision of the whole community of Christians in that small con-tainer, had gone upstairs at the sixth hour to pray. At the ninth hour he with John went up to the temple where he restored health to the paralytic . In addition to those appropriate prayers which without admonition are required at dawn and at evening, not le~s than three times at least do we pray every day, since we are debtors to the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nor should the faithful take food or bathe without a prayer. Refreshment and food for the spirit take precedence over those of the body, and heavenly things over earthly." (PL 1, 1192 A.) Saint Ambrose (d. 397 A.D.) recommends prayer at night and confirms it from Holy Scripture. "If students of secular subjects indulge in very little sleep, how much more musi those who desire to know God not be hindered by bodily sleep, except what is needful for nature. David washed his bed with his tears every night; he arose in the middle of the night to confess his sins to God; and do you judge that the whole night should be given to sleep? Then is God the more to be prayed to, then is help to be asked for and sin avoided, when one seems to be alone. Then, especially, when darkness and walls encompass me on all sides, must I consider that God beholds all hidden things. Do not say: 'I am surrounded with darkness; who sees me or whom do I fear, enclosed and hemmed in as I am with walls? For perilous is his frown for the wrong-doers (Psalms 33.17).' And so, if you do not see a judge present, do you not see yourself? Are you not afraid of the testimony of conscience? Do you not know that the darkness of 140 ~ May, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER night is not a cover but an enticement to sin? Night it was when Judas betrayed and Peter denied. Above all, at that very time must the judgments of God be revolved in the mind and the exhorting commandments be gone over again. Let not those precepts of chas-tity be absent, in order that, concerned with them, the soul may extinguish the fires of concupiscence and the lust of the flesh. Take this to heart: euer{j night tears bedew m{j bed and drench roy pil-low (Psalms 6:7)." (PL 15, 1291 C.) We must likewise pray in the hour of tribulation and tempta-tion, as Saint Augustine (d. 430 A.D.) advises. "We are taught, brethren, that we belong to the body of Christ, that we are members of Christ. We are admonished in all our trials not to think how we should answer back our enemies, but rather how we may propitiate God by prayer, especially that we may hot be vanquished by temptation, and also that those who persecute us may be returned to reasonable justice. There is no greater, no better thing to do when in trouble than to withdraw from all outward distraction and enter into the inner sanctum of the soul. To invoke God there where no one sees the beggar and the Donor, to close one's door against all exterior disturbance, to humiliate oneself in the con-fession of sin, to glorify and praise God both when He .corrects and when He consoles: surely this is what must b~ done." (PL 36, 884.) Saint Antony, in his quest for the more perfect way, withdrew from the world and prayed continually, as his illustrious biographer, Saint Athanasius (d. 373 A.D.) relates. "Monasteries were not yet so numerous in Egypt, neither was any monk familiar with the vast desert, but if any one wanted to be free to work at his perfection, he did it in solitude not far from his own village. There was at that time in a nearby village an old man who from his youth had led the life of a monk. When Antony had seen him he was on fire with holy zeal to imitate him and soon he began to dwell in various places near the village. If he heard of any one elsewhere living a life of strenuous virtue, he sought him out like a wise bee, nor did he come back again to his own dwelling until he had seen him and thus, after receiving as it were an alms for making this journey for virtue, he came back home again. While dwelling there, he first strengthened his determination not to return to his father's possessions, nor to be mindful of his relatives, but rather to tend to the perfection of the ascetical life with all his will and effort. Hence, he worked with his hands, for he had heard the words: 'If 141 AUGUSTINE KLAAS Ret,~ew ~or Religious any man work noL neither let him eat'; in this way he bought bread, some for himself, some for distribution to the poor. He prayed often, for he had learned well that one must pray without ceasing. So attentive was be to spiritual reading that nothing of the authors escaped him, but .he retained it all, so that for him his memory finally served him in place of books." (PG 26, 844 A.) Later the Apothegms of the Fathers of the Desert (6th century) quaintly recounts how the Abbott Lucius prayed without ceasing. "Some monks once came to Abbot Lucius . The old man asked them: 'What manual work do you do?' They answered: 'We do not touch manual work, but, as the apostle commands, we pray without ceasing.' The old man: 'Don't you eat?' They: 'Yes, we eat.' Old man: 'When you are eating, who prays in your place?'-- Again he said to them: 'Don't you sleep?' They shot back: 'Cer-tainly, we sleep.' Old man: 'When you are sleeping, who prays in your place?' And they didn't know what to answer to all this. Then he said to them: 'Pardon me, but your actions are not in accord with your speech. I will show you how I pray without ceasing while I do my mariual work. When I sit dipping my twigs into water for God and then weaving them into mats, I say: "Hat2e mercg on me, 0 God, according to thg great mercg. And acco. rding to the multi-tude ot: thg tender mercies blot out mg iniquitq." That's a prayer isn't it?' They answered: 'It is.' Again the old man: 'When I thus work and pray all day, I earn sixteen coins, more or less: of these I bring two to the door, the others I spend for food. Whoever receives the two coins prays for me while I eat or sleep; and so by the grace. of God I put into practice that "pray without ceasing.' . (PG 65, 253 B.) But Saint A.gustine objects and then tells of a practical way to pray always. "And whose tongue can stand praising God allday long? Isn't it true that when conversation becomes a little lengthy you get tired? Who can endure praising God the whole.day ? I suggest a method by which you can praise God all day, if you so wish. Whatever you do, do it well, and you have praised God. When you sing a hymn, you are praising God; what are your tongue and conscience doing if they are not praising God? Have you stopped singing the hymn and are going out for refreshment? Don't drink to excess and you have praised God. Are you doing business? Don't cheat and you have praised God. Are you tilling a field? Don't get into a quarrel and .142 May, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER you have praised God. By the blamelessness of your works prepare yourself to praise God all the day long." (PL 36, 341.) VII Place of Prayer Prayer need not be restricted to any particular place, but rather, as Saint Ambrose says, should be made everywhere. "The Savior teaches also that you should pray everywhere when be says: 'Enter into yqur room" (Matt. 6:6). Understand by room, not a room circumscribed by walls, by which the members of your body are enclosed, but rather the room that is within you, in which your thoughts are enclosed, in which your senses dwell. This prayer room of yours is with you everywhere a6d everywhere it is secret; its judge is none other than God alone." (PL 14, 335 D.) Saint Athanasius wants virgins who 'are following the more per-feet life to pray in a certain way at mealtime and gives incidentally some rules of religious etiquette. "After None eat your bread thanking God at table with these words: 'Blessed be God Who has mercy on us and nourishes us from our youth, Who gives food to ever~ living creature. Fill our hearts with joy and gladness, that having a sufficiency in all things, we may abound in every good work, in Christ 3esus our Lord, with whom glory, power, honor, and adoration are due to Thee, together with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.' . . . "Now, when you are about to sit down to table and begin to break bread, having thrice made the sign of the cross, thus give thanks: 'We thank You, Father, for the holy resurrection which you revealed to us through Jesus Christ: and just as this bread, which is on the table, once was scattered far and wide, but by baking has been made one. so may Your church be gathered from the ends of. the earth into Your kingdom, because Yours is the power and glory for ever and ever. Amen.' This prayer you must say when you break bread at the beginning of the meal. When you put it back again on the table and are about to sit down, recite the whole of the Out Father. The above:mentioned prayer Blessed be God we also recite rising after the meal. If there are with you~two or three other vir-gins, let them give thanks over bread and pray along with you. If a catechumen is present at table, let her not pray with the faithful and do not sit with her when. you dine. Likewise you must not sit down to eat your food with women who are somewhat careless and 143 AUGUSTINE KLAAS Review for Religious facetious, unless it be necessary. For you are consecrated to the Lord your God and your food and drink are sanctified, sanctified indeed by prayers and holy words." (PG 28, 264 D, 265 C.) VIII Manner of Pra!cer How should we pray? What bodily posture should we adopt when we pray? Listen to Origen (d. circa 255 A.D.) "I think that he who is about to pray becomes more alert and attentive throughout his prayer, if for a moment beforehand he stand still and recollect himself. Likewise when he has cast off all worries of s6ul and distracting thoughts; when he has called to mind as best he can the majesty of Him whom he is approaching, and how irrev erent it .is to offer Him oneself so lax, so remiss, and almost con-temptuous; when finally he has laid aside all else, thus let him come to pray, his soul straining as it were beyond his hands, his mind visibly intent on God. Before he stand in prayer, let him raise up the superior part of his soul from the earth and place it before the Lord of all; let him so far forget the insults he thinks he has suffered from another as any one might wish God to be unmindful of his own evil deeds . "Since there are many bodily postures, that one in which the hands are extended and the eyes raised to heaven, is surely to be pre-ferred above all the others by him who also bears in his l~ody the image as it were of those things which suit the soul in prayer. This we say should be especially observed when no circumstance interferes, for in a particula.r circumstance it is sometimes permitted to pray seated, for instance, on account of considerable pain in the feet; and even lying down, because of fever or such like illnesses. For the same reason we may pray doing neither of these things, for example, when we are traveling, or when business does not allow us to withdraw for prayer." (PG 11, 549 B.) Saint Augustine observes carefully the posture of those praying in the Holy Scriptures. "We are informed.by examples that there is no prescription as to how the body should be composed for prayer, as long as the soul in God's presence carries out its intention. For we also pray standing, as it is written: 'And the publican stood far off' (Luke 18:13) ; and on our knees, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles(20:36) ; and sitting, as did David and Elias (II Kings 7:18; III Kings 18:42). 144 May, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER Unless we could also pray lying down, this would not have been written in the Psalms: "Ever~ night tears bedew my bed and drench roy pillow' (Psalms 6:7). When any one seeks to pray, let him take that bodily posture which at the time he considers suitable to assist the soul." (PL 40: 144.) Prayer demands that the soul be purged of its faults and detached from earthly things: so Saint Gregory the Great (d. 604 A.D.) and Abbot Cassian (d. circa 435) teach. "The interior face of man is his soul, in which we recognize that we are loved by our Creator. Wherefore, to raise this face up means to lift the soul to God by devoted prayer. But a stain soils a face that is lifted up if conscience accuses the contemplating soul of its guilt, because the soul is completely deprived of the confidence of hope, if intent on prayer it is stung by the memory of an unmastered fault. For it despairs of being able to receive what it wants, since it remembers that it will not do as yet what it has heard God wants of it . Wherefore this is a wholesome remedy: when the soul reproaches itself for a remembered fault, let it first in prayer deplore its mistake; insofar as the stain of error is wiped away with tears is its face seen to be clean by its Creator when it prays from the heart." (PL 75, 936 B.) "God's servants, when cut off from earthly activities, know not how to speak idly, avoid scattering and soiling the mind with words, and so obtain a hearing from their Creator before all others. By purity and simplicity of thought they are in a certain way already like Him, as far as that is possible. But we in the midst of noisy crowds, while we often speak idle and sometimes even gravely harm-ful words, our lips are as far from the omnipotent God as they are close to this world. We are drawn from on high while we are immersed in worldly things by endless talking." (PL 77, 256A.) Abbot Cassian compares the soul to a feather. "The soul can be aptly compared to the finest down or lightest feather. If the feather is neither ruined nor moistened by water externally applied, at the slightest breeze it is quite naturally carried up high in(o the heavens by reason of the mobility of its substance. But, if it is weighted down by the sprinkling or pouring of water, not only will it not be caught up to any aerial flights on account of its natural mobility, on the contrary it will be pressed down to the lowest earth by the weight of the water it carries. Thus our soul also,,if it is not burdened down with earthly vices and cares, or 145 AUGUSTINE KLAAS Review for Religious spoiled by the water of culpable lust, raised aloft as it were by its natural quality of purity, it will be carried up to the heavens by the lightest breeze of spiritual prayer, and leaving behind the lowly things of earth, will be wafted on high to things celestial and invis-ible . And therefore if we wish our prayers to penetrate not only the heavens but even what is above the heavens, let us take care, after we have purged it of all earthly vices and cleansed it from the dregs of the passions, to bring the soul to its natural condition of subtility, so that its prayer may ascend to God free from the burden of sins." (PL 49, 774 B.) Saint C!tprian (d. 258 A.D.) and Saint Basil (d. 379 A.D.) demand attention and concentration of mind for effective prayer. "When we are at prayer, my dear brethren, we must be alert and give ourselves to it with our whole heart. Let all fleshly and worldly thought be cut short and let the soul think of naught but its prayer alone. Thus also the priest before the prayer of the Preface prepares the minds of the brethren by saying "Sursum Corda" ('Lift up your hearts'), so that when the people answer "Habemus ad Do-minum' ('We have them lifted up to Lord') they may be admon-ished that they ought to think of nothing else but the Lord . How can you ask to be heard by God, when you do not even hear yourself? Do you wish God to be mindful of you in prayer, when you are not mindful of yourself?" (PL 4, 533 B.) "How shall one achieve concentration in prayer? If he is con-vinced that God is present before his very eyes. For if one who looks upon and converses with a prince or other person of authority fixes his eyes on him, how much more he who prays to God will keep his mind focussed on Him who searches hearts and reins . Can this attention be had always and in all things? How can one arrive at it? That it is possible is shown by him who said: "My eyes are eoer towards the Lord' (Psalms 24: 15), and "I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at m!j right hand; that I be not mooed' (Psalms 15: 8). How it can be done has been told above, namely, if the soul is not allowed for any space of time to interrupt its thinking on God, on His works, and on His gifts, acknowledging them arid giving thanks for all." (PG 31, 1216 C ~4 D.) In an exceptionally vivid passage Saint John Chrysostom (d. 407 A.D.) urges recollection and perseverance in prayer. "Let them give ear who are somewhat inexperienced in prayer. When I say to some one: 'Ask God, beseech Him, supplicate Him,' 146 May, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER he answers: 'I have asked once, twice, three times, ten times, twenty times, and I have never received anything.' Do not stop, brother, until you receive something: the objective of petition is the gift received. Then only stop when you receive: rather do not stop even then, but still continue on. If you do not receive anything, ask that you may receive; but when you have received, give thanks for the gift. "Many enter into the church and having said a thousand lines of prayer, they leave; they do not know what they said; their lips move but they themselves do not hear anything. You yourself do not hear your own prayer, and do you wish God. to answer it? I made genu-flections, you say,--but your mind was flitting about outside; your body was in church, but your thoughts were wandering around out-doors; your lips were reciting your prayers, but your mind was com-puting interest, calculating business deals, contracts, fields, posses-sions, thinking of parties with friends. For the d~vil, evil as he is, since he knows that we make so much progress in time of prayer, then especially does he attack. Often we lie stretched out on our beds thinking of nothing in particular: but only let us start to pray and he will inject six hundred thoughts to make us quit, empty of fruit. "Even when you are outside the church, cry out "Miserere mei" ('Have mercy on me'), not with your lips but with your mind, for God hears even the silent. No special place is required, but at least a minimum of moral living . If you are in your bath, pray; if on the street or in be~t, do likewise: wherever you may be, pray. You are a temple of God; you have no need to look for a place; only the affections of the will are required. If you stand befor~ a judge, pray; when the judge gets angry, pray on." (PG 52, 457.) We read in the Apothegms that Abbot Silvanus of Mount Sinai taught a certain monk of the desert a salutary lesson on joining work to prayer. "A certain brother came to Abbot Silvanus on Mount Sinai, and seeing the brethren working, said to the old man: "Be not occupied about the l:ood which perishes. For Marq has chosen the better part.' The old man said to a disciple: 'Zachary, give this brother a book and take him to an empty cell.' Now when the ninth hour came, he kept looking out of the doorway wondering whether they would send some one to call him to dine. When no one summoned him, he arose and went to the old man whom he .thus questioned: 'Father, didn't the brethren eat today?' 'Certainly they ate.' 'And why 147 AUGUSTINE KLAAS Review for Religious didn't you call me?' 'Because you are a spiritual man and have no need of this sort of food. We on the other hand, since we are quite carnal, want to eat and that's why we work, but you have chosen the best part, prayerfully reading the whole day, and of course you do not wish to eat carnal food.' Hearing this, the brother made a penitential bow and said: 'Forgive me, Father!' The old man cut in: 'Mary surely needs Martha too. Let Mary also t~ike a lesson from Martha.'" (PG 65, 409 C.) IX Obstacles to Prayer Almost every ancient writer who treats of prayer mentions dis-tractions as the chief obstacle and suggests some remedies. Thus Saint Basil. "Surely it must be understood that we cannot observe any com-mandment, nor love God or neighbor, if we mentally wander hither and yon. Neither can he really acquire a mastery of science who flits from one to another, nor can he who does not know what pertains to its proper object, master even one. For it is necessary to adapt one's actions tO one's end and objective, and nothing right is done in an inept and unsuitable way. The blacksmith's art is ordinarlly not acquired by doing pottery work; nor does one prepare to win athletic prizes by diligently tootling on the flute, since every objective is achieved by appropriate and suitable action. Wherefore, that exer-cise which is done to please God according to Christ's Gospel, con-sists in banishing the cares of the world and 'casting out every other distraction of the mind . "The mind wanders when it is idle and not occupied in necessary thoughts. It becomes slothful and quite careless, because it does not believe that God is present searching the heart and the reins. For if it really believed that, it would certainly do what has been said: I set the Lord aludays in m~ sight: for he is at my ~igbt hand, that I be not mooed (Psalms 15:8). Whoever does this or the like will never dare or permit himself to think of anything which is not con-cerned with the building up of faith, although it seem to be good. nor of what is forbidden and not pleasing to God." (PG 31, 920 B, 1097 B.) Cass;.an points out a frequent cause of distraction in prayer: "Whatever our mind has thought of immediately before the hour of prayer, that necessarily comes back to us while we pray by 148 Ma~l, 1949 IN PRAISE OF PRAYER reason of the activity of our memory. Therefore What we wish to be in prayer that we must prepare ourselves for before prayer . And so whatever we do not wish to creep into our minds while we are praying, we must hasten to exclude from the portals of our soul out-side of prayer." (PL 49, 773 C.) We are urged by Saint Gregory/ the Great to imitate Abraham offering sacrifice. He drove those annoying birds away. "Often into the vFry sacrifice of prayer itself importunate thoughts inject themselves and try to snatch away or soil what we are immolating to God with tears. Hence Abraham, when he would offer sacrifice at sunset, struck out at those persistent birds and dili-gently drove them away, lest they carry off the sacrifice he was offering (Gem 15 : 11 ). Thus when we offer to God a holocaust on the altar of our hearts, let us ward off unclean birds of prey, lest evil spirits and perverse thoughts rob us of what our soul hopes to offer to God with spiritual profit." (PL 75, 1146 C.) And fight the good fight in this matter, says Origen. "You will scarcely find any one who when he prays is not bothered by some useless and distracting thought, which deflects and breaks off the intention by which the mind is directed towards God . And therefore it is the great struggle of prayer, that amid untoward obstacles and distractions the mind continues ever fixed on God with a firm purpose, so that it too can rightly say: 'I haue [ought the good fight, I have finished the course" (II Tim. 4:7)." (PG 14, 1277 A.) X Effects o[ Prayer Prayer achieves two main effects. First, it detaches us from all things, as Saint Max[mus the Con[essor (d. 662 A.D.) teaches. "I am asking you to tell me this about prayer: Why is it that prayer withdraws the mind from all other, thoughts? The old man answered: Thoughts are thoughts of things, some of things perceived by the senses, others of things understood by the mind. The mind, dwelling on these, carries about the thoughts of them; but the grace of prayer unites the mind to God and by the very fact that it unites the mind to God, it withdraws it from all other thoughts. Then the liberated mind, occupied with God, becomes like to God. Now, such a mind, asking Godfor what is becoming, never fails to receive what it asks in prayer. That is why the apostle bids us pray with- 149 C. A. HERBST Redlew /:or Religious out ceasing, namely, that diligently uniting our minds to God, we may gradually break away from the seduction of ear.thly things." (PG 90, 929 C.) Secondly, prayer unites us to God, and then leads to all virtues, according to Saint Basil. "That prayer is excellent which impresses on the soul a clear notion of God, and God's indwelling is nothing else than embracing by recollection God residing within. Thus we are made temples of God when the constant flow of memory is not interrupted by earthly cares, and the intellect is not disturbed by sudden mental tempests. Fleeing all things the worshipper withdraws to God, repels affections that arouse desire, and busies himself with the means that lead to virtue." (PG 32, 229 B.) And so we accept the concluding advice of a fifth century reli-gious whose name was Hesychius: "Let the name of Jesus cling to your breath and to your whole life and you will taste the fruits of peace." (PG 98, 1512 A.) Conformit:y t:o I:he Will of God C. A. Herbst, S.J. 44~HY will be done!" These words the Son of God Himself | put into the perfect prayer as the climax of our well-wishing to God. Love is the union of two wills. Perfect love is the perfect union of two wills. It is nothing less than this perfect love that we together with Our Lord ask for here, for it must be "on earth as it is in heaven." It is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Christ came to earth for this. "I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). The signified will of God indicates to us what we must do. Every Catholic must observe the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church and fulfill the duties ~f his state in life. Religious must keep their vows and rules. This is the will of God clearly signified tO US. But the will of God properly so called, the internal will of God, is the will of God's good pleasure. From our point of view it is the Mag, 1949 CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD "submission, whereby our will is united to God's good pleasure," as St. Francis de Sales says. There must be "in everything great con-formity of our will with the divine will so that we do not p~esume nor wish to increase either in ourselves or through ourselves His glory except in so far as He Himself wills it, by that degree of glory which He asks from us, content with the dignity of those actions and'occu-pations which He demands of us. We know for certain that, no matter how lowly and humble they may be, as long as they are done according to His most holy will, they serve no less to promote and ¯ increase His glory than other works however sublime." (Le Gaudier, De Perfectione Vitae Spirtualis, Pars IV, caput i.) This is the patient, willing, joyous, ardent acceptance from God's hand of whatever it may please Him to send us~ willing or not willing what He does, not only habitually but actually, in every action of our life. This will touch temporal goods, honor, health, intellectual gifts, means to sanctification, its degree, the amount of glory we render to God, our liberty, trials, sorrow and sufferings of body and soul. God foresees, watches over, and provides for fill things most lovingly. This is His providence. "God by His providence watches over and rules everything He has made," says the Vatican Council (Denzinger, 1784), "reacheth from end to end mightily, and order-eth all things sweetly" (Wis. 8:1). "He made the little and the great, and He hath equally care of all" (Wis. 6:8) ; "Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from God" (Ecclus. I 1:14). Our.Blessed Saviour says: "Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat: and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than th.ey? . And for your raiment why are you solicitous? Con-sider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomofl in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is today and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not solicitous therefore, saying: What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things." 151 C. A. HERBST Reuiew for Religious (Matt. 6:25-32.) "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matt. 10: 29, 30.) These tender reassurances ought to inspire in us the greatest con-fidence. "The Lord ruletb me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment . For though I should walk in the midst of the ¯ shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou are with me." (Ps. 22: 1, 2, 4.) "Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence. And he shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots towards mois-ture: and it shall not fear when the heat cometh. And the leaf thereof shall be green, and in the time of drought it shall not be solicitous, neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth fruit." (Jer. 17: 7, 8.) "Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son Of her v~omb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee" (Is. 49: 15). St. Augustine says: "God will no: let us be lost for whom He sent His Son to be tempted, to be cruci-fied, to die, to rise again from the dead. God surely will not look with disfavour upon us for whom He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all" (In Psalroum LX, 4). This con-fidence is based on hope which, after charity, is the greatest of all the virtues. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). How vivifying and fruitful it is, is emphasized over and over again by Our Lord in the gospel. "Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour" (Matt. 9:22). "And Jesus said to him: Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him in the way" (Mark 10:52). "Whose faith when he saw, he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee" (Luke 5:20). "Amen I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain: Remove from hence hither, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you" (Matt. 17: 19). This living faith is indispensable to the practice of conformity to the divine will. We must see God's hand in everything, great and small, consoling or distressing. In fact, the less we see and understand, the stronger our faith mus~ become. This is the way it was with Mary. "The life of faith is nothing less than the continued pursuit of 152 May, 1949 CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD God through all that disguises, disfigures, destroys and, so to say, annihilates Him. It is in very truth a reproduction of the life of Mary who, from the Stable to the Cross, remained unalterably united to that God whom all the world misunderstood, abandoned, and persecuted. "Mary, when the Apostles fled, remained steadfast at the foot of the Cross. She owned Jesus as her Son when He was disfigured with wounds, and covered with mud and spittle. The wounds that dis-figured Him made Hiria only more lovable and adorable in the eyes of this tender Mother. The more awful were the blasphemies uttered against Him, so much the deeper became her veneration and respect." (Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence, I, ii, 2.) St. Bernard says: "We may consider three classes of people: beginners, those who have progressed, the perfect. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Ecclus. 1:16). In the middle stands hope. Charity is the consummation. Hear the Apostle: 'Love is the fulfilling of the law' (Rom. 13:10). The beginner, starting from fear, carries the cross of Christ patiently. He who has made progress carries it willingly, in hope. He who is aflame with love carries it ardently. Only he it is who can say: 'You have always been my love and I have desired thee.' " (I Sermo S. Andreae, 5.) When we speak of conformity to the will of God we usually have in mind the difficult things of life since the easy things hardly present a problem. In the beginning patient endurance is about all one can offer. We would prefer the opposite, we would cast off the cross if we could. But moved by reverence, by filial fear, which has in it great respect and affection and dread of offending God, we are resigned to whatever God sends or allows to happen to us in the ordinary course of natural events. This resignation comes with a certain amount of effort. "If we have received good things at'the hand of God, why should we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10); "As it bath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Indifference is an advance on resignation. "Resigna-tion prefers God's will before all things, yet it loves many other things besides the will of God. Indifference goes beyond resignation: for it loves nothing except for the love of God's will: insomuch that nothing can stir the indifferent heart, in the presence of the will of God" (St. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God, Book IX, chapter iv). But this indifference is not a negative thing, not a lackadaisical or I-don't-care attitude of mind. It is a positive act. 153 C. A. HERBST Review [or Religious I must make myself indifferent. Then I will be spiritually receptive and accessible to the divine influence, recognize and submit to God'a action, rest in God, accept providential events peacefully. When light and strength from God descend upon this holy indifference, straightway the will of God is done perfectly, likes and dislikes aside. "I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, a thing by far the better. But to abide still in the flesh is needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith." (Phil. 1:23-25.) "He who has made progress carries it willingly, in hope." Hope sustains us amidst the obstacles encountered in the attainment of sal-vation and perfection, in attaining eternal life, and in getting the means necessary to attain it. By it we love God in.terestedly, for our own sakes, but supernaturally. Because of difficulties there is fear; but there is also a well-founded expectation of success, based on God's all-powerful assistance and His goodness, if we make an effort and co-operate. We are spurred on by the desire of heavenly things. We do not seek the cross but we carry it with good grace. We would not be rid of it if we could because we know it is good for us, that it is a great blessing in disguise, that,going the way with Christ to Calvary we shall have with Him our Easter glory, We know it will make us ricb in merit for Heaven, "The second degree is when, though the man does not desire the evils that befalI him nor choose them, stilI, when they come, he accepts them and suffers with a good grace because such is thewill and good pleasure of God. What this degree adds to the first is a certain good will and a certain love of the pain for God's sake and a desire to suffer it, not only so long as there is an obligation under precept to suffer it, but further so 19ng as the suffering of it will b~ agreeable to God. The first degree takes things with patience; the second, beyond that, takes them with promptitude and readiness." (Rodriguez, Practice of Perfection, I, viii, 12.) "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14) is the cry of the perfect. They love the cross, they embrace it. "Looking on Jesus, the author and fihisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2), they want what He had. Like the apostles who "wentfrom the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus". (Acts 5:41), theybear 154 May, 1949 CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF (~OD their tribulations with joy. With the writer of the Imitation they realize that "in the Cross is salvation: in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection from enemies. In the Cross is infusion of heav-enly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit. In the Cross is height of virtue: in the Cross is perfection of sanctity." (Book II, chapter 12.) They would not cast off the cross of Christ if they could. They cling to it. Each one says: "In order to imitate and be more actually like Christ our Lord, I want and choose poverty with Christ poor rather than riches, opprobrium with Christ replete with it rather than honors: and to desire to be rated as worthless and a.fool for Christ, Who first was held as such, rather than wise or prudent in this world" (Spiritual Exercises, Three Modes of Humility). With St. Paul they cry defiance for the love of Christ to the things that strike terro?'into those who are of this world. "Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword? (As it is written: For thy sake we are put to death all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to ~eparate us from the love of ~God, which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord." (Rom. 8: 35-39.) Abandonment to Divine Providence is a special kind of con-formity to the divine will. It consists in giving oneself .up com-pletely to the will of God in the duty of the present moment. The divine will "nourishes the soul and continually enlarges it by giving it what is best for it at every moment" (Caussade, Abandonment, I, i, 5). This is the hidden operation of God working in us unceasingly for our sanctification. Through it holiness is made easy. "The presentmoment is the ambassador of God to declare His mandates. The heart listens and pronounces its 'fiat.' Thus the soul advances by all these things and flows out from its centre to its goal. It never stops but sails with every wind. Any and every direction leads equally to the shore of infinity. Everything is a help to it, and is, without exception, an instrument of sanctity. The one thing necessary can always be found for it in the present moment. It is no longer a choice beween prayer and silence, seclusion and society, 155 C. A. HERBST reading and writing, meditation and cessation of thought; flight from and seeking after spiritual consolations, abundance and dearth, feebleness and health, life and death, but all that each moment pre. sents by the will of God. In this is despoilment, abnegation, renunciation of all things created, either in reality or affectively, in order to retain nothing of self, or for self, to be in all things submis-sive to the will of God and to please Him, making it our sole satis-faction to sustain the.present moment as though there were nothing else to hope for in the world." (Caussade, Abandonment, I, ii, 10.) Men of weak faith criticize this high activity of God as they would not.presume to criticize the skill of the lowliest workman. But "if that which God Himself chooses for you does not content you, from whom do you expect to obtain what you desire? If you are disgusted with "the meat prepared for you by the divine will itself, what food would not be insipid to so depraved a taste? No soul can be really nourished, fortified, purified, enriched, and sancti-fied except in fulfillin~ ~he duties of the present moment. What more would you have? as in this you can find all good, why seek it elsewhere? Do you know better than G6d? As He ordains it thus why do you desire it differently? Can. His wisdom and goodness be deceived? When you find something to be in accordance with this divine wisdom and goodness ought you not to conclude that it must needs be excellent?" (Caussade, Abandonment, I, i, vii.) Truly did Isaias the prophet say: "My thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord" (Is. 55:8). "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (I Cot. 1:25). It is in this holy aban-donment that the soul must give itself up to God when plunged into the troubled .waters of the dark night of the senses. It is in this holy abandonment that the soul in the transforming union, the highest form of infused prayer and love for God in this life, com-pletely forgets self. "All her thoughts are bent on how to please Him better, and when and how she can show the love she bears Him" (Saint Theresa of desus, The Interior Castle, Seventh Man-sion, IV). 156 .uesffons and Answers. --18- Our postulants and novices make the same retreat, and we prefer that the retreat end on the day the novices take their vows rather than the day before on which the postulants receive the habit and begin the novitiate. Would it be according to canon law to allow the postulants fo receive the habit on the morning of the elg.h~h day of the retreat, provided they remain in retreat and complete the prescribed eight days7 Since canon 541 states that "'before beginning their novitiate" the postulants must make a s~piritual retreat of eight entire days, it seems that the eight days must be completed before the novitiate is begun. This is ceriainly the spirit of the law; but a novitiate which was begun on the last day of the retreat would not be invalid. Many authors suggest that after the retreat has been finished a day or several days may elapse before the novitiate is begun or before first profession is made. ml9~ If the sign of the cross is to be made at the .blessing glv~;n at benedic-tion of the Blessed Sacrament, should it be made before, during, or after the blesslng7 The Church does not prescribe any formalities to be observed by the faithful at benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Hence it is left to the devotion of the individual to look at the Blessed Sacrament, to bow his head, to make the si.gn of the cross, to strike his breast, or to do anything else his devotion may suggest. Since the Church has no prescriptions in this matter, it seems advisable to allow religious to act as .their devotion may prompt them, rather than to introduce cus-toms binding on all. The logical time for making the sign of the cross (if one uses this method) seems to be at the time when the blessing is given. 10 For the past six years a general councilor has been local superior in~ one of our houses. In July we shall have general elections. Since local superior already has a right to cjo to the general chapter because of his office of general councilor, may the community elect a second dele-gate in place of the local superior? Is it according to canon law for a general councilor to be a local superior at the same time? 157 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reoiew [or Religious According to many constitutions of religious congregations, the local superior of a community of twelve or more professed religious is entitled by reason of his office to membership in the general chap-ter of the congregation. The members of the community likewis~ elect one of their number to represent them at the chapter. .The general councilors also have a right to membership in the general chapter by reason of their office. Although the local superior who is also a gbneral councilor has a twofold right to membership in the general chapter, this does not give him more than one vote in chapter since canon 164 expressly states that "even though a member may have a right to cast a vote in his own name by reason of several titles, he can cast btlt one vote." Since the community had nothing to do with the membership in the chapter of the local superior, they have no right to elect a second delegate in his place. Article 276 of the Normae of 1901 required that the general councilors reside with the superior general, though they allowed two of them to reside elsewhere in case of need, provided that they could easily be present at council meetings (Art. 276). Furthermore, councilors were forbidden to hold any office which might impede their principal duty of assisting the superior general with their advice and counsel (Art. 279). Neither the Normae nor the Code of Canon Law forbid a councilor to hold the office of local superior. m2 I-- We have one year of novitiate. A novice who becjan his novitiate on Aucjust 14, 1947, was obliged to go to the hospital on August 8, 1948, and remained there until September 14th when.he returned home. He was allowed to take his first temporary, vows on September IS. Now one of the older members is worried lest the vows are invalid because the novice was away'from the novitiate for more than thirty days and thus interrupted the canonical year. Please give us your opinion on the case. Canon 34, § 3, 3° of the Code of Canon Law prescribes that the canonical year of novitiate be measured from midnight of the day on which it is begun to midnight of that same date one year later. The novice who began his novitiate on August 14, 1947, completed his canonical year at midnight between August 14 and 15, 1948. Hence if he went to the hospital on August 8th, he was absent only six days, of the canonical year. Therefore his canonical year was not interrupted by his absence of thirty-five days from the novitiate house. According to canon 556, § 2 an absence of fifteen 158 May, 1949 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS days or less from the novitiate quarters during the canonical year need not be made up unless the major superior requires it: and even in that case it is not necessary for the validity but only for the licit-heSS of the novitiate and of the subsequent profession of vows. --22- Can you suggest any way in which the cuttings or tr;mmlncjs from hosts or altar breads could be used? In response to our appeal under question 13 in the March num-ber of the REVIEW for solutions to the problem outlined above, we have, received the following from different sources: (1) Place the pieces in an open pan in a heated oven to dry them. After they are crisp., grind them and use the crumbs as cracker dust. (2) Cuttings and trimmings can be put in soup and cooked up with it. Also may be u~ed with flour for baking. (3) We take the cuttings and trimmings from the altar bread room to the general bakery where they are mixed into the bread dough. The bakery Sister puts them into the liquid in the mixing bowl after the yeast, sugar, and short-ening have been added, allows them to soak for a few minutes, gives the mixer several turns, and then adds the proper amount of flour and completes the mixing. The altar bread cuttings blend perfectly with the other ingredients in this process. Are there any rellcfious communities ~n the United States that accept as aspirants oJder women who are widows? The Visitation Nuns and the Sisters of Saint 3oseph admit widows under certain conditions. Usually there is an age limit. m24~ Would the {allure to announce after each scrutiny the number o{ votes cast for the various candidates ~nvaJldate the ejection? Canon 507, § 1 states that in elections held in chapter the com-mon law in this subject (as expressed in canons 160 to 182) aid any provisions contained in the constitutions should be observed provided they are not contrary to the canons of the Church law on elections. Canon 171, § 2 prescribes that after the ballots have been counted to see that they conform to the, number of voters, "they shall be inspected and it shall be made known how many votes each can-didate has received." The wording of the law is clear, and it would be 159 QUESTIONS' AND ANSWERS Review for Religious gravely illicit to omit this announcement after each scrutiny. Whether the failure to do so would invalidate the election is disputed among canonists both before and after the Code, hence the invalidity is not certain, and all past elections are to be considered valid. m25-- In our congregation it is usual to change superiors so that their period of three years begins on a definite day in summer. To make a change during the year would be very inconvenient and would mean upsetting class arrangements in other houses and creating other difficulties; e.g., future changes in that house would have to be in the middle of the year. Hence the following questions: I. In the event that a local superior dies during the year, would it be lawful for the mother general, with or without the decisive vote of her consultors,to appoint a Sister to act as superior till the end of the year? 2. Would it be lawful to appoint a Sister to act as superior for an unexpired term of a year or more? 3. Would such time spent as acting superior have to be counted as part of the three year term in the event that the acting superior is appointed superior of the same community when the usual day of nomina-tion arrives? The law of the Church requires that a local.superior may not govern one and the same religious community for more than six continuous years (canon 505). The normal term prescribed is three years, with one immediate reappointment. Hence it is not contrary to the law of the Church for the constitutions or custom to prescribe that all local superiors should be appointed on the same fixed day. I. If a local superior dies within the third year of her office, the simplest solution would be to allow the assistant superior to carry on until the end of the year. Strictly speaking, any other Sister could be appointed to act as temporary superior for the rest of the year. 2. In this case, where more than a year of the three year term remains to be filled after the death of a local superior, another Sister should be appointed to fill out the unexpired term. While it is true that the usual term ofthe local superior is three years according to canon 505, still this is the exception which proves the rule, and may be allowed in order to avoid the difficulties involved in changing superiors in midyear. 3. The time passed as acting superior is to be counted in the period of six years, beyond which the Church law does not wish an'.¢ 160 Mag, 1949 BOOKS local superior to govern one and the same community without an interval of time elapsing. In conclusion it may be stated that the consent or counsel of bet councilors will be needed by the higher superior according as the constitutions require one or the other for the ordinary appointment of local superiors. ooks Dr. Pascal P. Parente's THE WI~LL OF LIVING WATERS is a sort of anthology of very brief excerpts (sentences or paragraphs) on topics of the spiritual life. Under six principal headings and twenty-three subdivisions select utterances of Scripture, the Fathers, and "the masters of the spirit," are collected and presented. It is designed "to place the primary sources of the doctrine of the spiritual life within easy reach of any reader, and to encourage a more frequent and intelligent use 0f these sources in pre.ference to secondary ones." It is suggested that the closer one gets to the original springs, the purer and more highly invigorating the waters are apt to be. The work should be very useful and welcome to those who would like to see in a moment or so and without any difficialty what these primary sources have to say on any of the topics covered. (St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1948. Pp. viii ~ 336. $3.50.) The Foreword of THY LIGHT AND THY TRUTH, by Robert Nash, S.J., gives the author's purpose: "To stimulate thoughts that will afford subject matter for conversation with God in prayer." The Foreword also presents a brief exposition of prayer, its disposi-tions and development. The meditations are developed in the following way: Prepara-tory Prayer, Setting, Fruit, Points, Summary, and Tessera. In all there are 22 chapters, each chapter making up a complete medita-tion; but, as the author mentions, there is sufficient matter in each chapter and even in each point to make several meditations. The manual is a pleasant and inspiring meditation companion and should find acceptance among clerics, religious, and lay people as did its companion volume, "Send Forth Thy Light." (Westmin-ster, Maryland: The Newman Press, 1948. Pp. 197. $2.50.) LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY, by the eminent French dramatist, 161 BOOKS Review [or Religious . Paul CIaudel, has for its purpose the expression of the necessity, the value, and the beauty of prayer. The exposition, however, is so obliquely stated, so freighted with symbolism and literary allusions, that it will not be of mucb use to many religious. Those, however, who have had special training in modern French Catholic literature will find in the book much that is good, for CIaudel writes from a heart that is deeply spiritual and Catholic. The translation is by Ruth Betbell. (New York: Longmans, Green ~ Co., Inc., 1948. Pp. 95. $2.00.) CHRIST IS ALL, by John Carr, C.SS.R., is a work" originally printed in Great Britain. The author presents Christ as: Our God, Teacher, Physician, Model, Food, Friend, Victim, and King. Our Lord is shown playing these roles in His own daily life as recorded in the Scriptures and now once again in the daily life of a Christian. In clear, impelling style this work prescribes the personal influence of Christ in everyday living, as the remedy of the ills of our times. (Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Bookshop, 1948. Pp. 143. $2.25.) FATHER DAMIEN, APOSTLE OF THE LEPERS, is a short booklet by the Most Reverend Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic Dele-gate 'to the Ufiited States, relating in a summary yet inspiring fashion the life, work, and virtues of God's unselfish worker. The booklet can be obtained from the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts, 4930 South Dakota Ave., N.E., Washington 17, D.C. Price: 50 cents (paper). Sister Ma~y Philip has prepared a TEACHER'S MANUAL FOR. SISTER ANNUNZIATA'S FIRST COMMUNION CATECHISM. After a worth-while introduction rich in practical suggestions for the teacher the manual gives a rather thorough treatment of each lesson under these headings: purpose, preparation, approach, picture study, activi-. ties, bibliography. Busy Sisters hard pressed for methods and material will discover in this fine little guidebook a storehouse of helpful ideas which do not merel~ point out the way but make the going easy. (New York: Benziger Brothers, Inc., 1947. Pp. 79. 25 cents.) In LUMII~RE ET SAGESSE Father Lucien Roy, S.J., gives us the fruits of a thoroughgoing effort to work out and set f

The Korean War ended more than 70 years ago, and a tense peace has reigned ever since on the Korean peninsula. The two Koreas have exchanged artillery fire, battled in the economic and diplomatic arenas, and even covertly dispatched spies to each other's territory. But the threats of a resumption of conflict, disproportionately coming from North Korea in recent years, have been rhetorical. The firepower of the South Korean military, backed by a U.S. defense pact, has deterred Pyongyang; the sheer number of soldiers in the North Korean army, backed by a small but operational nuclear arsenal, has deterred Seoul.But borders don't seem quite as inviolable as they once did. Russia has invaded Ukraine, Israel has sent forces into Gaza, and even Venezuela recently seemed to contemplate an incursion into Guyana. The United States, meanwhile, has recently attacked various targets abroad, from the Houthis in the Red Sea to Iranian commanders in Syria.Against this geopolitical backdrop, are the latest threats emanating from Pyongyang still rhetorical?North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sounds more and more embattled and belligerent. In power since the death of his father at the end of 2011, he has been constrained by a hemorrhaging economy and uncompromising adversaries abroad. The growth rate of the North Korean economy wasn't too bad at the beginning of his tenure. Since 2017, however, the arrow has simply gone downward, with a devastating 4.1 percent contraction in 2018, followed by a further 4.5 percent decline during the pandemic year of 2020. International sanctions have made North Korea dangerously dependent on China for trade, which explains in part Kim Jong Un's current interest in covering his bets by improving relations with Russia.Meanwhile, the two leaders that promised some form of engagement with Pyongyang—South Korea's Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump—are no longer in office. South Korea's current government is very cool toward engagement. Joe Biden, focused on a raft of other foreign policy challenges from Ukraine to Gaza, has not expressed much interest in expending political capital on a risky venture like negotiating with Pyongyang.Washington's failure to remain engaged with North Korea is the primary reason that longtime North Korea watchers Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker believe that Kim Jong Un has abandoned the default approach of more-or-less peaceful coexistence in favor of launching an attack against South Korea. In some ways, Kim is following the logic of Hamas, an illiberal force also in charge of a largely failed entity. Kim, too, perceives his adversaries as complacent, uninterested in any real negotiations, and vulnerable to a surprise attack. Presiding over an "open air prison" in Gaza, Hamas decided it had nothing left to lose. The North Korean leadership, in charge of an impoverished country with a horrific human rights record, may well have decided that it also has run out of options."The literature on surprise attacks should make us wary of the comfortable assumptions that resonate in Washington's echo chamber but might not have purchase in Pyongyang," Carlin and Hecker write in 38North. "This might seem like madness, but history suggests those who have convinced themselves that they have no good options left will take the view that even the most dangerous game is worth the candle."Carlin and Hecker don't have what the Israeli intelligence community possessed a year before the October 7 attacks, namely a detailed description of preparations to launch a surprise attack. They are relying on official North Korean statements eschewing reunification of the peninsula and a constitutional change that now identifies South Korea as an adversary rather than as tanil minjok ("one people, one blood"). This week, reports based on satellite images showed the destruction of Pyongyang's iconic Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification, also called the Arch of Reunification, which Kim earlier referred to as "an eyesore," and called for its demolition.North Korea has also recently conducted a rash of missile tests, including one with a hypersonic warhead, as well as military drills near the maritime border that seem designed to provoke a response from the South. As sober analysts, Carlin and Hecker are not given to overstatement, so their warnings must be taken seriously.At the same time, the usual North Korean approach has been to make wild threats to get the attention of an otherwise indifferent U.S. government in order to pave the way for a fresh round of negotiations. Missile launches, nuclear tests, and promises to turn South Korea into a "sea of fire" have all, in the past, signaled not an interest in war but, perversely, a determination to restart peace talks with newly attentive adversaries. Also, Kim might be eyeing elections in South Korea where the pro-engagement opposition party is hoping to increase its parliamentary majority in the April elections and in the United States where Donald Trump is now running even or better against Joe Biden in the polls. Trump has long boasted of the 27 "love letters" he exchanged with the North Korean leader. Perhaps, Kim strategizes, the love could continue if Trump is reelected.Beware wishful thinking. Most analysts misinterpreted Vladimir Putin's warlike rhetoric and military preparations at the end of 2021 as merely a bid for Western attention and a better bargaining position at the negotiations table. Conventional notions about the deterrence of superior force—Israel, NATO, South Korea—may not apply in a world of increasingly volatile leaders and increasingly violated borders.Kim's closer relationship with Putin may well prove pivotal in North Korean calculations. Beijing has traditionally attempted to rein in Pyongyang because an overly provocative neighbor is not good for the Chinese economy in addition to boosting U.S. military presence in the region. Moscow, on the other hand, might be sending different messages, given Putin's more confrontational approach to the West. Just as the war in Gaza has proven a boon to the Kremlin, in that it has distracted attention and military hardware away from the European theater of operations, a conflict on the Korean peninsula would be an even greater draw on U.S. and European resources.In the late 1940s, Stalin was skeptical about the advantages of North Korea attacking South Korea. Kim Jong Un's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, eventually convinced Stalin otherwise and won Soviet support for the attack on the south that took place on June 25, 1950. Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has indicated that he will visit North Korea "at an early date," his first trip there since 2000. Pundits and policymakers take note: Putin's visit might tip the balance one way or the other in North Korea's deliberations over war and peace.In the meantime, it's not too late for the United States and South Korea to offer Kim Jong Un an offramp from the conflict he has yet to initiate.

A mounting maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, underwritten by spiraling U.S.-China tensions, threatens to ignite the South China Sea. "China-Philippines relations are at a crossroads," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in a call on Dec. 20 following a string of contentious encounters in the South China Sea, including allegations that Chinese boats rammed a Philippine coast guard ship and fired water cannons at a resupply vessel. China, Wang Yi told Manalo, will "definitely safeguard its rights" and "respond resolutely" if the Philippines "colludes with malicious external forces to continue causing trouble and chaos." Wang's warning comes on the heels of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's announcement earlier this year that his government is mulling a tripartite security pact with the U.S. and Japan. The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, have repeatedly accused China of harassing Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. "We condemn, once again, China's latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission," said Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), on the heels of a confrontation earlier this month near the Second Thomas Shoal. "These actions reflect not only reckless disregard for the safety and livelihoods of Filipinos, but also for international law," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a Dec. 10 statement."The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of these dangerous and unlawful actions. We reaffirm that Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea," Miller added.China, which claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, previously accused Philippine coast guard ships of trespassing in what it describes as Chinese waters. A 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling found China's maritime claims in the South China Sea — commonly referred to as the nine-dash line — to be legally baseless. Beijing, which rejected the court ruling as "ill-founded" and "naturally null and void," has persisted in vigorously defending its expansive claims as part of a larger delimitation dispute also involving Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. What exactly is at stake for China in its intensifying dispute with Manila and, by extension, its U.S. ally? "I think a lot of people in southeast Asia are mystified by why China is so pushy on this question," said Sarang Shidore, Director of the Global South Program at QI, adding that the unresolved issue of Taiwan's status is far more important to Beijing. "The South China Sea, these tiny features and islands, their economic potential is relatively small, there's fishing, but none of this rises to the level where you'd think China would be risking so much by pushing a very expansive claim," Shidore added. There are fishing and maritime disputes across the world, even including between allies, noted Lyle Goldstein, Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities. "We have a major maritime territorial dispute with Canada… France and Britain go at it all the time over fisheries. It's fairly normal activity even among friends," Lyle told RS. The China-Philippines squall is far from the only theater in Beijing's ongoing maritime disputes, but it has escalated to a greater degree than many of the others due to Manila's readiness to push back against China's pressure tactics. Beijing has not engaged in an escalatory spiral with Malaysia and Brunei, despite their conflicting maritime claims, because these two states "are unlikely to make an issue of Chinese incidents and they don't really even talk about them," said Shidore, adding that their desire to preserve economic ties with China makes them "willing to absorb some costs." The Philippines has taken a more strident approach vis-à-vis Beijing than others in the South China Sea, said Shidore, partly as a byproduct of American presence in the region. "I think U.S. involvement is a big reason —the fact that the U.S. is present in the theater, and there is an alliance commitment, makes the situation not just a China-Philippines issue but a China-U.S. issue, and that's when everything changes from the Chinese perspective," he added. "The Chinese, I think, are more concerned about the U.S., at this point, than the Philippines," continued Shidore, "the U.S. presence is making them see red and emboldening all the nationalist and hawkish forces in the Chinese structures." American obligations under the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty have raised concerns that Washington could find itself embroiled in a war in the South China Sea in the event of a direct military confrontation between China and the Philippines. "I think, unfortunately, all the signs are there for an escalating conflict," Goldstein said. "They [the Chinese] perceive that the stakes for them are very high," Goldstein explained. "I believe all this tension with the Philippines is an outgrowth of Taiwan tension," he said, noting that the Luzon strait, situated just south of Taiwan, has become an increasingly important fixture in U.S. preparations for a Taiwan contingency following the sharp spike in cross-strait tensions accompanying Nancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taipei. "The U.S. has been trying to put in place the groundwork to prepare for a day when they have to surge forces in a major way into Luzon," he said. Beijing, in reaction to these developments, has sought to dial up the pressure on Manila with threats and maritime shows of force. "The subtext is: if you are going to cooperate with the U.S. on the Taiwan scenario, your interests will suffer badly, and that, I think, is why this bullying is occurring," Goldstein said. Shidore said the White House, in light of growing regional tensions, should "pull back in being so frontal on this issue, whether rhetorically or materially, in terms of its presence in the theater." The U.S. has an active interest in exercising its substantial leverage over Manila "to nudge its more vulnerable partner to be more restrained in some of its actions," Shidore wrote in a piece published by The Diplomat last week. "We shouldn't be encouraging the Philippines to get into a fight with China — they are likely to lose that fight," said Goldstein. "We do have a treaty with the Philippines… but that treaty should be read very narrowly. It should be read as, we defend the main islands of the Philippines — if they are threatened acutely, we will be there," he added. "And if it means we need to put some defensive forces in those areas to reassure the Philippines, I'm okay with that. But my view is that we should not even consider going to war over rocks and reefs or different interpretations of the law of the sea. That would be extremely foolish and reckless, and it would be very hard to explain to American taxpayers." The China-Philippines maritime dispute does not, in of itself, reflect anything approaching an existential conflict. It has, however, become an increasingly dangerous proxy and potential flashpoint for underlying China-U.S. tensions in the South China Sea.

One of the remarkable aspects of the "big bang" expansion of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) announced at the summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, this week, is the invitation to join the group issued to, among others, Iran and Saudi Arabia — geopolitical rivals in the Persian Gulf.


After Iran became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2022, and Saudi Arabia a "dialogue partner" to this China-led Eurasian security forum (with the prospect of full membership), BRICS is now the second multilateral platform for cooperation and dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran.


Simultaneous accession to BRICS and, in the future, Saudi accession to SCO, could further enhance the incipient process of bilateral normalization between Tehran and Riyadh. Skeptics point to the alleged dysfunctionality of BRICS that, unlike the European Union or NATO, lacks clear accession criteria and gathers countries that seemingly have little in common except some vaguely defined dissatisfaction with the U.S.-led "rules-based order."


Yet, this flexibility and the absence of rigid "rules" can be more of an asset than a defect. For Iran and Saudi Arabia, what counts is a trajectory, a prospect for a long-term normalization rather than immediate results and unrealistic commitments and expectations.


In other words, a forum like BRICS, where both countries can interact on an equal footing and all decisions are taken by consensus, could prove to be a suitable arena to incrementally build mutual confidence.


Such a prospect, of course, is far from inevitable. The reactions from Tehran and Riyadh to the invitation to join BRICS were markedly different in tone and substance. While Iranian officials were exultant about the prospect, the Saudis were much more cautious and pointed to the need to further study the details of what membership would entail before confirming their intention to join.


This disparity stems from both countries' different needs: for Iran, it is imperative to overcome what Quincy Institute Executive Vice President Trita Parsi called the U.S. "gatekeeping role" in the international community. Seen from this angle, joining BRICS is diplomatically far more impactful for Iran than the SCO. Unlike the latter, BRICS is truly global and cannot be dismissed as a club of Eurasian autocracies. There are democracies among its members — Brazil, India, South Africa, and, if membership is confirmed after the elections later this year, Argentina.


None of these countries can be classified as an anti-American autocracy. Yet their Western ties and democratic governance were not obstacles in their greenlighting of Iran's accession. Tehran is right to see it as a diplomatic success.


Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, does not need to break any diplomatic ceilings — to the contrary, it is being courted by the U.S. for a deal that would reportedly entail, among other things, U.S. security guarantees for the kingdom in exchange for Saudi-Israeli normalization. Yet, joining BRICS fits into a broader Saudi strategy of diversifying foreign ties, and, in particular, building a closer relationship with China. The chances, therefore, are that Saudi Arabia, after taking a requisite diplomatic pause, will accept the BRICS invitation.


Matters may be more complicated with joining the SCO, as reportedly one of the U.S.'s quiet demands on Saudi Arabia in exchange for security benefits on offer is to stay away from China's orbit. In that context, full SCO membership may be a bridge too far for Riyadh. Yet such membership is not imminent anyway. Meanwhile, SCO dialogue partner status that the kingdom obtained earlier in 2023 provides it another link to Iran, a permanent member.


Ultimately, however, platforms like BRICS and SCO can only help, but not substitute for the bilateral Saudi-Iranian normalization track. While the Tehran-Riyadh dialogue proceeds with high-level meetings of foreign ministers and top defense officials, it is still in its early stages. Despite optimistic timetables, the work of the diplomatic legations in both countries has not yet fully resumed.


The controversies over the disputed Arash/Dorra gas field, which pits Saudi Arabia and Kuwait against Iran have not yet been resolved. Saudi Arabia insists that, in the long run, Iran will have to address its regional forward-defense strategy — that is, its reliance on non-state proxies and allies that Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries see as a threat, without specifying what corresponding concessions Riyadh would be willing to countenance. After decades of tensions dating back to 1979, mutual distrust runs deep, and its structural reasons are still far from being removed.


Perhaps, most urgently for Tehran at this stage, Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it won't seek exemptions from U.S. sanctions on Iran unless there is some sort of a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran — an unlikely event given the U.S. is entering a new election season when neither political party will want to appear solicitous of Iran. The implication is that the anticipated economic benefits from the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement may be slow in materializing.


In view of these deeper entanglements, it is likely that Saudi-Iranian relations will experience further ebbs and flows. If they take a more confrontational turn again, it might negatively affect the cohesion of BRICS, with both sides using whatever leverage they have to the detriment of the other. In that case, the current members of BRICS may come to rue the decision of importing geopolitical rivalries from the Persian Gulf into their group.


That would be particularly harmful for the self-perception of BRICS as a forum for inter-state cooperation, in contrast to the Western-dominated institutions, such as the OECD, Bretton Woods, and NATO, based on U.S. hegemony.


Yet this should not necessarily be the case. Relations between China and India are similarly not devoid of tensions due in part to a a long-standing border dispute: as recently as 2020, scores of Indian and Chinese soldiers were killed in an armed skirmish. Both countries also compete for leadership in the Global South. Yet both Beijing and Delhi also seek to preserve dialogue and close economic relations. So far, they have not let their differences stand in the way of BRICS, and this week's ambitious expansion of the group is proof that pragmatism prevails.


There is no reason why Tehran and Riyadh cannot manage their differences in similar fashion. China, a leading power in both BRICS and SCO, also played a crucial role in kickstarting the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and can be expected to invest in this process further.


Most importantly, both Tehran and Riyadh see an abiding national interest in proceeding with the de-escalation and normalization of ties. In the near future, at least, it looks likely that this trajectory will be preserved, despite the pitfalls on the way. Shared membership in BRICS — and, in the future, possibly in the SCO, too — provides additional venues for the confidence-building process.

The Washington Post editorial board declared on Wednesday that the United States must steel itself for a "long struggle in Ukraine."


"No end to the carnage is in sight, and calls for a negotiated solution are wishful thinking at this point," the Post argued. "As [Russian President Vladimir] Putin invests in Russia's war economy, he shows no signs of giving up his fantasy of Russian neo-imperial glory."


After 18 months of grinding war, there is indeed reason to think that the war will continue far into the future, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest American predictions that Ukraine could win in the near term were overly optimistic. But, in its endorsement of a long-term approach to the conflict, the Post leaves out all the "wishful thinking" on which a theory of decisive Ukrainian victory relies.


One such rosy assumption is that Ukraine can continue fighting more or less indefinitely so long as it continues to enjoy firm backing from the West. That claim ignores evidence pointing to high casualty rates among Ukrainian troops, not to mention a recent New York Times report suggesting that 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and an additional 100,000 have been injured since the war began, according to U.S. officials.


While the Post does cite the Times' reporting, it misses one of the piece's most important revelations: Casualty data suggests that the war has escalated dramatically over the past year. While total casualties for the first nine months of the war were estimated at 200,000, an additional 300,000 soldiers have been killed or injured since. In other words, the rate of combined casualties went from 20,000 per month to more than 33,000 per month in the war's current phase.


Ukrainian leaders have acknowledged this sharp uptick in casualties and jettisoned Western tactics in order to slow the blood-letting, leading some U.S. officials to accuse Kyiv of being excessively "casualty averse," as the Times notes in its article.


Macabre undertones aside, it's worth considering that Ukraine, which has refused to share casualty data with the U.S., likely has a better picture of the demographic realities that it faces in its battle with far-larger Russia than Washington does. Officials in Kyiv are also more acutely aware that their efforts to conscript new soldiers have been increasingly undermined by widespread corruption and draft dodging.


Another bit of magical thinking put forward by the Post is the claim that, if Washington had simply moved faster and supplied Ukraine with better weapons (and more of them), then the current offensive would have surely been a success. The corollary to this line of thinking is that the U.S. simply needs to increase the quality and quantity of its military aid, and battlefield success will ensue.


But, as Branko Marcetic recently noted in RS, this theory goes against the broad view of military experts, who argue that "no weapon would be a 'magic bullet' against the dug-in Russian defenses." It also ignores the political realities facing the Biden administration. The U.S. has already given Ukraine more than $43 billion in military aid since the war began, and Congress is now considering a new spending package that includes an additional $13 billion in weapons for Kyiv.


This generous support represents one of the largest security assistance programs in American history, but recent polling suggests that voters have become increasingly skeptical of the need to continue it, raising the specter that Ukraine could factor into President Joe Biden's presidential campaign.


Other prominent examples of supposedly pro-Ukraine magical thinking include the widely-held belief that Kyiv will emerge from the conflict as a strong, democratic state, as well as the dubious theory that Ukraine's stalwart defense is the only thing stopping Russia from attacking NATO directly.


"In the event that Mr. Putin succeeds in subjugating Ukraine, there is reason to believe his next targets would include NATO front-line members that the United States is obligated by treaty to defend — not only with weapons but also with troops," the Post argued, without deigning to explain why a war-weary Russia would like its chances in a fight against the world's most powerful military alliance.


Of course, none of this is to say that a diplomatic push would be guaranteed to succeed. But, while the U.S. continues to argue that there is no partner for peace in Russia, it's hard to ignore the fact that, as far as the public record shows, Washington has yet to make any attempt to tie its strong support for Kyiv with a clear plan to get Moscow to the negotiating table. Perhaps it's time to give a new kind of wishful thinking a try.


In other diplomatic news related to the war in Ukraine:


— A growing number of U.S. officials have started to wonder whether Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was right to call for peace negotiations with Russia last November, when Ukraine had momentum on the battlefield and fighting was set to slow due to wintery conditions, according to Politico. "We may have missed a window to push for earlier talks," an anonymous official told Politico. "Milley had a point." Notably, the official added a caveat that few policymakers believe Russia has been serious about peace talks at any point since the war began. And National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan played down the increasing concerns about a potential quagmire on Tuesday, telling reporters that Kyiv's slow advances in the east are part of a "methodical, systematic" retaking of territory.


— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Sweden, Denmark and Greece over the weekend in a trip aimed at shoring up diplomatic and military support among Ukraine's smaller European backers, according to the Guardian. Zelensky secured a promise of a new military aid package from Croatia's prime minister following a meeting in Athens and posed for photos with the Danish prime minister in an F-16, symbolizing Copenhagen's decision to give Kyiv 19 of the advanced fighter jets.


— Ukraine is in talks with insurers to create a safe shipping corridor through the Black Sea following Russia's decision last month to rip up an agreement that allowed Ukraine to export its grain via the waterway, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tentative plan would have Kyiv take on some of the liability for any damage caused to grain ships, which would bring down the cost of insurance for shipping companies to a more manageable level. The vessels would travel via a new shipping lane that starts in Odessa and hugs Ukraine's shore until it reaches parts of the sea belonging to NATO member states Romania and Bulgaria.


U.S. State Department news:


The State Department did not hold a press briefing this week.

IntroductionThe International Journal of Innovation – IJI, since 2020, opened a section for publications of technological articles. From then on, we have been receiving articles to go through the blind double-review editorial process. Our intention with this editorial comment is to make the academic community, especially authors who consider the IJI for their submissions, have one more document option to assist in the elaboration and structuring of their technological research.In 2021, we published the editorial commentary entitled "What we expect from articles submitted to the IJI" which briefly addressed technology articles (Scafuto et al., 2021). Now, in this new editorial comment, we intend not only to bring the information previously discussed, but we want to deepen the discussions with other important elements to contribute to the development of technological articles.We understand that technological articles are assuming an increasingly important role within the academic community, as it is a way to bring together the challenges of organizations with academic research. It is worth remembering that the technological article is one of the twelve technical and technological products that are proposed and evaluated by CAPES (a Brazilian entity for higher education personnel improvement coordination). They are especially important for professional graduate programs in management and related fields. We, the editors of the IJI, recognize the importance of the contribution of professional programs. The IJI is a vehicle for the dissemination of this production to both members of the academic community and practitioners.In this editorial commentary we provide some suggestions for authors who may be interested in submitting their technological articles for evaluation at the IJI. We want to encourage this type of submission, but always in search of articles with quality and relevance for readers. Guidelines for building relevant technological articlesThe technological article is a form of publication that presents and discusses ideas, methods, techniques, processes, and results focused on solving practical problems (Motta, 2017). The technology article generally describes experiences in organizations. Despite describing these experiences, researchers must follow scientific and methodological rigor in writing (Biancolino et al., 2012). The technological article has an elaboration process similar to any other scientific process. We reinforce this scientific and technological rigor due to the nature of the IJI.In 2022, the editorial commentary of Business Horizons Magazine, by Greg Fisher, presents some interesting ideas in line with our perspective on technological articles (Fisher, 2022). Fisher presents three categories that technological articles generally fall into: past; present and future:Past-oriented articles use academic research already carried out and translate into ideas and practical applications for use, facilitating the understanding of practitioners.Present-oriented articles detail the challenges faced by companies, seeking solutions through the application of existing academic theory. They highlight issues have not solved yet.Future-oriented articles are those focus on emerging phenomena providing practical and forward-looking perspectives on possible business applications. Authors who write a technology article should make clear the problem, contextualizing when, where, why, and how the problem occurs. The idea is to highlight the issue or negative impact that the problem creates, or if it provides any opportunity. When approaching the problem, it should try to present something new. It is desirable provides easy way to use and remember the proposed solutions and the path used to find the solution illustrating how it works.Visual resources such as figures and graphs may facilitate for readers the process of comprehension about the problem. Some prescription on how to use the solution is important for those who may want to use it, as well as discussing what can go right or wrong. Leaving a final message serves as action-focused learning is always desirable (Business Horizons, 2018).Our suggestion is that the authors submit applied research in the technological article section that prioritizes the description of learning and practical results experienced in organizations. The CIMO logic is another way of thinking about the organization in a technological article. CIMO is an acronym for (Van Aken, 2007):Context (problem situation);Intervention (proposed intervention to solve the problem);Mechanisms (description of how handle problem solution);Outcomes (describes objectively the results).Technological articles should emphasize reports of solutions already implemented and obtained results. Even if it is a forward-looking study, it should provide practical and forward-looking perspectives on possible applications for solving business problems. Therefore, it is expected from technological articles submitted to the IJI may offer contributions to knowledge, as an example (Gregor and Hevner, 2013):· Focus on innovation: new solutions to new problems;· Focus on improvement: new solutions to known problems;· Focus on extrapolation: known solutions to new problems.Formatting a Technological Article for the IJIAnother point is about the size of a technological article, we suggest that the submission made by the authors is for articles with at least 6000 (six thousand) words for a more academic approach for the IJI. In addition, authors must follow the format available in the guidelines for the author, contemplating the structured abstract, as well as adopting the structure[1] presented below.Introduction: it aims to briefly present what the technological article is about, and the intervention carried out, making problem situation clear. Informing quickly how the data was collected and interpreted. Literature review: it must be related to the intervention in the organization. The theoretical framework will serve to provide theoretical support to the findings and will contribute to the outcomes discussion. Method of technical production: even being a technical production, the technological article must follow a well-detailed method with a description of the procedures used in the data collection and relevant information about procedures to perform the research such as a direct observation or direct participation of the authors among other examples. Context and problem situation: the authors must present the problem or opportunity, as well as characterize the organization.Types of intervention and mechanisms adopted: the authors must analyze the problem situation and discuss the possible alternatives for its resolution: innovation, improvement, or extrapolation; in addition to describing the activities developed to solve the problem situation.Outcomes and analysis: the authors should bring the most relevant contributions from the outcomes according to the subjects dealt with. It should be raised the relevance to similar cases with lessons learnt derived from the reported experience.Discussions and final considerations: Discussion is also welcome. It is time to confront the results with the researched theory, reinforce the objectives of the research. The authors can comment on the limitations for the research and propose new ideas for future studies of a technical nature that can advance about what was presented. References: it should include at the end all the authors cited in the theoretical framework, according to APA standards found in the IJI guidelines. Final considerationsWe except this editorial comment on technological articles can guide and encourage to submit to the IJI. Our wishes are for the academic community to produce more and better technological articles to solve problems and contribute to the practical community. We are grateful to all authors and readers who consider the IJI for the dissemination of their research, as well as a source of scientifically proven information. [1] Adapted from Biancolino et al. (2012).

Using data from 41 countries for the 2013—2018 period, the dependence of GDP growth on the rule of law index that is calculated by the non-governmental organization World Justice Project has been estimated. Compared to other specialized indicators for assessing compliance with the rule of law, such as the World Governance Indicator, the International Country Risk Guide, or the Index of Judicial Independence, the WJP differs more fully into actual legal practice (not only the quality of legislation) by combining expert judgment with the results of questionnaires surveys of residents of the country. Cross‒regression estimates for the 2013—2018 averages are quite contradictory for the general sample of countries, but a direct dependence of economic growth on the rule of law has been obtained for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. IfUkrainerose from the current level of the WJP index (0.50) to the level ofGeorgia(0.61), it allows to increase the GDP growth rate by 0.6 percentage points. Estimates for panel data using the a random effects model (RE) confirm the direct relationship between the state of the rule of law and eco‒economic growth for CEE and the former Soviet Union, whereas a weak inverse relationship between the two indicators can be observed in Asia andLatin America. The results show that it is advisable to strengthen the rule of law in transformational economies, while this is not urgent measures in the other studied countries. The overall study does not deny the possibility of economic growth without advancing the legal foundations or deepening the process of democratization of political life, but this does not apply to the CEE countries and the formerSoviet Union. In the extended specification of the regression model, it seems that the favorable influence of the rule of law on GDP dynamics for transformational economies can be realized by slowing down inflation. At the same time, no dependence of inflation on the WJP has been found for Asian and Latin American countries; there is also no effect of consumer prices on economic growth. It is noticeable that estimates for the general sample of countries show the negative impact of only high inflation — over 15% per annum. Among other results, the direct relationship between investment and GDP growth is worth noting, regardless of the regression model chosen. This is in line with the standard assumptions of economic theory and, accordingly, reinforces the argument for the protection of property rights as a means of stimulating the investment process. ; С использованием данных 41 страны за период 2013—2018 гг. оценена зависимость темпа роста ВВП от индекса верховенства права, что рассчитывается неправительственной организацией World Justice Project. Сравнивая с другими специализированными индикаторами для оценки соблюдения стандартов верховенства права, как World Governance Indicator, Interna­tio­nal Country Risk Guide или Index of Judicial Independence, индекс WJP отличается более полным учетом реальной юридической практики (не только качества законодательных норм), ведь сочетает экспертные оценки по результатам анкетных опросов жителей данной страны. Оценки с помощью перекрестной регрессии для средних значений 2013—2018 гг. достаточно противоречивые для общей выборки стран, но для стран Центральной и Восточной Европы и бывшего Советского Союза получено прямую зависимость экономического роста от верховенства права. Если бы Украина с нынешнего уровня индекса WJP (0,50) поднялась до уровня Грузии (0,61), это позволяет повысить темп роста ВВП на 0,6 процентного пункта. Оценки для панельных данных с помощью метода с переменной постоянной (англ. a random effects model — RE) подтверждают прямую зависимость между состоянием верховенства права и экономическим ростом для стран ЦВЕ и бывшего Советского Союза, тогда как слабая обратная связь между обоими показателями прослеживается в странах Азии и Латинской Америки. Полученные результаты показывают целесообразность укрепления верховенства права в трансформационных экономиках, тогда как с этим можно не спешить в остальных исследуемых странах. В общем проведенное исследование не отрицает возможность экономического роста без опережающего укрепления правовых основ или углубления процесса демократизации политической жизни, но это не касается стран ЦВЕ и бывшего Советского Союза. В расширенной спецификации регрессионной модели все похоже на то, что благоприятное влияние верховенства права на динамику ВВП для трансформационных экономик может реализовываться через торможение инфляции. В то же время для стран Азии и Латинской Америки зависимости инфляции от индекса WJP не обнаружено; так же нет влияния потребительских цен на экономический рост. Примечательно, что оценки для общей выборки стран показывают негативное влияние только высокой инфляции — более 15 % годовых. Среди других результатов внимания стоит прямая связь между инвестициями и темпом роста ВВП, которая прослеживается независимо от выбранной спецификации регрессионной модели. Это соответствует стандартным предположениям экономической теории, а попутно усиливает аргументацию в пользу защиты имущественных прав как средства стимулирования инвестиционного процесса. ; З використанням даних 41 країни за період 2013—2018 рр. оцінено залежність темпу зростання ВВП від індексу верховенства права, що розра­хо­вується неурядовою організацією World Justice Project. Порів­ню­ючи з іншими спеціалізованими індикаторами для оцінки дотримання стандартів верховенства права, як World Governance Indicator, Interna­tio­nal Country Risk Guide чи Index of Judicial Independence, індекс WJP відрізняється повнішим урахуванням реальної юридичної практики (не лише якості законодавчих норм), адже поєднує експертні оцінки з результатами анкетних опитувань мешканців конкретної країни. Оцінки за допомогою перехресної регресії для середніх значень 2013—2018 рр. досить суперечливі для загальної вибірки країн, але для країн Центральної і Східної Європи та колишнього Радянського Союзу отримано пряму залежність економічного зростання від вер­ховенства права. Якби Україна з нинішнього рівня індексу WJP (0,50) піднялася до рівня Грузії (0,61), це доз­во­ляє підвищити темп зростання ВВП на 0,6 процентного пункту. Оцінки для панельних даних за допомогою методу зі змінною сталою (англ. a random effects model — RE) підтверджують пряму залежність між станом верховенства права і еко­но­міч­ним зростанням для країн ЦСЄ і колишньо­го Радянського Союзу, тоді як слабкий обернений зв'язок між обома показни­ка­ми простежується у країнах Азії і Латинської Америки. Отримані результати пока­зу­ють доцільність зміцнення верховенства права у трансформаційних еко­но­міках, тоді як з цим можна не поспішати в решті досліджуваних країн. Загалом, проведене дослідження не заперечує можливість економічного зростання без випереджувального зміцнення правових засад чи поглиблення процесу демократизації політичного життя, але це не стосується країн ЦСЄ і колишнього Радянського Союзу. У розширеній специфікації регресійної моделі все виглядає на те, що сприятливий вплив верховенства права на динаміку ВВП для трансформаційних економік може реалізовуватися через гальмування інфляції. Водночас для країн Азії і Латинської Америки залежності інфляції від індексу WJP не виявлено; так само немає впливу споживчих цін на економічне зростання. Помітно, що оцінки для загальної вибірки країн показують негативний вплив лише високої інфляції – понад 15 % річних. З-поміж інших результатів вартує уваги прямий зв'язок між інвестиціями і темпом зростання ВВП, який простежується незалежно від обраної специфікації регресійної моделі. Це відповідає стандартним припущенням економічної теорії, а принагідно підсилює аргументацію на користь захисту майнових прав як засобу стимулювання інвестиційного процесу.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of administrative proceedings structure concerning the ownership of land plots, which are implemented in the local government authorities' activity process. The theoretical basis of the article are the traditional for the science of administrative law views upon administrative process and administrative proceedings gist and content, as well as the views upon the administrative process structure in terms of such its feature as staging. It is shown that the difficulty of administrative proceedings structure determining on free land plots ownership for citizens is that each of its stages has features of separate administrative proceedings. This is a proceeding for granting permission for the development of a land management project as for land allotment, a proceeding for the development and approval of a land management project for the land plot allotment, a procedure for approving a land management project and providing a land plot for ownership. It is suggested to refer to such proceedings as "stage proceedings" or "sub-proceedings". Stage proceedings or sub-proceedings can be defined as a substantively separated, time-bound and logically related set of procedural actions that, in the aggregate, constitute independent administrative proceeding within the framework of higher-level administrative proceeding. A characteristic feature of sub-proceeding is that they are implemented in a clearly defined sequence and have no independent value beyond the general administrative proceeding for the land plots ownership granting. The procedural purpose of each sub-proceeding is related to the ultimate procedural purpose of the general administrative proceeding. Each of the sub-proceedings results in the adoption of an administrative act, namely the decision of the local council to grant permission for the development of land management for allotment of land plot; act of the land management project approval by the executive power authorized body; the decision of the local council to approve the project of land management and allotment of the land plot in ownership. It is concluded that there is no stage of decision execution for the provision of land plots in the administrative proceedings structure, since the decision of the local council as for approval of land management project on the land allotment and the provision of the land plot to the property do not require activity for its implementation. The legal consequences of this decision arise automatically and consist in the person's having ownership of the land plot. As for the subsequent registration of ownership right, it is carried out according to independent administrative registration proceeding. Keywords: Administrative procedure, administrative proceeding, stage proceeding, sub-proceedings, land plot, local authorities. ; Аннотация: Статья посвящена анализу структуры административных производств по предоставлению в собственность земельных участков, реализуемых в процессе деятельности органов местного самоуправления. Теоретической основой статьи являются традиционные для науки административного права представление о сущность и содержании административного процесса и административного производства, а также на структуру административного процесса в контексте такого его признака, как стадийность. Показано, что сложность определения структуры административного производства по бесплатному предоставлению гражданам земельных участков в собственность заключается в том, что каждая из его стадий имеет признаки отдельного административного производства. Это производство по предоставлению разрешения на разработку проекта землеустройства относительно отвода земельного участка, производства с разработки и согласования проекта землеустройства по отводу земельного участка, производство по утверждению проекта землеустройства и предоставления земельного участка в собственность. Предложено называть такие производства «стадийными производствами» или «субпроизводствами». Стадийные производства или субпроизводства можно определить как содержательно обособленную, ограниченную временем и логически связанную совокупность процессуальных действий, которые в совокупности образуют самостоятельное административное производство в рамках административного производства высшего порядка. Характерным свойством субпроизводств является то, что они реализуются в строго определенной последовательности и не имеют самостоятельного значения вне границ общего административного производства по предоставлению земельных участков в собственность. Процессуальная цель каждого из субпроизводств связана с конечной процессуальной целью общего административного производства. Каждое из субпроизводств завершается принятием административного акта, а именно решения местного совета о предоставлении разрешения на разработку проекта землеустройства по отводу земельного участка; акта согласования проекта землеустройства уполномоченным органом исполнительной власти; решение местного совета об утверждении проекта землеустройства и предоставления земельного участка в собственность. Сделан вывод о том, что в структуре административного производства по предоставлению земельных участков в собственность отсутствует стадия исполнения решения, поскольку решение местного совета об утверждении проекта землеустройства по отводу земельного участка и предоставления земельного участка в собственность не нуждаются в деятельности по его выполнению. Правовые последствия этого решения возникают автоматически и состоят в возникновении у лица права собственности на земельный участок. Что же касается дальнейшей регистрации права собственности, то она осуществляется в порядке самостоятельного административного регистрационного производства. Ключевые слова: Административный процесс, административное производство, стадийные производства, субпроизводства, земельный участок, органы местного самоуправления. ; Анотація: Статтю присвячено аналізу структури адміністративних проваджень щодо надання у власність земельних ділянок, що реалізуються у процесі діяльності органів місцевого самоврядування. Теоретичною основою статті є традиційні для науки адміністративного права уявлення про сутність та зміст адміністративного процесу та адміністративного провадження, а також на структуру адміністративного процесу у контексті такої його ознаки, як стадійність. Показано,що складність визначення структури адміністративного провадження з безоплатного надання громадянам земельних ділянок у власність полягає в тому, що кожна з його стадій має ознаки окремого адміністративного провадження. Це провадження з надання дозволу на розробку проекту землеустрою щодо відведення земельної ділянки, провадження з розробки та погодження проекту землеустрою щодо відведення земельної ділянки, провадження із затвердження проекту землеустрою та надання земельної ділянки у власність. Запропоновано називати такі провадження «стадійними провадженнями» або «субпровадженнями». Стадійне провадження або субпровадження можна визначити як змістовно відокремлену, обмежену часом і логічно пов'язану сукупність процесуальних дій, які у сукупності утворюють самостійне адміністративне провадження в межах адміністративного провадження вищого порядку. Характерною властивістю субпроваджень є те, що вони реалізуються у чітко визначеній послідовності і не мають самостійного значення поза межами загального адміністративного провадження з надання земельних ділянок у власність. Процесуальна мета кожного із субпроваджень пов'язана із кінцевою процесуальною метою загального адміністративного провадження. Кожне із субпроваджень завершується прийняттям адміністративного акту, а саме рішення місцевої ради про надання дозволу на розробку землеустрою щодо відведення земельної ділянки; акту погодження проекту землеустрою уповноваженим органом виконавчої влади; рішення місцевої ради щодо затвердження проекту землеустрою та надання земельної ділянки у власність. Зроблено висновок про те, що у структурі адміністративного провадження з надання земельних ділянок у власність відсутня стадія виконання рішення, оскільки рішення місцевої ради про затвердження проекту землеустрою щодо відведення земельної ділянки та надання земельної ділянки у власність не потребують діяльності з його виконання. Правові наслідки цього рішення виникають автоматично і полягають у виникненні у особи права власності на земельну ділянку. Що ж стосується подальшої реєстрації права власності, то вона здійснюється в порядку самостійного адміністративного реєстраційного провадження. Ключові слова: Адміністративний процес, адміністративне провадження, стадійне провадження, субпровадження, земельна ділянка, органи місцевого самоврядування.

Using data from 41 countries for the 2013—2018 period, the dependence of GDP growth on the rule of law index that is calculated by the non-governmental organization World Justice Project has been estimated. Compared to other specialized indicators for assessing compliance with the rule of law, such as the World Governance Indicator, the International Country Risk Guide, or the Index of Judicial Independence, the WJP differs more fully into actual legal practice (not only the quality of legislation) by combining expert judgment with the results of questionnaires surveys of residents of the country. Cross‒regression estimates for the 2013—2018 averages are quite contradictory for the general sample of countries, but a direct dependence of economic growth on the rule of law has been obtained for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. IfUkrainerose from the current level of the WJP index (0.50) to the level ofGeorgia(0.61), it allows to increase the GDP growth rate by 0.6 percentage points. Estimates for panel data using the a random effects model (RE) confirm the direct relationship between the state of the rule of law and eco‒economic growth for CEE and the former Soviet Union, whereas a weak inverse relationship between the two indicators can be observed in Asia andLatin America. The results show that it is advisable to strengthen the rule of law in transformational economies, while this is not urgent measures in the other studied countries. The overall study does not deny the possibility of economic growth without advancing the legal foundations or deepening the process of democratization of political life, but this does not apply to the CEE countries and the formerSoviet Union. In the extended specification of the regression model, it seems that the favorable influence of the rule of law on GDP dynamics for transformational economies can be realized by slowing down inflation. At the same time, no dependence of inflation on the WJP has been found for Asian and Latin American countries; there is also no effect of consumer prices on economic growth. It is noticeable that estimates for the general sample of countries show the negative impact of only high inflation — over 15% per annum. Among other results, the direct relationship between investment and GDP growth is worth noting, regardless of the regression model chosen. This is in line with the standard assumptions of economic theory and, accordingly, reinforces the argument for the protection of property rights as a means of stimulating the investment process. ; С использованием данных 41 страны за период 2013—2018 гг. оценена зависимость темпа роста ВВП от индекса верховенства права, что рассчитывается неправительственной организацией World Justice Project. Сравнивая с другими специализированными индикаторами для оценки соблюдения стандартов верховенства права, как World Governance Indicator, Interna­tio­nal Country Risk Guide или Index of Judicial Independence, индекс WJP отличается более полным учетом реальной юридической практики (не только качества законодательных норм), ведь сочетает экспертные оценки по результатам анкетных опросов жителей данной страны. Оценки с помощью перекрестной регрессии для средних значений 2013—2018 гг. достаточно противоречивые для общей выборки стран, но для стран Центральной и Восточной Европы и бывшего Советского Союза получено прямую зависимость экономического роста от верховенства права. Если бы Украина с нынешнего уровня индекса WJP (0,50) поднялась до уровня Грузии (0,61), это позволяет повысить темп роста ВВП на 0,6 процентного пункта. Оценки для панельных данных с помощью метода с переменной постоянной (англ. a random effects model — RE) подтверждают прямую зависимость между состоянием верховенства права и экономическим ростом для стран ЦВЕ и бывшего Советского Союза, тогда как слабая обратная связь между обоими показателями прослеживается в странах Азии и Латинской Америки. Полученные результаты показывают целесообразность укрепления верховенства права в трансформационных экономиках, тогда как с этим можно не спешить в остальных исследуемых странах. В общем проведенное исследование не отрицает возможность экономического роста без опережающего укрепления правовых основ или углубления процесса демократизации политической жизни, но это не касается стран ЦВЕ и бывшего Советского Союза. В расширенной спецификации регрессионной модели все похоже на то, что благоприятное влияние верховенства права на динамику ВВП для трансформационных экономик может реализовываться через торможение инфляции. В то же время для стран Азии и Латинской Америки зависимости инфляции от индекса WJP не обнаружено; так же нет влияния потребительских цен на экономический рост. Примечательно, что оценки для общей выборки стран показывают негативное влияние только высокой инфляции — более 15 % годовых. Среди других результатов внимания стоит прямая связь между инвестициями и темпом роста ВВП, которая прослеживается независимо от выбранной спецификации регрессионной модели. Это соответствует стандартным предположениям экономической теории, а попутно усиливает аргументацию в пользу защиты имущественных прав как средства стимулирования инвестиционного процесса. ; З використанням даних 41 країни за період 2013—2018 рр. оцінено залежність темпу зростання ВВП від індексу верховенства права, що розра­хо­вується неурядовою організацією World Justice Project. Порів­ню­ючи з іншими спеціалізованими індикаторами для оцінки дотримання стандартів верховенства права, як World Governance Indicator, Interna­tio­nal Country Risk Guide чи Index of Judicial Independence, індекс WJP відрізняється повнішим урахуванням реальної юридичної практики (не лише якості законодавчих норм), адже поєднує експертні оцінки з результатами анкетних опитувань мешканців конкретної країни. Оцінки за допомогою перехресної регресії для середніх значень 2013—2018 рр. досить суперечливі для загальної вибірки країн, але для країн Центральної і Східної Європи та колишнього Радянського Союзу отримано пряму залежність економічного зростання від вер­ховенства права. Якби Україна з нинішнього рівня індексу WJP (0,50) піднялася до рівня Грузії (0,61), це доз­во­ляє підвищити темп зростання ВВП на 0,6 процентного пункту. Оцінки для панельних даних за допомогою методу зі змінною сталою (англ. a random effects model — RE) підтверджують пряму залежність між станом верховенства права і еко­но­міч­ним зростанням для країн ЦСЄ і колишньо­го Радянського Союзу, тоді як слабкий обернений зв'язок між обома показни­ка­ми простежується у країнах Азії і Латинської Америки. Отримані результати пока­зу­ють доцільність зміцнення верховенства права у трансформаційних еко­но­міках, тоді як з цим можна не поспішати в решті досліджуваних країн. Загалом, проведене дослідження не заперечує можливість економічного зростання без випереджувального зміцнення правових засад чи поглиблення процесу демократизації політичного життя, але це не стосується країн ЦСЄ і колишнього Радянського Союзу. У розширеній специфікації регресійної моделі все виглядає на те, що сприятливий вплив верховенства права на динаміку ВВП для трансформаційних економік може реалізовуватися через гальмування інфляції. Водночас для країн Азії і Латинської Америки залежності інфляції від індексу WJP не виявлено; так само немає впливу споживчих цін на економічне зростання. Помітно, що оцінки для загальної вибірки країн показують негативний вплив лише високої інфляції – понад 15 % річних. З-поміж інших результатів вартує уваги прямий зв'язок між інвестиціями і темпом зростання ВВП, який простежується незалежно від обраної специфікації регресійної моделі. Це відповідає стандартним припущенням економічної теорії, а принагідно підсилює аргументацію на користь захисту майнових прав як засобу стимулювання інвестиційного процесу.

Ich bin prinzipiell gegen Klimapolitik. Ich lehne also jeglichen staatlichen Einfluss auf den Ausstoß von CO₂ und anderen Treibhausgasen ab. Das ist natürlich eine Position, die stark im Widerspruch zum herrschenden Zeitgeist steht. Auch werden sich viele fragen: "Leugnet er etwa den anthropogenen Klimawandel?", oder diese Position intuitiv als unmoralisch einstufen und sie in eine fragliche politische Ecke stellen. Diese Bedenken können bereits zu Beginn zerstreut werden: Sämtliche Daten, auf die hier Bezug genommen wird, stammen aus Quellen wie dem IPCC und anderen renommierten Stellen. Zuerst wird allerdings die moralische Grundlage erläutert, auf der mein Urteil zur Klimapolitik basiert.Das moralische Fundament, welches als Grundlage der Bewertung dient, baut auf der Prämisse des klassisch-liberalen Minimalstaats auf. Dieser kümmert sich um innere, äußere sowie rechtliche Sicherheit. Sämtliche anderen Aspekte sind auf freiwilliger Basis durchgeführten zwischenmenschlichen Aktionen überlassen. Nur ein solches System kann meiner Meinung nach moralisch sein, weil es dem Menschen maximale Selbstbestimmung und Raum zur persönlichen Entfaltung ermöglicht und die Freiheits- und Eigentumsrechte des Individuums schützt. Auch reduziert es die politische Macht, die Gruppen und Individuen über andere gegen ihren Willen haben, auf ein Minimum und schafft damit tatsächliche rechtliche Gleichheit.Hat man dies als Ideal, so leitet sich aus diesem Staatsverständnis ab, dass der Staat nicht das Recht hat, in Freiheits- und Eigentumsrechte einzugreifen, auch nicht zum Zwecke der Erreichung der CO₂-Neutralität. Damit ein Schadensersatzanspruch besteht, den ein solcher Staat im Rahmen der Rechtssicherheit durchsetzen darf, muss eine klar nachvollziehbare kausale Kette zwischen Schädiger und Geschädigtem ersichtlich sein. Dies ist bei CO₂-Ausstoß nicht der Fall. Anders als in einem Szenario, in welchem jemand giftige Stoffe in die Luft lässt, die andere gesundheitlich schädigen, oder durch das Kippen von Giftmüll in den Fluss fremdes Eigentum beschädigt wird, lässt sich eine direkte Kausalkette zwischen Geschädigtem und Schädiger beim CO₂-Ausstoß nicht feststellen.CO₂ mag in seiner Summe zwar dafür sorgen, dass weniger Sonnenwärme zurück ins Weltall abgestrahlt wird und sich die Erde dadurch erhitzt, was zu Schaden führen kann, allerdings liegt das Verhalten des einzelnen Individuums unterhalb der Schwelle einer direkten Schädigung, weshalb das Verhalten in einem klassisch liberalen System nicht rechtlich belangbar wäre. Es kann also von einer Externalität gesprochen werden.Eine Regulation derartiger Externalitäten kann sehr schnell totalitäre Züge annehmen. Jedes Verhalten hat über ein paar Ecken irgendeinen Einfluss auf das Leben und Eigentum anderer. Daher kann dies nicht der Maßstab sein, nach welchem der Staat legitim eingreifen darf. Sonst dürfte kein Flughafen oder Windrad mehr gebaut werden, weil sich immer jemand findet, dem dies zu nah an seinem Eigentum ist und es daher als Schädigung empfindet.Der Mensch hätte faktisch keine Möglichkeit mehr, sich persönlich und technisch zu entfalten. Die Schwelle, ab wann von einem Eigentumsschaden gesprochen werden kann, und damit Schadenersatzanspruch besteht, muss sehr klar definiert und kausal nachvollziehbar sein. Handlungen, die unterhalb dieser Schwelle liegen, sollten daher rechtlich nicht belangbar sein und damit von dem Einfluss des Staates unberührt bleiben. Dies gilt auch dann, wenn dieser Staat eine demokratische Legitimation hat. Keine Mehrheit sollte in Freiheits- und Eigentumsrechte eingreifen dürfen, denn es handelt sich um Menschenrechte, die von einer liberalen Verfassung geschützt sein sollten. Derartige abstrakte moralische Begründungen und liberale Rechtsphilosophie werden vielen jedoch nicht als Argumente reichen."Aber was ist mit den schwerwiegenden Folgen des Klimawandels? Was ist mit dem steigenden Meeresspiegel, den Hitzewellen, Extremwetterereignissen, den Klimaflüchtlingen und den Kipppunkten?", werden sich viele an dieser Stelle fragen. Einige dieser Fragen lassen sich bereits mit heutigen technischen Möglichkeiten beantworten. So liegt bereits heute ein beachtlicher Teil der Niederlande unterhalb des Meeresspiegels. Die Lösung: Dämme. Für flache Pazifikinseln gibt es neben Dämmen auch die Möglichkeit des Aufschüttens. Auch dies wird bereits getätigt. Entsprechende Inseln sind aktuell sogar am Wachsen[1][2].Auch gibt es bereits heute technische Möglichkeiten, um mit steigender Hitze umzugehen. Schon heute leben Menschen in sehr heißen Regionen in gut klimatisierten Städten wie Abu Dhabi. Das mag energieintensiv sein, aber gerade deshalb ist günstige Energie, die durch Klimapolitik verhindert wird, so essenziell.Nichts erhöht den Wohlstand so sehr wie günstige Energie. Bestimmte Energieträger künstlich zu verknappen, verteuert Energie und damit im Grunde genommen alles Weitere und senkt den Lebensstandard. Daher sind fossile Energieträger aktuell unverzichtbar und sollten weder sanktioniert noch sollen andere Energieträger subventioniert werden. Gerade in Entwicklungsländern ist günstige Energie unverzichtbar. Weder können wir von den Entwicklungsländern verlangen, sich industriell einzuschränken, noch sollen wir aus eigenem Interesse, aber auch im Interesse der Dritten Welt auf billige Energie verzichten. Da wir in einer globalisierten Wirtschaft leben, leidet nämlich auch die Dritte Welt darunter, wenn der Traktor bei uns teurer in der Herstellung und damit höher im Preis ist.Es ist klar, dass das Öl endlich ist. Dadurch wird es immer teurer, je weniger es davon gibt. Erneuerbare Energieträger werden sich über die Zeit entsprechend automatisch als dominante Form der Energiegewinnung durchsetzen. Dies ist jedoch ein natürlicher Prozess, der sich aus den Gesetzmäßigkeiten des Marktgeschehens ergibt und daher nicht politisch forciert werden muss, um möglichst schnell vonstatten zu gehen. Des Weiteren wird der technische Fortschritt ebenfalls zu einer Vergünstigung der Energie führen. Gerade die Kernfusion ist eine sehr aussichtsreiche Zukunftstechnologie[3]. Ebenfalls schreitet der technische Fortschritt im Bereich Carbon Capture weiter voran[4].Zurück zur Hitze: Natürlich leidet der Mensch nicht nur direkt durch die Hitze, sondern auch dadurch, dass landwirtschaftliche Nutzflächen zur Nahrungsmittelproduktion verloren gehen. Aber auch hierfür gibt es technische Möglichkeiten: Mit der Hilfe von Gentechnik gibt es deutlich resistentere Pflanzen und höhere Erträge. Auch gibt es beispielsweise neuartige Formen der Landwirtschaft, wie das Vertical Farming[5]. Des Weiteren werden die Meere noch kaum als Agrarfläche benutzt, weil es sich aktuell noch nicht lohnt. Dies kann sich allerdings mit zunehmender Hitze ändern. Es mag sein, dass sich unsere Essgewohnheiten durch den Klimawandel verändern werden. Von Hungersnöten ist jedoch nicht auszugehen.Bei den sich häufenden Extremwetterereignissen, die durch den Klimawandel begünstigt werden, muss man ebenfalls anmerken, dass die Menschheit immer besser auf diese vorbereitet ist. So ist beispielsweise in dem verhältnismäßig freien Land USA die Anzahl an Toten durch Klimaereignisse auf einem historischen Tiefpunkt[6]. Technischer Fortschritt und die ihn begünstigenden Faktoren kommen dabei zum Tragen.In der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion um das Thema Klimaflucht gibt es zwei Lager: die Alarmisten, die hauptsächlich aus Naturwissenschaftlern bestehen, und die Skeptiker, die hauptsächlich aus der Migrationsforschung und den Wirtschafts- oder Sozialwissenschaften stammen. Aus Reihen der Alarmisten stammt die wissenschaftlich fragwürdige Prognose, dass es bis zum Ende des 21. Jahrhundert angeblich 200 Millionen Klimaflüchtlinge geben würde[7]. Die Gruppe, die man als "Skeptiker" zusammenfasst, beschäftigt sich mit dem tatsächlichen Verhalten von Menschen. Auch wenn man alle Aspekte des wissenschaftlichen Diskurses im Auge haben sollte, so scheinen die Skeptiker deutlich verlässlichere Prognosen zu liefern.Unter den Kipppunkten versteht man kritische Grenzen von Treibhausgasmengen in der Atmosphäre, bei deren Überschreiten Mechanismen in Gang gesetzt werden, die zu weiterer signifikanter Erwärmung führen. Ein Beispiel hierfür wären die Permafrostböden, deren Auftauen weiteres CO₂ in die Atmosphäre entlässt[8]. Bereits bei 1,5°C könnte ein solcher Kipppunkt überschritten sein[9]. Es gelte also zu verhindern, dass die Kipppunkte erreicht werden, indem das 1,5°-Ziel eingehalten wird – um jeden Preis.Wirklich um jeden Preis? Schließlich wäre eine Abkehr von der liberalen Demokratie ein notwendiger Schritt, um dieses Ziel zu erreichen. Selbst zu Zeiten des Corona-Lockdowns, in der es zu einer enormen Verringerung des CO₂-Ausstoßes kam, hätte dies, wenn man es fortgeführt hätte, nicht gereicht, um das 1,5°-Ziel zu erreichen. Und die wirtschaftlichen Schäden und gesellschaftlichen Verwerfungen waren bereits extrem. Die Maßnahmen, die notwendig wären, um das 1,5°-Ziel zu erreichen, sind im Rahmen des jetzigen Systems entsprechend (glücklicherweise) nicht durchsetzbar.Das "liberale" in der liberalen Demokratie sollte nämlich vor gravierenden Freiheitseinschränkungen schützen, die zur Erreichung des Klimaziels notwendig wären. Die "Demokratie" hat vermutlich zum Ergebnis, dass ein Großteil der Menschen nicht bereit sein werden, ihren Wohlstand für die Klimaziele aufzugeben, wie auch die kürzliche "Klimawahl" in Berlin eindrücklich demonstriert hat[10].Und selbst wenn all diese Faktoren nicht wären und es uns mit Hilfe autoritärer Maßnahmen und gesenktem Lebensstandard gelingen würde, das 1,5°-Ziel zu erreichen – das Land und wie es sich darin leben würde, wären für andere Länder ein mahnendes Beispiel, es uns niemals gleichzutun. Auch aktuell ist es bereits so, dass Klimapolitik zu Verwerfungen führt. Viele Länder ziehen nicht mit.Es ist also davon auszugehen, dass die Kipppunkte in jedem Fall erreicht werden. Wir haben die Wahl, ob wir bis dahin unsere Freiheit und unseren Wohlstand opfern, oder einen besseren und sinnvolleren Weg einschlagen: Einen konsequenten Kapitalismus. Nur ein freier Markt begünstigt billige Energie und technischen Fortschritt, die uns für die Folgen des Klimawandels wappnen. Nur in Freiheit kann der Mensch ein glückliches Leben führen und sein schöpferisches Potenzial entfalten.Quellen[1] Low-lying Pacific islands 'growing not sinking', aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.bbc.com/news/10222679[2] The Ever-Shifting—Not Necessarily Shrinking—Pacific Island Nations, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://hakaimagazine.com/news/the-ever-shifting-not-necessarily-shrinking-pacific-island-nations/[3]Wissenschaftlicher Durchbruch bei Kernfusion, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/panorama/durchbruch-kernfusion-100.html[4]Carbon Capture and Storage, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/wasser/gewaesser/grundwasser/nutzung-belastungen/carbon-capture-storage[5] Vertical Farming – Landwirtschaft in der Senkrechten, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.landwirtschaft.de/landwirtschaft-erleben/landwirtschaft-hautnah/in-der-stadt/vertical-farming-landwirtschaft-in-der-senkrechten[6]Fatality rates in the US due to weather events, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/fatality-rates-in-the-us-due-to-weather-events[7]Der Zusammenhang zwischen Klimawandel und Migration, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.bpb.de/themen/migration-integration/kurzdossiers/282320/der-zusammenhang-zwischen-klimawandel-und-migration/[8]Mechanisms and Impacts of Earth System Tipping Elements, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021RG000757[9] IPCC (Hrsg.): Synthesis Report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR 6) – Longer Version. März 2023, S. 42, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2023/03/Doc5_Adopted_AR6_SYR_Longer_Report.pdf[10]Klima-Volksentscheid gescheitert - Initiative verfehlt Quorum deutlich, aufgerufen am 09.07.2023 von https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2023/03/volksentscheid-berlin-klimaneutral-2030-wahlsonntag.html

Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) continue to elevate in the western pacific regions, including Vanuatu. Much efforts have been made in reducing the disease burden, however the challenges remains due to certain sociocultural behaviours, globalization, and urbanization which promotes unhealthy lifestyles such as eating lifestyles (unhealthy diet), physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and tobacco use. All these contributing factors tends to give rise to common risks for the intermediate factors such as raised in blood pressure, raised in the level of glucose in the blood, the unhealthy lipid profiles, and obesity.Comparing this disease in low-income countries and high-income countries it seem that the rate of NDC are higher in low-income countries, more specifically the countries in the western pacific regions. Even that there are few South East Asian countries such Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, and Cambodia which were also regarded as having high mortality rates of NCD (1). According to the profile in 2008 it was estimated that it's the western pacific region that has more of the effect, showing more than a quarter of the 36 million deaths were due to NCD alone.Furthermore it continue to states that the trend will continue to increase by 15% between 2010 and 2020, meaning an estimation (from baseline) from an elevation of up to 44 million deaths will be cause by NCD alone (1). And if we divide the figures up it will then show that the highest proportion will be from the Western Pacific regions, of 12.3 million of deaths, while South-East Asian regions on the other hand is estimated to reach 10.4 million. This is also supported by a report on economic-cost of NCD in the Pacific Island countries which states that NCD is already a challenge in the Pacific, leading to account for 70% or more of the deaths. And the most common cause is of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for between 29% and 38% of death from all other causes (2). In Vanuatu NCD is in the top 10 disease agenda due to fast escalating trend, and similarly are Cardiovascular diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. According to the reported it was estimated that 18% of deaths were due to circulatory heart diseases (7).Another study been conducted in 2008 showed a record of 0.5% and 0.3% deaths were respectively caused by NCD in male and female. The current daily tobacco smoking as a form of behavioural risk factor constitute of 12.3%, where 21.3% in male and 3.1% in female. Additionally from the study record it showed that males are more risks than female in having high blood pressure above normal. This is supported by showing 44.5% of males in the study have raised blood pressure, while female on contrary have 39.1% raised blood pressure. Other contributing factor in the metabolic risks factors are overweight and obesity. From the study it showed that 21% of both male and female are overweight, while 34.2% is of obesity (3).From the findings we have to know that there are unprecedented changes in our environment – cultural, economic, physical, political and social – pose new risks and threats to health. And from most reports and future focus it is predicted that NCD will continue to elevate globally, whether it is urbanization and the built environment, severe air pollution, climate change, unregulated marketing of tobacco and other harmful food products, or easy access to nutrient-poor and calorie dense food (4). In some countries, for instance Vanuatu still accepts more imported and processed food and is predicted to upscale further should the climate conditions such as the current El Nino continue to place threats on garden crops. There is additionally a weak monitoring on food regulations on imported food products and where most labelling are in languages. Lack of proper laboratory analysis of the content against the labelling is another contributing factor. Thus it is imperative that leaders in both Government and related Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) find innovative solutions to complex health challenges in ever-changing common practices and environments. Only then will the population be safe and healthy from the disease. On the other hand we have to understand that at each developmental stage of life, human beings exhibit different vulnerabilities and are exposed to different risks, placing them more vulnerable to contracting those diseases.According to WHO report in 2008 on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (Annex 1-B) (5), in year 2000 the WHO's Member States adopted a global strategy for prevention and control of NCDs during the fifty-third World Health Assembly. The Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was endorsed in 2002. In 2003, the WHO launched the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and this treaty came into force in 2005. Even that in 2008 the Member States endorsed the Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of non-communicable Diseases at the Sixty-first World Health Assembly. And the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific called for action to combat non-communicable diseases and their related risk factors in specific resolutions. There are also various regional action plans related to NCD prevention and control (e.g. Regional Plan for Integrated Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes for the Western Pacific Region 1998–2003, Tobacco Free Initiative Regional Action Plans 2000–2004 and 2005–2009, Plan of Action 2006–2010 for the Western Pacific.Declaration on Diabetes, and the Regional Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-related Harm) were developed over the past decade, sharing a focus on policy and planning, surveillance, health promotion and clinical prevention. Furthermore WHO developed a Pacific Framework for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases in 2007 to serve as a guide in addressing NCDs among Pacific island countries and areas, and this framework was adopted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). Augmenting these action plans and frameworks is a Region-wide interest and commitment to fostering health systems change, particularly in relation to the prevention and control of NCDs. In November 2007, the WHO-supported meeting on "Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Chronic Disease Prevention and Control" culminated in a set of recommendations for reducing the health burden from non-communicable diseases through health systems improvements. The Western Pacific Regional Action Plan for NCDs is a collaborative effort by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and Member States to establish a shared vision and strategic actions to reduce the NCD burden (5).However despite of all these developed global and regional framework, strategies, planning, and action plans it is still recognized that countries still have less capacities and some are still at different stages of progress in the fight against non-communicable diseases. Therein it is suggested that more plenary discussions, consultations, and a support networking collaborations be established between the Government and private sectors, including the partners and associated stakeholders, and the affected communities. Moreover the Regional Action Plan also aims to operationalize the objectives of the Global Action Plan within the Western Pacific context, thereby adding value through concrete and relevant guidance. In other words the member states need to reconsider and rectify these further to be able to absorb perfectly into the country settings and the environmental contexts. Vanuatu on the other hand has also the capacity to address and respond to NCDs as it has its funding available for Cardiovascular diseases, NCD treatment for control, prevention and health promotion messages, and NCD surveillance and M&E. Additionally the health reporting system also includes information on screening of patients at health peripheries, NCD cause specific –morbidity, and the risks factors. Further to that the country has an integrated or topic-specific policy, programme, and action plan which is currently operational for these mentioned NCD diseases, including Alcohol, unhealthy diet, overweight, and obesity. Physical inactivity and Tobacco were other areas that the policy and action plan covers (1).Furthermore the member states need to strictly consider and implement WHO global NCD action plan which is a road map from 2013 to 2025 (6). In the road map are six global objectives that clearly states to make prevention and control of NCDs a priority, strengthening national capacities and leaderships, reduce modifiable risks factors, promote high-quality research, and finally is to monitor the impact and the trend of the disease. Additionally are nine major and more specific targets along the road map towards 2025. These are to be able to establish 80% availability of affordable technology and medicine to treat NCDs, ensuring that at least 50% of the patients receive preventive therapy for heart attacks and stroke, be able to pause the rise in diabetes and obesity, at least a 30% drop in sodium chloride (salt) intake, a 10% reduction in the harmful in the use of alcohol, to at least also receive 25% drop in premature death of people age 30-70 from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases, be able to reduce 10% in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity, reduce by 30% in tobacco use, and finally is to drop by 20% in the prevalence of high blood pressure (6). All these can be adopted and implemented strategically and effectively only when adequate resources such as adequate human resource, access to appropriate technology at all levels of implementations, adequate financial support, good working collaborations with partners and NGOs, including the communities, other associate stakeholders such as community leaders, and a very motivated and action-oriented personals are in place. Moreover is the health systems, political commitment, good network with shop entrepreneurs, and private sector that can contribute in the prevention and promotion of these mentioned health lifestyles.It is therefore strongly believed that unless all these are identified and notified then will there be some changes expected, and thus meet most of the target indicators as stated in the 2013-2025 target objectives.

ACHIVEMENT OF THE GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF POLAND AND IN SEARCH FOR MINERAL DEPOSITSSummaryHISTORICAL OUTLINE OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTEThe activity of the Geological Institute may be subdivided into three periods: from 1919 to 1939, from 1939 to 1944, and from 1945 to the present day.1. The period from 1919 to 1939 corresponds to the time of organization of geological survey backward owing to the fact that the territories of Poland were for more than 150 years under the foreign domination, and the western territory came back to Poland only after the World War II. During the period here considered a uniform reconnaissance geological survey was made for the entire area of Poland, most investigations being concentrated in the regions of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Upper Silesian Coal Basin and Carpathians. As a result of these works some sheets of the detailed geological map of Poland were published on a scale 1: 100 000 for the area of the Carpathians, Silesian Coal Basin and Świętokrzyskie Mauntains, and the map of mineral resources of Poland was issued on a scale 1: 750 000. As concerns search for mineral raw materials a deposit of iron ores was discovered at Rudki and a deposit of phosphorites at Rachów.2. In the years 1939–1944, the activity and development of the Geological Institute was set back by the Nazi occupation. Geological collections and buildings were devasted and numerous prominent geologists were murdered.3. After the World War II, thanks to the assistance of the Party and the Government of the Polish Peoples Republic, the activity of the Geological Institute revived. The extent and scope of works rapidly increased, geological staff raised, and financial means increased each year so that in 1952 the geological researches and prospections were carried en in all possible directions, according to the requirements of the developing national economy. The most intense development of the Geological Institute, however, was noted in 1953, i.e. since the moment of the establishment of the Central Office of Geology that included also the Geological Institute. Geological researches were part of the national economical plan, the Institute disposed of adequate staff of geologists, laboratories were equipped with modern instruments, and considerable financial means were at the disposal of the Geological Institute. At Kielce, Cracow, Sosnowiec and Wrocław, the branches of the Geological Institute were extended and their tasks comprised the investigations of geological problems in the individual regions of the country.The period from 1953 to 1967 is distinguished by the greatest development of the researches ·of the geological structure of Poland, and by considerable discoveries of mineral deposits.MOR IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES OF THE GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTEThe achievements of the Geological Institute may be observed in all trends of the geological sciences, i.e. in the fundamental researches, geophysics, regional investigations, prospectings, in hydrogeological and engineering-geological examinations, as well as in information, documentation and publications.1. In the domain of the fundamental researches including geological surveys, stratigraphical examinations, petrography, lithology, sedimentology, mineralogy, geochemistry, palaeogeography and tectonics, notable progress may be observed. The results of the researches guarantee the right development of the prospections for oil and .gas and other mineral deposits, as well as hydrogeological and engineering-geological examinations. The level of these researches do not differ greatly from the researchers conducted in other countries referred to the leaders in this domain.2. Geophysical surveys are carried on using all methods, and the achievements completely cover the demands as concerns the reconnaissance of the deep geological structure of the country and the search for mineral deposits. Magnetic and gravimetric maps on the scale 1: 2 000 000, 1: 1 000 000 and 1: 300 000 were elaborated by the Geological Institute for the entire area of the country, some sheets of the detailed maps being also prepared.Intense geoelectrical investigations are made by means of various methods mainly in connection with the prospections of the deposits situated in shallow zones and in deep zones (telluric method). To recognize the deep geological structure of the country, several thousands of seismic profiles were made by the Geological Institute by means of reflexion and refraction methods.3. As to the regional researches concerning the deep geological structure in terms of oil and gas deposits, the works are concentrated within the areas of Alpine type, i.e. in the Carpathians and the Carpathian Foredeep, particularly, however, in the platform areas.Drillings were made parallelly to the fundamental and geophysical researches. Location of the deep bore holes made for this purpose by the Geological Institute in 1963–1967 is illustrated in Fig. 2. With the aid of these researches a series of regional geological units of the first, second and third order were distinguished and over 450 local geological structures promising in search for bitumens were discovered in the platform area. Numerous bore holes show the presence of oil and gas, particularly in the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Jurassic and Cretaceous formations.4. As a result of searching for stable mineral deposits, some tens of these deposits were discovered and documented in the category C2 (Fig. 3), characterized by the total resources amounting to over 63 milliards tons. For this purpose, several thousand metres of drillings were performed. Fig. 4 presents the amounts of metres of drillings and their costs for the individual mineral raw materials. For comparison, there are presented also the drillings made for the regional and cartographical surveys.The part of the individual mineral raw materials in the total increase of the reserves discovered and documented by the Geological Institute is illustrated in Fig. 5. The increase in the reserves of mineral raw materials in the last fifteen years is presented in Fig. 6. Beside the large salt deposits occurring in the Ziechstein formations, hard coal of the Upper Carboniferous, and brown coal of the Miocene formations, also sulphur deposits in the Tortonian formations of the Carpathian Foredeep, copper deposits in the Lower Zechstein formations in the Fore-Sudetic monocline, and zinc-lead deposits in the Triassic carbonate formations within the Silesian-Cracow area are worthy of being stressed here. These no doubt are of world-wide importance. Moreover, recently also an interesting deposit of palyhalites was discovered in the Zechstein formations in the Pomeranian areas, and a new coal basin was found to occur in the Upper Carboniferous formations in the Lublin region.5. As concerns hydrogeological and engineering-geological researches, regional studies were made throughout the entire area of Poland. As a result of these studies numerous maps were published, and a series of examinations were made for the industrial objects being constructed, and for newly discovered deposits.Fig. 7. Presents areas and more important objects investigated from the hydrogeological and engineering-geological points of view.6. Archives with geological documents and those with geological collections, as well as quantities of published text and cartographical elaborations considerably increased (Fig. 8). The Geological Institute has published more than 220 Bulletis including in them 17 specialistic branches of study. Moreover, in Prace there are published papers of monographic character. "Kwartalnik Geologiczny" (Geological quarterly) includes recent results of the geological researches, and geological bibliography of Poland appears once a year. As far as cartographical publications are concerned, numerous serial, regional, general and detailed maps were issued. After the World War II, the Geological Institute published about 600 titles of maps, i.e. more than 1200 sheets, and about 480 volumes, i.e. over 1800 papers. At present, the text publications are thought to correspond to about 8255 sheets.The Geological Institute exchange its publications with over 500 institutions abroad and 80 in the country. The library of the Geological Institute comprises over 145 000 volumes, among them 50 000 books and 95 000 periodicals. The Geological Institute is the greatest geological scientific-research centre in Poland with its 1060 persons, including 480 scientific workers and 400 engineering-technical employees.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Information Management Specialization in Information and Decision Systems ; Electronic Health Record (EHR) portals, also called EHR patient portals, have received great attention and investment at the government level worldwide, like the multi-billion dollar US initiative, named meaningful use program. According to the literature review, there is still a lack of studies that address the topic of understanding why people adopt and use EHR Portals, making this a field of knowledge that requires more research. According to the findings in the literature review the complexity of EHR portals requires having a patient-centred model that should be able to cover additional dimensions related with health behaviour, confidentiality concerns, and innovation drivers. Potential adoption differences between countries with different regulations in their health care systems should also be tested. With this dissertation, we contribute to a better understanding of the factors that lead health care consumers to use and adopt EHR portals. To this end we develop four empirical studies. In the first empirical study (Chapter 3) we tested the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) in Portugal. Being a consumer- centred model, it was important to evaluate its feasibility to study the EHR portals adoption determinants by the health care consumers. Several constructs in the model helped explain the adoption of EHR portals: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and habit. With habit a consumer specific construct from UTAUT2 having the most relevant impact in both behavioural intention and use. UTAUT2 showed its importance as a consumer-focused model identifying the factors that drive health care consumers to use EHR portals. In the second empirical study (Chapter 4) -also tested in Portugal- we extended the UTAUT2 model by adding a health specific construct, self-perception. This construct showed its relevance by being a statistically significant predictor of behavioural intention, demonstrating the usefulness of including a construct derived from the Health Belief Model (HBM), in a technology applied in the field of health care. In the third empirical study (Chapter 5) we performed a cross-country analysis between US and Portugal combining UTAUT2 with the Concern for Information Privacy (CFIP) framework. We made an assessment of the potential differences between the determinants of adoption between the two countries with different health care regulations and health care models. In the US there is no national health system (NHS) coverage and the patients need to have an expensive private insurance or pay directly to the health care provider to have health care support, while in Portugal there is universal health coverage. It was hypothesized and confirmed via the price value construct that the value that the US health care consumers give to a tool like EHR portals is statistically significantly greater than the Portuguese health care consumers. It was also expected that confidentiality concerns in US are greater than in Portugal, due to the less strict regulation in US regarding patient data confidentiality. This was measured by the CFIP framework, but confidentiality concerns were not an issue in either US or Portugal. Social influence, hedonic motivation, and price value were predictors only in the US group. With this study we verified the importance to perform cross-country evaluations when studying EHR portals adoption. In the fourth empirical study (Chapter 6) we used the evidence from the previous empirical studies plus the literature review to propose a new research model that integrates constructs from UTAUT2, HBM, and the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory. In this study, we performed a national survey based on randomly generated mobile phone numbers, when in the previous empirical research, we targeted our sample to educational institutions. We used a two-phase sampling approach. In the first phase, we asked potential respondents if they were users of EHR portals and if yes, if she/he was interested in replying to our main survey (second phase). From this sample regarding the question to identify the users of EHR portals, we obtained 8.6% EHR portals usage in the adult Portuguese population. A relevant contribution from our study to understand the usage of this type of technology at country level. All three theories contributed with constructs that help to understand EHR portals adoption. The final research model obtained the best results from the all of the empirical studies executed in this dissertation with 76.0% of variance explained in behavioural intention and 61.8% of variance explained in use behaviour. In this dissertation's conclusions (Chapter 7), we provide more detailed insights about the overall contributions of this dissertation, managerial implications to develop and implement better EHR portals, limitations and avenues for future research about EHR portals. ; Os Portais de Registo de Saúde Eletrónicos (PRSE), também denominados portais do doente, têm recebido bastante atenção e investimentos a nível governamental em todo o Mundo, tendo como exemplo a iniciativa multibilionária "meaningful use program" nos Estados Unidos da América. De acordo com a revisão da literatura, ainda existe uma lacuna no estudo das razões pelas quais as pessoas adotam e usam os PRSE, fazendo desta uma área de conhecimento que necessita de mais investigação. De acordo com a revisão da literatura, a complexidade dos PRSE, requere um modelo centrado no doente e que seja capaz de cobrir dimensões adicionais relacionadas com o comportamento na saúde, preocupações de confidencialidade e inovação. Potenciais diferenças na adoção entre países com diferentes regulamentações nos sistemas de saúde também deverão ser testadas. Com esta dissertação procuramos contribuir para um melhor conhecimento dos fatores que levam os consumidores na saúde a usar e adotar PRSE. Com este propósito desenvolvemos quatro estudos empíricos. No primeiro estudo empírico (Capítulo 3), testamos em Portugal o modelo de "Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology" (UTAUT2). Sendo um modelo centrado no consumidor, era importante avaliar a sua adequação para estudar os determinantes de adoção dos PRSE pelos consumidores na saúde. Vários fatores no modelo ajudaram a explicar a adoção dos PRSE: expectativa de desempenho, expectativa de esforço, influência social e hábito. Sendo o hábito um fator especifico da área do consumidor do UTAUT2, demonstrou este fator o impacto mais relevante tanto na intenção de uso como no uso efetivo. O UTAUT2 demonstrou a sua importância como um modelo centrado no consumidor, identificando os fatores que influenciam os consumidores na saúde a usarem PRSE. No segundo estudo empírico (Capítulo 4), também testado em Portugal, estendemos o modelo de UTAUT2, adicionando um fator especifico da saúde, auto- perceção. Este fator demonstrou a sua relevância, tendo uma influência estatisticamente significativa sobre a intenção de uso, demonstrando a utilidade de incluir um fator derivado do "Health Belief Model"(HBM), numa tecnologia aplicada à saúde. No terceiro estudo empírico (Capítulo 5), executamos uma análise entre os Estados Unidos da América e Portugal combinando o UTAUT2 e o "Concern For Information Privacy" (CFIP). Foi feita uma avaliação das potenciais diferenças entre os dois países, com diferentes regulamentações e modelos de saúde, no que diz respeito aos determinantes de adoção. Nos Estados Unidos não existe um sistema nacional de saúde e os doentes têm de ter um seguro privado de saúde bastante dispendioso ou pagarem diretamente as suas despesas ao prestador dos cuidados de saúde, por sua vez em Portugal existe uma cobertura universal dos cuidados de saúde. Foi testada e confirmada a hipótese através do fator preço-valor, que nos Estados Unidos da América, o valor que os consumidores na saúde dão aos PRSE é maior do que em Portugal, sendo esta diferença estatisticamente significativa. Também seria esperado que as preocupações com a confidencialidade fossem maiores nos Estados Unidos da América do que em Portugal, devido a uma regulamentação menos restritiva nos Estados Unidos da América relativamente à confidencialidade dos dados clínicos dos doentes. Utilizamos o CFIP para este propósito, no entanto as preocupações relativamente à confidencialidade, não demonstraram ser um problema tanto nos Estados Unidos da América como em Portugal. A influência social, motivação hedónica e preço-valor, foram fatores relevantes apenas nos Estados Unidos da América. Com este estudo, verificamos que é importante fazer comparações entre países para estudar a adoção de PRSE. No quarto estudo empírico (Capítulo 6), utilizamos a evidência dos estudos empíricos anteriores e da revisão da literatura para propor um novo modelo que integra fatores do UTAUT2, HBM e "Diffusion of Innovation" (DOI). Neste estudo foi feita uma sondagem nacional, utilizando uma amostra aleatória de números de telemóvel, enquanto que nos estudos empíricos anteriores, utilizamos amostras obtidas em instituições com fins educacionais. No processo de amostragem utilizamos duas fases. Na primeira fase perguntamos aos inquiridos se eram utilizadores de PRSE e só depois se a reposta fosse afirmativa se estariam interessados em responder ao inquérito principal do estudo (segunda fase). Desta amostragem e relativamente à questão utilizada para identificar utilizadores de PRSE obtivemos 8.6% de uso na população adulta portuguesa. Uma contribuição importante do nosso estudo para o entendimento da utilização deste tipo de tecnologia ao nível de um país. As três teorias contribuíram com fatores que ajudam a compreender a adoção de PRSE. O modelo final obteve os melhores resultados de todos os estudos empíricos desta dissertação com 76.0% da variância explicada em intenção de uso e 61.8% da variância no uso. Nas conclusões desta dissertação (Capítulo 7), é descrito em maior detalhe todas as contribuições desta dissertação, implicações para decisões de gestão relativamente ao desenvolvimento e implementação de melhores PRSE e limitações e novos caminhos de investigação a ser seguidos para os PRSE.

Moving back to the land is, from different perspectives, a fascinating topic that has been on stage since the sixties. Since then, new forms of rurality have become an upcoming phenomenon on the media, still today we often hear of unexpected success of rural entrepreneurs who reinvented their life, they represent their triumph as reaction to market failure and city-life depression. From a sociological point of view, it is an exciting counter-cultural subject. How to study neo-rurality nowadays? Speaking in contemporary terms, we can talk about changes in rurality, taking Rural Social Innovation as our approach. As we'll see, social innovation is as appropriate as ambiguous when it comes to the research implementation, lacking in the specificity of the definition. Therefore, I decided to integrate the conceptual framework with two more solid theoretical approaches: social capital and moral market, which may analytically help understand and investigate the topic. From that, a research question rises, followed by an intense fieldwork. Let's go step by step, starting by introducing the study. a) The topic: Neo-rurality In the first chapter I explain the topic. Rurality studies connect different disciplines: sociology (marginality, mobility, market dynamics); geography (distance and periphery); policies and normative discourse (inner areas and rurality). 'Back-to-the-land' generally refers to the adoption of agriculture as a full-time vocation by people who have come from non-agricultural lifestyles or education. Originated in the 1960s, it situates back-to-the-landers as part of broader counterculture practices (Belasco, 2006). The back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 70s is often framed in relation to general cultural currents that encouraged "dropping out" of mainstream society in search of alternatives. "Multiplying fivefold between 1965 and 1970" writes Belasco (1989: 76) of communal back-to-the-land projects, "3,500 or so country communes put the counterculture into group practice". During the 1970s, the "protestant neo-ruralism" (neoruralismo protestatario, Merlo, 2006) conceives rural areas as the place where an alternative way of life can be experienced through the creation of an alternative agricultural production process. That approach refuses completely the Green Revolution (GR) paradigm (Shiva, 2016). Later, the development of alternative agricultural production was embedded in the agro-ecological paradigm, then absorbed by the global industrial system through the creation of organic certifications. Such a process of integration has developed a new critical reflection on food production and market relations. Neo-rurality is the frame that collects different approaches which are changing rural areas on different levels. It calls for attention to the relation between environmental issues, rural crisis and territorial issues (Ferraresi, 2013). Neo-rural farmers try a new model that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, protects biodiversity and promotes local quality food. In fact, production of quality food is key for the activation of practices and community relationships within the horizon of agro-ecological values. In Italy, pioneers of the alternative movements came from different backgrounds: the radical left, the ecologist movement and the anti-conformist or alternative movements. Also, a pioneering phase was characterized by a multiplicity of regional-level and often unconnected initiatives (Fonte, Cucchi, 2015). Ferraresi (2013) describes 'Neo-rurality' as a new, social and complex economy. Born partly in response to expansion of industrial food and partly due to the survival of some systems that resisted to conversion, we see emerging new or resurgent forms of production, trade and consumption, latterly conceptualised by academics as 'Alternative Agro-Food Networks' (AAFNs) or 'Alternative Food Networks' (AFNs). Movements become key players in the definition of new market places (Friedmann, 2005). Food movements act as an engine of awareness in consumption, and address issues that are core for social and media consensus, for instance health, environment, quality of life (Goodman, 1999), and also social justice and fair trade (Elzen et al., 2010). A second important effect of AAFNs is the empowerment of consumers, a leverage on citizenship action for the transformation of consumption behaviours into political action (Goodman, DuPuis, 2002). Exponents of neo-rural economy, as part of AAFNs, have promoted participation in alternative infrastructures contrasting the conventional market system, developing specific organisational forms, negotiating new forms of collaborative economy (Kostakis, Bauwens, 2014). They thus blur the distinction between public sphere and private sphere (Tormey, 2007). The AAFNs, as shown in the article by Murano and Forno (2017), has three main drivers shaping the form of development of this type of collective action: 1. Greater citizen awareness around economic, social and environmental sustainability issues; 2. The loss of purchasing power within important portions of the middle class, due to the increasing unemployment rates following the recession which started in 2007-2008; 3. General loss of meaning, due to the consumerism and the depletion of social relations, along with the decoupling of GDP growth and happiness (as suggested by the paradox Easterlin, 1974), people's search for a meaning in their life (Castells, Caraça, Cardoso, 2012) which seems to have been lost in a consumer society threatened by an economic, environmental and social crisis (D'Alisa et al., 2015). Tradition of local governance studies focuses on central areas, hi-tech districts, city-regions, overlooking the role of less industrialized areas, that actually represent two thirds of Italy. Northern Italy has been considered as a cluster of industrial development. Given current globalization forces, taking for granted recent government interest in undeveloped areas, inner areas have a stake in getting involved in wider market dynamics and renewed resources. An important contribution to the EU debate on territorial marginalisation has been provided by the Italian government's innovative approach to 'Inner Areas' (DPS, 2014). The government mapped all municipalities and categorized them according to their degree of remoteness from services, consistently with criteria that the debate on Foundational Economy indicates as key factors of spatial (in)justice. The emerging picture offers a polycentric connotation of the Italian territory. The geography of the inner peripheries includes mountain and coastal areas, as well as hilly and lowland areas, but provides no conclusive evidence to establish correlations between morphological conditions and degree of remoteness. The second chapter is dedicated to theoretical approaches: Rural Social Innovation, Social Capital and Sociology of Markets. b) Rural Social Innovation The neo-rurality phenomenon is strictly connected to Rural Social Innovation. Social innovation is a term on everyone's lips, indicating change and development, including social effects. Social Innovation is not specifically mentioned in literature on regional development, but in the more nuanced models we find that most important features are trust among actors, informal ties and untraded interdependencies between actors, which are key factors determining positive differentials in economic performance. Rural Social Innovation is helpfully used in many studies (Bock, 2012). Still, even though it is currently a very relevant phenomenon, Social Innovation itself is a critic concept, it is both one of the most common and ant the most unclear concepts nowadays. Because of its credits to local development, social networks and economic outcomes, I decided to use two more analytical sociological concepts to understand the phenomenon: social capital and sociology of markets. c) Social Capital Individuals generally pursue major life events—marriage, occupational choice—as part of a social network or group. As an exemplum, engaging in the creation of a new firm is generally done in a network of social relationships (Aldrich, 2005; Reynolds, 1991; Thornton, 1999); in that sense entrepreneurship can be considered a social phenomenon, rather than solely one of individual career choice. Social capital is a conscious use of embeddedness, the use of relations and resources for a purpose. According to Coleman (1988), social capital is defined by its function. It is not a single entity but a variety of different entities, with two elements in common: they all consist of some aspects of social structures, and they facilitate certain actions of actors within the structure. Coleman refers to the social structure that enables access to resources. Additionally, we can also recall Bourdieu, who sees social capital as the aggregate of actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance or recognition. And Putnam pointing at three components: moral obligation and norms; social values (trust); and social networks (voluntary association). d) Sociology of Markets The structure of markets can be reduced to its minimal components, that are a buyer and two sellers which compete according to some defined rules (Aspers, 2006b). Relations among actors can be of exchange, as between buyers and sellers, or of competition, as between producers. In the structure of markets, people also mobilize beliefs, ethics, values and views of the common good to talk about the effects of market processes (Boltanski, Thevenot, 2006). As pointed in the recent book published by Granovetter "Society and Economy" (2017:28) The fact that people seek simultaneously economic and non-economic goals is an unprecedented challenge for that economic analysis that focuses only on one of the two horns, as for sociology that focuses only on the other. Current theories of action in social sciences offer little knowledge of how individuals mix these goals. We can therefore recall Zelizer (2007) highlighting that economists and sociologists face a common presumption: the twinned stories of separate spheres and hostile worlds. Separate spheres indicate a distinction between two arenas, one for rational economic activity, a sphere of calculation and efficiency, and one for personal relations, a sphere of sentiment and solidarity. The companion doctrine of hostile worlds affirms that contact between the spheres generates contamination and disorder: economic rationality degrades intimacy, and close relationships obstruct efficiency. Moral economy is based on this attack on the common presumption. According to these considerations on ways that shape relationships and market, the main question that rises is: "Are values and social relationship separate from the market?". e) The Research During my PhD studies I worked on an answer to this question. In the third chapter I present the case of alternative agro-food movements and neo-rurality in urban and inner areas in the region of Campania (southern Italy). The study is based on qualitative research design, composed of fieldwork and interviews, undertaken in Campania during 2014-2016, where inner and central areas are the scenery of innovative development processes, founded on structural and territorial resources, as well as on individual and social capitals. Here I present you with a quote from an Italian journalist, Alessandro Leogrande, recalling the most important anthropologist of southern Italy, Ernesto Demartino: In a complex society, old elements and new elements continue to coexist, traits of modernity and traits of archaisms, pre-Christian segments and post-Christian segments, or entirely de-Christianised ones. It seems to me that the [Italian] South of these years, precisely in the light of a Demartino's analysis, fully returns the overlapping of these various layers. (Leogrande, 2016) I wish you a pleasant journey throughout my pages, at the discovery of neo-rural dynamics in southern Italy, a special place for meeting contradictions, traces of ancient and futuristic art, holy and desacralized behaviours, traditional and innovative practices.

The Biden administration continues to deny any connections between the war in Gaza and the ongoing conflicts involving U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The White House's position that these are all unrelated conflicts that are just cropping up at the same time can't be squared with the evidence showing that the war in Gaza has fueled regional instability and violence, including the recent drone attack by an Iraqi militia that killed three American service members and injured more than 40 at a base in Jordan earlier this week.As much as the administration might want to keep the conflict confined to Gaza, the truth is that it has spread to several other countries. It is a disservice to the American people and to American military personnel to pretend that U.S. support for the war in Gaza hasn't already had serious negative consequences for regional stability and for American forces in the region when it clearly has.When he was asked about this "same, larger conflict" at a press conference on Wednesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed any link between Gaza and the U.S. fight with the Houthis or the back-and-forth strikes between local militias and U.S. forces."I absolutely don't agree with your description of the same, larger conflict. There's a conflict going on between Israel and Hamas…and we're going to make sure that we continue to get Israel the support that they need to defend themselves against this still viable threat," Kirby said. "There were attacks on our troops and facilities in Iraq and Syria well before the seventh of October, certainly in the last administration as well. As for the Houthis, they can claim all they want that this is linked to Gaza, but two-thirds of the ships that they're hitting have no connection to Israel whatsoever. So it's just not true, it's a falsehood."Kirby's answer is misleading and false. The umbrella group in Iraq that claimed responsibility for the attack in Jordan, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, explicitly stated that its attack was connected to the war in Gaza. The Houthi leadership has been emphatic that their attacks will continue for as long as the war does. The decision of other actors to jump on a cause's bandwagon may be cynical or not, but there is no denying that they have jumped on the bandwagon.Refusing to face the reality of the connections between these conflicts guarantees that the U.S. will pursue ineffective and counterproductive policies by ignoring that the key to defusing regional tensions is to bring the war in Gaza to an end as quickly as possible.Kirby did not mention that militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria had ceased for several months prior to October 7 because of the understanding that the U.S. and Iran had reached in connection with the prisoner exchange deal. It was only after October 7 that those attacks resumed and then increased to record levels. Local militias have additional reasons of their own for targeting U.S. forces that predate the war, but there is no way to understand the intensity of the attacks in recent months or their cessation during the pause in fighting in Gaza last year without recognizing that they are linked to Israel's war.The same goes for the Houthi attacks. The Houthis did not launch a campaign against commercial shipping during their war with the Saudi coalition, so this is not something that they have usually done since seizing power in 2014. The first Houthi attacks after October 7 were aimed at Israel itself. The Houthis shifted tactics to targeting commercial vessels, but it was clear that they were doing so in response to the war. No doubt the Houthis are acting opportunistically and are launching these attacks partly to bolster their own political fortunes in Yemen, but that doesn't change the reality that these attacks are happening now because of the war in Gaza. If that's true, it also seems reasonable to conclude that the attacks against shipping could be ended with a ceasefire there as well.The Biden administration has strong political incentives to deny links between these different conflicts. If they acknowledge a link, that makes it harder for them to justify their unconditional backing for Israel's war because of the greater costs involved. It also undermines their argument for military action in Yemen against the Houthis. The White House needs Americans to think that the costs of continued support for the war are lower than they are, and they also need Americans to buy that the strikes on Yemen aren't related to their stubborn opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza. Now that there are American fatalities from an Iraqi militia attack, the administration wants to compartmentalize each conflict so that the American people won't conclude that U.S. soldiers are being killed because of a foreign war that the president chose to support without conditions.The administration insists that it wants to prevent a regional war, but that won't be successful if it fails to recognize the relationships between Israel's campaign and what is happening elsewhere in the Middle East. Denying the link with Gaza in Yemen has already led to the blunder of escalation against the Houthis. That has done nothing to make commercial shipping more secure, but it has drawn the U.S. into another unnecessary, open-ended fight. The president is on the verge of making a similar mistake in response to the drone attack in Jordan.The U.S. can choose to entangle itself ever deeper in Middle Eastern conflicts as it is doing now, or it can recognize the futility and folly of going down the same dead-end road it has traveled before. If Washington wants to avoid involvement in new conflicts, it must reject the path of escalation and it must stop fueling the war in Gaza that is one of the chief drivers of regional instability.In the longer term, the U.S. needs to reduce its military footprint in the region to make it harder for other actors to hit American forces, and it needs to reassess and significantly cut back on its client relationships. The public deserves an honest accounting of what our government is doing in the Middle East and why, and right now the White House isn't providing anything close to that. If the president won't change course, the very least that he can do is level with the American people about the full costs of continuing down the dangerous path that he has chosen.