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Issue 13.6 of the Review for Religious, 1954. ; Review for Religious NOVEMBER 15, 1954 Xaverian Pioneers . Brother Alois Address to Mothers General Arcadio Larraona ' Psychology .and Judging Others . Just November~r Always7 . Sister Mar~ Joseph N. Tylenda News and Views Book Reviews Communications Questions and Answers A Good Superior Index for 19S4 VOLUME XIII NUMBER 6 REVIEW FOR RELIGIO.US VOLUME XlII NOVEMBER, 1954 NUMBER CONTENTS XAVERIAN PIONEERS---Brother Alois, C.F.X .2.81 SOME SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS . 289 A GOOD SUPERIOR . 290 VOCATIONAL LITERATURE REQUESTED . 296 ADDRESS TO MOTHERS GENERAL-- Most Reverend Arcadlo Larraona, C.M.F. 297 OUR CONTRIBUTORS . 305 FATHER LARRAONA'S ADDRESS. . 306 FAMILY DAY . 306 THAT 'JUDGING OTHERS' HABIT IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY~ister Mary, I.H.M .307 NEWS AND VIEWS-- American Founders' Series; Congress in Canada; Notre Dame, 1953 310 JUST NOVEMBER---OR ALWAYS?~oseph N. Tylenda, S.J. 311 COMMUNICATIONS . ~ . 315 BOOK REVIEWS-- The Promised Woman; Pio Nono; These Came Home; Mediaeval Mystical Tradition and Saint 3ohn of the Cross . 317 BOOK'. ANNOUNCEMENTS . 321 NOTICE FOR PUBLISHERS . 324 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-- 31. Establishing Dowry after Solemn Profession . 325 32. Plenary Indulgence "in the form of a Jubilee" . . 325 33. Relatives on General Council . 326 34. Mistress of Novices as General Councilor ." . . . 327 35. Retaining Office because of New Constitutions . 327 36. Books on Obedience . 328 INDEX FOR 1954 . 332 REVIEW FOR R~LIGIOUS, November, 1954. Vol. XIIL No. 6. Published bi-monthly: January, March, May, Ju!y, September, and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January 15, 1942, at the Post Office. Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March 3, 1879. Editorial Board: Augustine G. Ellard, S.J., Adam C. Ellis, S.J. Gerald Kelly, S.J., Francis N. Korth, S.J. Copyright, 1954, by Adam C. Ellis, S.J. Permission is hereby granted for quota-tions of reasonable length, provided due cre~tit be given this review and the author. Subscription price: 3 dollars a year: 50 cents a copy. printed in U. S. A. Before writing to us, please consult notice on Inside beck cover. Xaverian Pioneers Brother A1ois, C.F.X. THE motto ,,o,f the Xaverian Brothers, Concordia res parvae crescunt--by harmony little things grow"--has been so perfectly fulfilled and demonstrated in [the history of the con-gregation that it is difficult to signal out o,ne Brother who was in any large way responsible for the growth ~f the order. It had no Saint Francis or Saint Bernard to attract !followers by the very force of his magnetic sanctity, no counterp.art of Mother Cabrini or Saint Teresa to solve financial difficultie~ with a holy wizardry and bring forth numerous foundations at ithe touch of his wand of faith. Theodore Ryken (Brother Francis Xavier), the founder of the institute, was indeed a man of gr~at holiness and of the deepest faith. To him alone must be the hqnor and glory for hav-ing conceived the idea of the Brotherhood land having brought it into actuality despite difficulties that wer~ unusually great even when compared with the hardships religio~,s founders have gener-ally met. But it cannot be said that he large!y influenced the growth of the congregation. In the plan of God tl~e very existence of the new foundation was insecure as long as Brother Francis Xavier ruled it and it became firmly established onl~r after BroW:her Vincent had succeeded him as superior general. The growth and spirit of the congregation can really be accredited only to a cooperative ef-fort. Down through the years and even n'ow it has been and is difficult to select many Xaverians who stan~d out from the others. Yet the body religious has achieved a certain prominence and has developed a particular spirit of~ Which it can be proud¯ Still it cannot be said that like a spiritual Topsy the Xaverian Brothers just grew. In this centennial year ih America the members of the congregation pay tribute not only to~ the group but also to some specific predecessors¯ And characterlstxcally most of the honor ~ . goes tO tWO heroic souls who were outstanding for neither their learning nor influence nor high positions no~ great achievements but only because they were holy, humble, obedi,ent, and loyal: Brother Francis Dondorf and Brother Stephen ~Sommer. To understand these men we must re)giew the not-too-well-known story of the foundation of the congregation. Theodore James Ryken was born in Elshout, North Brabant, 281 BROTHER ALOIS Review for Religious Holland, in 1797. Left an orphan at an early age he was brought up by a.pious uncle who instilled into theboy's character a great zeal for souls. He seems always to have been drawn to the work of Christian education, for he worked in his native land as a cate-chist and a lay.teacher in an orphanage. In 1828 Mr. Ryken entered th~ Trappist monastery at Stras-bourg, France, but in 1829 the monks there had to disband and abandon their monastery because of the anticlerical laws of the time. He did not choose to return to Holland for a long period, however, fo~ in 1831 he journeyed to America, planning to act as a lay cate-chist in this country. What he did during all of his three-year stay in the United States has not been completely established. We do know from extant letters that he spent at least three months work-ing with the renowned missionary Father Stephen Baden among the Potawatomi in the area around what is now South Bend. In private papers left by Brother Ignatius, th~ founder's first' disciple, we learn that Mr. Ryken supported himself at one time by work-ing as a porter on a lumber barge, carrying planks from dawn until dusk; at another time he sold oil as a street peddler in New York City. At still another time he served as an attendant on a bishop, probably Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati. In private papers that he left Brother Ignatius sums up this period thus: "Though his vicissitudes were many and great, he still took delight in structing those about him in the truths and practices of our Holy Religion whenever a favorable opportunity presented itself." The Founding Seeing the great need for Catholic teachers, Mr. Ryken con-ceived the idea of a brotherhood devoted to this work. He returned to Belgium and laid his plans before Bishop Boussen of Bruges. The latter favored the idea but seems to have required the founder to get the approval of the American bishops, because in 1837 Mr. Ryken again went to the United States for that purpose. In six months he had obtained letters of. approval from seven members of the American hierarchy and several prominent priests and he re-turned with these to Europe. He journeyed to Rome and from Pope Gregory XVI he obtained a blessing on his p~oposed foun-dation. He then went to Bruges, secured the necessary episcopal approval, and entered the novitiate of the Redemptor!sts at Saint Trond to prepare himself for his work. At the end of his probationary period the Redemptorists re- 282 November, 195~ XAVERIAN PIONEERS ported.favorably on Mr. Ryken's fitness, and on June 5, 1839, he established himself in a house on Ezel Street in Bruges and began to seek disciples. This date is celebrated as Fo'undation Day. But for a year Mr. Ryken was a founder without an order. Then on June 9, 1840, one, Anthony Melis, joined him and, as Brother Ig-natius, was always considered by the founder as his eldest son. But growth continued to be slow; in 1842 there were seven members, in 1846 only ten. In the original plan he drew for the foundation of the order, Mr. Ryken had innocently written: "Ten or twelve months after the foundation of the Congregation in Belgium, one of the Brothers is to proceed to America to prepare the house, buy ground and ar-range everything for the arrival of the first Brothers sent to Amer-ica . " Those "ten or twelve months" were actually to extend to fifteen years before the aim of the order could begin to be realized, but in the long meantime Ryken's faith, courage, and determination wavered not a bit. Brother Ignatius gives us a picture of the destitution the little group endured. "House furniture of any kind and the merest home comfortg were luxuries they enjoyed not. Even the very necessaries of life were sometimes wanting. The floor was for some time their only bed, old clothes their covering; an old deal box, their table; old bed-sheets, their curtains; and an empty, stove their winter's warmth." The founder made shoes to. obtain some income but for the most part they existed entirely on charity. They lived in an unpaid-for house hourly expecting eviction. The free school they opened in 1840 prospered but only added t.o the financial burden. Bitter criticism and strong opposition even from quarters where they had a right to expect encouragement added to the difficulties. Yet the band did grow. Another primary school was opened at Bruges and men were sent to a normal school at Saint Trond for professiohal training. In 1848 a school was opened in Bury, England, not to take the place of the American mission but be-cause Catholic education in England at that time was a true mis-sionary work and because the Brothers could improve their English there before being sent to America. In 1853 the Bishop of Louisville, Kentucky, Martin John Spalding, visited the Bishop of Bruges and through him met Brother Francis Xavier Ryken. Learning of his desire to send men to the United States, the Bishop contracted then and there for six 283 BROTHER ALOIS Reoieto [or Religious Brothers to teach in the parochial schools of Louisville. But when the Brothers reached Louisville they found that all their previous training in enduring hardships, and more, was needed to withstand the difficulties they encountered in the new country. Here they met a new kind of opposition, bigotry. Anti-Catholicism, instigated and spread by the "Know-nothings" and members of kindred organizations, was strong and active. In Louisville the fanatics who a year later, on August 5, 1855, were to instigate the terrible riots that resulted in the butchering of twenty-two Catholics and the burning of numerous Catholic homes, were thoroughly aroused by the coming to the city of these six mysterious-looking foreigners. Reports were circulated and even published in the news-papers that these men had come to train up an army to wage a bloody war on Protestants, that they had ammunition and arms stored in" their school. A thorough search of the place was demanded. After hiding their altar vessels in a cemetery, the Brothers dispersed. and lived a while with private families. Only after their school and living quarters were ransacked and the utter simplicity of their mode of life was proved to even the most fanatic opponent, could they reassemble. In contracting for the Brothers' services, Bishop Spalding had agreed to pay one hundred and thirty dollars a year for each Brother. This proved to be too little and it was impossible to get more; hence after four years the Brothers had to be recalled. But because funds were not available for passage for all and because--so tradi-tion goes--they were the most expendable, Brother Francis Don-doff and Brother Stephen Sommer were left in Louisville. Brother Francis That Brother Francis Dondorf was a Xaverian Brother was a miracle of grace--a flood of grace that attracted him to a very unat-tractive institute when he could have joined many more promising ones, and which maintained and developed that attraction when even the congregation itself misunderstood and rejected him. He was born in 1816 in Aix-la-Chapelle. His family was well off; his home and school training were good. At twenty-six he held a good position in the post office of his native city. But his heart was not at rest and he prayed for light to know what God had in store for him. Always most devoted to the Blessed Sacra-. ment, he was accustomed to make a visit when he passed a church. One day in 1842 on leaving the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle after 284 November, 1954 XAVERIAN PIONEERS one of these visits he struck up .a conversation with another man leaving at the same time. This was Brother Ignatius, Theodore Ryken'g first disciple, sent by him to Catholic- centers to seek re-cruits. As a result of this providential meeting, Francis Dondorf shortly after presented himself to the founder seeking admission to the new congregation. He was accepted and, following a pro-bationary period of a year and a half, received the habit on Easter of 1844. For two years Brother Francis attended the normal school at Saint Trond but was recalled then because of a shortage of teach-ers at Bruges. With Ryken and nine others he pronounced his temporary vows on October 22, 1846, but. when these vows ex-pired he was considered by the founder to be unsuitable for the life and told to leave the congregation. What later proved to be char-acteristic unobtrusiveness in community had been taken as morose-ness; what was only inexperience was judged to be lack of ability in the classroom. Grief-stricken, but with a wonderful courage and an unslackened devotion to and love for the congregatio.n, Fran-cis Dondorf returned home. Resolutely he enrolled at the normal school at Langenhorst in Rhenish Prussia to fit himself for his chosen and determined vocation. Two years later, without previous arrangement, he presented himself again to the founder for readmis-sion. He was accepted and pronounced his perpetual vows on De-cember 3, 1853. The next July he was chosen as one of the pioneer band emigrating to America. Brother Stephen Brother Stephen was born andreared in Attendorn, Westphalia. At fifteen he was apprenticed to a tailor and after four years took up that trade in Muenster. Attracted to youth work, even then, he formed a club for the young men of his area. He interested others in the work and they formed similar groups in other cities. Their achievements came to the attention of a priest, Father Adolph Kolp-ing, who offered to take over the direction of the work. The well-known and widespread Kolping Institute grew from this beginning. A chance reading of a newspaper story of the taking of vows by the founder of a new education society,in Bruges was the instru-ment of grace that awoke in Stephen Sommer a desire to make a like immolation of himself. He pondered the decision prayerfully for a year and at length applied for admission. He was accepted and arrived at Bruges on December 8, 1848, a very significant.date in view of his deep love of and abiding devotion to Our Blessed 285 BROTHER ALOIS Revleu~ for Religious Mother. He received the habit on April 2, 1850, and pronounced his vows on February 2, 18521 A man of great humility, Brother Stephen at first gave no ~n-. dication of the keen mind he possessed and was put to work as a tailor. The discoverer.of his intellectual ability--so the story goes-- was by one of those incidents that seem to be repeated in the histgry of every religious order. He was scrubbing a floor one day when two Brothers who were unable to solve a mathematical problem asked him jokingly whether he could help them. He arose from his knees, quickly and nonchalantly solved the problem, and returned to his menial work. When Brother Francis Xavier was informed of the incident, Brother Stephen was enrolled immediately at the normal school. In 1854 he was not chosen to accompany the band that set out for America but in 1856, when one of the original six died in Louisville, Brother Stephen was sent as a replacement. However, after Brother Stephen had left Bruges, the founder had written to Louisville recalling two of the men. The letter ar-rived before Brother Stephen and when he got there he found only three where he had expected five. Then, in 1858, because of the im-possibility of getting an increase in the annual, salary, two more Brothers were recalled. Brother Stephen and Brother Francis were assigned to Immaculate Conception school. They took up their abode in two small rooms at the rear of the classrooms and settled themselves to carry on in the face of any difficulties that could present themselves and for as long as obedience required them. For two years these valiant souls held the fort alone. Both humble, quiet, prayerful men, they must have been a pleasing sight in the eyes of heaven as they went through.their daily spiritual ex-ercises, did their househoId chores, cooked and ate their meager re-pasts, prepared their lessons and taught their classes. Heroically ig-noring every cause of discouragement; steadfastly resisting those who tried to persuade them to cast themselves off from the European foundation, which was precarious in itself and so very distant, and to join the priesthood or another band of Brothers; humbly living on the charity of a kind curate of the parish, they kept burning the flame of Xaverianism in America. In 1860 the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish visited Bruges to try to obtain an addition to the.community of two which was doing such fine work at his school. Brother Francis Xavier had by this time handed over the reins of government of the congrega- 286 No~embet', 1954 XAVER/)kN PIONEERS tion. By offering a salary of two hundred and fifty dollars a year instead of the one hundred and thirty, the priest won Brother Vin-cent's, promise of eight more Brothers; and soon these set out for the new land. It does not require much power of imagination to picture the joy of Brothers Francis and Stephen when they were again united with their Brothers in Christ. God was good, their faith had been justifie!! As His instruments they had labored as He saw fit, and great things could now come of His work. Of course a great new day did not dawn bright and clear at once. The Brothers still had to undergo numerous hardships. The ten of them, with several additions that came later, lived in ex-tremely cramped and poor quarters for four years. Knowing that financial conditions in Bruges were worse (in twenty years not a cent had been paid on the mother house), they made every sacrifice to save. Their usqal lunch was coffee and bread with molasses. They fasted on non-school days. Ultimately they were able to send to Brother Vincent the money needed to establish the congregation firml~ in its birthplace. On March 19, 1861, Michael Sullivan (later Brother 3oseph) entered the congregation as the first American postu-lant. 3ohn Quill (Brother 3ohn) entered before the year was over and others followed. Never startling, the growth nevertheless con-tinued steady. Brother Francis lived thirty-two years in religion; Brother Ste-phen sixty-six. They both had terms as novice master, but in those days that was hardly more than a side line. Brother Stephen, for instance, besides being novice master, was house tailor and a full-time teacher, too! They were both very successful teachers in class and in community. But it was their example as religious that, as far as we can judge, bad its greatest effect and for which they are held most in esteem in the congregation today. Closing Years Brother Francis was a stern character. One of the Brothers who taught with him as a young man tolff how, as they walked the half mile to school every morning, Brother Francis would ask him how he intended to teach his classes that day, would give him valu-able suggestions on the lessons, and supply him with anecdotes on 'the subjects involved. As a man of prayer and recollection he spoke only when good would be the result. In fact the Brother used to tell how a little, boy who had frequently seen them pass hollered one 287 BROTHER ALOIS Review for Religious day: "Look! that old man and his son never talk!" In class he was a model of efficient activity. Outside of class his only pleasure was in more work. On both Saturdays and Sun-days he gathered his boys for Mass just as he did on school days. The only difference was that Sodality and games rather than classes filled in the remaining time of the week-end days. He possessed a. good voice and delighted in teaching the boys hymns and songs, not.for the music's sake but because he loved the hymns and had a fund of songs that inculcated virtue and lauded goodness. Brother Francis, we are told, grew always in that love and de-votion to the Blessed Sacrament which we saw was the occasion of his first contact with a Xaverian Brother. In chapel he was an inspiration to all; after Holy Communion so rapt in love was he that he almost seemed to be in ecstacy. In. singing hymns the deep devotion of his soul was evident in his sincere voice, his intense expression, in the tears that frequently flowed down his cheeks. The Blessed Sacrament was the core of his existence, and the Brothers spoke often of how their own devotion to the Eucharist increased through just living with him. Like Brother Francis, Brother Stephen had a passion for work. A little man, weighing less than a hundred pounds, he nevertheless was always active. Even at the age of eighty-six he was the treasurer and bookkeeper for the large community in Louisville; he had charge of the bookstore of the high school and was tailor as well--"tailor" meaning not only that he repaired all the Brothers' clothing but made their habits too. This latter duty he had for fifty-one years in Louis-ville, Performing the tasks far into the night after a full day of teach-ing, paper-correcting, and lesson-planning. He was tenderly devoted to our Blessed Mother. One had only to see him recite her rosary or say her office to realize his heart was consumed with love for her. It is said that at the mention of her name such a look suffused his face that one would think he really saw her in glory. Brother Stephen possessed an excellent memory until the time of his death. He was extremely modest, refusing always to acknowl-edge he had done anything great in the obedience he had performed. Above all he was humble. Even as an old man past eighty, when-ever he thought he had been uncharitable to another he would kneel in the dining room before meals and publicly accuse himself and ask pardon of the one he thought he offended. Scrupulously conscious 288 No~ember, 1954 X&VERIAN PIONEERS of his vow of poverty, he opposed any innovation that smacked of luxury or worldliness. Even on his deathbed he was so distressed at the use of an electric fan which the Brothers rented to offset the terrible Louisville heat that it had to be sent back. He. objected, too, to a screenthey put in the window, fearing he would suffer in p,ur-gatory for the softness it indicated. He wanted to die as be had lived, a poor man of prayer. And so he did, breathing his last on September 19, 1911, revered by all as a saint. Brother Julian, the historian of the American Province of the Xaverian Brothers from whose work most of the information here is taken, fittingly sums ~ap the work of these two pioneers: "With the knowledge of saints, Brothers Francis and Stephen knew that God works silently and slowly: that perseverance in a cause, holy in itself, must bring success in time if faith but dominates the works. Today proclaims that they were right; and the present success and standing of the Community in AmeEca may be traced to these two holy men, who had naught but faith to sustain them, but hav-ing that had all that was necessary." (Men arid Deeds, by Brother Julian, C.F.X. [Macmillan, New York, 1930], p. 20.) SOME SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Some twenty years have n.ow elapsed since Father T. L. Bouscaren, S.J., pub-lished the first volume of Canon Law Digest. The purpose of this work was t~ present the busy priest with all the official decisions on matters pertaining in some way to the canons in the Code of Canon Law and to present these in readable Eng-lish. The material was arranged in the order of the canons, and everything w~is carefully indexed and--wherever useful-~cross-indexed. After the publication of Volume I, supplements were published periodically: and finally, about ten years after the appearance of the first volume, the second ~,ol-ume was published. This second volume contained not only the material of the supplements but other new material as well. It is a pleasure for us to announce that Volume III of this interesting and valu-able collection of documents is now available. (Bruce: Milwaukee, 1954 Pp. xii+ 762. $11.) A special feature of this new volume is that it contains cumulatioo "indices, both chronological and general, of all three volumes. For religious, in par-ticular, we might note that the present volume contains the complete texts of the Allocution of Pope Plus XII on the religious life (Dec. 8, 1950), the quinquen-nial report, and the annual report. It also contains the text, without the foot-notes, of the Apostolic Constitution Sponsa Christi, together with the "General Statutes for Nuns" that were included in the papal document and the Instruction of the Sacred Congregation of Religious "for putting into practice the Constitu-tion Sponsa Christi.'" These are merely indications of the valuable material con-tained in the present volume of Canon Law Digest. (Continued on Page 306) 289. A ood perior ]N our March number (.pp. 61-62) we suggested that superiors and subjects pool their experiences regarding things that they had found to be of genuine help in the proper governing of a religious community. Response to this suggestion was very slow; and even up to this time we have hardly begun to get what we really wanted. Yet we have had some responses: one in the form of actual experiences, and two in the form of suggestions to print por-tions of notes that were found to be particularly helpful. We are publishing these now, with the hope of stimulating further re-sponses. A. Tributes of~ a diocesan communitg to a former superior general: Two years ago death claimed one of our sisters. She had been ~uperior general (for twelve years), mistress of novices, and a local' superior in our young diocesan community. We .asked our sisters to send us tributes to c6mpile a memory book, to be signed or not as preferred. ~ The traits that made this sister a successful superior, to judge by frequent mention in the tributes, were: Her kindness and under-standing, her personal interest in each individual, her respect for con-t~ dences, her punctuality and observance of rule, her sense of humor, her personal neatness. The following are some extracts from the sisters' tributes: "She was always keenly interested in every detail of the mis-sions, and she never forgot to ask about any of our dear ones at home who were iII or unfortunate. How she could remember about such details was amazing when one recalls how busy and overbur-dened with cares she was, and it shows the love and tenderness of her heart. "No matter how busy Mother was she wa~ always ready to listen to any 6f us--at any hour--when we approached her with problems and difficulties. Her words of comfort and encouragement have helped man~ a one over trying times. When an apology was made for taking up her time, she said, 'My time is for my sisters first of all.' " . . . "For various reasons Mother will ever be an inspiration, to me. Her great spirit of self-forgetfulness, her resignation and calm-ness in meeting with trials, and her great courage in facing diffi- 290 November, 1934 A GOOD SUPERIOR culties will be an incentive to all the sisters who wish to imitate her virtues ahd to some extent her great zeal for the honor and glory of God. "Her love and admiration for perfection in church music and singing will also be an inspiration to the sisters who appreciate the privilege and opportunity of practicing or teaching sacred music and liturgical chant. "Mother fully understood the meaning of the words, 'There is a time for work, and a time for play,' for she ever took a keen interest in the sisters' recreations, adding much to them herself. Indeed, her cheerfulness and hearty laughs would help make a sister forget her little trials and helped many a one to go back to her duties with new courage and vigdr." . . . "Nothing was too small for Mother's attention and consider-ation. When a sister had any kind of problem, she could feel that Mother would be sympathetic and would tell her candidly what she thought was best. She always showed the greatest prudence and discretion in each individual case and did not attempt to destroy what God and nature had begun, but tried to build upon it and perfect it." . . : "Mother was a shining example to us. In all her trials she set us an example to smile an'd be cheerful no matter what troubles we had. She practiced a holy resignation and child-like trust in God. It-was when the angel of death visited us and took from us one of our family that she showed her true spirit of charity and sympathy. In her conversation she would talk to you just the same as if they were her own." . . . "What I liked most in Mother was her interest in each siste) and her work. She was always ready and willing to listen to a tale of woe and sometimes made you laugh at. yourself. Her love for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament was clearly shown in the manner in which she prayed; and to listen to her read the medi-tation aloud was a real incentive to devotion to all." . . . "Thoughtfulness is a virtue that everyone admires. I think Mother's life Was a shining example of thoughtfulness. She never forgot nor overlooked the simple, little things. She seemed to take a personal interest in even the unimportant things about the sisters' life. She always remembered to ask about loved ones who were. absent or ill. She never gave the impression of being too busy with more important things to bother with a.ny sister's small worries. 291 A GOOD SUPERIOR Rewiew [or Religious "Her meticulous observance of the rule was ever a source of' admiration to me, while her soul-searching gaze filled me with awe and reverence." . . . "Mother had a most profound respect, for the encyclicals of the Holy Father; and her thoughtful treatment of all employees estab-lished good customs in the community. A man who had ~vorked for her years ago made the following statement: 'When I began working for the sisters I came in a borrowed suit; Mother bought me a shirt to go on duty. She had confidence in.me; she taught me to have confidence in myself and made me feel that I could be a success in life if I really wanted to be. I hope I will always feel that she would be proud of me.' " B. From the notes of a priest, experienced as a superior and retreat-director: 1. Obedience:- Superiors interpret the will of God to their subjects: this is a fundamental tenet of the religious life. When speaking to subjects, therefore, we always insist on the necessity of both exterior and interior obedience. But when speaking to su-periors we must insist on this: "Since your subjects must see ir~ you the representative of God, see to it above all tbing~ that you do not make this unreasonably difficult. Your conduct should be always edifying and above reproach, and your orders should be such as you have prayerfully concluded to be the will of God, not an ill-considered whim of your own. Christ said to Pilate: 'Thou wouldst have no authority over me if it had not been given thee from above'--meaning: the authority you have is not to be used independently, at your good pleasure; but it is given to you by God as a sacred trust." 2. Primac~j of the spiritual:--The chief duty of the superior is, in and through his government, to maintain the spirit of the institute, the .faithful observance of the Rule, so that he can hand on to his successor a community which has suffered no diminution of the religious spirit as embodied in this particular institut6. For this reason the superior must know the Rule thoroughly, the written rules, their implications, the tradition of the community; consequently he should fre~quently meditate upon the RuJe in his' mental prayer, endeavor to pentrate the mind of.the founder, whom he should look upon as one inspired by God to lead souls to per-fection along this .particular path. This maintenance'of the religious spirit is particularly difficult 292 Nouember, 1954 A GOOD SUPERIOR in our times. A revolution is going on, not'only in politics, art, and industry, but aIso in the moral outlook of men. There is a revolt against tradition, against submission, a craving for ease and comfort, for independence in judgment. Parental authority is at a low ebb. Men are eager for news, for sights and sounds. Calm of spirit, control of the imagination are diffcult; worldliness is in the air we breathe. Hence mental prayer is extraordinarily diffcult. Self-denial, "a desire to have less rather than more," is ~qually difficult. Even if these thingsare acquired in the novitiate they are apt to be a mere veneer that does not wear well amid the worldli-ness of modern life. Yet it remains true that the two props upon which the spiritual, and therefore the religious, life ,rests are prayer (chiefly mental) and penance (self-denial). Without these there can be no religious spirit. Therefore in his government the superior must see to it above all things that the spiritual life is in a flourishing condition. The spiritual life is not self-sustaining. It is kept alive and vigorous' by the constant, faithful, .daily use of the means, which are the spiritual exerdses prescribed by rule and custom. Therefore, again, every superior, in the interests of his own government, and in the highest interest of the institute, must see to it as a sacred duty that each and every one ot: his subjects is given the full time each day to attend properly to his spiritual exer-cises. No superior may, in conscience, assign such an amount of work, or such hours to a member of the community that the orderly performance of the community spiritual exercises becomes habitually or even frequently impossible. The call to the religious life is a call to religious perfection, first and foremost, and only secondarily to perform a certain kind of work to which this community devotes itself. 3. Interest in ~lounger members:- The training of young re-ligious is not completed when they leave the novitiate. Their ear-liest years in the active labors of the community may make or mar their whole future career as religious. All too often they are left more or less to their own devices, just as long as they do their work well. A good superior should be per,sonally concerned in furthering the development of the religious spirit in these young religious. I. 4. Interest in lagt brothers and s~sters:- Also, of special con-cern to the superior should be the lay brothers or sisters, those who do the housework. They and their bard work are sometimes not 293 A GOOD SUPERIOR Reu2ieu2 For Religious sufficiently appreciated by others. The superior should, try to hav~ first-hand acquaintance, with their peculiar difficulties, "and should see to it that they baye sufficient time for their spiritual exercises, that they get their regular periods of recreation, that they get suf-ficient rest, and that their living and working quarters are ~ade attractive and hygienic. 5. Interest in the whole communit~!:- A superior should not be absent too frequently from the community, and never for long periods. His subjects should know that be is around, keenly" and intelligently interested in all the departments of the house, and, though never snooping, .yet has his eyes open to observe what is going on. The members of the community should know that at certain hours, at least, they can always find him in his room or office, where he is easily approached (without any red tape) and ready to discuss their problems with paternal interest. Very likely there will always be some (especiaIIy in a large com-munity) who find it hard to deal with the superior. He should not be surprised at this or take it amiss; let him r~ther with un-feigned and unfailing kindness try to gain the confidence of such persons. Above all, he should not be swayed by human feelings against them. They are very quick to observe this, and it will ruin his chances of doing them good. 6. Aooid undue influence and imprudent talk:--A superior should keep in mind that he has been appointed superior, and there-fore that he should govern the community, and not another. Hence, be should avoid beifig unduly influenced by anyone--e.g., a former superior, or a flatterer, or one who tries to patronize, or one who "hangs around" his room or office and would like to "discuss" higher superiors or the retiring superior and his regulations or the shortcomings of the other members of the community. Let the superior wisely suspect those who, whether consciously or uncon-sciously, are "feeling him out" and trying to gain influence over him. Let him be very discreet in what he says about others (never gossiping with busybodies, and being cautious and strictly factual in information passed on to other superiors) as be may be quite certain that what he has said will before long reach the ears of the persons spoke'n about. Subjects resent fiercely being thus "discussed" behind their backs by the superior, especially with persons who have no business whatever to be parties to such a discussion. 7. Not too long in office :--The principle, "Once a superior, 294 November, 1954 A GOOD. S.UPERIOR always a superior," is wholly wrong and where followed it does great harm to community life. Being moved around from one house to another as superior is a selfish proceeding, detrimental to the best interests o.f the institute. It forms a sort of nobility, a caste; it k.eeps down excellent talent for governing among the younger gen-eration; it makes subjects lose respe9t for superiors who all too plainly like their position of eminence and will probably manage never to return to the ranks. An unselfish, humble, spiritual-minded religious who has served at most twelve years in office will be eager to go back into the ranks and into active work. If he is too old to do active work, then he is also too old for the exercise of strong, efficient, sympathetic gov-ernment in this modern world of rapidly-changing ideas. ~ A good superior who has deeply at heart the welfare of his in-stitute should esteem it one of his chief privileges to develop govern-ing talent in such of his subjects as he observes give promise of becoming good superiors. ,By judiciously" trying out the younger members in positions of trust and .responsibility, be should pick out those that show good judgment, tact, and resourcefulness: give them helpful, constructive criticism and endeavor to make them solidly-spiritual religious, humble, prayerful, self-sacrificing, de-voted to regular observance. To have been instrumental in develop-ing two or three such sterling characters for posts of authority is perhaps the greatest single.contribution a good superior can make to the welfare of his institute. C. A section from a retreat to superiors. This material "is based upon notes taken during a retreat gfuen b~t a French Jesuit, Father Thibaut. The heading of this particular section is: "He knoa)s not boa) to gouern a)ho ttnoa)s not boa) to love.'" If one does not love he does not know bow to govern others. Our Lord is our model in this kind of love: 1) In dealing with His apostl'es He ~hows us His solicitude for their spiritual life: "Keep them from evil." 2) He defended them against the Pharisees. 3) His love for His ~postles was paternal. 4) He radiated peace. 5) He tried to bring borne to them His iove for them. 6) He corrected them, but was always kind to them. 7) His love was evident in the externals: He fed the apostles: He foresaw their needs in order to care for them. 295. GOOD SUPERIOR 8) He brought out the relationship between governing and love in His thrice-repeated question to St. Peter: "Lovest thou Me?" Our love of our subjects should be paternal-~but, of course, on a spibitual basis. It should not be based on services rendered, but on the fact that they are children of God, consecrated to Him. It should not be partial because of their attractiveness or even because of their cooperation. Then we must give ourselves to them unselfishly. This de-mands great self-sacrifice, dominated by a great love for God. Not a cold love, but also not effusive to such an extent that it would seem to call for sensible return. Our love should be universal. This calls for limitless patience. Our sanctification may lie along these lines. Pray and tr~r to imitate Our Lord's love for them. Look be-yo. nd their defects and see their good qualities and bring them out. Encouragement is more conducive to good than corrections. All this calls for a great ideal. The supernatural must always sustain the ideal and influence others too. More is expected of a superior. "He who loves Me will be loved by My Father." "My little children . . . " etc. Note the warmth in these words. Our duty "is to represent God to the community. Not even infidelity "on the part of the subject is to take that love away. Christ loved often in the face of disloyalty, e.g., Judas. Jesus gained the affection of all the eleven apostles despite their differences. A superior may have to show more love to one than another, e.g., when a subject is in sorrow, or depressed, or in case of death in a family. Do specia! things f~r subjects at such times. This is not contrary to universal love. VOCATIONAL LITERATURE REQUESTED Sisters who have vocational literature in the form of booklets, pamphlets, or leaflets are earnestly requested to send samples of their literature to: The Mother General, Presentation Convent, Clyde Road, Rawaldini, Pakistan. These mission- . ary sisters wish to prepare some literature of their own to try .to attract aspirant~ in their" missionary ~erritory, as well as in Europe. Their work is mainly teaching, with a limited amount of dispensary work and visitation i~a refugee camps. Thiey have a novitiate in Ireland; their missionary work at present is confined to Pakistan and Northern India. 296 Address !:o Mot:hers General Most Reverend Arcadio Larraona, C.M.F. [EDITORS' NOTE: This address was given' by Father Larraona at the conclusion of the meeting of mothers general in Rome, September, 1952. We are publishing it with the permission of Father Larraona. For further information about the ad-drdss and about the proceedings of the meeting, see page 306.] !,~is not without deep emotion that I address you this morning. behold in you the hundreds of thousands of consecrated souls for whom you are responsible before God. Your presence here shows that you feel the full force of this great responsibility. Never-theless the thought of it should not excludi deep and trustful feel-ings of confidence. In your administration strive to imitate those qualities which we find in God's administration of ,the world, if we may so speak, that is, the qualities of understanding, far-sightedness,. kindness, and patience. If you work in this spirit, then have con-fidence that God will work for you and in you. I. REVISION OF CONSTITUTIONS:' In 1922, the S. Congregation of Religious ordered all approved religious communities to send in their constitutions for revision and, if need be, correction in the light of the provisions of the recently published Code of Canon Law. But even after this general obliga-tory revision of some thirty years ago, the S. Congregation does not necessarily feel that all the details of all constitutions must remain forever unchanged. Rome is ready to consider the advisability of, changes on certain points, provided the individual communities show good reasons for the modifications they wish to introduce. Rome wants this" evolution to be without spurts,or shocks--a genuinely vital evolution, imitating the growth and development of a human being[ Hence, the usual procedure is to require that all proposed modifications be first submitted to a general chapter, and that the. changes be approved, not merely by an absolute majority, but even by the moral unanimity of the capitulants. In this connection, the following particular points might be mentioned: Custom-Books The custom-books of religious communities, sometimes called "directories," are not approved by the S. Congregation of Religious except in a negative sense. That is to say the S. Congregation'ex- 297" ARCADIO LARRAONA Reoiew for Religious fimines these books in order to make sure that they contain nothing theologically or canonically erroneous, but does not approve them in the strict sense of the term. In this, the custom-books differ from the constitutions. Notwithstanding all their good qualities, it.is undeniable that custom-books, because of their detailed regulating of many aspects of" daily life, can and do become oppressive, or at least embarrassing. There are superiors of all types and temperaments, and some of them are unduly'a'ttacbed to the letter of the prescription, without con-sidering the spirit, and without thinking sufficiently of the end ar which they aim, an end which frequently can be obtained through the use of different means. Superiors may therefore legitimately make known their wishes to the S. Congregation of Religious. They should not fear to request such changes on the grounds that they will be thought to be unfaith-ful to their community traditions. Change in itself is not heresy, but it goes without saying that no changes should be proposed merely because they fall in line with the caprices or personal likes of an in-dividual superior. All changes submitted to the S. Congregation must usually bare the morally unanimous approval of the general chapter. In case of urgent modifications, the S. Congregation will take action even between general chapters, but with the obligation to submit the matter to the next chapter. The Religious Habit The Holy See leaves to every individual community full freedom of action regarding all the details of its.specific habit. The S. Con-gregation is interested mainly in maintaining the peace of mind of all religious. Peace and charity are of much higher importance than the advantages to be gained through 'improvement in some detail of the habit. Rome's only question in such cases will be: "Are you all agreed?" The modifications will be approved, provided they are supported by the general chapter, and provided the minority, if there be one, is not unduly obstreperous in its opposition. If that should be so, Rome would counsel patient waiting. The Abolition of Class-Distinctions The same principles are followed when there is question of re-moving from the constitutions the articles which set up different classes among the religious of one same community. Peace is the paramount consideration. Rome will approve the elimination of 298 November, 1954 ADDRESS TO MOTHERS GENERAL class-distinction, but only on the three following conditions: (a) that the change insures absolute equality of rights and obligations; (b) that the superiors be fully empowered to appoint any religious to any office, due regard being given to the .individual capacities of each one and the needs of the community; (c) that all the religious, irrespective of the class to which they may have previously belonged, contribute their share of effort in providing for the common needs of the community. Saving these principles, the abolition of the dis-tinction between classes will be approved by Rome, but the S. Con-gregation. will never use any pressure in order to bring this about in any particular institute. II. SUBSTITUTION OF THE DIVINE OFFICE FOR THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN: Through the constantly growing liturgical movement, there is an increasing tendency among religious communities of women to introduce the recitation of the Divine Office in the vernacular instead of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. Needless to say, the S. Congregation is favorable in principle to all proposals which' will insure a deeper and richer participation of religious in the sacred liturgy, since such participation brings them into more living contact with the Church. Nevertheless, all innovations must be worked out in a spirit of good balance and discretion. Again, nothing is com-parable to the advantages of peace in a community. The S. Congre-gation does not grant any general permission for substituting' the Divine Office in the vernacular for the Littie Office. Each individual institute must ask for it and submit its own particular reasons for so doing. Proponents of the change oftentimes forget that it is hardly possible that an entire community will react favorably to the innova-tion, and it is the responsibility of the S. Congregation of Religious to forestall discontent and opposition as far as possible. Consequently, the permission for the Divine Office in the vernacu-lar instead of the Little Office will be granted on request, with due regard to the following conditions: (1) that the reqfiest be sup-ported by morhlly unanimous agreement of the general chapter-- what causes trouble is not from God; (2) that the request be not in opposition with either the constitutions or the tradition of the community involved--sometimes the recitation of the Little Office is in conformity with a vow or promise made by the founder or foundresss; (3) that the apostolate of the sisters allow them time 299 ARCADIO LARRAONA Re~ieto [or Religiotts for the recitation of the Divine Office without unduly 6verloading their dhy. This does not mean that the S. Congregation always . drives with its brakes on--but everyone knows that it is dangerous to drive without brakes. III. THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF FORMATION: 1. Apostolic Schools Apostolic schools are of comparatively recent origin, the earliest of them dating from about the middle of the last century. They were first introduced in institutes of men: but they have now become increasingly common in reiigious communities of women. The Holy See has issued practically no legislation on the organization of such apostolic schools. The S. Congregation is patiently awaiting, the guidance of experience. These apostolic schools are not permitted by the S. Congregation for cloistered nuns or for religious whose lives closely approgimate to that of cloistered nuns. This is not a real law of the Holy See, but rather a guiding norm, based on Rome's desire to avoid any sem-blance of pressure ' when there is question of a vocation calling for such special qualities as those required by the contemplative life. The S. Congregation regards apostolic schools as internal schools of a religious community. This point is of canonical importance in determining the degree of freedom to be allowed the community in the organization and administration of these schools: (a) those which do not require any actual, signs of vocation to the religious life; (b) those which demand at least the seeds of vocation to the religious life; (c) those which require signs of a vocation to a speci-fic type of religious life. In any case, the organizati6n and rules of an apostolic school should not lose sight of the fact, that the girls in them are young. The atmosphere as far as possible should be that of a family. The apgstolic school should not be turned into a noviciate in miniature. There should be nothing to interfere with the full freedom' of the candidates in the final determination of their vocation. The pro-gram of studies should not be so highly specialized as to make ad-justment to a different type of life outside difficult. Teach the girls, first of all, to live good Christian lives. No asceticism at the expense of the moral law. Avoid whatever might even remotely result in deformation of the natural qualities and virtues of the candidates. 30O November, 1954 ADDRESS TO MOTHERS GENERAL 2. The Postulate The postulate is obligatory for all women religiousl It must last at least six months. If .the constitutions prescribe a postulate of one year, the six months' prolongation is still permissible. The maxi-mum length of the postulate in any community is eighteen months. Rome does not want the decision as to admission to be delayed too long, and this is why the time limit is imposed. 3. TOe Noviciate Rome will easily grant permission to have two years of noviciate instead of one, if the same conditions are complied with as those pre-viously mentioned in other connections. But if such permission is granted, the chan~e becomes obligatory and superiors have no faculty to dispense from any period of this two-year noviciate. It makes a bad impression on the S. Congregation when a community advances good and cogent reasons for two years in noviciate, and then almosf immediatHy begins to ask for dispensations from the change which the community itself requested'. The S. Cgngregation permit~ the employment of novices in works of the institute during the second year of noviciate. This was a courageous step, which at first seemed to some people to be in 9pen conflict with the fundamental spiritual purpose of the noviciate. The reason is that today no formation can.be regarded as complete with-out some concrete, contact with the apostolate. During such employ-ment the novice remains a novice. She must be given to understand that she is still on probation, even though she be outside the novici-ate. She should be under the supervision and guidance of an ex-perienced sister, since the superior of the house, unless it be a small house, will ordinarily be too absorbed with administrative details to give her tbeOtime and attention required by her special situation. Tbe use of novices during the second year must be motivate~t by the wel-fare of the novice, not by the needs of the community. During this period she is given a chance to prove bet qualities, and to learn un-der supervision how to use the apostolate as a means of personal sanctification. She should be protected and safeguarded without be-ing mollycoddled. Superiors should not forget that when young religious are taken from the hothouse atmosphere of the noviciate and sent out indiscriminatdly into houses where, so to speak, all the windows hnd doors are open, they cannot fail to catch cold. 4. The duniorate In the' noviciate the formation of the religious is begun. In the 301 ARCADIO LARRAONA Review For .Religious juniorate it is continued, though not with the detailed program of the noviciate year. The juniorate is an initiation into the apostolate, while the young nun still remains under the safeguarding influence of supervision and guidance. The juniorate is intended to forestall/ the catastrophes which have sometimes befallen young professed sis-ters who were sent into the active life without any transition period to prepare them for the special problems confronting them in that life. Sisters in the juniorate are in a kind of middle stage of forma-tion, in which they are not subjected to the restrictions of the novici-ate in all their rigor nor yet allowed all the freedom of perpetually-professed religious. At the same time they are provided with an op-portunity to integrate their technical training with the demands of their religious vocation. During the juniorate, whatever may be the special form it may take, the sisters should be under the close-range guidance of experi-enced and capable religious. Unless a house is specifically set up as juniorate, the superior will ordinarily not be in a position to carry out the functions of mistress of juniors. The duration of the juniorate will depend on its intensity, the duration increasing accord-ing as the juniorate is less intense. All communities could at least provide their temporarily-professed sisters with special courses and help during the summer vacation. There is no objection to the juniorate's lasting for the entire period of temporary profession. The ideal is a specifil house, for those communities which can provide one. The threefold aim of the juniorate is: formation, practice, pro-bation. IV. RELIGIOUS PROFESSION: The S. Congregation is ready to allow up to five years of tem-porary profession, ~vith the possibility of an extension of one year. No temporary profession can be extended beyond six years, according to the Code of Canon Law. The reason is that if a sister has not succeeded in satisfying her superiors as to her vocation during the period of postulate, noviciate, and six years of temporary vows, it is hardly probable that she will be able to pro.vide this satisfaction in an extended period of probation. Rome views with favor the so-called "third year of probation," which can be organized either immediately prior to perpetual pro-fession or at some later period after time spent in the apostolate. In whatever form it is organized, the third year of probation has in- 302 ADDRESS TO MOTHERS GENERAL calculable advantages. Nevertheless, although it is highly recom-mended, it is not in any way 'imposed by the S. Congregation. V. THE VOW OF POVERTY: I should like to have time to go over with you each of the vows of religion. Time does not permit, but I cannot resist the desire to say something to you about the vow of "poverty, which is the bul-wark and safeguard of the religious spirit. At the Congress at Notre Dame, after a splendid paper on poverty and the common life in present-day America, a sister asked whether custom could justify the keeping of personal gifts, etc. The speaker, a Dominican Father, replied immediately that neither custom nor any superior could legiti-mately give a permission which might run counter to the demands of the common life. No superior can allow what is against the spirit of poverty. It is important to cultivate disinterested motives for zeal in the apostolate. The ministry, in no matter what form it is ex-ercised, should be emptied completely of all concern over personal gain. It is a fact. of experience that zeal oftentimes diminishes in proportion as interest in personal aggrandizement increases. VI. GOVERNMENT : 1. Elections Sisters often fall into one or the other of two extremes in chap-ters: either they organize a real electoral campaign for or against a religious, or they go around in a state of unconcerned passivity. Canon Law forbids electioneering or anything approximating it. But good sense demands, especially in congregations with worldwide ex-pansion, that the electors take means to assure themselves of the qualities (health, virtue, experience, ete.) bf the candidates for the various offices. The line of demarcation between asking for infor-mation and organizing a campaign is not always too clear, but it can usually be made clear by the good sense and virtue of the religi-ous themselves. It should not be forgotten that a half-vote is sufficient to con-stitute the absolute majority (for instance, 17 votes out of 33 is an al~solute majority). It is not required that the majority be con- 'stituted by one vote more than half. 2. Re-elections Canon Law sets no limit to the' terms of major superiors but leaves this to the constitutions. The S. Congregation is not only ~ 303 ARCADIO LARRAONA Reoiew for Religious not favorable to election beyond the terms provided in the constitu-tions, but it is opposed to it on principle. Superiors and capitulants should remember that they, no less than their subjects, have in ob-ligation to observe the law of the Church. Perpetuation of indi-viduals in office tends to prevent the formation "of capable superiors or makes it necessary for them to be chosen from within a closed circle. Other things being equal, the S. Congregation definitively prefers the election of a new superior rather than the re-election of the one inoffice, when the term fixed by the constitutions l~as ex-pired. In case of a superior general, this re-election is called postulation, and requires a two-thirds majority of the chapter. Some constitu-tions forbid all postulation. The fact of having the two-thirds ma-jority must be accompanied with sufficiently serious reasons to influ-' ence the judgment of the S. Congregation. The reasons will be judged with severity, and the confirmation of re-election after the term fixed by. the constitutions will constitute a rare exception. 3. Admission to Profession The freedom to refrain from perpetual profession is mutual on the part of both the institute and the subject. The sister may leave, and the community may refuse to admit h~r to perpetual profession. Such refusal may not be motivated by ill health, unless there is proof that the illness was fraudulently concealed or d~ssimulated prior to first profession. It is not necessary that this deceit or dissimulation should have come from the religious herself. A religious suffering from some hereditary disease which has been concealed from her by her parents may be refused admission to profession on this score, even though the deceit did ndt come from herself. The language of the Code is purely impersonal. There are difficult cases of ineptitude coupled with ill health. If the ineptitude is in any way connected with the ill health, then the rule is the same as for a religious in poor health; she cannot be dismissed 6r refused admission to final vows. If it be simply inepti-tude for the works of the community, then the community enjoys perfect freedom, since the period 'of temporary profession was in-tended precisely to determine whether or not the subject is able to make a' contribution to the apostolate of the institute. 4. Exclaustration An indult of exclaustration suspends the canonical obligation of 304 November, 1954 ADDRESS TO MOTHERS GENERAL the common life for an individual religious.It entails dispensation from the points of rule incompatible with the new status of the re-ligious, forbids tier to wear the religious habit, and deprives her of active and passive voice for the period of her stay outside the com-munity. If there is no scandal, and especially when the reason un-derlying. the exclaustration is not one for which the religious is re-sponsible, 'Rome may, with the recommendation of the superior, permit the religious to retain the habit. The religious, however, has "no right to demand such peimission. Exclaustration is a favor, not a right, and the religious has the obligation, to return whenever the superiors so wish. Superiors cannot allow subjects to remain outside the com-munity, except for purposes, of study, for more than six months. This residence outside the community is not the equivalentof ex-claustration and thus does not entail a.ny o'f the restrictions men-tioned in the., preceding paragraph. Such residence is not favor~l. Any situation demanding the residence of a religious outside her ~ommunity for more than six months is, generally speaking, a dan-gerous situation. Exclaustration "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis"--at the good pleasure of the Holy See--is a measure adopted to cope With those situations in which a religious shows enough malice to be impossible to live with and yet not canonically sufficient to justify dismissal. Often-times these cases involve a eertain degree of mental weakness: un-balanced enough to be impossible, and not unbalanced enough to be locked up.' In such cases the S. Congregation orders exclaustration, with all the above-mentioned restrictions, and the exclaustration perdures as long as Rome so wishes. The institute is obliged to assist in the maintenance of the religious. The present practice of the S. Congregation demands, under pain of subsequent invalidity of the rescript, that all rescripts for dispen-sation from vows be definitely accepted or rejected within ten days of the date the subject is notified of the granting of the rescript. OUR CONTRIBUTORS BROTHER ALOIS is an instructor in religion and Spanish at Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, New York. SISTER MARY is professor of psychology at Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan. JOSEPH N. TYLENDA is making his philosophical ~tudi~s at the Jesuit House of Studies, Spring Hill Sta-tion, Mobile, Alabama. 305 SOMI~ SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS ¯SOME-SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS "_. (Continued from Page 289) One further observation about Canon Law Digest. Volume III includes docu-ments published up to December 31, 1952. Hereafter an annual supplement will. be issued in loose-leaf form. The supplement for 1953 is now in the press. An exceptionally useful book for all who catalogue Catholic books is An Al-ternative Classl/ication /:or Carbolic Books. This book, originally prepared by 3eann~tte Murphy Lynn, was first published in 1937. Previous to that, libraries with large collections of Catholic literature had to fit the. books into inadeq;u~a:te' classification schedules. An Alternatit~e Classitication offered a new and satisfa~t.~ry" way of cataloguing Catholic books that could be used with 'the Dewey Decimal or, especially, the Library of Congress classifications. A second, and revised, edition, of this valuable technical work has now been brought out by Father Gilbert C. Peter-son, SJ. A special feature of this new edition is the fact that the index, originally fifteen pages, is now forty-two pages. Also the list of religious orders and coiagre-gations is extensive; in the case of institutes of women, the date and place of founding is given, and, if they came to the United States from another country, the date of the first foundation in this country is given. The price of the book (cloth, 512 pages) is $10.00. It can be,obtained from the Catholic University of America Press, 620 Michigan Avenue, N.E., Washington 17, D.C. FATHER LARRAONA'S ADDRESS Fatfier Larraona's address to the mothers general is one of the clearest and most important statements of the mind of the Church concerning the government of re-ligious. In publishing it we have followed, ~ith some slight changes, the English version that appeared in Acta et Documenta Congressus lnternationalls Superiori.s-saturn Generalium (Rome, 1952). This publication of the Sacred Congregation of Religious is printed and distributed by the Pious Society of St. Paul. which has establishments in many countries. The volume contains the proceedings of the convention of the mothers general in five languages: Italian, French, English, Spanish, and German. In this country it can be obtained from the Society of St. Paul, 2187 Victory Blvd., Staten Island 14, N.Y. For a more complete understanding of the mind of the Church, one should also read three addresses of Pope Plus XII--to religious men (Dec. 8, 1950), to tezch-ingsisters (Sept. 13, 1951), and to the mothers general (Sept. 15, 1952). The last-mentioned address was published in REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, XI (Nov. 1952), 305-308., We hope to publish the other papal addresses later. FAMILY DAY The Family Communion Crusade is again sponsoring an international Family Communion Day. The Feast of the Holy Family, ,lanuary 9, 1955, will be ob-served by hundreds of thousands of families in more than forty countries, with family group Communion and family consecration to the Holy Family. The aim this year is particularly to obtain prayers for the persecuted nations behind the Idgn Cuitain. Those who wish to join in promoting the Family Commimion Day can obtain further information, literature, etc., from: Family Communion Crusade, 10 Farm .View" Road, Port Washington, N.Y. 306. . That: ",Judging Ot:hers" Habit: In t:he Light: ot: Modern Psycholog Sister Mary, I.H.M. THE ideal of religious life suffers from many weaknesses in our | human nature, but it" probably suffers from none more than in the ever-present desire to judge the other person. Our Lord l~as warned us against l~his weakness with a threat--Judge not that ~,9u be no~ judged--and yet we persist in doing it. Sometimes it becomes so much a part of the daily fabric of life that we are no longer aware that we do jti~lge other people. Habits of judging are usually formed in childhood, long before what can really be called "social feeling" has debeloped. Only the most careful and spiritually enlightened training offsets the forma-tion of such habits--and even then probably only partially. With the dawn of conscience and still later in adolescence with the de-velopment of social insight and appreciation, charac(~r, training can do much to eradicate or, perhaps better, to supplant the "judging-others" habit. Su?ely, a realization of the doctrine of the Mystical Body and of Our Lord's own commandment which He has made the first law of living together, "that you lox~e one another as I have loved you," should sound the death-knell of unkind judgment for all Christians, and especially for r.eligious._ Yet, as we know so well, it does not. It has always seemed to me that in the pettiness of mind and interest in trivialities which follow the "judging-others" habit the devil gets in his most successful innings. How-ever, this is not the aspect of the problem I am interested in dis-cussing. This aspect is rather, what the "judging-habit" means psychologically. The understanding of. this will, I think, throw light on wbg Our Lord condemned it so rbundly and wb~t, also, He makes our judgment ofothers the norm 5ccording to which He will judge us. ¯ Modern psychiatry has a useful technique which it u~es. ih analysis. This te[chfiiqfie. is from Freud, incidentally, although" the mechanism.itself is part of even Aristotle's psychology. I refer to the mental-mechanism which w~e learned to call .association. in' psy-chology. Freud cMled his tech'nique "tYee association. His theory is that if a person allows his mind to wander freely it will con~i~ct 307 SISTER MARY Revietu for Religious up with past experiences which, though normally forgotten, are still much alive in the unconscious mind. Every religious knows this process well--it seems to be at its best durihg meditation. In setting forih his theory of analysis t'hrough free association Freud liked to start with the material of a dream. Psychiatrists today use many other types of material: daydreams, memories, emotionally toned experiences, etc., as starting points for analysis. Apparently what we start with is not too important. But all who use the tech-nique are agreed with Freud's basic principle: the person who makes the association is the person who is anal~tzed. In this connection, a story once told me by Dr. Thomas Verner Moore (now Dora Pablo Maria) will illustrate the principle. A young doctor, a fallen-away Catholic, read a paper analyzing Charles Darwin at a psychiatric meeting. The young man was well known to Father Moore as one who had repudiated all moral principles both in his professional practice and in his private life. Moreover, lie seemed to take a special delight, whenever Father Moore was present at any rate, in finding some way of ridiculing the Church and Cath-olic. beliefs. However, in his paper on Darwin he limited himself to the subject. He had taken passages from Darwin's writings and, using free association on these, bad built up an astounding picture ot: Darwin as a libertine and even a pervert. (The facts of Darwin's ¯ \ private life actually reveal him a~ a loving father and husband who devoted himself to his family through and outside of his scientific work.) Discussion was limited to remarks expressing surprise and even admiration of psychiatry's revelation of Darwin's inner soul, until the chairman called on Father Moore for his comment. He, too, expressed great surprise at the immorality attributed to Dar-win and then said: "But I must in defense of the absent Darwin call attention to the very important principle at the heart of all analysis by the method of free association which apparently Dr. X has overlooked. It is this: in an analysis the person to be analyzed must make the associations. Since in this analysis, Dr. X made all the associations, the analysis is, by definition, that of Dr. X rather than of Darwin." " Now in our judgments of one another we begin, at least usually, with some action, or look, or statement of our neighbor. Then, as we. say, we "interpret" it. Really this interpretation is.a free asso-ciation of its meaning to us. The material .for it is drawn from our own experiences, our own feelings, attitudes, and ideas, our own 308 November, 1954 JUDGII'~IG OTHERS unconscious mind. And so in the judgment, we have revealed no~ our neighbor but ourselves. The injunction of Our Lord then is intended to protect our neighbor--and He threatens that He will place the judgment back squarely upon our own shoulders. The psychiatrist would say today, "Justly so. For you have judged yourself." How much th~ little-heSS, the jealousy, the short-sightedness, the bitterness, the hostility of human nature can give vent to (and at the same time do the devil's work')" through this simple mechan-ism! It, as we said before, can become so easily a part of our every-day- way-of-doing things. We use it on equals; alas, we use it on superiors, our spiritual fathers or mothers in religious life; and--a ¯ greater alas (because of their greater grace of state), superiors use it on their subjects, their spiritual children. Snap judgments; judging a whole area of life and intention from a single fact or incident; setting in movement a whole set of causes which shape a life and its work for Christ on the personal interpretation of a word, an action, an idea, or even a fault, are ways in which the mechanism works practically. If this one principle of Our Lord's, together with the mechanism of free association whereby.we violate it with such blind security, could be understood, what a difference it could make in social living! The application of that commandment whereby all men are to know that we belong to Christ would be much easier ! Psychology would give us another helpful hint in this matter. Since, when I judge another (let us say Sister Y), I do not really judge Sister Y but rather myself, this judging-others habit becomes an open book in which I can read myself and know 'my weaknesses and strengths. Our Lord is good to let us have so simple a revela-tion' of self always handy. Used aright, that is on one's self instead of on one's neighbors, the motives and the matter for speeding along the road of virtue should be plentiful. Our Lord exhorts us in another place to "judge just judgments." A true'judgment requires not "free association" but objective.truth and sound reasoning on prir;ciples. This is probably why the Holy Spirit in Ecclesiasticus so definitely connects wisdom and justice: He that possesseth justice shall lay hold of her . . . with the bread of life and understanding she shall feed him and give him the water of wholesome Wisdom to drink. "Judging just judgments" will require: (1) that we use all natural sources of knowledge, (2) 309 NEWS. A.ND V~ IE.WS ., t.ha.t we discipline the tendency to use undisciplined association, imagining it to be understanding, and (3) that. we call upofi those g!fts of the Holy Spirit, which we all possess, supernatural knowledge, .u.nderstanding, and wisdom. So often these lie like great untapped r.e.serves of grace and power on the outskirts of an all too busy and natural life. Certainly the first step towards this final goal of "just judgment" is to master completely the "free association-- judging-~babit." News and Views American Founders' Series "Xaverian Pioneers," in our present number, is the first response to our suggestion for an American Founders' Series (cf. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, XIII- [March, 1954], 62). We should like to re-peat the suggestion that good biographies of American founders would make both interesting and profitable reading. But we must also repeat that what we want is the story of American founders: that is, religious who either founded an institute in the United States or Canada or extended an already-existing institute to these coun-tries. For instance, the Xaverian BrotBers were founded in Belgium, but stress is rightly laid in the present article on the brothers who pioneered the establishment of the congregation in this country. Of what should such biographies consist? To answer the ques-tion negatively, let us say that the objective of this series is not to have panegyrics or pious table reading. The biographies should be factual and should bring out the character of the founder and the spirit of the institute, as well as the purpose or purposes that the institute is supposed to serve in the mission of the Church. Length of biographies? For our purpose, about four or five thousand words would be ideal. Nevertheless, we do not wish to confine authors to such a strict limit; after all, the real limit of an article ought to be ~the space required in order to do justice to the subject. Hence, shorter biographies would be acceptable, and so would loffger ones--up to, perhaps, eight thousand words. It seems advisable, also, to repeat here some of our previous sug-gestions regarding the style of the manuscript. 1) Every manuscript should be neatly typed, at least double (Continued on Page 329)" 310 '.Just: November--or Always? Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J. DOWN through the centuries, the Church Militant has pr'ayed for the souls in purgatory; this is evident, above all, from' the history of the Mass. However, it is not our purpose here to discuss the historical aspect of the devotion, but rather to show that this devotion should be an. integral part of the life of every religious. All religious, by profession, strive not only for their own sal-vation and spiritual perfection, but also for that of their neigfibor~ Reality is such a mesh of complex intertwining threads, each strength-ening and supporting the other, that we cannot divorce striving for personal sanctification from working for that of our neighbor. It is not in the tradition of the saints that we should first become per-fect and then work for the neighbor; rather the two should normally proceed simultaneously. Here we wish to stress that it is by work-ing for the sanctification of all souls, not only of those on earth but also of those in purgatory, that we ourselves reach our perfection and attain our salvation. It is by giving that we receive; by leading others to sanctity we can help sanctify ourselves. The need to pray for the Church Militant and those still not members of the Mystical Body is quite apparimt, and no one ~vould deny it. Equally so, no one would deny that the ~ouls in purgatory have need of our prayers; but is the need of the latter as, apparent as that of the former? Because members of the Church Militant still run the risk of losing heaven, some may conclude that they need all our prayerful efforts. As for the members of the Church Suffering, they are assured of beatitude--they have only to wait for it. It would be idle to argue which group needs our prayers more, but we can at least point out that the members of the Church Militant can help themselves, whereas those of the Church Suffering are en-tirely dependent upon the prayers of the living. In this article, then, we are going to consider the reasons why prayer for the souls in pu.rgatory has a place in the spiritual life of a religious and, coupled with this, we shall examine the effects that such a practice has upon the spiritual life of the religious himself. ' Itcan be said that the suffering souls have a claim ~o Our prayers in their behalf. Some of them may found this claim on certain spe- 31i 'JOSEPH N. TYLENDA Review for Religious cial ties; others can appeal o61y to our charity. We are not bound by any special ties to pray for all the dead, but surely we do have such special ties to our dead relatives, fellow religious, extern friends, benefactors, students, and others; and as a consequence, we are under some sort of obligation to pray for souls, their appeal is directed rather to our ~pecifically, to our sense of pity. We offer for them out of mercy and fellow-feeling, whose image we recognize in them. them. As for the other general charity or, more prayers and good works or out of love of God Can gratitude oblige us to pray for the dead? If we are bound to show gratitude and give thanks to the living for their goodness to us, are we any less bound to be grateful to the dead for the good-ness they have shown us while living, and which we, in our pride and envy, have perhaps refused to recognize? The religious order or. congregation to which we belong is a human instrument, and its present progress and perfection is owing in great part to the dead of our order that have gone before us. We, their spiritual children, now enjoy the fruits, without ourselves hav-ing done the sowing. To give but one instance--and this of the more tangible sort--the charity shown to us by our benefactors was enkindled by those now dead; nit is because of them that the living still enjoy many favors first meant for them. Can it be denied, then, that we owe them gratitude, that our fellow religious who have al-ready gone from this life still retain a claim on our prayers? We, as members of a religious community, are supposed to help our fellow re-ligious work out their salvation. Can we say that our task is done when they have died--when as y~t we cannot be sure that their souls are enjoying the blessed vision of God? While alive they gave us generously of their love and friendship, their kindness and help; furthermore, we may reasonably presume that they prayed for us; for our sanctification, our pe.rseverance. Again, these breth-ren of ours were by the good example they set us often our incen-tives to love God and practice virtue; in fact, their very presence ~tcted as a continual reminder of God's goodness and love. Praying for them is now our only way of thanking them. And we do owe' them thanks. In the light of this it is easy to understand why re-ligious institutes require that all their members offer certain definite suffrages for those who have died. Another important reason why we owe certain particular souls prayerful remembiances is that these souls may now be suffering 312 Ploverober, 1954 JUST NOVEMBER-~OR ALWAYS? because of us. Certain actions. ~of ours, either before or after our entrance into religion, may have caused them,, when still alive, to offend the just God, and now in .purgatory they .are .suffering in atonement for those offenses. In such a case, can we derby that we are partially re]ponsible for their sufferings? Are 'we not bound to help such souls? Shouldn't we atone for those faults together? It may be that our parents themselves have already died; there is no question but that for them at least we shall pray much. They gave us our earthly life, our shelter, and our food--gratitude demands that we see to it that they now speedily attain to eternal life, sure refuge and refreshment in their heavenly home. All of us, too, have other relatives and friends for whom we wish to pray and ought to pray. Many there are, therefore, for whom we are obliged in gratitude to pray; ~nd every one of us will, no doubt, be able to think of still other groups or individuals for whom he has some obligation to pray. Besides our duty towards many Holy Souls by reason of these special ties, al! the souls in purgatory excite our charity. Charity is giving of self to others, not because we owe it to them, but simply because they are in need and we can alleviate that need. The Holy Souls cannot leave purgatory until they have been purified and made ready for the beatific vision. This can be effected only through their suffering, or through the prayers and sacrifices offered for them by the living. Not without reason are the Holy Souls often called the "Poor Souls," for they cannot merit anything for themselves. From this' point of view, they are utterly dependent upon the liv-ing. It is charity that incites us to do what we can to lessen their punishments by praying for them and suffering with them. Prayers for the dead are as alms to the poor. Of themselves the dead are helpless to hasten the end of their suffering; but through our passing charitable acts they can come more quickly to the treasure heaped up for them in heaven. The Holy Souls are our 'brethren in distress; we must not close our eyes to their misery. The pre-cept of lovi.ng one'~ neighbor applies to the dead as well as to those that are alive. The mandate is "Love thy neighbor," and, as we know, this is equivalent to "Do good to thy neighbor"; in the present case it means "Pray for thy neighbor," for prayer (with sacrifice) is now the only thing good for them. Charity is also, and primarily, the love of God; but assuredly, to pray for the dead is to love God, for has He Himself not said, "As long as you did it 313 JOSEPH N. TYLENDA ' Reoiew for "Reli~iou's for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for hae"? Even from these brief considerations we may come to realize that constant prayer for the Holy Souls has.a necessary place in the life of every religious. However, an obje(tion may be raised that "helping the souls out Of purgatory is a selfish and rather mer-cenarY affair, since we know that they will, both now and upofi their entry into. glory, pray in turn for us." But this objection is wholly unwarranted, for this interchange of prayers between the members of the communion of the saints is not self-seeking in any bad sense of the term;, rather it is a perfect friendship based on a community of grace and charity, and manifesting itself in an ex-change of precious gifts." For doing good there is always a reward; heaven itself is the great and final reward for all our good actions. Can we doubt, then, that there is a special reward for the religious who prays for the dead? There will, surely, be more joy for him hereafter, but is there no more immediate reward which he will receive even while still here below? We believe there is: we be~lieve, for our part, that it consists in an enlivened desire to go to God, a deepened u'ndersta~ad-ing and appreciation of those words of Saint Augustine: "Our hearts were made for Thee alone, O God, and they shall not rest until [hey rest in Thee." Another reward that should come with praying for the dead is a greater de.testation of sin, which, even when forgiven, may still deserve such punishment, and with it a clearer understanding of the sanctity of God, who may not be seen face to face by any soul not wholly pure. Finally, this devotion should inflame us with the desire to have as much as possiblg of our own "purgatory" here on earth so that after death, with little or no delay, we may enter into the joy of Our Lord. Nor is it presumption for a religious to have the desire to avoid purgatory, for it is not in God's primary providence that any soul should go there. Christ would have us be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, and the perfect will have no need of the cleansing fires of purgatory. We ought not close this article without recalling the means we have at hand for helping the Holy Souls. These are, to be sure, prayers and indulgences, "works of penance, and, above all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with its unlimited graces. However, these means and their efficacy are so well known to all religious that we do not need to e~plain ther~ here. We conclude in the ~ords of Sacred Scripture that "it is a holy 314 Nou.ernber, 1954 COMMUNICA@IONS and a wholesome thgught to. pray :~or. ~he.de.ad:i' Eve, ry soul out. of purgatory', through:.gur pr~yers,means another saint in heaven~a deeply'consoling thoughl~. Ought we,' then," to remember the souls in. purgatory only at the very end of our almost endless li~t of in~ t~ntions and as a matter of mere routine, or should we not rather .make our petitions f0~ them an integral part of-our prayers for the salvation and sanctification of our neighbor? With all this in mind,. can we maintain that such a devotion ought to receive emphasis ~luring one month only? Can we so confine our charity and our love of God and neighbor? ommun{ca -{ons Reverend Fathers : I have just finished reading Ft. Aumann's excellent article on "Religious and Modern Needs" in the July issue. May I congratu-late him for it? ' Fr. Aumann's article answers a definite need for establishing the correct relationship between contemplation and action. Many of us are unfortunately so engrossed in teaching and the other works of the apostolate that we are fatigued and overworked and cannot give the needed efforts and time to the so necessary life of prayer and meditation. As'a result everything suffers thereby. Thus we cannot insist enough on personal sanctification as the end of religious life. However, I would like to call your attention to another as-pect of the problem which struck me in reading Ft. Aumann's article. Some religious, I am afraid, misunderstanding this primary aim of personal sanctification over the apostolate, go to the other extreme and risk believing themselves good religious if they are materially faithful to their spiritual exercises. In this regard a fellow priest of mine ironically d~fined the good religious as one "who is regularly on time for all his spiritual exercises, punctual at meal time and other community gatherings, and who obeys his superior." But, as my friend pointed out, such a religious may not have begun to under-stand the spirit 'of his vocation. Bishop Ancel, of Lyons, France, pointed out in a conference to religious that the prime purpose of any vocation is to. continue the task that Christ lived while on earth--thus the reason for the 31~5 COMMUNICATIONS oows. We are, in other words, to have at the root of our spiritual lives the building up of "the Mystical Body. We are to have in us "the sentiments that were in Christ Jesus," 'at St. Paul put it. We must eat, drink, and sleep in terms of the growth of the Whole Christ. We must make our own the words of Christ, "I am come tO cast a fire on earth and what will I but that it be enkindled.".Religious must make their own St. Gregory's warning, "Nec castitas ergo magna est sine bono opere, nec opus bonum est aliquod sine castitate." (Cf. the whole homily for Confessors; 3rd Noct.) The reason I am writing this letter is that I believe too many of us do not have the proper sense of responsibility for the Mystical Body of Christ. We are content to let the pope, bishops, and superiors.worry about that. And in the meantime we are not pool-ing our collective heads to anM~rze the current situation, the needs of the Church, whether or not we are getting anywhere with our efforts, etc. A typical example of what I mean is that although classroom teachers are working harder than ever nowadays to do their .work, the pupils seem to be groffcing in secularism, etc, Influ-ences outside the classroom seem often to be gaining the mastery of them. And we are producing practically no apostles from our schools. Thus, I think that something should be done to awaken per-sonal responsibility for the future of the Mystical Body. Each one of us should constantly be saying to himself as the late Cardinal Suhard did, "What can we do, what can we do?" Too many of us, misunderstanding what is meant by the primacy of personal sanctification, are content to do merely what we have been ap-pointed to do, forgetting that we are religious to be other Christs, to "restore all things in Him," and that we must do this. We must be the salt of the earth or we shall be trodden under fo6t. I almost forgot to mention the need of a proper understanding of the relationships between th'e spiritual life and action. All action must come from contemplation--the "contemplata tradere" of St. Dominic. The thing is that contemplation and the primacy of the personal sanctification element properly understood mean that prayer and the Mass must drive us to action, and thought, and a sense of responsibility for the Mystical Body; and that vice versa action must push us constantly to more prayer and contemplation. That has always been the rule of the saints--the more they did the more they prayed, and the more they prayed, the more they did.--A PRIEST. 316 THE PROMISED WOMAN--An Anthology of the Immaculate Concep-tion. Edited by Brother Stanley G. Mathews, S.M. Pp. 3lb. The Grail. St. Meinrad, Indian~. 19S4. $4.00. "From the beginning then and befbre all ages .God selected and set aside a mother for His Only-Begotten Son." As he penned these momentous words one hundred years ago, Pius IX began to list the arguments for Our Lady's Immaculate Conception in the long-awaited Bull Ineffabilis Deus. Not only was this solemn pronounce-ment at once the welcome climax to centuries of belief in the doc-trine and the complete,satisfaction of the ardent desires of the faith-ful and their pastors, but it proved to be the impetus for a new and brilliant age of Marian literature, inspired largely by this definition. In spite of the abundance of books about Mary in the past cen-tury, however, there has been a notable lack of English literature on the Immaculate Conception. The present outstanding work has been designed precisely to fill that need. Acquainted with the best in Mariology in his capacity as li-brarian at the remarkable Marian Library in, Dayton, Brother Mathews has selected thirty-four of the finest tributes to the Im-maculate Conception for his anthology. They are divided into five sections. The eight opening articles stress the dogmatic theology of the doctrine. We, ll-written and short enough for some stimulating per-iods of spiritual reading, they give a good cross-section of contem-porary and recent authors: Vassall-Phillips, Neubert, Sheen, Zundel, Giordani, Bourke, and Feckes. Father Connell gives a short sum-mary of the historical development of the dogma. Part two features six monographs on the inspiration and apostolic influence man has derived from the Immaculate Conception. Espe-cially interesting is Father Ralph J. Ohlman's article on the Im-maculate Conception in the history of the United States. How St.Epiphanius and Bossuet extolled Our Lady is shown in part three, as well as more recent writers like Gueranger, Knox and Leen. A valuable section, part four, gives the answers of Newman, ¯ Ullathorne, Gibbons, and others to Protestant misconceptions about 317 BOOK REVIEWS Revieu; for Religious the Immaculate Conception. ¯ ~ In the final division are included0 six important papal documents from Sixtus IV (in 1476) to Plus XII, as well as two significant Pastoral Letters from the Councils of Baltimore. The scope and worth of this volume can be seen at a glanc'e. Brother Mathews is to be commended for his short introduction to each article--pithy enough not t6 be passed over unread, and yet entirely adequate. His apt section titles, too, are cleverly chosen from among the praises of the Blessed Virgin. It would have been of advantage to the reader to indicate more precisely in the table of contents the type of material in each of the six sections. The index, too, especiaIIy in an anthoIogy which will be used for ready reference, could have been much more complete. A bibliogral~hy of the better works on the Immaculate Conception in French, German, Spanish, and Italian would be of value to the scholarly reader. A final note on typography: Though the type-face for the text is well chosen, the indented quotations would look better in a smalIer case (perhaps itaIicized) than that used. --T. ~,V. "~/'ALTERS, S.J. PIO NONO. A Study in European Politics and Rellcjion in the Nine-teenth Century. By E. E. Y. Hales. Pp. 3S2. P. J. Kenedy and Sons. 1954. $4.00. The scope of this eminently readable account of the ItaIian Risorgimento is indicated in the volume's sub-title: A Study in European Politics and Religion in the Nineteenth Century. The argument the author proposes is that prince and pope in the mind of Plus were not distinct entities. As did his opponents, Mazzini, Cavour, Napolean III, and Bismarck, so too did Pio Nono con-ceive of a close interdependence of politics and religion. Hence his intransigent attitude toward "a free church in a free.state." Mr. Hales has not written "spiritual reading" for his English readers. He is concerned to present "the other side" to his. com-patriots whose views of Pio Nono have been slanted by Dr. Tre-velyan, and who, thanks to Lord Acton and The "-Ffmes. have al-ways looked on the Vatican Council with horror, and its offspring, papal infallibility, with contempt. Gladstone's letters on the Nea-politan prisons and'Palmerston's unabashed references to the Papal Government as the "worst of governments" fanned tempers already b, oiling over the restoration of the English hierarchy in 1850. The author's point is well made: "Has sufficient allowance for English 318 Nooember, 19.54 BOOK REVIEWS' enthusiasm for the risorgimento ever been madein disciassiohs bf.tlse' reactions in this country to the P@e'sSyilabus of Errors. in 1864. or his proclamation of the Dogma of Infallibility in' 18707" Considering the readers Mr. Hales bad in mind, we are npt sur-prised to find some elab6ration of the definition of the Imrfiactilate Conception--the only spiritual accomplishment of Pio Nono treated iridependently of political repercussions. Since the book bears the imprimatur of the Archbishop of New York, the theologian will find nothing censurable here, although he may wince at the,. author's ~eflection that it was. unfortunate that Plus "thre~ his personal 15restige into the scale" at the delicate weighing of papal infallibility. The select bibliography has additional value in that the author has noted the bias of the various authors. --THOMAS N. MuNsON, S.J. THESE CAME HOME. Compiled and edited by Gilbert L. Oddo, Ph.D. The Bruce Publishing Co. Milwaukee. 19S4. Pp. 179. $3.00. The drama of life is played in the concrete struggles of the in-dividual person with the problems which are uniquely his; and the greatest act of this drama is his wrestling with God. Though our faith teaches us that God acts out His part by pouring His grace into the soul, not in many places do we see this grace visibly operating. The fight against sin, which is certainly a work of grace, is not an experience many care to expose to the public. The qdyssey of a convert, however, provides matter which few are ashamed to tell about and is an excellent manifestation of the work of grace. Fifteen university graduate converts narrate their stories in These Came Home, presenting a persistent search for truth away from the shallow and illogical eclecticism in which they were raised. The discovery of a personal .God, the realization that there could be only one true Church established by Christ, the unmasking of the falsehoods and misrepresentations which surrounded their young minds about the Catholic Church, the realization of Our Lord's presence in the Blessed Sacrament are some of the stages on their way home. Some were Protestant ministers and had to abandon their professions; others net obstacles in their families and friends; but all of them endured the mental anguish of realizing that their lives were empty because they had not properly found God. The reader of this book will better appreciate his own faith and under-stand those who do not shar~ it.:~ALBERT J. SMITH, S.J. 319 BOOK REVIEWS MEDIAEVAL MYSTICAL TRADITION AND SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS. By aBenedic÷ine Of S÷anbrook Abbey. Pp. 161. The New-man Press, Westminster, Maryland. 19S4. $2.75. The author of this l~ook, by defining its scope with precision, has lightened the reviewer's pains. It is a historical study of medieval and sixteenth-century spirituality, culminating in that of the Mysti-cal Doctor, St. John of the Cross. After.h valuable sketch of the early Spanish period, successive chapters present Hugl~ and Richard of St. Victor, St. Bonaventure and his school, the German and Fle-mish mystics. The last chapter, "Spain Again, and Saint John of the Cross," brings the investigation to its goal. Within these bounds, the essayist has traced the theme of mysti-cal prayer. SlOe has read her sources with attentive care, and aligns their'yield with a steady eye to the main object. There is no over-load of learning, no pretentiousness whatever yet anyone, who has handled the tools of literary research will hold this specimen in high respect. The theory of the life of prayer, followed by the author, falls within a general scheme now widely accepted. The indispensable role of asceticism is pr~supposed.~ Vocal prayer, including petition, is taken for gbanted. To liturgical prayer is reserved its unique precedence. The writer's subject is mental prayer, and especially contemplation, acquired and infused. Acquired contemplation is the prayer of simple regard, and may be attained in some degree by a good will with the aid of ordinary grace. The inf.used forms of contemplation depend on God; they may be holily desired, but not counted on, in this world. Purgation, an essential process in the discipline of the senses and of the mind at every stage of pra~er~ takes a higher and severer form, if one is raised to the life of in-fused cgntemplation. What this historical essay has chiefly done for the present reader is tw6fold. It elucidates persuasively the unity of the mystical ex- ¯ perience (to adapt Gilson's phrase) in the Christian tradition, and the continuity, under a bewildering diversity of description, of the teaching of the mystics. Against this background, it sets the doc-trine of St. John of the .Cross in its proper focus as our Summa of mystical theology. In particular, it is he, as the author points out, who has studied with care the nature of acquired contemplation and of the approaches to mystical prayer, as distinguished from the great gift itself. 320 November, 1954 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS The Benedictines of Stanbrook are accustomed to give us works of solid worth. The present small volume is an honor to-their tradition.---EDGAR R. SMOTHERS, S.J. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS BRUCE PUBLISHING CO., 400 N. Broadway, Milwaukee I, Wis. A Man Born Again. St. Thomas More. By John E. Beahn. Once you begin to read this book, you will find it diffic.ult to lay it aside. It is a fictionalized biography written in the first person: Pp. 208. $3.00. CAPUCHIN FATHERS, 220 37th St., Pittsburgh 1, Penna. The Lagbrother According to the Heart of St. Francis. The Lagbrother Manual. Both books are by Clarence Tscbip-pert, O.F.M.Cap. The first is a translation.and the second an adap-tation from the German, In the German original they have been popular for many years among German-speaking Capuchins and have led many a Capuchin brother along the ways of perfection. The first book is a brief treatise on perfection from the practical point of view. Much of the doctrine is embodied in prayers. The second book is a vade mecum for the brothers. It takes a brother through all the actions of the day. It contains both,instruction and prayers. Both books may well serve as models as to what can be done to h~lp lay brothers in their difficult vocatibn. God's honor and glory would be increased if every brother of whatever order or congregation had similar aids to lead him to perfection. THE GRAIL. St. Meinrad, Indiana. The Jogs, Sorrows, and Glories of the RosarV. By Raphael Grashoff, C.P. This is a small book. It measures only three and a half by five and a quarter inches. In mandscript form it was used for public reading during laymen's week end retreats at Holy Cross Passionist Monastery in Cincinnati. Its purpose is to help indi-viduals to say the rosary as our Lady wants them to say it. Each of the fifteen chapters is preceded by a full page pen-and-ink draw-ing depicting one of the mysteries of the rosary. The excellent drawings are by Sister Augusta Zimmer, S.C. Pp. 173. $1.00. School Teacher and Saint. A Biography of ~Saint Lucy Filippini, By Pascal P. Parente, S.T.D., Ph.D. The foundress of the Re-ligious Teachers Filippini died on March 25th, 1732. It was°not until June 22, 1930, that she was canonized: It was 1910 before 321 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS" Reoieto "[or ~ R~ligioug. ttie'first five Religious Teachers Filippini opened their first gchooI in the United States i~t Trenton, New Jersey. It is not remarkable, therefore, that she is little known in this country. The present volume, the first biography in English, should do much to bring her the honor and reco.gnition she so richly deserves. The book is generously illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Paul Grout. Pp. 170. $3.00. Teen-Agers' Saint. St. Maria Goretti. By Mgr. James Morelli. Edited by William Peil. The book gives a brief account of the life, martyrdom, and triumph of this "Saint Agnes of the Twen-tieth Century." The illustrations by Gertrud Januszweski add con-siderably to the attractiveness of the book. The work should prove quite appealing to teen-agers, especiall~ grade-school and early-high-school students. Pp. 84. $2.00. B. HERDER BOOK CO., 15 South Broadway, St. Louis 2, Mo. The LitanF o[ Loreto. By Richard KIaver, O.S.C. That the Litany of Loreto is beautiful, and is really a poem in blank verse, all users of this litany will admit. Many, however, may not realize that it is an epitome of MarioIogy. Father Kla~ier proves this point in l~is commentary on the Litany, for to explain the various invo-cations he draws on the whole of Marian theology. The book should contribute much to make the recitation of the Litany more meaningful. Pp. 227. $3.75. Catholic Liturg~t-~Its Fundamental Principles. By the Very Rev. Gaspar Lefebvre,O.S.B. Translated by a Benedictine of Stan-brook. Here is an old classic in a new revised edition, the third in English. It should be on the shelves of the library of every religious community. Pp. 300. $3.50. The Rosary1 in Action. By John S. Johnson. A layman who knows from experience the difficulties that laymen have in the reci-tation of the rosary, soIves those difficulties. There are sections on the history of the rosary and on mental prayer. A very useful book. Pp. 271. $1.75. Neu~ Testament Stories. By Rev. C. C. Marfindale, S. J, It is a child's l{fe of Christ. All who have the care of children will wel-come this well-written book. Pp. 140. $2.25. P. J. KENNEDY AND SONS, 12 Barclay St., New York 8, N. Y. "Marg's Part in Our Redemption. By Msgr. Canon George D. Smith, D.D., Ph.D. This is a revised edition of a book which first 322 November, 1954 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS appeared in 1937. Its author is an eminent professor and theologian, who, in this instance, writes not for theologians but for the faithful: Thi~ Rev. Wm. G. Most characterizes the book as one "that co-or-dinates and integrates the dogmatic truths behind devotion to Mary with a solid, unsentimental, and balanced application of these truths to the life of the soul." Pp. 191. $3.00. 'THE LITURGICAL CONFERENCE. Elsberry, Mo. Proceedings of the National Liturgical Conference, 1953. Th£ celebration of a National Liturgical Week, each year in a different place, is one of the most effective means employed by the Liturgical Conference to make both clergy and laity liturgical minded and so to promote a deeper and more solid piety. The present volume re2 ports the National Liturgical Week at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its central theme was St. Pius X and Sqcial Worship. It contains not only the papers read at the conference but a stenographic report of the discussions whidh followed. Rea~ing the volume one can catch. the enthusiasm which prevailed at the meetings. Pp. 199. $2.00. THE NEWMAN PRESS. Westminster, Maryland. Talks to Teen-Agers. By F. H. Drinkwater. The book is not for teen-agers but for those who are responsible for their spiritual and gemporal welfare. It consists of outlines arranged topically, and should prove very helpful as a rich source of material for talks and discussions. Pp. 110. $2.00. " All Things ir~ Christ. Encyclicals and Selected Documents of St. Plus X. Edited by Vincent A. Yzermans. Thirteen encyclicals and ten other documents are presented in this volume. Each docu-ment is prefaced by an explanatory note which gives the theme ~f the document and its setting: it is followed by a list of pertinent references. Pp. 275. $4.00. J. S. PALUCH CO., INC., 2712 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago 14, Illinois. The Imitation of Christ. The translation' is new and into mod-ern English. The cover is a reproductic;n in color of a portrait painting of Christ by Jerome Gibbons. This is a Lumen book. Pp. 173: $0.50. THE SCAPULAR PRESS, 339 E. 28th St., New York 16, N. Y. Union With Our Lad~ . By Ven. Marie Petyt of St. Teresa. Translated by Rev. Thomas E. McGinnis, O.Carm., S.T.L. That Our Lady has a part to play in the salvation and sanctification of 323 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS each individual soul is a truth all religious accept. Some may not be aware how large that part is. The present volume of excerpts of the letters of the Ven. Marie petyt show how very large that part was for her., They show too how a religious may grow in devotion to Our,Lady and so make greater progress toward perfection. The . letters are followed by an excellent one-page outline of the Marian doctrine of Mary Petyt and her spiritual director Fr. Michael of St. Augustine. Twelve one-page meditations on the Blessed Virgin conclude the volume. Pp. 75. Paper $I.00. TEMPLEGATE, Springfield, Illinois. Guide to the Bible. By the monks of Maredsous. Translated from the French by Gerda R. Blumenthal. To read the Bible, par-ticularl~ r the Old Testament, without guidance almost inevitably means to miss the meaning intended by God its author. All that an intelligent reader must know about the Bible will be found in this volume of less than a hundred pages. It should do much to promote the reading of the Sacred Scriptures. Pp. 92. $0.85. All My Life Love. A commentary on St. Th~r~se's poem Vfvre d'Arnour. By Michael Day, Cong. Orat. The translation of the poem is by Ronald Knox. In the poem we 'have a treatise on the love of God as conceived by a saint and poet. Each stanza of the poem, together with the commentary that follows it, can very profitably be used as subject matter for meditation. Pp. 56. $1.25. NOTICE FOR PUBLISHERS Our Book Re~,iew .Editor is Father Bernard A. Hausmann, S.J., of West Baden College. Publishers fire requested to send all books intended.for review in this periodical to: Book Review Editor, Review for Religious, West Baden College, West Baden Sprlncjs, Indiana. 324 Questions and Answers m3 I~ A slsterwith solemn vows in a contemplative order was received without a dowry. It is not clear whether this dispensation was to be con-ditional at that time. The sister wishes now to establish a dowry. Will she need the perm[sslon of the Holy See, or will the superlor's permis-sion suffice? By. taking solemn vows sister gave up her right to ownership of temporal things, hence also the right to acquire anything in the future by way of inheritance, legacy or gift for herself. Here is what canon 582 of the code has to say on the subject: "After solemn profession, likewise without prejudice to any special indults of the Apostolic See, all the property which comes in whatever manner to a regular [that is, to one who takes vows in an order, can. 488, 7°]: "1 ° In an order capable of ow.nership, goes to the order, prov-ince, or house, according to the constitutions; "2° In an order incapable of ownership, it becomes the property of the Holy See." Sister, therefore, must turn over to her monastery whatever money or other temporal goods may come to her from any source whatsoever after she has made her solemn profession. Superiors will then have a free disposition of this money or other goods, since it " now belongs to the monastery. In case the monastery is incapable of ownership, superiors may ask the Holy See for permission to put aside that amount of money required for a dowry by the constitu-tions, and use it for that purpose. According to our constitutions a novice who becoms gravely ill may be admitted to profession . . . and a plenary indulgence in the form of a jubilee is also granted to her mercifully in the Lord. What is % plenary indulgence in the form of a jubilee?" As far back as 1570, Pope Saint Pius V, a member of the Order of Preachers, allowed any novice of the second order of Dominican nuns who was in danger of death to make her religious profession. In the course of time this privilege was extended to other second orders. 325 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reoiew [or Religious In 1912 (September 3) Pope Saint Plus X extended this privi-lege to all novices of. every religious order.or congregation or society, and his grant was published in. a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, dated September 10, 1912 (AAS. IV, [1912], 589- 590) which laid down detailed regulations regarding this profession of a novice at the hour of death (see REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, I, [March, 1942], 117-122). In this decree, under number 4, occur the words: "to him is granted mercifully in the Lord a plenary in-dulgence and remission of all his sins in the form of a jubilee." This phrase, "in the form of a jubilee," adds nothing to the plenary in-dulgence granted but is merely gn honorary title, so to speak, which indicates the generosity of the Roman Pohtiff in granting this extra-ordinary indulgence (se~ de Angelis: De Indulgentiis, ed. 2, Rome, 1950, p. 128 n. 176). m33m Our constitutions state: "two members of the same family, for ex-ample, two sisters, two cousins, or an aunt and a niece, may not at the same time be members of the general council." Now the father of our. newly elected mother general is a first cousin of the father of the sister elected to be the fourth general councllor. May this sister act validly and licitly as a member of the general council together with our recently elected mother general? Canori 19 of the Code.of Canon Law tells us that laws which restrict the free exercise of rights are to be interpreted strictly, that is: "the words are taken in their proper meaning, but in a narrower sense than must necessarily be attached to them; an interpretation is broad when the proper meaning of words is retained, but it is taken in a wider sense than the word bears at all times." (Lydon, Read~l Answers in Canon Law, ed. 3, 1948, p. 336.) Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1950, ~lefines "cousin" as: "2. Specif: a son or daughter of one's uncle or aunt; also, a relative descended the same number of steps by a different line from a common ancestor." The first definition is the strict interpretation according to cXnon law, the second a broad interpretation. Ordinarily the term cousin is understood of persons called first cousins. Since the fathers of the recently eldcted mother general and of the newly-elected fourth councilor are first cousins, these religious are really second cousins, and hence do.not come within the strict canonical interpretation of the term "two cousins," as used in ithe 326 Nouember, 1954 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS constitutions, referred to ifi the question. Hence both sisters may continue in office as members of the general council. We should add that our interpretation is based on the assumption that the examples given in the constitutions limit the meaning of "two members 6f the same f~imily." This interpretation seems reasonable to us. We are a diocesan institute. Our constitutions read as follows: (I} "The sisters elected to the general chapter shall remain, everyone in her own office, up to the ne~t chapter. No one can be deposed,, unless for a grave cause and by the general council alone." (2) "The mistress of novices shall be appointed by the superior general and her council." The general chapter is not a month old, whe~ the second councilor is appointed to the position of mistress of novices. May she be a meml~er of the general council and mistress of novices at the same time? No pro= vision ~s made in our constitutions for an event of this kind. The Normae of 1901, in. article 300, forbade the mistress of novices to hold any other office which might impede the care and direction of the novices and explicitly mentioned the office of general councilor. This article has been written into many constitutions and must be observed in 'such cases. The Code of Canon Law merely laid down a general norm in canon 559, § 3, which says: "Both [the master of novices and his assistant] should be free }rom all other occupations which could hinder them in the care and gov-ernment of the novices." The Code does not determine in par-ticular whicfi offices are incompatible; this judgment is left to the constitutions and to the prudent judgment of superiors. Now since your constitutions have no such prohibition, superiors may determine that the office of mistress of novices is not incompatible with that of general councilor. In that case the second councilor remains a member of the general council and also assumes the office of mistress of novices. --35-- Until recently our congregation has been merely diocesan. Our con-stitutlons permitted the mother gqneral to be elected to two terms of six years each, but not to a third immediate term. Recently we have re-. ceived the Decree of Praise from the Holy See and are now a pontifical congregation. Our new constitutions, like the old, permit a sister to hold two consecutive terms of six years each as mother general, but not a third immediate term. We are to have a general chapter in January, and our 327 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Replete for Religious present mother general will have completed twelve consecutive years in office by that time. Some sisters contend that under the new con!stltu-t[ ons she will be eligible for immediate re-dection for two more terms of six years each without any special permNslon from the Holy See. Is this correct? Father Frederic Muzzarelli, S.S.P. in his book De Congregation-ibus Iuris Dioecesani, published in Rome in 1943, holds this opinion, and Father Gallen referred to this interpretation, apparently with ap-proval (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS XII [September, 1953], 255). Father Muzzarelli gives the following reason for his opinion: "The time spent in office under the former constitutions is not to be com-puted, since these have nol/¢ lost all force." It seems to us that this in-terpretation is contrary at least to the spirit of the Letter of the Sacred Congregation of Religious dated March 9, 1920 (see Canon Law Digest, I, 276-277, for English text), and sent to all the local ordinaries of the world. The Letter stresses the years spent in of-rice, regardless c;fthe manner of obtaining .it. This likewise seems to be meaning of canon 505 which states that "higher superiors shall be temporary." Father Muzzarelli interprets "temporary" as "not perpetual" but the Letter seems to make it very clear that "tem-porary" is to be taken in the ordinary sense of the term. Twenty-four consecutive years of office certainly seems to us longer than the ordinary meaning of tempora[y. Our interpretation of the canon is confirmed by a recent state-ment of Father Anastasius Gutierrez, C.M.F., an official of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, who published a series of articles regarding the present practiceof the Sacred Congregation in Com-mentarium pro Religiosis during 1953 and is continuing the same during 1954. Here is his statement: "No matter how the mother general may have been promoted to or continued in office (by nom-ination, election, or confirmation), once twelve years of continuous regime have elapsed, she is no longer canonically eligible; she may be postulated, but cannot be re-elected" (page 90)." --36-- . Could you please give us a list of books that treat of obedience? Among rather recently-published books are the following. Valen-tine, O.P., Religious Obedience: A Practical Exposition for Sisters, (London, 1950; also, the Newman Press, Westminster, Md.). Polit, S.J., Perfect. Obedience: A Commentary on the Letter on 328 November, 1594 NEWS .AND VIEWS Obedience, translation by William Young, S.J. (Newman Press, Westminster, Md., 1947) PI~, O.P. (editor), Obedience--Volume III of series on religious .lii:e (Newman Press, Westminster, Md., 1953). Some rather recent books that contain extensive treatment of the subject are the following. Fennelly, C.S.Sp., Follow Me (Burns ~ Oates, London, 1943) ; see Part III, pp. 123-203.Msgr. Gay, Re-ligious Life and the Vows (Newman Press, 1942--reprint of an old book) ; see Part III, pp. 167-264. Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Catechism of Religious Profession (Metuchen, N.J., 1943--new edi-tion in press) ; see Section IV, pp. 159-201. Brothers of ~he Chris-tian Schools, Short Treatise on the Religious State, (Paris, 1950) ; see Chapter VIII, pp. 270-324. And, finally, see the first volume of "the series on the religious life, Religious Sisters (Newman Press, 1950): "The Vow of Obedience," by Marie-Joseph Nicolas, O.P.; and "The Adaptation of Religious Obedience," by Reginald Go-mez, O.P. In listing these, various treatises on obedience we do not neces-sarily recommend them because we have not read all of them suffi-ciently for that. Also, we list these because .we happen to have them at hand. Readers may know other treatises, and their suggestions would be welcomed. NEWS AND VIEWS (Continued from Page 310) spaced (triple is even better), with at least an inch of margin on each side of the page. It is difficult to make editorial notations on a crowded page. 2) Onion-skin paper should not be used. It is frustrating to try to make editorial notations on such paper. 3) For practical purposes, REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS follows what might be called the "old-fashioned" method of printing quo-tations: that is, we print them just like the rest of the article, except for the fact that they are in quotation marks. This same system should be followed in manuscripts. 4) The use of capital letters should be very reserved. Congress in Canada Our May number (pp. 138-40) contained a great deal of pre-liminary information concerning the national congress of religious institutes to be held" in Montreal, July 26-30. The Acta of the 329 NEWS AND VIEWS Review" for Religious congress will be published: but~-we do not know the precise date of publication. In the meantime, pending the publication of th~ Acta, our readers will no doubt be interested in the following in-formation, which we have received through the kir~dness of Father Edward Sheridan, S.J., one of the Associate Secretaries of the con-gress and First Vice-President of the executive council of religious men. Interesting statistics include the following: At the inaugural general session were three cardinals and some twenty bishops. Also present at the congress were four abbots. In approximate figures, the delegates, representing some 200 religious institutes, with a total of 60,'000 members, were distributed thus: 400, representing 12,500 French-speaking religious men (of whom about 6,000 are teaching brothers); 150, representing 2,500 English-speaking religious men; 600, representing 37,000 French-speaking religious women; 250, representing 8,000 English-speaking religious women. Included among the delegates were 259 major superiors. At the inaugural general assembly Cardinals MacGuigan, of Toronto, and L~ger, of Moni~real, stressed adaptation and moderni-zation in habit and custom book. These points were also much stressed in the sessions of religious women. One fruit of the congress was the establishment of a Canadian Religious Conference--a permanent conference of all major religiou~ superiors resident in Canada, with a permanent secretariate to be established in Ottawa. This was. in resptonse to the express wish of the Sacred Congregation of Religious. Very Reverend Girard- Marie Par~, O.P., was elected the first president of this conference. The closing exercise of the congress was a torch-light procession and outdoor evening Mass, at the famous St. Joseph's Shrine. The Apostolic Delegate, the Most Reverend Giovanni Panico, was the celebrant. The physical plant was ideal for the meetings. This included St. Laurent College, conducted by the French Canadian Holy Cross Fathers; and St. Laurent Convent, of the Holy Cross Sisters--the two together constituting some five solid city blocks of religious and educational buildings, with fine grounds. The Holy Cross Fathers and Sisters were indefatigable in doing everything possible to make the congr.ess a success. The modus agendi of the sectional meetings--which especially impressed Cardinal Valeri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Religious and President of the congres.s--was planned and executed 330 Nooernber, 1594 NEWS AND VIEWS x~ith remarkable ingenuity and efficiency. Before the congress, four books (one for each of the four sections) were printed. These books contained general information, outlines (some rather com-plete) of each of the papers to be given at the sectional meetings, topics for discussion and study, and the full text of the address given by Pope Plus XII to the congress of religious in Rome, December 8, 1950. Every delegate was provided with one of these books. Each of the sections had its own general session in the morning, at which four twenty-minute papers were read Jan the subjects indicated. Then each section broke up into study committees, of from twelve to twenty members, each committee discussing one of the papers read for a period of one hour. After lunch, the committees met again for an hour's discussion, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. From 3:00 to 3:30 the speaker of the fiaorning conferred with the presidents and sec-retaries of the committee

Issue 12.4 of the Review for Religious, 1953. ; The Spiril: ot: SI:, Clare and I-ler Order Sister M. Immaculata, P.C: CEVEN centuries'ago, on August 11, 1253, the shadows of death ~ were lengthening around a group of sorrowing nuns whose ~ foundress and Mother lay dying. In ecstatic joy, she clasped to her heart a roll of parchment sealed with the Fisherman's seal. Clare Sceffi, a. noble lady of Assisi, had fled from her castle home when she was eighteen to follow Francis Bernardone. Francis had dreamed of adventure for. Christ, and no one had caught~ the flame of love that burned in his heart more ardently than Clare. Fran~is's course had now been run a full quarter of a century, and he was already b.eing venerated as the great saint whose popularity would grow even to our own day. pope Innocent IV had ascended the throne of Peter but the year before. His keen vision scanned the lower!rig storm clouds over a Europe ever beset by the Moslem threat. Could he but make the rulers of the Christian countries bestir themselves out of their com-fortable and only too often lustful letha/gy, to heed his call "God wills it !" With the burdens of ~his exalted, office heavy upon him, he, the Vicar of Christ thought of one little virgin, hidden behind cloister walls in Assisi. He knew Clare, heard she was dying; and he remem-bered the intrepid courage with which she had pleaded with him and some of his predecessors for approval Of her Rule, and of the Seraphic poverty to which she and her Daughters aspired. Innocent, like several Pontiffs before him, had,hesitated to approve a rule of life requiring such poverty as Saint Francis had bequea.thed to Saint Clare and her Daughters. Men, they thought, might oblige themselves to observe it,-but what of cloistered nuns? What would become of a community thus deprived of all revenue and financial security? Innocent was thinking of Clare, thinking of how she lay dying, her one wish and desire unfulfilled. He did not send her a message of comfort and his blessing. Under the inspiration, no doubt of~ the Holy Spirit, he grasped his pen, signed the Bull of approval con-taining her Rule; and then, with his retinue, turned his face toward Assisi. There at San Damiano he entered tl~e lowly cell of Clare and placed in her hands the approval for which she had prayed and 169 SISTER M. IMMACULATA Re~evo :or Religious ~)leaded and suffered for over f.orty years. We can imagine" the astonishment of Clare and her Sisters when the Holy Father himself stood at the convent portals. How she must have pre,ssed that docu-ment to her heart and sung her last hymn of love to Christ her Spouse. Clare had imbibed th.e spirit of Francis at its source, .cher-ishing it firmly and wholly, and bequeathing it to her Daughters as they knelt at her death bed. And they have cherished, loved, and guarded it. They have preserved it unchanged since 1253. Through 700 years the Rule of Saint Clar~ has often been buffeted by storms, and has been wounded at times by the infidelity of her children, but it has always emerged in its first freshness and .strength. It still lives in 1953, and today there.are 19 houses of Poor Clares in the United Stat~s. Our modern age has not been able to undermine the observance of the Rule nor destroy its spirit. The order has grown silently, spreading its branches in neaily every country of the world. No nationality but has found the Rule and its spirit congenial, so that the daughters of Saint Clare scattered throughout the countries of the world have always been able to adapt themselves to her Rule, which .has proved .independent of time or place. Today our American girls still observe the Rule Innocent IV placed in the hands 0f the dying foundress. " What is the spirit, contained in the Rule of Saint Clare? As. in ¯ her own time, her Daughters live a contemplative life in strict en-closure. The spirit, one of poverty, love of prayer leading to closest union with God, is joyous, and their personal sanctification is as much for the efficacious gaining of gra~e for"soul~ as for the strength-ening of the bond of love in the order. It is a life of joyful giving, closing the doors to what the world calls pleasure by the vow of en-closure, thus finding the treasure which is worth more than all pos-sessions. Though it embraces the deprivation of "the things the world de-sires and cherishes, this seclusion with its penance does not entail a sad, bleak; and joyless existence. It is not the thing~ that are barred from the cloister which bring peace and joy to the soul, but those that are found within, of which the world knows nothing. There is song in the heart of the cloistered nun. for she is not burdened with the superfluous gadgets and noises which fill so many hours of our com-plex modern life. Saint Francis has been coi~sidered a model of penance and self-abnegation, but was ever saint more joyous? Hadever a saint a heart 170 ,July, 1953 SPIRIT OF ST. CLARE more full of music? His seemed to be an overflowing fountain of happiness, and he communicated it to those around him. In this, as in all else, Saint Clare was his faithful follower. Penance for her was not practiced for penance's sake. It was an outlet for the love burning in her heart ,and reaching out for more adequate fuel to feed its flame. This joyous spirit still pervades the cloisters where the Daughters of Saint Clare follow in her footsteps and observe her Rule. Their hearts are the cups that still hold the happiness of which the world has now so little, because their lives are still spent in genuine love and wholehearted giving. The worlff today is filled with sorrow and suffering,, and count: less hearts.are bearing a burden they could well consider supreme penance, did they but think of accepting all in a spirit of penance. The heart's most loving, if inarticulate, acceptance of penance is the willing b~aring of the unwelcome burdens so often placed on it by God. To be silent and lovingly resigned is always, to practice pen-ance in a very perfect form. The Daughters of Saint Clare vowing a Rule which imposes manypenances are but reaching out for greater love, ~vhich is warded With greater joy in God's service. Penance is not ugly, harsh, and fearsome. The bell which call~ one to ri~e from welcome sleep to seek the light of the sanctuary in the dead of night may sound un-welcome to a tired body: but is theie anything rfiore beautifuf_than the religious wending their silent 'way to the choir to make their first act of adoration before their Lord in the taberf.acle when the day has just begun? Standing in their stalls, they offer the praise of virgins before the face of~God, a prayer with the Son of God, ",bhile the world sleeps or sins. Does anyone know the joy in the hearts of those who give Him this homage? So it is with all the penances.prac7 ticed by the Daughters 6f Saint Clare. Penance for penance's sake is repugnant, meaningless, and very often food- for pride and phari-saism, so entirely alien to the spirit of Saint Clare. Penance for "love's sake is sweet. If there are still hearts in the world today which know unalloyed joy, they are undoubtedly those whose lives are being poured out in the most unselfish and wholehearted giving. Their joy is most full because their lives are most full of giving. The transition from the life of our modern girl to a postu!a~nt the cloister is not so drastic as some would suppose. Young, eager, lighthearted, with a soul attuned to God's grace, she assumes by slow degrees the duties and customs to which she adapts herself. She learns 171 SISTER M. IMMACULATA Review for Religious to love the hours of prayer, the Divine Office, the silence and regu-larity, The joyous acceptance of the sacrifices imposed by the Rule creatds a deep happiness and peace, which is found" especially in the hours of prayer. Prayer is not a ready-made gift in anyone. It en-tails mortification, is often itself mortification, but a mortification that decreases as the spirit of prayer and union with God increases There are no secrets of rapid progress over the rough path that leads to union with God, except the secret of persistent self-abnegation and striving for that wlsich obliterates self, and builds up in us the Christlikeness which alone makes us one with Him. But God does not lure us into the wilderness of. the contemplative life to forsake us and l'eave us to our own helplessness. True, we seem to take a leap in the dark When we embrace the contemplative life, but our Lover is not a human being whom we fear to trust. Like Clare who left her castle home in the dead of night, her Daughters follow where their Divine Spouse leads, and the path. is ever to union with God and the embrace of the Holy Spirit. While the enclosed life of contemplation should not be glamor-ized, neither should it be made a fearful existence df joyless sacrifice and penance. Too often is either mistake made. Those who look for a thrill rush to embrace what they do not understand, looking for something occult, dxpecting tangible thrills of gra.ce or ecstatic prayer before they have hid anything like the foundations of the spiritual life. On the other hand, ferszent though timid souls are often over-come by fear of what may be expected of them once they step behind the cloister walls. Neither is the correct attitude. Those to whom God gives a vocation to the contemplative life, have, nearly always, a natural yearning for God. They want Him, are looking for means of. union with~Him, "have a certain joy in prayer, and, with the light affd guidance of the Holy" Spirit, find pehce of soul in the difficult stretchds of the way as well as happiness in His tornforts. Union with God is a growing state, and though it often advances in dark-ness there are times when it comes into the light, and a light that does not fade entirely even when the way is again through dryness. There is too much emphasis put on the trials, sufferings, and dark-ness of the interior life and not enough on the joy in God and peace Of soul found therein. It has been said that Saint Clare, had she lived in our day, would have founded a missionary order. No Daughter of hers would ever consent to this opinion. Clare knew without a doubt to what she 172 dulg, 1953 SPIRIT OF ST. CLARE was called and she never wavered. She did not simply follow a pat-tern of her time. Indeed, we know that a number of:Benedictine houses, especially the large one at Florence, took the Rule of Saint Clare. It was Agnes, her sister, who was sent there to be the abbess under the new Rule. Francis knew Clare was a contemplative, as he was himself, and the hearts of both were so much the missionary's that no field of labor would ever satisfy' their zeal. Nothing less than the entire world would be Clare's mission field, as it was that of Francis and his Order. Italy and Assisi were no closer to her than the farthest-flung mission. No contempla.tive is one indeed if she has not' the heart of a missionary. Francis's was the call to go out and preach,. Clare's the outstretched arms of a Moses on the mount of contemplation. Clare would give to Christ, her Spouse, not only herself, but all the world. She'knew the fields were white for the harvest and she would obey the words of Christ and pray that the Master send laborers into it. He did not bid her go out and gather it in, bu~ strengthen the arms of the workers. She knew the limita-tions of her own weakness, but prayer and sacrifice, united with the prayer of Christ in the Divine Office, in in~erior love and union, were and are the all-powerful weapons which can reach the opposite ends of the earth at one and the same time. It was the spirit of Clare. as it was the spirit of Francis, to be daring enough to wish to support the Church, on her own weak shoulders, knowing that the Hands and Heart of her Divine Spouse were supporting her. The Spirit of Saint Clare, the foundress of the "Poor Clares, is still living and burning brightly after seven centuries. It calls to the heart cJf the modern girl of our cities as it did t6 those of the middle ages. The life she and Francis instituted for her Daughters is not outmoded in the 20th century, but instead is as living, warm, and joyous in the hearts of the novices of ~oday as in the days of Saint Clare in the little monastery of San Dami~no in 1253. ST. CLARE PLAY BY A POOR CLARE Candle in Umbria is the story of Saint Clare of /~ssisi told in a verse play by a Poor Clare Nun. The play of four acts, eight scenes is suitable for production by college :students or by high schools with special direction. The play was written to honor the foundress of the Poor Clares on the seventh centenary (1953) of her death. The authi~r is a regular contributor to Spirit magazine. ~$1.00 per copy, including the music for the "Canticle of the Sun" which is embodied in the play. Those interested in obtaining a copy of this productior~ should write to: Poor Clare Monastery, Route 1, Box 285 C, Roswell, New Mexico. 173 News and Views Yocational Institute at Fordl~am The Third Annual Institute on Religious and Sacerdotal Voca-tions will be held by. the School of Education, Fordham University, Wednesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 30, on the Fordham. campus. Ways of encouraging, fostering, and guiding vocations~.to the diocesan priesthood an/d to the religious life will be~ discussed by outstanding experts. For further information write to Rev. John F. Gilson,.S.J.,' Fordham Univ. Sch6ol of Education, 302 Broad-way, New York 7, N.Y. ,~ Institute of Spirituality At the National Congress of Religious, held last summer at the .University of Notre Dame, it ,was suggested that the University offer summer school courses in spiritual theology and an institute of spir-ituality each year for the Sisterhoods. This suggestion was favorably received by the representati(,es of the Sacred Congrdgation of Reli-gious and by th.e religious superiors who attended the congress. To carry the suggestion into effe~0 the Notre Dame Department of Religion is inaugurating this summer a program of courses in spir-itual- theology as part of its graduate work in view of a Master's De-gree in Religion. Moreover, since many superiors and mistresses of novices are unable to be present for the summer school, courses, the University is offering a distinct. Institute of Spirituality for them. This is also sponsored by the Department of Religion. The Institute is not a part of the academic program and offers no credits towards a degree. All the lectures and discussions are specially arranged for Sisters superior and novice mistresses. A~ the formal opening of the Institute, on the evening of July 31, His Excellency,. the Most Reverend John F. O'Hara, C.S.C., D.D., will deliver the address. From August I to 7, there will be three lectures each morning. Topics and speakers for these series of lectures are: "'The Role of the Sister Superior and Novice Mistress," by Rev. Paul Philippe, O.P.; "The Theology of the Religious Life and the Vows," by Rev. Joseph Buckley, S.M.; and "Ascetical and Mystical Theology," by Rev. Charles Corcoran, C.S.C. Each after~ noon, August 1-6, the three lecturers will cbnduct workshops on their subject-matter. On four evenings, August I-4, there will be 174 Julg, 1953 NEws AND VIEWS special lectures, running simultaneously, as follows: "The Liturgy and the R~ligious Life," by Rt. Rev. Martin Hellriegel; "Canon Law for Religious," by Rev. Romaeus O'Brien, O.Carm.; and "Psycho-physiology and Religious Sisterhoods," by Rev. Gerald Kelly, S.J. The Institute will close on the morning of August 7 with an address by Very Rev. Theodore M. He.sbargh, C:S.C., President of the Uni-versity of Notre Dame. Morol Theology ond Love There was a day when the science of Christian moralit~r included everything that is now partitioned into moral theology, ascetical the-ology, and mystical theology: in othei~'words, it included the entire Christian life, in all its degreesof perfection. Bdt the very growth of the su,bject-matter made some kin~i of division necessary, at least for teaching purposes. This division more or less limited moral the-ology to the sphere of what is obli~Tator(/: tb the study of laws, of the exact limits of the obligations imposed by the laws, to the.conditions which might constitute exemptions from these laws. and so foith. There is one great advantage of this ~partiti0n: it makes a dear distinction between what is obli~Tator~l and what is superero~lator~t; and this distinction is ext~rbmely important for the preservation of peace of soul. Nevertheless, from the point of view of moral the-ology, there is also a decided disadvantage: the science is made to ap-. pear too negative. Perhaps every student and professor of moral the-ology has been conscious of this disadgantage, and perhaps many of them h:~ve tried to find some way of introducing a more.positive and inspirational dement into moral theology without, of course, scaring its basic clarity. Father G. Gilleman, S.J., a Belgian Jesuit who teaches theology in India, suggests that moral theology can gain its necessary inspira-tional note by emphasizing charity as the very soul of the Christian life--which it truly is, whether in the sphere of obligation or' of supererogation. Those who ire'intdr~sted in improving.the method of moral theology should nbt fail to read Father Gilleman's book. The title is, Le primat de la charitd en thdologlie morale. It is pob-lished by E. Nauwelaerts, Louvain, Belgium. The price is 225 Bel-gian fr'ancs. $t. Joseph Research Center A St. Joseph" Research and Documentation Center has been estab-lished at St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal 26, Quebec. The constitu- 7.5 NEWS AND VIEWS tions of this organization have the approval of His Eminence, Paul Cardinal Lel~er, Archbishop of Montreal. The purpose of the so-ciety is to encourage a more profound study of the position of St. 2o-seph, and eventually to subsidize works published on the saint. It will sponsor research in fields such as church history, liturgy, and the arts, as well asin theology. Membership is open to' all interested in-dividuals or groups. Inquiries can be sent directly to St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal or to Rev. F. L. Filas, S.J., at Loyola Univer-sity, Chicago 26, Illinois. Scholarships at Catholic University" The Catholic University of America has made provision for. 160 half-tuition scholarships for post graduate studies for the next aca-demic year. Open to lay men and women, priests, Brothers, and Sisters, the grants/ worth $300 towards 'tuition, will be awarded on the basis of scholastic excellence and financial need of the applicant who is entering on post graduate work. Grants are available in all studies except philosophy, engineering, and architecture. Appli-cants should write to the Registrar, Department G, Catholic Univer- ¯ sity of America, Washington, D.C., for additional details on the program. Office of the Passion in English The Confraternity of the Passion, in answer to many requests, has had The Little Ofl$ce of the Passion of Our Lord desus Christ translated into English and made available in Small booklet form. The booklet may be obtained for 25 cents from the Confraternity of the Passion, Sacred Heart Retreat, 1924 Newburg Road', Louisville, Kentucky', or from any Passionist Monastery. ~ Layos Catholic Records Layos Records is a Hollywood recording company devoted ex-clusively to the production of Catholic records. The first record, " "Act of Contrition," is already in circulation. Original music was composed by Peter; Jona Korn, and the piece is performed by the Roger Wagner Chorale. The company plans to sell the recordings through advertisements in the Catholic press. A five-year schedule calls for the production of a new Catholic record, at six-week inter-vals. The firm is being advised in its musical program by Father John Cremins, head of the music depastment of the Los Angele~s Archdiocese. The record company is anxious to ha~,e suggestions from Catholic music and audio-visual departments regarding the type of material to be recorded. 176 On !:he Particular i:::xamen [EDITORS' NOTE: The first two articles on the particulmr examen .arrive~l almost simultaneously. The fact that the first is from an American Brother studying in Switzerland and the second from a Belgian missionary in India would seem" to indicate, universal interest in this practice of asceticism. The third contribution to this "sytfiposium"'is .from a member of the Jesuit Mission Band of the New Yot;k province. Communications from Our readers that may bring some more hdpful ideas to the practice of the particular examen are: welcome.] William T. Anderson, S.M. UMAN nature is prone tO falling into a rut. Those who lead very ordered lives often become slaves to routine. Religious sometimes feel the deadening effe~ct of routine and.habit: in fact, if we ark not car~eful, we find ourselves going to chapel without any preparation and without ~any aim. Day after day slips by and, before we know it, a year is gone. When .we 'take inventory at the annual-retreat, the shelves of our spiritual warehouse look" bare indeed. Perhaps we ought once in a while to ask ourselves a few embar-rassing questions on our religious duties. The reflections listed below are the result of just such a scrubbing of the~ soul. What effect has particular examen had on me? What is my attitude towards this ex-ercise? What importance has this exercise ir~ the spiritual life? Is there any direct ratio between successful zeal and progress in particu-lar examen? After .asking yourself these questions, try to answer them honestly. Then read on and see whetheroyou agree with the ideas given below. 1. A written record is a "'must" for examen. A record book for examen was insisted on in the novitiate. Over and over we heard how necessary this was. Yetsome 'religious perhapscast their examen book out the window of the car carrying them from the novitiate to the train station. Some of us used it for a while, but then discarded it. And that ~ras the beginning of the end. Perhaps most religious who do not make examen with a record as a help do not make exa-men. I~ this a rash statement? Do .you make examen faithfully without a iecord? Does your personal experience agree with this observation ? 177 "~,VILLIAM T, ./~NDERSON Re~iea2 for Religious 2. The subject for~ examen must be specific. If the subject is not limited to definite occasions during the day, or to specific'times scat-tered oxier the usual schedule, after a time the examen, period becomes' " 6nd during which 6u~ Stomach continually reminds us "that a meal is not,far off, or it is a p~eriod of planning unconsciously our work for the rest of the day or the morrow. Vagueness here is the deadly ene-my of progress. 3. Our apostolic influence is in direct ratio to our efforts at par-ticular examen. We learned in the scholasticate that while knowl-edge is very necessary for a teacher, the more important ingredient for a successful teacher and religious educator was the hbility to get along with people and to attract souls. Anyone who has taught fora few years will attest to the authenticity of this statement. Any one will also agree that teaching boys, especially adolescent b.oys,.can be a very nerve-racking job. Nervous tension may ruin any influence which we might have with students when we use sarcasm or unjust punishments, show favoritism or laxity on some occa-sions, or exercise undue ~ever!ty on others. Examen is the means which we have at our disposal to develop in us that self=control which is so necessary for the teacher. To be kind when words of sarcasm rise to outlips, to be exacting ~h~n we fed sluggish and lazy, to give words of correction which yet, do not cut, to be patient when we have had little sleep or food (as on fast days), ~o work steadily despite the fact that "results" are not forthcoming--is M1 this.poisible without examen? Most prob-ably not. As soon as we stop working at examen, we find ourselves difficult to get along with, harsh, lazy, or sarcastic. The weeds of our defects spring up rapidly'bnce we lay down the hoe of particular exam'en. 4. Particular examen is a sine qua non for communit~l life. All of the.foregoing can be just as well applied to community life. Com-munity life sometimes causes a lot of friction, some heat, and at times, even fire. Examen is the~exercise we need to mold our charac-ters so that we learn to avoid occasions which.cause arguments' or to cement, fraternal relations, once they are broken.~ Community life is sometimes a big cross; there is no need to make Jrbigger for a fellow r~ligious. 5. Examen is one of the best means we have of attaining our ideal, desus,'Son of Marv. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man is quite a job for us weak mortals, afflicted as we.are by 1"78 953 PARTICULAR EXAMEN the effects of original sin. It seems impossible that a religious can be sincere and continue hi~ striving for perfection in religious life with-out keeping up with the daily examen. Progress tgward making ourselves like to Jesus, Son of Mary, is made only by the grace of God and constant striving on,our part. Much of oar progress in the spiritual life proceeds, ex opere operantis. And examen is an excel-lent measuring rod for our own effort. 6. Examen is one of our most poten~t means of recruitment. Stu-dents join our ranks, not because of what we say or what we write. but because o~ what we are. If we are real religious, if we are. happy in the knowledge that we are striving to perfect ourselves,, if we show the acquired virtues of patience, charity, humility, and piety, it is ~mpossible that recruits will not come to us. Is there a. better adver, tisement for the religious life than a real religious, one who is daily advancing in virtue? Holiness attracts. Examen is a potent means of holiness. . Perhaps you do not agree with all or even any of the foregoing reflections. 'Be that as it may, you must admit that, granted that particular examen is necessary, we often negl.ect this important reli-gious exercise. Not only must we strive to be present for the examen each day, but we must make it fruitful by daily striving.~ Growth. in" virtue seems to demand the daily examen. As his particular examen goes, so goes the religious. P. De Letter, S.J. The particular examen i~ a common practice of modern spiritual-ity, As every canonical fiovice knows, it consists in direct.ing atten-tion to a particular point, either a fault to be corrected or some practice of virtue, to be fostered. Popularized if not originated by St. Ignatius~ of Loyola, this has become a common tactic in the spir-itual life. All have a passing acquaintance with it. As proposed in the Spiritual ExWcises, attention is to be focused on the particular examen three times every day: at the morning oblation, in theexam-ination of conscience at noon, and again 'during the evening exam-ination. Through this practice gifferent defects, are "gradually elim-inated and needed virtues acquired. 179 ~ P DE LETTER Remeto for Rehgtous A Fact from Experience Yet some religious do not succeed with the particular examen. They apparently fail to see its use 6r grasp its meaning: At any rate, they draw little, profit from it even whrn they do not drop it alto-gether as a useless formality. This is true even among religious who in no way neglect their interior life. Their failure is not due to wil-ful neglect or to tepidity. They simply do not' see their way to making a success of the practice. . Since sound spiritual writers speak so highly of the worth of the particular examen, it seems desirable to examine some apparent neglect and to revalue._.this spiritual exercise. We may sum up its importance by saying it is a sign of spiritual vitality, especially for those who have spent some years in religion. It may not be all-important m itself, at least when it is thought of and practiced in too narrow a manner. Generally its practice is a good indication that.the interior life is thriving. More often than not, its neglect means alack of spiritual vitality. In a limited sense, fidelity to" the practice of the examen can serve as a barometer reading of spiriti~al fervor. A Restricted Conception of the. Exarnen The formal idea of the particular examen can be applied in two different ways regarding both the choice of the subject matter and the manner of conceiving its pragtice. One way is very concrete and definite, perhaps too mechanical and artificial at least for life-span practice. For instance, we decide on rooting out a habitual fault such as the neglect of silence, resolve to avoid transgressions, and keep a record of the eventually-decreasing faults. Or we concentrate our attention on a specific practice of virtue such as kind interpretation of the actions of others and endeavor to. increase the number of these acts throughout the day, checking at noon and night to see how we have succeeded. This method is very rightly advised in the beginning of the religious life. It is an effective means of correcting exterior faults and defects and of gradually developing a religious way of thinking, speaking, and acting. It is also useful at other periods in life when it is necessary to remedy some faulty way of speaking'or acting that has crept in unnoticed. Another Approach If the particular examen is to measure up to what writers say about it and be a really powerful means of progress, there ought to be another way of conceiving its practice which does justice to its 180 1953 PARTICULAR EXAMEN importance. A number of religious have given the assurance that the following approach "works." Instead of taking just any particular fault or practice of virtue, we should fix on some central interest or need of our spiritual life. If the subiect is important it will less easily be forgotten. Then its !~ractlce, oreferably positive rather than nega-tive, should be conceived in a broad and inclusive manner. By means of the resolve made and renewdd at the three times--morning, noon, and night--we work at gradually penetrating our working day with an ideal or conviction rather than at c.ounting a number of particular acts 6r ,defects. To be more specific, the most suitable ;sub.iect matter for our par-ticul~ r examen is the main resolution or resolutions of our annual re- " treat. When this subiect is properly" chosen, it answers a real need and generMly our great~st one. It may crystallize into some maxim or mqtto. Then the oractice will consist in keeping this before our mind or recalling it when needed and pbssible. We thus slowly come to live in the atmost)here or disposition which our watchword con-veys. ¯ We begin to think, speak, and act accordingly. Some examples are: "The LordIoves a cheerful giver": "Ndt for me, Lord, but for Thee": "To have that mind in you which is in Christ." The prac-tice of framing our resolution in a driving maxim or a quotation from Scripture can be very helpful 'though it is not essential. What is essential is to keep before our mind a definite objective, sufficiently central and important for our personal interior life, such as cannot be lost sight of as long as our effort for spiritual "progress is kept alive. In this method our faithfulness and success in the,practice of the par-ticular examen are the criterion of our vitality and fervor. This will create a .congenial interior climate in which our souls can thrive. The importance of tEis concep~ion of the examen is evident at once. Nor is there any danger that we shall overlook and forget it throughout a busy day. If our work is permeated with a driving spiritual ideal, as it should be if it is to be different from mere secular work, a particular examen that looks after 6ur present main spiritual need will help sustain this retreat-clear inspiration. It is only in moments of forgetfulness when we neglect grace and allow natural-ism to guide our thought or conduct that the particular examen will also suffer from this spiritual thoughtlessness, But the examen itself, by reason of the resolve and the effort it implies, helps to forestall or exclude and .certainly to dimi6ish these "secular moments" in our days. 181 P. DE LETTER Review [or Religious Room [or Varietg We need not fear that this method will leave no room for a helpful variety that will maintain interest. When our particular examen aims at our central, yet definite, spiritual interest or need, its subject, matter can and naturally will take on many different aspects according to the variations of that interest or need, directed both by grace and by our psychology. As a matter of fact, our spiritual needs and interests evolve gradhally according to seasons and circumstances and to the inspirations of grace. These will reveal now one,e, ~now another side which before remained more or less hidden or unnoficed. Moreover, when our retreat resolutio.n, as is gener~ally the case, is not restricted to one but foresees several particular needs, we can alternate the practice and change from one to the other when the 'one seems to have worn out and lost its grip. Later, we can often return to the first with a refreshed outlook and new ardor. ( Dispositions and/or Acts Does this manner of practicing the examen require specific acts as does the first, or may we dispense with these? It may require them and generally does. That depends on the subject matter and on in-dividual dispositions. Some people can maintain a habitual disposi-tion of recollectedness or selflessness without insis(ing on or multiply- , ing definite acts. Others are in need of such acts, which arise spon-taneously from their resolve to be recollected or self-forgetful. spirit of praye.r normally demands some explicit acts of formal prayer; habitual or virtual prayer alone would not be sufficient. Self-lessness, trust, apostolic zeal can be habitual dispositions, but some explicit acts, whether exterior or interior, would not do any harm but would help very much even if they were not altogether necessary. The marking in a book after the noon "and evening check-up, which is generally a real help to our dodging human nature,'is not to be overlooked in this second way. But it need not be done in numer-als. Some people are congenitally poor in.arithmetic. Instead of marking the number of acts or df faults, a gener~al notation may suf-fice, for instance: good, average, poor; or A, B, C; or any way one prefers. When we mean business with our particular examen and make use of all the means to succeed, we still must expect times when our effort will have little success. Some days everything goes well spir-itually; other days it does not. These ups and downs need not be 182 July, 1953 PARTICULAR EXAMEN ; magnified; even in0 the "downs:' our effort can and generally does remain substantially faithful and successful to an extent. This should not be oveHooked: otherwise unwarranted and naive optim-ism may flounder during low moods, Provided our desire and effort .does not flag, even this partly unsuccessful particular examen still marks a steady progress. - The second way of conceiving and. practicing the particular exa-men makes the exercise not just a small device for casual use if it suits but rather an important ~nd obligatory factor in every serious effort for progress. Without it. spiritual life~.slackens if it does not die down. Perhaps we should say that every, fervent life actually keeps this practice of the particular examen, though possibly without giving it that name. Every fervent spirituality is practically boun,d to aim at and concentrate on some definite objective required by the present need. Fervent sduls do so spontaneously. It can only make for better ~esults if they are aware of this law of spiritual vitality and resolve to follow it. Seen in this light, the particular examen-is an essential unit inthe structureof spiritual progress. It is, not just a decorative trifle. We need not fear that this determined and steady effort at lJrog-ress in one particular direction will result in a state of uneasy t~nslon and nervousness. As in the whole spiritual life, so also here, ti~e-de-sire and endeavor for advancement must combine ardor and peace,, earnestness and patience, genuine'effort and disinterested acceptance of the results. For is it not grace that makes our effort possible and suc-cessful? Human endeavor is a subordinate factor. It is no doubt, necessary: grace does ndt replaceit. But it is trust in grace combined with sincerity in not sparing ourselves unduly that makes a burning, yet peaceful ardor possible. The particular examen, understood in this grand and realistic way,, repays, th~ effort we make in a measure which it is impossible,to anticipate. Fidelity to grace is often re-warded beyond human expectation. Gabriel A. Zema, S.J. 1. Let us take, for example, the habit of passing on to a friend or acquaintance our low opinion of the fault or sin 0f another. De-pending on circumstances, the thing may be no sin at all, a.venial, or a mortal sin. Even if no actual sin, it is a habit that belongs to no 183 GABRIEL A. ZEMA lady or gentleman; and it can lead to a lot of trouble. 2. On rising, or after morning prayer, write a figure, say "3," some place where you can again see it at the end of the day. (Even nosey people will never know what "3" stands for.) For you "Y' means you are determined to control your tongue three times that day on the habit you set ouk to break. 3. When you look at the figure at the end of the day while examining your conscience as every sincere re!igious.should--it is pos- Sible you won't know what it stands for yourself. You may even have forgotten you put it there. ,But a little reflection will bring back the breaking-that-habit idea. 4. Very well, begin all over again. On the second day you may find that you have not controlled your tongue even once. Go to the third day more determined than ever. 5. I~eep'up the practice for ten or twelve days. You will find a definite improvement if you are at all serious about it. 6. At the end of ten or twelve days take tip another fault and give it ~he same treatment. Follow the same procedure. After you have worked on three or four faults.--never forgetting to keep im-' proving on them--go back to the first one and see how the patient looks! 7. In morning and evening prayers ask Our Lady to come to your aid. BOOK NOTICE THE INTERIOR CARMEL: THE THREEFOLD WAY OF LOVE, by John C. H. Wu, a very brilliant Chinese. convert, diplomat, and scholar, "wi'll help highly intellectual.lay men and women to raise their spiritual lives of contemplation and divine love td an equal height and to give them something of the lofty mysticism that char-acterized St. John of the Cross. It will also aid very busy religious or priests to make their exterior activities conducive to a ,higher and more intense internal spirit. Interestingly and inspiringly Dr. Wu quotes the ancient Cbiriese sages, Confucius and Mencius, to rein-force the lessons of modern Catholic and Spanish Carmelite mysti-cism. (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1953. Pp. xii + 257. $3.25.) 184 Child Mo!:her: r cious ynt:hesis Mother Winifred Corrigan, r.c. AT HOLY COMMUNION, the soul authentically in love with ~ God, is sometimes conscious of itself as a banq~ethall in which the memorable gospel of the anointing of the Lord's feet by "a sinner" is being reenacted. This soul becomes aware in itself of two sep.arate impulses. One is the generous spirit of the Magdalen, utterly expending self for the beloved Master, freely offering to spend its best years in obscurity or lovingly giving its body to be burned. The other impulse, also within .the soul, is viewing, rea-soning, even objecting: "To what purpose is this waste?" It is the soul speaking in terms of the apostle 3udas, not yet the traitor, who prudently considers the extravagance of broken alabaster."For this might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." That Our Blessed Lord openly favored and approved the sym-bolic self-surrender ~f Mary Magdalen, the sinner, we know. "The poor you have always with you but me you have not.always." We have experienced, too, bow the logic of Divine Wisdom reconciles our opposing desires and restores equilibrium. "Thy. sins are for-given thee. Thy faith hath'made thee safe, go in peace." Devotion to Mary performs a similar function. It tends to unify two spiritual realities sometimes thought to be at variance: the doctrines of spir-itual" cbildbood and spir!tual motherhood. Why are these doctrines ever considered incomigatible? In the natural order, it is plain that the two states, childhood and mother-hood, are not in opposition. Obviously, the same person can be both child and mother. The basic concept, mother, one who merci-fully sustains the life of her offspring ("do not kill it"), is unfor-gettably presented to us as illustrating the wisdom of Solomon. "Give the living Child to this woman.for she is the mother there-of." This concept of mother ~choes the first woman's name, Eve, mother of the living. The concept of child, in the Divine Mind, is expressed for us in the Fourth Commandment. In the Book of Ec-clesiasticus (Chapter 3) the blessings of fruitfulness and long life are promised in detail to the loving, obedient child. Writing to his dear Ephesians, St. Paul confirms this divine revelation for New Testa- 185 MOTHER WINIFRED CORRIGAN Review for Religious merit times.- "Children, obey your parents in. the Lord, for this is just. Honor thy father and thy mother, which is the first command-ment with a prorriise: that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest be long lived upon earth." Thus, for the Christian, it is natural for the faithful child to become fruitful, nor would the sacrifice of mar- ¯ riage and family usually be required in order to keep the Fourth Commandment. In the supernatural order, the harmonious' sequence between the roles of child and mother is less apparent. In making ready to lighten up the mists by reference to M.ary, it may be well to clarify the meaning of the terms, spiritual childhood and spiritual mother-hood, according to Scripture and the lives of the saints. Spiritual Childhood Our Lord has strongly set forth the reality, even. the necessity of spiritual childhood. "Amen, I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little, children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." He then counsels the humility of a little child for his disciples, and for all who would be "greater in the kingdom of heaven." The reality of spiritual motherhood is presented for us in the forceful language of St. Paul. "My little dhildren," he wrote to the Galatians, "of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you." His apostolic cry for souls re-echoes the appeal of the Divine Lover, heard in the Old Testament (Isaias 49:15). There it tran-scends rather than distinguishes itself from the pangs of .natural motherhood. "Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her wombs. And if she should forget, y.et will I not forget thee/' Amid the miracles of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we find this divine, motherly concern for human needs manifesting itself in a sweet, considerate way. He took the hand of Jairus' 12"-year-old daughter and raised her from the dead. Then, having counselled her parents to secrecy, he "commanded that something should be given her to eat." Some of tl'Je saints have discovdred the .beautiful qualities of spir-itual childhood and spiritual motherhood.contained in the above and similar passages. At Holy Communion, they have explored the mystery of their Eucharistic Lord .entering the human body, resting there like a helpless, unborn child, in order to nourish the life of the soul. The Divine Word, repeating the mother's cry: "Do not kill 186 Jul~,1953 GRACIOUS SYNTHESIS it!" 'daily fulfills His own promise: "The bread that I will give. is my flesh, for the life of the world." The saints have understood how, by their very self-effacement, by being belittled and becoming as little children, they too can maternally assis~ in the birth, growth, and' development of the Mystical Body. St. Th~r~se of the Ch'ild Jesus (1873-1897) has renewed the interest of the modern world in the doctrine Of spiritual.childhood: Her position as youngest child of the Martin family and her early entrance into religious life preserved in her soul the true attitude of a child. How this spirit of utter dependence on her heavenly Father helped her to fulfill her maternal duties as nox}ice mistress to the souls "who came to me asking for food," she tells with unique charm in her Autobiographgt (p. 213). Her present title of patroness of the missions suggests the breadth of her spiritual moFherh0od, hidden deep in her youth and Carmel. No discordant contrast is the spirituality of Blessed Th~r~se Couderc (1805-1885), foundress of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacl~. As the oldest girl in a large family and as young superior of a religious community, sloe early developed the valiant traits characteristi(of spiritual motherhood. Then. con-sequent upon bet consecration to Our Lady, shesaw her responsibili-ties removed and she went down willingly into years of oblivion. In her 60th year, Blessed Th~r~se or, as we know her better, Mother Th~r~se, had emerged from the darkness of humiliation and failure, to find herself a humble, cherished adorer confronted with the holi-ness of God. "He treats me always." she wrote at this time, "like a child who would not have the strength to bear trials, Also the sweetness He makes me feel in His service makes me forget and bear all." This is the stage at which she detailed her doctrine of self-surrender. While it graduall~ led her into the thicket of unitive suffering and reparation, she continued to call it an easy means of sanctification, noting that there is "nothing so sweet to practice.': Marg, the Ideal The ideal of self-surrender is Our Lady of the Cenacle. It is Our- Blessed Mother in th~ last. perhaps 15-year, epoch of her earthly life. She has already received her Divine son's formal commission for the motherhood of mankind, on Calvary. In the Cenacle or "upper room," by a mother's persevering prayer and a claild's anonymity- ("who when she was first of all became-the last" St. Bernard), 187 COMMUNICATIONS ReotetO [or Reltgtot~s Mary continues to attract us to the sublime by the gracious synthesis of her life. In religious life, Mary's spirit is learned and gained in a'variety o.f ways: perhaps in the shared intimacy of Holy Communion, perhaps in the fragrant solitude of a retreat. Our Lady is ever the, true child ,and the true mother. Her spirit, '!meek and strong, zealous and prudent, humble and courageous, pure and fruitful," imparts to us our own proper measure of both these roles. When we have reverently analyzed ~and appreciated the doctrines of spiritual childhood and spiritual motherhood, we may be allowed to accommodate an angel's words as our simple directive,. "Take the Child and His mother." Thus, sincere, day to day imitatio'n of Our Blessed Mother. gradually becomes our meaningful response to an ever more imRerative invitation. We then find that we have tended to integrate in our spiritual .life the two ways'of which Mary, our model, is the gracious synthesis. Reverend Fathers: I agree with Sr. Ma~y Jude', 0.P., in her articl~, "The Summa for Sisters" (March, 1953), that a study of the works of St. Thomas would help our Sisters become better religious and better teachers However, I do not agree with Sister regarding "the distinctive phe-nomenon of the active orders today." Professed religious who are seeking admission to contemplative orders are a growing concern of the Church, but they are not a phe-nomenon. They are the logical result of the transition that has been taking place within active orders. Truly "their final profession is far enough behind," but a glance at those former days may illuminate the darkness, mistrust, and mis-understanding that surrounds them. When ~hey entered religious life the goal was one--it was clear-cut, that is, perfection which would I, mean intimate union with God. During their novitiate and perhaps I' for the first ten years of their religious life their concentrated all their it efforts to attain this end. Then stress was not on education, nursing, i! or Catholic Action, but on the presence of God and the pursuit of I virtue; however, because of pressure from without, the change of l 188 duly, 1953 COMMUNICATIONS standards, and the requirements by the St'ate, professional knowledge, ability, and skill became a necessity. Therefore. higher education with Saturday and weekday classes was added to teaching, plus parent-teacher m~etings, sodalities, public relation groups, discussion clubs and first~id courses. These religious lack neither intelligence nor good will. They readily admit with St. Thomas the greatness of the charity of the apostolate. Theylive, for the most part, lives of self-renunciation and sacrific6. Other,wise they would not be seeking admission to the cloister.- Nor are they seeking only the joys of contemplation. Most of them would gladly spend themselves and be spent in the apostdlate if they could still be c~rtain that their union with God was increasing not decreasing. But the signs point in the opposite direction. Let us look at one of these Sisters of fifteen y~ars ago. Today, instead of the one goal of 'union with God, she has another, that of professional competence. What has happened to her.as a result? First, the intensity of her desires and her efforts in the spir~itual life has naturally been weakened by her concentration on her work. Second!y, the virtues of the interior life, silence, and recollection do not have the opportunity for development they had in fdrmer days. Distractions in one form or another and activity hinder their growth. Thirdly, the virtues of the hiddefi life have become watery. They lack the positive yirility that so characterizes interior souls. She is in the world and does not wish to be of the world, yet its spirit of ac-tivity and distraction are now hers. ~ Viewing these results, she finds a growing conviction that her. spiritual life is deprived of the degree of vitality that once was hers and thai the culprit is activity. From this conviction flows the fear that her work and its accessories are separating her from Christ. It is not the fear of a neurotic; it is a well:founded fear that demands recognition and attention. No zealous religious desires to go to heaven alone; no thinking religious denies the value of the apostolic life,, but there is much ac-tivity in the life of the religious today that could not conceivably be put in the category of Apostolic. Those who strive to unite prayer and action as St. Paul and St. Thomas, St. Catherine and St, Teresa of Avila did, find they fall short of the ideal, in fact they fail. Tl~is is not just subjective thinking. It can be proven without much spiritual examination. As in nations, so in groups, and so with the individual, the pe- 189 COMMUNICATIONS ~" riod of adjustment is 'fraught with dangers. These must not be spurned. They should be recognized and analyzed. It is the chal- . lenge of our age. , The desire for contemplation is rapidly growing in America, not o~ly.in orders of women but also among men. We have a Father Moore, a Father Raymond, and a Father Merton, to name only a few outstanding ones, to prove this. Not only is contemplation sought by' religious in active orders, but so many young, eager Americans have sought admission to the Trappist Monastery in Kentucky that they .have had to build five new foundations in a short time, The Carthusians, stiil in their infancy in America, have a waiting list. All. this is significant. ¯ Would Sr. Mary Jude say all these people were exceptions, or that they lack the ability to find the delicate balance between prayer and work. I doubt it. Looking at it from this' broader .point of view, we see that this cbndition of which~ Sister M, Jude speaks i~ only a branch of a much larger river that is sweeping America from coast to coast. If we wish to insure the vitality and growth of our active orders, we must see that. the desire for intimate union 'with Christ is given outlets and opportunities for development, .even if it means the curtailment of many activities. We can do without the latter, but without the for-mer all action is but sounding brass and tinklilag cymbals. --A SYMPATHIZER. "BLESSED BE HER GLORIOUS ASSUMPTION" .On December 23, 1952, Our Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, decreed that the in-vocation printed above is.to be added, to'the Divine Praises whenever they are re-cited after Mass or'after Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.' In the official publi-cation of this decree, which appeared in the Acti~ Apostolica Sed~'s under date of March 21, 1953, vol. 45, p. 194, it was stated that this new invocation should be inserted after the invocation "!Blessed be~ th~ Name of Mary Virgin and Mother." However, L'Osseroatore Romano for April 9 contained a correction, issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on Apr!l 8, to the effect that it should be inserted im-mediately after the other invocation: ',',Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate C.oncep, tion." ,. The ob'.i~ati0n of inserting this new. invocation into the Divine Praises begins on dune 21, 1953, that date being three months from the date of the ACtu Apos-tolicae Sedis in which the decree appeared, in conformity with canon 9 of the Code of Canon Law. We take this occasion to remind our readers that on Oc~0ber 31-, 1950, in con-nection with the formal definition, Pope Pius XII decreed that the invocation Queen assumed into f-leaven should be added to the Litany of Loretto after the ~'oCation "Queen conceived without original :sin." At the same time he also up-, proved a new Mass which is to replace the Mass formerly said on the Feast of the Assumption. 190 I Spiri :ual Progress and Regress Charles A. Nash, S.J. AN IDEA as old as St, Augustine, and. rebbrn in Rodriguez, pic-tures the spiritual life "as a ,b~all of string you are carefully winding up. IL once you drop it, it readily unwinds, and it takes a long time and much effort to .wind it up again. This same idea, on a natural plane, permeates the business day of six thousand psychiatrists in the United States who have become profoundly, interested in what happens once the ball of life is dropped and starts to unwind. Their technical name for it is regression or the reversal of t~ae normal steps Of growth. Regression is of such paramount im-portance in psychiatry that it is often .defined as "the science of re-gressive phenomena." The aim of this article is to picture regression in the spiritual life and.to use psychiatric data in order to empha.size certain psychological factbrs that underlie spiritual progress. " Because it is their.daily, business, psychiatrists today are fast be-coming experts in the delicate art of character change or the forward step to maturity, As modern scientific.innovators in an ancient field. these medical specialists have made many valuable scientific investi-gations and acquired much practical experience in the last twenty-five years. Religious ark wise to profit by some of their ideas on regress and pr,og~ess toward maturity 'which have a direct practical bearing on the religiou~ life. Like the psychiatrist, a religious, too, practices daily the delicate art of character change, but be aims at a greater spiritual maturity. The forward progress at which a psy-chiatrist aims in treating his patient strikes a close parallel to the for-ward progress of a religious in the spiritual life. Both involve a gradual change of character. Psychiatrists must know character change in two directions, both Zegre~s and progress. The classic exampl,e of regression or unwinding in human life is old age. We are often a casual witness when time, by its slow process, lays its fingeron a man. We have watched elderly PerSons gradually drop things most cherished in !ife, one by one. first a man b~gins to lose the wide ifiterests he once had. Sports no longer interest him; he stops traveling is much as he used to; his friendships narrow dow.n; interest in his daily, work begins to lag. All gradually culminate in his retirement.1 If he.k~eps his mind open '~Leland El Hinsie?Concepts and Problems of Ps~ychotherapg, p. 124: Understand-able Psgchiatrg, chapter on "Regression." * 191 ¯ CHARLES A. NA~H Reoietu for Religious and pliant and is ready to welcome whatever the future may bring, the elderly pers.on often mqves gracefully through his last years. Often enough, however, his mind closes up and he loses track of the day and the hour. He becomes hostile to what is new, to change, to innovation, closing off hislmind to the future. In the ,course of time he may become self-centered and petulant, and fall back upon the 'manners of his childhood, then of his infancy. He may have to be bathed, fed, dressed, assisted in walking. For him it is a haven of repose, a citadel of safety. He has reverted to his "second child-hood" and regressed to the activities of an infant. Besides the com-plete unwinding of habits of maturity in "second childhood," there are many pictures of partially unwound habits which are but-smaller portraits on a much reduced scale. Unwinding Spiritual Life Complete spiritual regression can be 'seen in-the nominal of "fallen-away" Catholic of any age who knows his religion but drops. its practice entirely. The unwinding spiritual, life runs down a path more or_ less parallel to "old age and ~econd childhood." The ¯"fallen-away" .Catholic's practical interest in religion slowly wanes, and he gradually closes off his mind to religion, becoming spiritually self-centered. One by one he drops the religious practices he once cher-ished. -Sunday is like any other day; the churchdoor remains ever .i:los~d. He stops going to Mass; he falls away from the Sacraments: his prayer life diminishes to a minimum or none at all. Gradually, his acquired spiritual habits Unwind until he is back to "childhood," where spiritual obligations and.moral responsibilities are at a mini-mum. He has traded away God for careless, vacant ioaming. As far as religion is concerned, he is once' again like a small boy, sans reason and his seventh birthday. Instead of progressing to an ever greater possession of God, he has gone backwards. Here, too, miniature por-traits of regression are quite common in the spiritual life where a spiritual habit or two may start to unwind. Progress and regress follow definite patterns. .One is a dynamic, forward-moving pattern toward maturity; the other moves back-ward down the path a man has come up, Life experience normally present~ the picture of a continuum of, forward growth along a life-line which falls into natural periods: birth, childhood,, adolescence, young manhood, adulthood, change of life, and decline. It is the common lot of mortal man to :crown his numberless daily experi- 192 Jul~j, 1953 PROGRESS AND REGRESS ences with.an ever greater maturity. This growing maturity is dearly won through countless small successes. In sharp contrast, the re-gression pattern, at any age and at any level of development, is a're-versal of the' normal steps of growth along', this life-line. Read the life-line forward and you have progress; read it backward and you have regression. Psychiatrists'~tell us that every man takes a backward step now and then. No one, save Christ our Lord and His Blessed Mother, is co,mple.te master of his every action. For religious, the single back-ward step may occur in problems of obedience,' the daily order, pov-erty, t~he practice of virtue, the daily rosary, spiritual reading--to name but a few possibilities. The single backward step is not. so significant. When this backward step becomes a definite pattern, then real spiritual regression is beginning. But despite" occasional backward steps, psychiatrists say the nor-real person is about ninety per cent adjusted to life.~ About ten per "cent of life he cannot quite master and he dodges it in one way or another. In other words, man's daily batting average is about .900; the ratio of small successes in life to small failures is about ninety to ten. Whether saint or sinner, some failure pursues him every day, but success (forward progress) definitely predominates in his actions. Dgnamic Equilibrium Because he is fundamentally successful but always carries some failure in tow, the average person strikes a balance with life. He reacts in terms of an equilibrium--a dynamic, forward-moving equilibrium in which progressive factors predominate, ,but regressive ones are also present. This equilibrium ,is built into the very struc-ture of his mind through the years. It is his own practical system of reacting to life, his working method of dealing with experience de-rived ,from his past.psychological history. Psychiatrists have learned~ to investigate this equilibrium scientifically and now actually measure it,.with~scientific formulas,a When it breaks down, regression begins. If it does not break down, progress continues. ~This figure refers to the over-all or.comprehensive picture of all man's actions in meeting life. Personal success in one particular action, however, may vary from mastery, to littleor no control. Leland E. Hinsie, Concepts and Problems of Pay-. chotherapt./, p. 77. Edward A. Strecker, Fundamentals of Ps~/chiatr~/, graph on p. 231, 3E~lward A. Strecker, Fundamentals of Psv. chiatr~t, p. 51. Franz Alexander and H~len Ross, Dgnamic Psgchiatrg, p. 140. CHARLES A. NASH Reoieto for Religious This dynamic equilibrium produces manifold effects. It gives an even tenor to, man's ways and stability to his character. It embeds past success in the human system for'future successful operation. As a result, whatever a man does in his normal day leaves most of his old order standing. A singld act, forward or backward, leaves most of his autobiography of character largely unchanged. Occasional back-ward steps are readily tolerated and absorbed without throwing the forward motion offstride. Because of it, a major change of character. occurs slowly. A spiritual character change requires many actions over a considerable period of time. In many aspects of life this equilibrium acts as a shock-absorber, an internal ,resistance built right into the structure of personality for resisting the "blows of outrageous foitune." For instance, a death in the family may score a temporary psychological and emotional knockout in other members of the family~. But soon the pendulum swings back to normal and old habits take over once again. Gradu-ally, the appreciation of life built up through the years prevails, and life goes forward once more. Because of his equilibrium, a man does not deteriorate psychologically at one major blow, nor can ,he turn himself'inside out, for better or worse, overnight. Role o~ Failure After much failure or long-enduring stress, this same personal balance or equiliblium can wear thin or even "break down." When this occurs, the backward pattern of regression slowly begins. Then, a religious falls back upon lower and lower levels of his spiritual life, and becomes beset by earlier and earlier habits of his career. The first failure is easy to take, but not a series of them. Failtire is hard on morale, and daily failure has a numbing effect on our effort. The effect of failure is to close off the mind to the difficulty and 0fall back upon.earlier habits. After repeated failure, for instance, a religious may gradually close off his mind to formal mental prayer, and fall back upon his earlier habits when mental prayer was not part of the daily schedule. All spiritual regression has one point in common: it is a back-ward step to an earlier and easiei adjustment to the difficulties of the spiritual life. At the, same time, unfortunately, spiritual progress either slows down or stops. Part of the goal drops out of the picture "for the present," and there is a partial farewell to hopes of greater things. Instead of the "new man in Cl~rist," it is a return to the 194 PROGRESS AND REGRESS "old man" of self when spiritually less mature. The significance of regression in the spiritual life is that it sounds the knell of forward progress. Continued progress requires that a religious take failure~ in stride. Often small successes in life become so integrated into a religious per-sonality that they almost go unnoticed. We only see and take note of our failures, and they can come to loom large on the daily hori-zon. After repeated failure, therd is danger that a religious will close his mind and chart his future course by past failure. The true measure of the future, bower(r, is past success. There is no small touch of humility and wisdom in expecting some daily failure and not charting our future course by it. Man normally moves forward in a dynamic equilibrium with a ninety per-cent rate of success. American Stgiritualitg The pace or tempo of character chahge is a slow one. Being' American-minded, we naturally expe.~t rapid results. The very at- . mosphere of our times--an era of modern machine .efficiency, high- 13ressure business methods, production miracles, and high-speed travel--promotes an ingrained bent toward immediate success. Rightly' or wrongly, we feel there should be a twentieth-century ¯ masterkey to the spiritual life, a foolproof device as dependable ?s the multiplication table. Yet strangely enough, our spiritual life seems to move at the tempo of the first centuiy in a twentieth-century World. True character change may be hard to see. We Americans see the, entrancing picture of industrial production, but we look upon spiritual progress in our own lives as a vague or blank picture. Sanc-tifying grace and internal actual grace are both intangible and invis-ible. We sow the representative crops, the seeds of humility, love of God, obedience, and the other virtues, yet always wonder2--when's the harvest? To see results, we often make one good resolution suc-ceed another in rapid succession, turning our spiritual life into a series of short-term cycles, partly for variety, partly to convince ourselves that we are getting somewhere and making progress. But after six months of short-term cycles we are ready to doubt whether we are changed an iota. That old spiritual problem which we settled once, and for all two weeks ago somehow surges back to life again today. A series of .these experiences can readily warp ore: spiritual judgment or ~lgrudence and lead to loss of effort and discouragement. Then 195 CHARLES A. NASH Review for Religious failure charts our course. Being constitutiOnall~y successful, we shift our effort to some more promising line of_ endeavor, and the spirit of' spiritual progress becomes like a ghost on the outermost rim of the real business of daily living. 200-300 Hours Psychiatrists have much this same time-problem. How much time is required to make a permanent change in a patient's character~ How long to turn a man around and start him forward again on the life-line to maturity? A considerable body of evidence indicates that it takes two hundred to three hundred hours, roughly speaking; to make a permanent character change.4 This means one hour a day, seven days a week for about nine months devoted to making the change, whate;cer that change may be. No matter how un-American it may sound, there seems to be normally no substitute for time in a 'permanent character change. Even if our minds thunder and rever-berate in syllogisms, it still takes from two to three hundred hours to drive' the lesson home permanently and to relate it in experience to the concrete parts of life. A religious may profitably add a bit of timing to his spiritual motor; Permanent growth is not like reading through a spiritual book in three or four days ~nd expecting the result; it is more l,!ke the slow, nine-months' nurturing of the child in the mother's womb. It is not the work of a day or a week, but it finds a closer parallel in the one hour a day for nine months thata student devotes, say, to mathe-matics ~r history or language in school. Putting on a facet of Christ's personality is not done in one meditation; it slowly develops like the b.aby slowly developing back and neck muscles, balancin'g on his feet at six months, and finally learning to walk near the end of a year. Permanent character change, is more in the image of St.,Peter and the Apostles learning confidence in Christ over a period of several years, and still being a bit shaky at His death when confronted with actual life experience. But worth noting is the ever-recurring fact of suc-cess. After nine months in the womb the baby actually is born; a year later he walks; in nine months the student knows his history, mathematics, and language. In time the Apostles did attain cona-dence in Christ. Actual success is the constant experience of the hu-man race if timk and energy are dev6ted to the task. 4Leland E. Hinsie, Concepts and Problems of Psychotherapy, 11-12. 169. John Knight, S~o'ry oI My Psychoanalysis, 2-3. 196 155, 166- Ju~,~, ! 953 PROGRESS AND REGRESS ¥~rhat l~appens in two or three hundred hours? In that time our perso.nal equilibrium changes. Through ~ur mind and emotions there slowly winds a new track of virtue all its own. Character change invoIyes a rather thoroughgoing shift in our habitual reaction to life. It requires a new appreciation of life as a permanent part of the m~nd, a' new emotional pattern, a new reaction to a vast number of concrete situations. Suppose, for example, a close friend dies with whom you have associated night and day for ten years. In all the old situations which constantly remind you of this lost friend you m~lst make clear to yourself that you have this friend no longer, and that a renunciation is necessary. He is Vividly represented {n many personal memories and experiences. You will have to correct your reactions for many a day, and detachment must t~ke place separately in each instance. Similarly in character chan, ge. "The single action, the passing thought hardly dents the human system: it remains more like a feeble echo in the soul. A single action leaves one's equilibr!uin for meeting life largely unchanged. In two or three hundred" hours, however, the new reaction "works through" and permeates our mind and our thinking~ In that time it develops its own emotional pat-tern and becomes permanently related in experience to most of the concrete parts of life. Factors in Adult Progress As adults, we tend to sell human nature short. We frequently forget what a long way we have come since childhood, the countless number of small successes involved in our present degree of maturity. Starting out as a helpless babe, man slowly learns t6 walk, to speak, to run, to master language, to enjoy countless new experiences,, to cope with school life, to earn a living, to marry and support a fam-ily. Any one of thesehas practical difficulties of time and energy and personal ability somewhat like those in the spiritual life: Yet by the common experience of mankind, their attainment ih practically cer-~ rain if sufficient time and energy is devoted to the task. As adults we tend to forget the countless milestones we have already passed, and even come to expect no new milestones in the future. Often as adults we cut down on spiritual time and energy, and act in the practical order as if religious experience had been exhausted. If a religious tries to compress thirty hours int6 twenty-four, it is inevitable that he will have to scalp time from his spiritual life to ac-complish this feat. In this regard it would seem that all of us are endowed with a certain native shrewdness of the horse-trading vari- 197 CHARLES A. NASH ety. But little time means little progress. Sometimes we run our spiritual life like a carburetor with too thin a mixture of energy to operate the machine. Life's fast teinpo drains away energy. The more our limited daily energy is channeled to other things, the less remains available for character change or spiritual growth. ~ If there is no time and energy, there is no progress. As we grow older, our ideas of spiritual experience tend to become mote and more .rigid. Spiritual progress is difficult in a rigid mind, like mov, ement in a. straitjacket. Progress demands an open and pliant mifid with the door ever open to wider spiritual experience. Often in order to pro-gress we first have to unstiffen our spiritual ideas and keep them lim-ber. Age is not a true limit to spiritual growth. Remai'ning ever an experiencing being, man normally moves ever forward irma dynamic equilibrium toward an ever greater maturity in God. If the human mind closes to the future, it falls back upon the past. Not age but the man himself puts a stop to progress, by refusing new spiritual ex-perience. The Divine Plan Time, energy, and an open mind docile to the Holy Spirit fit into God's design for human experience on earth. In His divine plan as the Creator of human nature and every human experience, God has an eminently skilful regard for bo~h the strength and the weakness of the earthly pilgrim in his slow daily progress. He assists the slo~v, three-hundred-hour pace by the superior motivation of divine reve-lation, by countless actual graces, by the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity. When only a miracle can be substituted for time, when our very best efforts are always attended by some failure, we catch no small glimmer of the "divinity that shape~ our ends" in the gift of-the three theological virtues. For without hope progress stops; without faith the path grows dim: without love the heart grows faint along the way. But in God's design for religious ex-perience ,the pilgrim is fortified by God Himself. Faith illumines our mind along the road to God; hop~ keeps effort alive and the goal be-fore our eyes; and love is even now a participation of the goal itself while progressing along the way: Divine assistanc~ and a ready w~l-come ever await the pilgrim at every step of his journey. "Come to Me all you that'labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh you." The lq.ng-run trend of spiritual growth, in God's design, is a quickening triumphal march. ~ 198 The Unseen World Jerom~ Breunig, S.J. THE telescope and microscope have extended our horizons im- | measurably. They have opened up unseen worlds for us. "How mean is earth when I look to heaven," said St. Ignatius one night in Rome more than 400 years ago. Hbw much more mean-ingful this remark is today when the giant eye at Mt. Palomar, California, a 200 inch telescope, helps us penetrate into the sky to the staggering limits of more than one billion light years" and reveals millions of suns like our own moving at the incredible .speed of 500,000 miles, per hour. .~Apart from the findings of the great ob-servatories, even a good telescope on a clear night can reveal wonders hidden to the eye. We can see the pock marks that craters ma~ke on our next ~lo~r neighbor, the moon, which is a scant 238,000 miles fr6m our planet. We. can see the nine moons that cluster about Jupiter, the'ring of light about Saturn, as well as the fiery masses said to be billions of stars. ~The inicroscope opens another unseen world. To the unaided eye what is on the glass slide lo6ks like'a drop of water. Under the microscope we see many protozoa of all kinds. We can see scores of little slipper-shaped animals called paramecia caromin~ about in the water. Perhaps a sluggish, slow-moving amoeba can be sighted or a green euglena of the mastigophora (whip-bearing) family, propel-ling itself by its whiplike tail. After human vision gtopped, the zo-ologist has pushe,d on with his microscdpe to discover 30,000 kinds of protozoa in an unseen world. But there is another world still more 'marvelous and far more important than the worlds that the magnifying glass reveals. It is the unseen world of spiritual realities. Higher visual aid is required to penetrate far into this invisible but real world. We are blind and helpless without the eyes of faith. St. Paul speaks right to the point. "What is faith? It is that which'gives substance to our hopes, which convinces, us of things we cannot see." What are some of the realities in this unseen world? What are some of the "things we cannot see" except with the eyes of fai'th? No one has ever seen a soul at the moment God created it,'when it.left the body, or at any other time. Nor has anyone seen the re-birth of a soul at Baptism when the higher life of grace is infused and the human clay is made immortal diamond, when the bap'tized 199 ,In I JEROME BREUNIG Reoieto for Religious is made a son of God and heir of heaven, when the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity come and make their home in the soul, trans-forming it into a temple of God. "Blessed are those who have not .seen and have believed." Faith convinces us of things we cannot see. No one has seen a soul red as scarlet washed whiter than snow by the absolution of a priest. Nor has anyone seen the bread of heaven restoring the waning strength of the soul. No one has seen the inexpressible joy of the elect in the mansion,s of heaven, the chastening anguish of the souls in the prison of purgatory, or the black despair of the damned 'in hell. "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Faith convinces us of things we can-not see. Opposition of the Sense-World It is essential to salvation to stay aware of the unseen world but it is not easy. We live in a world of sense. Our very mode of learning is rboted in sense impressions. There is nothing in the mind / that was not first in the senses. Even faith comes by hearing. Our convictions about what we cannot see are constantly being challenged by things we can see. It is a losing battle, naturally. For instance, we will ordinarily be more vividly impressed by paging through a national picture magazine for a few minutes than we will by reading the Imitation of Christ for the same length of time. Unless we con, stan.tly cultivate supra-sensible reality by reading, reflection, and prayer, we will not be able to offset the ever-present attraction of the sensible. We.are also at the m'ercy of our less immediate environment. We are influenced by what we see, hear, feel; and much of this is secular. It is not informed with respect for the sacred unseen realities. There are also abundant examples of godlessness. To claim there are no atheists in foxholes, on the operating tables in our hospitals, among the alumni of our schools; Or ("there but for the grace of God go I") among ex-religious is to close one's eyes to the facts. The lack of respect for God's creative co-operation in h.uman generation is widespread and appalling. There are hardened, blinded men who look on death like the fallen-away who "assured" the hos-pital chaplain: "If I die on the operating table, there will not b'e any-one to take me away." Many non-believers patronize our "naivete" in accepting the sacramental system. A Catholic mayor was openly ridiculed in the public press: "How can he be fit to manage the city goverttment when he is foolish enough to believe a little wafer is his 200 duly, 1953 THE UNSEEN WORLD God." Communists use brutal methods.to eradicate, "to wash away," a sense of the supernatural, but secularism has a smooth ap-proach that sometimes is even more effective in uprooting faith, hope, and charity. The recent ~u.rvey of religion in the United States has produced some startlin~ data. The first report that 99% of the people be-lieved in the existence of G~od was heartening, but the subsequent studies revealed the shallowness of much of this belief. Thd eighth" of the series, "What Americans Think of Heaven and Hell," reported the following statistics in the March number of the Catholic Digest. "Do you think there is any real possibility of your going to.hell? Yes, answered .I 2 %; No, 29 % : Don't know, 17 %; Do not beh.eve in hell, 42 %." In other words, 88 % of those questioned were not greatly concerned with .a truth that Christ underlined clearly, in His teaching. And this is the. environment, through the press, radio, television(?), and a thousand other contacts, we live in. The un-seen world of faith has competition. Witnesses to the Unseen The greatest Witness to the reality of the unseen world was" Christ, God2s Son, who clothed Himself with flesh and blood, a true human nature, worked miracl~s, and founded a ,visible Church to bear witness to the invisible grandeur of divine realities. He invites religious in a special way to continue to bear witness. He has invited them to prove the eternal value of.a better world to a money-mingled, sex-sick, rugged-individual generation by being poor, chaste, and obedieht as He was in the wor'ld. "But if religious are not inhabi-tants of this unseen world they will never impart the irresistible con-viction that the unseen world exists." The recent communication from a Poor Clare (REVIEW, No-vember~ 1952, 312-14) contained the eloquent witness to the un-seen world that is afforded by contemplatives. "There is an unseen world which to her (a Poor Clare) is very real. The incidents of daily lilt'are mere accidentals which are of value so far as they pur-chase for her more perfect union with God. This unseen world is as real to her as the things she can reach out and touch, and touching it she can make every action of hers prayer. I am speaking of prayer,mnot prayers," Until the unseen world is as real to us as the things we can reach out and touch, we will not convey the conviction so badly needed. 201 C. A. HERBST Reuieto for Religious, There is on~ way to make this world that real. It is by living in it. I remember a retreat master's remark on tills point. "You have to have darkness to find a picture on the sensitive plate, and you ha~e to have prayer to bring out the invisible presence of God." Again, it is ' prayer and not prayers that will enable us to live the convictions of our faith. Chari!:y C. A. Herbst, S.J. W~HEN a learned man among the Jews asked Our Lord: "Which is the great commandment in the law?" Christ answered: "Thou shalt love the' Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, andwith thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment." (Mt. 22: 37, 38). This was not new with Christ. It is the burden not only of the New but als0 of the Old Testament. written, as St. Paul says, "with the Spirit 6f the living God.in the fleshly tables of the heart" (II Cot. 3:3). The theological virtues are the greatest of all the virtues. Thdre are three of them: faith, hope, and charity. "And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three." Of these three, love of God' for His own sake is the queen: "But the greatest of these is charity" (I Cot. 13:13). Its object is God Himself, and our motive for loving Him,. too, is His own dear Self, "because Thou are all good and worthy of all love." "I call charity that virtue which moves the soul to love God 'for His own sake and oneself and the neighbor for God's ~ake," said St. Augustine. Charity makes all the virtues live. It is the soul even of faith, without which it is impossible to please God. "The life. of the body is the soul. By it the body moves and feels. Even so the life of faith is charity, because it works through charity, as you read in the Apostle: 'faith that worketh by charity' (Gal. 5:6). When charity grows cold, f~ith dies, just as the body does when the soul leaves it." (St. Bernard, Serrn. "2 In Resurr.) "O my God, ,I love Thee above all things." How can I truth-fully say this when I prove many times every day by committing venial sins that I love even tiny creatures more than I love God? Or why is it that I do not cry for love of God wheaa I lqse Him by mor-tal sin but I do cry when I lose my mother by death? Although ¯ 202 drain, 1953 CHARITY these actions seem to be contradicting my words "0 my God, I love Thee above all things," they, really do not. I can weep over my mother's death and commit venial sins and" still love God objectively above all things. That is, I can, and do, go on sincerely and earnest-ly wishing Him the l~reatest good, .that He will continue to be the supreme object of all love and receive divine honors. I can commit venial sins and weep over temporal ld~s and still love God above all things appreciative4 , too. by preferring God with an efficacious will to all created things, by esteeming Him as thehighest good. I can so value and esteem Him ak to be r~eady to lose all else rather than abandon God. We canndt recall too often that true love is in the will, not in the fe~!ings or ~motions. A mother's instinctive and spontaneous feelings and enfotions may draw her to love her child more ir~rensel~, with greater ease, tenderness, and alacrity, than she does God, yet she is ~eady to lose her child rather than offend God seriously. Her love for God is greater and deeper, and influences her soul more p[ofoundly. She loves God objectively and appreciatively more, and intensively and emotionally less. Thihgs of sense appeal more directly and affec-tively than spiritual things do. That in the supreme test, love for God is greater and stronger than any natural love is wonderfully shown in the death of St. Perpetua, martyr. "Neither the tears and oft-repeated prayers of her. aged father, nor the mother-love for the baby boy at her breast, nor the ferocity of her tormentors could move Perpetua from her faith in 3esus Christ." This is brought out, too. by the incidents in the daily lives of the "little people" in Christ's Church' in this living present, so well presented by Father Trese. " 'We've a good pastor,' my.people say --and I am ashamed. Ashamed as I stand beside Katie Connelly at the bed of her just-dead son, and hear her say, 'It's God's will. isn't it, Father?' while she clutches my. hand. Ashamed as I stand beside Ed Fetter at his wife's bier, and hear him say, with three little tykes hanging to his pants-legs, 'If this is what God wants,, we've got to take it, Father.' Ashamed as I ride with the Martins to the Stat~ Hospital where they are taking their son, and hear the mother say, as she bites her lip, 'Well, we've all got to have our cross, Father.' " (Leo Tress, Vessel of Clapt, 24.) Love has various degrees. - In the love of concupiscence there is something of self. I love another because I will get something out of it for myself. This is love of God for my own sake, with selfishness, 203 C. A. HERBST but a very good selfishness. This is the great virtue of hope. Then there is the love of complacency, in which I am glad and rejoice, take pleasure in, another's good, just~ because it ishis good. By it I re-joice in ~the divine perfections~ "Thus approving the good which we see in God, and rejoicing in it, we make the act of l~ve which is called complace-ncy; for we please ourselves in the divine pleasure infinitely more than in our own,' (St. Francis de Sales, Looe of God, V, i). A third and higher'degree of love is~ the love of benevolence, By it we wish another well, want good to come to him. This love we express in the Our Father when we pray: "Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom ~ome, Thy will be done!" Love consists more in deeds than in words. "If you love me, keep my commandments," Our Lord said (John 14: 15). Every-body knows that "talk is che~p,'° but actions filled with love are purest gold. A fine expression of love is a gift. That is why we give gifts on birthdays and on other joyous occasions. Gifts are the language of love. This is shown most strikingly at Christmas time. It is ~ the . feast of giving, of the Gift. Men give then because God taught them to show love that way. He gave the first Christmas Gift by giving Jesus Christ, His son. "God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten son" (John 3:16). That was Bethlehem. That was Calvary, too. "God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten son." The .lesson ChriSt taught from the crib and from the cross is the same lesson; love in deed, in giving. The soul that loves God cannot miss that. It is convinced that love consists in a mutual exchange of gifts. "What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for cnrlst. The answer leaps forth: "Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding~ and my whole will." One gives oneself whole and entire. We cannot do more. But we can do it more solemnly and more specifically, and we have. Religious surrender to God the goods of the world by the vow of poverty. They surrender to .God the goods of the body and of family, life by the vow of chastity. They surrender to God the goods of the soul, especially that most precious thing, their will, by ~he vow of obedience. "Almighty and Eternal God, I vow to Thee perpetual poverty: chastity, and obedience." This is our answer to the divine challenge: "Thou shalt love'the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy .whole soul, and with all thy strength, and wi'th all thy mind . This do, and thou shalt live." 204 The Moral Code Cat:holic I-lospit:als Gerald Kelly, S.J. SOME years ago there was a colorful basketball official who used to delight (and sometime~ enrage) spectators by his dramatic way of telling players, "You can't do that[" Again and again his whistle would be heard and he would be seen speeding across the floor, an accusing finger' pointed at some offending player, as his piercing voice insisted," "You can't do that!" ¯ For all too many people, I fear, this officialmminus his pleasing dramatics--might represent the Catholic hospital and its moral code. Engraven in the minds of these people is the picture Of a devoted non- Catholic physician bending over his patient in the operating or de-livery room, yearning to do something to save the patient's life, but frustrated in this salutary design by the Church, which, through the Sister superior or supervisor or chaplain, raises its restraining hand 'and says unsympathetically, "You can't do that!" Certainly much of the publicity given to v~arious events that take place in our hos-pitals caters to this impression. For example, a few years ago, in Brownsville, Texas, a physician who had sterilized a woman in defiance of the hospital code was dis-missed from the staff. The incident received nation-wide publicity in the daily'papers; and the correspondent of one widely-read weekly devoted to it considerable space and ev?n more emotion. The Sisters of Mercy had closed the doors of mercy to the doctor whose only purpose was mercy~ Follow-up letters from doctors, including one from the vice-chief'-of-staff of their hospital, favored the Sisters and showed little sympathy for the expelled physician. Other letters, however, showed marked sympathy for the doctor and for his emo-tional reporter. One letter in particular expressed great !mpatience with this.Church which insists on projecting the taboos .(a favorite epithet for commandments, divine and human) of the Dark Ages into the twentieth-century operating and delivery rooms. In this and similar incidents We have examples of the old prob-lem of misunderstanding.' The critics usually do not understand our hospital code. Even Catholics, I think, seldom realize what goes into a code. In fact, many seem to have the impression that a Cath- 205 GERALD KELLY Review fur Religious olic hospital moral code consists in ond supreme principle (which, incidentally, is "best-seller" nonsense at its best) that mothers must die fortheir babies. These people ought ko have more accurate in-formation, and it seems logical that they might expect to get it from religious because the Catholic hospital, is one of the most distinctive and extensive achievements of our religious institutes. The following paragraphs p~ovide at least the minimum essentials for giving correct information. ~ Why a Code? Since.the administrators of Catholic hospitals are men and women whose lives are consecrated to God, they can conscientiously conduct these hospitals only when they have a reasonable assurance that the law of God will be observed in the treatment of the sick. One way of obtaining this assurance is to formulate the pertinent moral prin-ciples and their applications into a code and to have the staff-members guarantee that they will observe this code. The first reason for having a code, therefore, is to satisfy the conscience of the admin-istrators. This is aptly stated in the introduction to the present code of the Catholic Hospital Association: "Catholic hospitals exist to render medical and spiritual care to the sick. The .patient adequately considered, and inclusive of his spiritual status and his claim to the helps of the Catholic religion, is the primary concern of those entrusted with the management of Catholic hospitals. Trustees and administrators of Catholic hos-pitals understand this responsibility tbwards each patient whom they accept, to be seriously binding in conscience. "A partial statement of this basic obligation is contained in the present Code of Ethical and Religious Directives. All who associate themselves with a Catholic hospital, and particularly the members of the medical and nursing staffs, must understand the moral and reli-gious obligations binding on those responsible for the management and operation of the hospital, and must realize that they are allowed to perform only such acts and to carry out only such procedures as will enable the owners and administrators to fulfill their obligations." What was .lust said might be construed as meaning that the sole or primary purpose for having a moral code is to protect administra-tor~ against doctors who might perform illicit opera.tions in their hospitals. This" is not true. Generally speaking, doctors and nurses, both Catholic and to a large extent the non-Catholics, want clear 206 July, 1953 ~ HOSPITAL CODE guidance in the ethical problems of their profession. And they want it because they are conscious of a need. As members of a. profession ithat deals constantly with life and death, with mutilation of the hu-man body, with expensive and sometimes dangerous remedies, they are faced again and again With acute ethical problems. Yet large numbers of them, even among tl~e Catholics, have never had the op-portunity of taking~a course in medical ethics. Others who have had such a course have grown "rusty" and need some convenient way of refreshing their memories. For all of these a moral code, which con-tains concisely-stated principles and practical applications to the field of medicine, satisfies a definite need. Making a Code What have our Catholi~ hospitals done to provide the needed guidance through a moral code? For many years the hospitals of the United States and Canada used a very brief ~ode which was excellent at the time it was formulated but which became more and mor~ in-adequate as the progress of medicine introduced new problems and threw new light on old ones. A new and more complete code was needed, and many dioceses prepared such a cod~ for their own use. It was not until 1947 that work was begun on a revised code for the Catholic Hospital Association of the United States and Canada. The work done by the committee on this revised code may be of interest., The committee first made a careful examinationof all the recently-composed diocesan codes, selected what seemed the best material from them. and arranged this material plus their own contributions in a manner that seemed best for handy reference. When this was done, a preliminary draft of a new code was sent for criticism to a large number of doctors and moralists in various parts of the United States and Canada. The doctors consulted included both Catholics and non-Catholics. They were chosen for eminence in their profession and not for ~hei~'religion. These consultants, doctors and moralists;: submitted criticisms some of them. very detailed---of the prelim-inary formula. The criticisms were carefully weighed by the com-mittee and a new formula was drafted. , This was referred again to the original critics; more suggestions were offered; and the code was finally formulated in a manner that met"with universal apprbval. This code was publ!shed in 1949 by the Catholic Hospital Associa-tion of the United States arid Cahada, and it is used today in most o'f the dioceses of these two countries. Some dioceses which had gone~ 207 GERALD KELLY Review [ur Religious to great trouble to prepak-e their own codes still use these in preference to the revised code of the C~tholic Hospital Association. Two observations are in place here in order to ~0revent misunder-standings. First, there is a question pertinent to revising a code: does this mean that morM principles change, or, as some people would put it, does it mean that the Church has changed its moral ~tandards? Obviously, the revision of a hospital code should have no such im-plications. Moral principles do not change: and, from the stand-point of ~principles, the only'reasons for revising an approved code might be to include some principle not beret0fore included, or to ex-press more clearly and simply one of the principles already included. But the application of moral principles to medicine can change be-cause this application depends on the medical facts, which can change with the progress of.science. For example, there was a time when the only way of successfully treating certain infections was' by surgical operation, but tod~ay many of these infections can be arrested by the use of recently-discovered drugs. A fact like this can be the basis for declaring that an operation which was permissible several years ago because necessary for the patient's welfare is no longer permissible. This is but one example of how the application of principles to con-crete cases can change. The revision of a code is largely concerned with these concrete cases. A second observation concerns ~he fact that different codes are fol-lowed in various dioceses. Does this mean that what is morally good in one place is immoral in another? Again the answer is in the nega-tive. The differences in the codes concern neither the moral prin-ciples nor the licitness of specific operations and treatments. They concern rather the selection and arrangement of materi.al, with per-haps the addition of some purely disciplinary regulation .which may be thought necessary in one place but not in another: for example, on the need of consultation before some operation is allowed. Content of Code .: At this point, if not before, someone might well ask just wh~it, is a code, and what goes into it. I can best answer this question by're-ferring specifically to the revised code of the Cat.holic Hospital As-sociation, which is entitled Ethical and Religious .Directives/~or Cath-oti~ Hospitals. As the title implies, this code contains two sections. The second section contains directives of a religious nature which concern the reception and administration of the ~acraments and the 208 dulg, 1953 HOSPITAL CODE reverent disposal of.amputated members and immature babies. For the most part, this sectibn of the code would directly concern only Catholics or those who wish to become Catholics. The first section contains ethical directives, that is, principles of the natural law with applications to medicine. Since the natural law binds all men, the provisions of this section apply to all patients, doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel, regardless of their religion. This is really the moral code of our hospitals. My subsequent remarks app.ly to this section. Basic Principles The,baslc moral principles which are ~ formulated and applied in ¯ our ethical directive~ can be reduced to these six: (a) the .need of the / patient's consent; (b) the inviolability of innocent human life: the intrinsic.evil 'of contraceptive practices: (d) the principle~.of the "double effect"; (e) the principle of "liberty" and (f) the principle of "totality." Perhaps a few words about each of these principles will .be informative without being unduly soporific. ~) The patient's consent. Each individual human being has bqth ~the right and the duty to care for his health. When a doctor treats a patient, he is simply exercising the patient's own right of self-preservation for him, and he may not perform even legitimate operations without the consent of the patient.,. This Consent may be' given explicitly, as would be the case if an operation would be ex-plained to the patient and he ~would then agree to it. Or it may.be implicit, as would be the case if the patient asl~ed for a cure, with the understanding that he is.willingto Submit to all the necessary pro-ce. dures, even without .explanation. Or it may be reasonabtg pre-sumed, as is the case when a doctor gives emergency treatment to an unconscious man. Sound morality requires consent in one of these forms and l~oth civil law and medical associations recognize ~his. For infants and others who are incapable of acting rationally, the parents or guardians have the right to give the consent., b) The inviolabilitg of innocent human life. The meaning bf this principle is strongly and clearly explained in a memorable pas-sage of our present Holy Father's Allocution on the moral problems of married life (October 29, 195 I). This.passage Should be f~imiliar, not 0nly to religigus in hospital work, but to educators as well. "Now the.child, ~ven the unborn child," said the Pope, "is a hu-man being, a human being in .the same degree and by ~he same title as 209 ,,It GERALD KELLY Review for Religious is its mother. Moreover, every human being, even the child¯ in its mother's womb, receives its right to life directly from God, not frdm its parents, nor from any human society or authority. Therefore there is no man, no human authority, no science, no 'indication,,' whether medical, eugenical, social, economic/or moral, that can show or give a valid juridical title for a deliberate and direct disposing of an innocent human life, that is to say, for an action which aims at its destruction, whether such destruction be intended as an end or as a means towards some other end which may "itself be in no way illicit. So, for example, to save the life of the mother is a most noble end, but the direct killing of the cl~ild as a means to that end is not law-ful. The direct destruction of the 'so-called 'valueless life,' whether born or unborn, which was practised a few years ago in numerous in-stances, can in no way be justified. And therefore when this i~ractice began the Church formally declared that it is contrary to the natural law and to the positive law of God, and consequently" illicit--even under instruction from the public authority to kill those who, al: though innocent, are nevertheless by reason of some physical or-ps3;- chical taint useless to the nation and even become a burden on the ¯ community. The life of an innocent human being is inviolable, .and any direct assault or. attack on it violates one of those fundamental laws without which it is impossible for human beings to live safely in society. We have no need to teach you the particular significance of this fundamental law and its bearing upon your profession. But do not forget it: above any human law, above any 'indication' whatso-ever, there stands the indefectible law¯ of God." The Pope's words are obviously directed against doctbrs and others who think that in certain situations there are good reasons (they call them "indications") for the direct killing of an unborn child. Against these men he defends the right of the child. But he does not limit his words to the child; he defends all innocent human life. The direct (i.e., the intentional) taking of such life is never permissible. Any procedure which'would result in death for either the mother or the child (or for any other innocent person) can be justi-fied only when the death is an unintended and unavoidable by-product of the procedure. Incidentally, this principle of the inviola-bility of human life also condemns the so-called mercy-~killing (the taking of a patient's life to relieve him of suffering), whether it is done with or without the patient's consent. c) The intrinsic evil of contraception. The Church, especially in 210 July, 1953 HOSPITAL CODE the oi~cial t~aching,of the two last Popes, has'constantly branded artificial birth control as contrary to the law of nature, and therefore intrinsically evil. The most ~adical form of this evil is direct steri-lization, which means the intentional destruction of the procreative power. Doctors have many ways of accomplishing this, and all of of them.are forbidden by our code. .d) The principle oF the "'double effect.'" Students of ethics are familiar with this principle and know that it contains the solution to many of the practical,~problems of life. Conscientious people often use it without knowing it exists. The aviator who bombs an im-portant military target, foreseeing but not desiring the deaths of some civilians, is perhaps unwittingly using this principle. The student who must read a treatise on sex, foreseeing but not wanting tempta-tions against chastity, is using perhaps also unwittingly the p~inciple of the double effect. And all of us. whether we realize it or not, are following this same principle when we perform some good and neces-sary action, realizing that, despite our best intentions, certain others will misunderstand and will be'led to rash judgments and to criti-cism. The deaths of the civilians, the sexual temptations, and the harsh thoughts and criticism, are all simply unavoidable and un-wanted by-products of actions that are good in themselves and of sufficient importance to be performed despite the evil effects that at-company them. The principle of the double effect has many applications in medicine, especially as regards surgical operations on diseased repro-ductive organs with the unavoidable destruction of the procreative power and as regards treatment of a pregnant mother with some un-intentional but unavoidable risk either to herself or to her child. This last point was clearly explained by. Pope Plus XII in his Allodution to the "Family Front" (November 26, 1951): "On purpose," he said, "We have always used the expression "direct attempt on the life of an innocent person,' "direct killing.' Be-cause if, for example,-the saving of the life of the future mother, in-dependently of her pregnant state, should urgently require a surgical act or other therapeutic treatment which would~have as an accessory consequence, in no way desired or intended but inevitable, the death of the fetus, such an act could no longer be called a direct attempt on innocent life. Under these conditions the operation can be licit, like other similar medical interventions, granted always that a good of high worth is concerned, such as life, and that it is not possible to 211 GERALD KELLY Review fur Religious postpone the operation until after the birth of the child, or to 'have recourse to other efficacious remedies." e) The principle of ."libertt.t." Physicians do. not always see eye-to-eye on the value of certain treatments or operations. For ex-a.~ ple, take the much-discussed and too-much-popularized operation called Idbotomy. Thisoperation consists essentially in severing cer-tain fibers in the brain, and its general purpose seems to be to reduce emotional tension and thus help in the cure of some mental illnesses and in relieving otherwise unbearable pain. The sharpest kind of con-troversy exists among reputable physicians as to the good produced by the operation, the risks it involves, the types of patients that might benefit from it, and so forth. And this is but one example of many decidedly controversial questions in the sphere of medicine: Theologians, too, have their differences of opinion; and this is especially true when they are faced with a new problem. "There are pros and cons to many of these problems, and it may take a long time before the issues are sufficiently clarified to have a ffnanimous opinion for either side or until the teaching authority of the Church inter-venes to settle the matter. Sound morality supplies this practical principle that may be fol-lowed in these legitimately debated matters: obligations (i.e., pre-cepts and prohibitions) are not to be imposed unless they are certain. This is what I mean by the principle of "liberty." For the doctor, this means that, with the consent of the patient, he and his consult-ants may follow what they sincerely judge to be the proper medical procedure as long as this procedure is not certainly wrong. I f) The principle of "totality." I have taken this woful from Pope Pius XII, who said in his address on the moral limits of medical research a~ad treatment (September 14, 1952): "By virtue of the principle of totality, by virtue of his right to use the services of his organism as a whole, the patient can allow individual parts to be destroyed or mutilated when and to the extent~necessary for the good of his being as a whole." Obviously, this is an extremely important principle in medi'cal practice. Every time a doctor, acting according to the principles of sound medicine, and with the consent of his pa-tient, removes an eye, a hand, a gall-bladder, etc., he is following this principle of totality. He removes the member, which is a part of the whole, because it has become in some way.a threat to the survival or the well-being of the whole. 212 Jul~, 1953 HOSPITAL CODE Conclusion The foregoing are. the main, if not the only, principle~ that form the core of an~] sound medico-moral code. Perhaps I have giventhem too much space: yet it seems to me that one really appreciates our hos-pital codes only when he sees these basic principles grouped together and briefly explained. It may be taken for granted that an~ doctor who conscientiously follows these principles will act, not ~nly ac-cording to sound morality, but also according to sound medicine. Earlier in this article I suggested that in the minds of many people the supreme moral principle of Catholic hospitals seems to be that mothers must die for their babies. This, as I said, is best-seller non-sense at its best, and perhaps I should have said at its worst. Implicit in this attitude is the idea that in a critical situation a Catholic mother must always prefer her baby's life to her own. The idea is erroneous. Obviously, no mother may allow the direct taking of her life in order to save her baby, because, as Plus XlI declared, the direct destruction of any innocent life is morally wrong. And even a~ regards the risking of her life, e.g., by submitting to a dangerous operation, for thd sake of her baby, we must be very careful about making universal state-ments. We would have to consider many concrete factors before we could decide whether such a risk is obligatory or even permissible. Closely related to this erroneous notion that in our hospitals mothers must die for their babies is the idea that, since Catholic hos-pitals do not permit thereapeutic abortion (a "gentle" expression for the practice of killing babies to "save" mothers), they lose more mothers than do other hospitals. Not only is there no statistical basis for this, but what statistics we have indicate the very opposite. /~or example, two Boston doctors, Roy J. Heffernan and William "A. Lynch, recently obtained information about maternal deaths from 171 hospitals in various paris of our country. This information covers a period of eleven years, 1940-1950. In these hospitals, during this long period, there were more than ~hree million deliveries, about evenly di~iided, between hospitals that permit therapeutic abortions and hospitals that exclude this practice. The maternal death rate in the hospitals that do not allow therapeutic abortions was .87 .per thousand deli~ceries, whereas in the hospitals that do allow therapeu-tic abortion the maternal death rate was .98 per .thousand deliverles. According to these and similar statistics', the keeping of God's law saves not only babies but their mothers, as well. This is a too-littld-known aspect of the apostolate of Catholic hospitals. 213 .ues!: ons and AnSwers ~18m What can be done to counteract some Iong-sfandincj practlce, s en-gaged in during time of retreat by Sister-retreatants, for example, re-hearslng daily for one or two hours the Mass and hymns to be used ,for the reception ceremony; embroidering and crocheting between conferences2 The Sisters who participate in these works find that it interferes with thei~ recollection. ¯ Some work ab.out the house, some choir practice, and other little jobs (like needlework) would not seem to interfere ,too much with retreat recollection if indulged in only for about aft hour or so a day. That would still allow the retreatants a fair amount of time for un-disturbed private reflection an~l personal duties. If, however, the re-treat schedule were already extraordinarily crowded (which is usually not the case), there might be little time left for such tasks as indi-cated in our question. In any case, it is important that retreatants h~ve a fair amount of leisure time for private reflection, for jotting down. spirittlal "lights," for additional rest, and the like. ml9m At times it is necessary to post items pertinent to religious' in various departments of an establishment in regard to keeping rooms in order, having greater care of furniture, and the like. Would it not further a bet-ter ~om;nunity spirit if such directions were posted in the community room rather than on the doors of the different departments where outsiders may read them and make comments? Yes, it would be better to post items of a personal or private na-ture, whether they pertain to the community as a whole or to indi-vidual members of the community, in some place reserved to the reli-gious family .in preference to other more or less public places. Thus criticism might be lessened. It is possible, :though, that sometimes superiors ihtend such notices not merely nor primarily for religious who are in charge of or are working in a department, but especially for the outside help. Then such notices would be posted where those for whom they a~e intended would see them. In these cases, however, care should be taken that the wording of the notice does not occasion criticism of the religious. 214 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS In a religious congregation (in which simple vows are taken) may a ~ell-glous who is subiect fo a provincial superior have a right of appeal to the superior general when the religlous wants a farad or extra permission? To begin with, religious have the right of communicating with higher superio.rs: such correspondence is sealed. Religidus could. therefore, ask for various permissions from higher superiors. Some extraordinary permissions are usually asked of higher superiors ra~ber than of the immediate superior. Ordinary permissions, however, as a general rule are to be sought from the immediate superior. If that superior refuses the permission, one should not request the same per-mission from a higher superior without informing him that the per-mission was refused by the lower superior." Good government dic-tates that procedure, as ~ell as courtesy ahd possibly the rules of the institute. Before asking for any extra permissions or "favors," religious should remember .that superiors are to help their subjects observe common life; hence superior~ may not readily grant extra permission.s to a subject unless the Circumstances of the case warrant it. Likewise superiors must then be willing, and able, to grant the same permission to any other, subject in the same circuhastances. Subjects should try to lighten° the superior's burden' of of~ce by not requesting permis-sions which superiors should not grant either because they are not consonant with religious life, or because they would violate or harm common life, or because of some other good reason. Besides being a violation of common life, "favoritism" in a community is always odious. The cause of our Venerable Founder has been in progress at Rome for thirty years. In order to help Stimulate popular devotion to our Founderu particularly among ou~ students and their parents--our Order is in the habit of prlntlng, from time to time pictures and devotional pamphlets about him. Up to now. printed matter of that type only bore the nlhll obsfaf of the ordinary of the diocese where our motherhouse is located. It was brough~t to our attention lately that we need the approbation of the Holy See ~or an~ printed material about our Fo, under who has been de-clared Venerable. Is that observation correct? Canon 1387, of the, Code of Canon Law states that what per-tains in any way to the causes of beatification and canonization of 215. QUESTIONS ~ND ~NSWERS Servants of God may not be published without the permission of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. @his restriction applies only~to causes which are pending before the Sacred. Congregation; not to those which are finished (person b~s been canonized), or are pending be-fore some other body "than the Sacred'Congregation of Rites. During the time permission must be obtained from the Sacred Congregation, no further permission of the local ordinary is necessary for publica-tion of matter approved by the Sacred Congregation. The Codex pro Postulatoribus Causarum Beatiffcationis et Can-onizationis i4th edition, 1929, page 26, nos. 21 and 22) repeats the abo~ce and includes pictures (imagines) under the provision of can-on 1387. Several author~ who comment on canon. 1387 say that it seems to refer only t6 documents and. acts connected with the prosecution of th~ cause, such as summaries and proofs proposed for furthering the cause, opinions of consultors; comments of. the prornotor tidei, and the like. These authors rely on a Monitum of the Sacred Congrega-tion of Rites of February 12, 1909, which required previous' permis-sion of the Sacred Congregation for the publication of accounts,of the llfe, virtues, and "wonders" of Servants of God. Consequently it seems probable that the devotional pamphlets and pictures mentioned in our question need not be submitted to the Sacred Congregation for approval. m22-., Postulants are being sent out to the missions to hel'p with the teaching in schools*. They return to the motherhouse fop the week-ends. Are supe-riors justified in extending the postulancy for,three or four months, because the number of novices to be 'professed is not sufficient to fill the places of Fhe postulants? The Normae of 1901 (which have been used as a model for the constitgtions of rehgzous ,congregations) allowed a period of pos-tulancy ranging between gik--and twelve months. They permitted the superior general f~ a ~just cause to prolong the postulancy up to three additional months i~ particular cases (n. 65). A just cause was considered to exist if superiors remained uncertain about the vocation of the candidate, about his qualifications Or defects, or about his ad, justment to the life of the institute. ¯ The Code of Canon Law speaks of a postulancy of at least six entire months which must. be made by all women in religious insti- 216 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS tutes with perpetual vows and by the lay brothers in the.institutes of men. It permits the major superior ,to prolong the postulancy, but not beyond another six months (canon 539). This may be done in particular cases. The purpose of the prolongation is again to allow superiors more time to size up the applicant's vocation and more pre-cisely. his aptitude or fitnes~ for their religious institute. In the light of the above, it is rather difficult to see how superiors wbuld be justified in extending the postulancy for three or four months in the case under consideration. It might be well to add that the Apostolic Delegate has special .faculties to shorten or prolong the postulancy pre~scribed by the Code of Canon Law. Relatives of a relig;ous send money to a mutual friend with the under-standing that the religious will let that friend knowwhat he wants the friend to buy for him on the occasion of his blrfhday, Christmas, Easter, and the like. Is such procedure in keeping with poverty, or would the religious be considered as having a reserved fund of money? In the final .analysis the practice outlined' in the question reduces itself to a private fund of money at the disposal of the religious, a form of peculium generally contrary t~o the poverty professed by most. religious institutes, At best, this is contrary to cohamon life and the spirit of povert, y. A religious who countenanced such a practice could very well profit from reading Father Gallen's excellent article on "The Spirit of Poverty'" (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, VIII .[1949], 35-43), not to me.ntion various other articles on common life arid the vow of poverty. As a practical solution, the religious could advise his relatives, who wish to give him a present, to send the money.to 'him rather than to the mutual friend. It would be understood that the reli-gious will turn in the money to his superiors to be added to the com-munity funds; then, when the religious needs something, the superior will provide it from the community funds. In that way both the vow and the spirit of poverty, as well as commott life, will be safe-guarded. A Sister acts as organist for the children's choir and for the adult choir during Mass and other services. Does canon law forbid this? A similar questi6n about a Sister organist was answered in the 217 Review ?or Religious BOOK REVIEWS pages of this REVIEW, VIII (1949), 325. Attention was called to possible diocesan regulations on the matter, even though the Code of Canon Law says nothing about it. In genera~ it seems that there would riot be much objection to a Sister acting as organist for a chil-dren's choir. In case of reai need this might also be stretched to in-clude an adult Choir of women only. But for a mixed adult choir:. "In practice,no Sister should undertake to play the organ for amixed choir of men and women without the express permission of the local ordinary and of her ownhigher superior" ibid.). / Book Reviews .~IRACLES. By Jean Hell~. Translated by Lancelot CL Sheppard. Pp. v~ -h. 288. David McKa¥ (~omp~ny, Inc., New York, 1952. $3.~0. This work is not a philosophical or tbeo16gical treatise on mir-acle. s. Rather, by a fairly detailed historical presentation of selec.ted cases, it is designed to give the reader a fairly general knowledge of, them. It is "a synthesis, or more modestly perhaps, an attempt at a synthesis" (p. 14). The whole story is built around persons, and l~eferably persons Who are not very remote from us in time. The language is not technical, but adapted to all intelligent readers. ,, The first chapter is an account of "miracles of humility": it: pre-sents the "stories of the Cur{ .of ~Ars and of Bernadette Soubi~ous; Then there follows, "Fatima, or the Age of Mary." Therese Neu-mann does not measure up to the author's standards and require-ments. But--surprisingly enough--"Catberine Emmerich, 'Narra, tot' of .the Gospels" and her writir~gs touched up by Clement Bren-tano meet with his full approval. The apparitions at Beauraing, BelgiUm, 1932-1933, are judged t6 be "childish fiction.'" Neverthe~ less' this is one of the few among recent cases that have received epis-copal approbatton. A particularly interesting feature of th~s book is the final chapter: "imitators and Fakers of Miracles." By contrast it serves especially well to bring out the great differences that obtain be-tween, genuine supernatural signs and others that are ~fraudulent, and how the pretended marvelous can be detected and distinguished from whaTt his~ a wuthhoelnet iwc.ork emphasizes the prudent reserve and critical spirb of the Church toward whatever is proposed as surpassing the limiv 218 duly, 1953 BOOK REVIEWS of nature, and tends to,bring about in the mind of the reader a simi-lar wise attitude.---AUGUSTINE G. ELLARD. ., A LIFE OF CHRIST. By Aloys Dirksen, C.PP.S. Dryden Press, New York, 1952. Pp. 340. $3.75. This book is unique in two respects: first, it has the '.'split-p~ge format." that is to say, in the upper part we find the Confraternity text of' the Gospels, and entirely separated from this section, a com-mentary on the Gospel text. One can turn the pages of the upper section without disturbing those below. Secondly, the Commentary and its Introduction are models of intelligent compression. Eight introd_uctory chapters furnish,,~i background for a better understanding of the actual commentary. These include a brief dis-cussion of the sources for a life of Christ, an outline of the geography of Palestine, a survey of the l~revious history of the Jews. the politi-cal and social conditions and prevalent religious beliefs of the period when our Lord was onearth. Such a comprehensive introduction can treat these matters only in barest outline, and if a few inaccuracies have crept in, this can readily be excused. The commentary, too, is suggestive rather thar~ exhaustive: but it is usually very much to the point. The ordinary reader will find there what he wants to know about the Gospel text he is reading. At the end of the commentary, by way of appendix, is a list of messi-anic prophecies found in the-Old Testainent. and of the Old Testa-ment quotations found in the four Gospels. Since the author uses many tec

Issue 8.5 of the Review for Religious, 1949. ; .-~ - -SEPTEMBER P~qcjress ~hroucjh Thankscji~.in~ d~m onsecrat=on to ar . -. -. . ,~ Robe~Li opp _ Books as SpirituDairl~ cfors_ . J.H. Dunn R i::VI i::W -!:::0 R I::: E I G IO US VOLUME VIII . SEPTEMBER, 1949. NUMBER CONTENTS SPIRITUAL PROGRESS THROUGH, ACTIVE THANKSGIVING -" Ciarence McAuliffe.'S.3 . " . . : 225, REPORT TO ROME--Adam C. Ellis. S.d~ . VOCATIONAL LITERATU"'~ ~R -E .~.,". . -: . ! 240 ADM~ISSION OF ORIENTALS INTO LATIN INSTITUTES " " doseph ~.~Gallen, S.d. ; . 241 ~O,TAL CONSECRATION TO MARY BY ~OW-- Robert L/. Knopp. S.M . ~ 254 BOOKS AS SPIRITUAL DII~.ECTORS--d. COMI~IUN I C A T I O N S " ~\ . ~., . ¯ . 268 QUESTIONS ANb ANSWERS-- 35. "Toties quoties" Indulgence in Convent Chapel . '~ . 270 36. Recdption and Profession on Same Caldndar Day ,. ." . . 2-71 ~-37. Safeguarding Secrecy of, Elections . ~ . * . -. .~ 271 "38.Changes in.Prayers and "Legal Articles" of Consutut~ons . "~. . 272 39. Right to Say Funeral Mass of Sister . ~BOOK ~ 'REVIEWS-- The Little Office of the 'Blessed Virgin: The Veil. Upon the Heart: ;., De La Safle. a Pi6neer of Modern Education' . BOOK NOTICES . : ¯ . ~'. . 277 'BOOK ANNOUNCE~MENTS .¯.' . ~ . 278 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, September, 194'9, Vol.' VIII, No. 5. P.ublished bi-monthly : 3~nuary. March, May, July, September, and No,cember at ~thd College PresL 606 Harrison Street, Topekdi, Kansas. by St. Mary'sCotle.ge, St.-Marys0 Kansas," wi.th,ecclesiastical approbation.~ Entered as second ~:lass matter danu~.ry 15, 1942. at the Post Office, Topeka, Kansas. under theact of March'3"~1879. " ~Editorial Board: Adam C.°E!I~is._S.J. G. Augustine Ellard. S.d. Gerald Kelly. S.J. Editorial Secretary: A~fred F. Schneider, S.d, CoPyright, 1949, by Adam C. Ellis. Permission ii~hereby granted40~ quota~io~ns of reasonable-length/ provided due credit be given~ this review': and the author. Si~bs,cription price: 2 dollars a y~ear~ ~ : Printed in U. $~ A. Before wrltincJ to us, please consult notice on 'inside b~ck cover . Spiri :ual Progress Through Active Thanksgiving ~ Clarence McAuliffe, S.J. THAT a spirit of thanksgiving is one of. the basic threads in the '| fabric of Christian virtues is clear.'from various theological sources, but especially from the let!;~rs of St. Paul. In thirty-five different ~exts the Apostle of the Gen files either expresses thanks to God for persohal favors received or urg, for benefits to themselves. He asks the "What hast thou that thou hast not re received, why dost thou glory as if thou admonishes the Colossians (Col. 3:15.) : rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you "be ye thankful." To the Ephesians he tion (Eph. 5:20): "Giving thanks ah name of our Lord ,Iesus Christ, to God th ~'s his readers to thank God '.orinthians (I Cor. 4:7) : rived? And if thou hast hadst not received?" He iAnd let the peace of Christ e called in one body: and aakes a sweeping exhorta-ays for all things, in the Father." Undoubtedly priests and religious do harbor in their souls an abiding spirit of gratitude to God. Moreover, they do not allow this virtue to remain in a purely passive condition, since they are ca'lied upon to exercise it every day. They make a thanksgiving after Holy Communion; another, after meals. They begin their examinations of conscience with an act of thanks. At every Mass they express their gra'titude to God, since gratitude is one of the four purposes that are infallibly achieved by every unbloody immolation of the Savior. Granted, then, that religious and priests d,o make certain acts of thanksgiving, even though they may be dulled by that common ene-my routine, it would, nevertheless, be conducive to spiritual advance-ment if those consecrated to God were more actively thankful. A few considerations may show why this is true and provide inspira-tion for its accomplishment. Even natural gratitude is a winning virtue, and we find its exer-cise praised and inculcated even bY pagans. Mothers are rare who do not, instruct their children to say "Thank you." How.ever, the gratitude with which we are concerned is supernatural. It is based on faith; it is activated by co-operation with actual grace, and it merits an eternal supernatural reward if the conditions for merit are veri-fied. But it-~does not conflict with natural gratitude. In fact, its 225 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE Reoiew for Religious psychological effects and its outward manifestations will be very much the same, and this truth should be borne in mind. Yet it is radically and intrinsically superior to natural gratitude because it can be obtained and exercised only by God's helping hand, and it leads to a reward far transcending the natural capacities of man. The thanksgiving of which we speak, therefore, is a super-natural virtue that inclines us to acknowledge and recompense the gifts that come to us from God or from another person under God. The virtue becomes alive when we say prayers or perform acts. that are motivated by the virtue. It is true, of course, that this virtue is not as lofty in dignity as the virtue of perfect love of God. Since, however, .it is easier for the average religious to act from a spirit of thanksgiving than from perfect love, and since the exercise of thanks-giving is an open door to perfect love, this virtue is worth culti-vating for its own sake. By making acts of thanksgiving to God, we practice a form of the more general virtue of religion. When we make such acts to parents or other superiors under God, we exercise one species of the virtue of piety. If we render thanks to our equals, we exercise one aspect of the virtue of justice. It is worth remem-bering that when we give thanks to superiors or equals for their favors, we can nevertheless exercise the supernatural virtue of grati-tude. ¯ We thank God by thanking them because we know by faith that they themselves are gifts of God to us. In order to realize more vividly how the exercise of supernatural gratitude can promote spiritual progress, it might be well to rdflect briefly on the energizing effects of merely natural gratitude. Suppose we recall some definite occasion in the past when we were briskly stirred by the emotion of thanksgiving. At one time or another we may have been thoroughly mean and .cross-grained "towards someone who had a full right to our love. : If that person was a parent.or teacher or superior, he might have rightfully punished us for our meanness. But he did not. He passed it over, never mentioned it, treated us as though we had done nothing wrong. Gratitudh surged up spontaneously in our souls." Or we might remind ourselves of that occasion when death visited our home and we were consoled by the visits and condolences of so many people. We were stirred by an active gratitude to them." Or, if we have not had such experi-ences, we might remember any other: the time that the doctor or a neighbor, at great personal inconvenience, lent us assistance when we needed it badly; some occasion.such as Christmas or graduation, 226 8epternber, I ~4~ PROGRESS THROUGH THANKSGIVING when parents and friends showered us with gifts. All of us have had these or other experiences in our lives when our natural gratitude was stimulated to a high peak of activity. Having recalled some such occasion from the past, we need not make any profound study of psychology to recall also the natural concomitants of that active spirit of thanksgiving. In the first place. we certainly looed our benefactor or benefactors. They had been good to us, and we by a praiseworthy natural reaction wished good to them. We resolved never to forget their kindness. We would be loyal to them and they would be the objects of our praise, never ot~ our blame. Secondly, the gratitude we felt prompted us to refrain from criticism not only of our benefactors, but of others als0. It even prompted us to disregard various circumstances that chafed us in one way or another. It made us satisfied with our lot. Thirdly, ,are were conscious of a spirit of humility. We realized that we had been treated far better than we deserved, and this realization put us in proper focus towards God and all men. Fourthly, we found that our active gratitude enkindled a special reverence towards our bene-factors. Fifthly, we were drawn out of ourselves and were inspired to do,good to others, even to those to whom we were in no way obligated. Finally, we recall that. on these occasions of animated thanksgiving our,souls expanded with joy. The whole world took on a different hue, and our hearts beat faster. A mere superficial glance at the psychological effects of a living thanksgiving reveals the truth of all this, and, be it remarked again, the manifestations of supernatural gratitude will be substantially the same as those of the natural virtue. .If, then, at diverse times in our lives we were so thankful for single gifts bestowed upon us by mere human benefactors, what should be the extent of our active gratitude to God? The degree of gratitude due a donor is measured partially by the number and kind of gifts received. And is it not a fact that we owe every single thing we have or ever will have to the munificence of Almighty God? In the purely natural sphere, my very presence in this world as a living person, drawn from the chasm of utter nothingness, is the result of God's generosity. It is the sustaining hand of God that keeps my soul and body united at every instant. I oannot even take a breath or blink an eye without His help. Every talent of my soul, every power of my body is a present with God's name written on it. My friends, my country, all the circumstances of my past, present, 227 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE Reoiew /'or Religious and future life are so many tokens of God's liberality. Even the physical and mental sufferings that come to me are His benefits and will redound to my good if I use them properly. Moral perversity is the only (hing that I can claim as my own. All this we know by our faith; we know it even by reason; but it has a hard time holding its footing on the slippery foreground of our consciousness. Moreover, these natural gifts are mere shadows when compared with the supernatural favors God has bestowed upon us. Our Catholic faith, our priestly or religious vocations are the result of God's thoughtfulness and labor. We have but a misty notion of sanctifying grace, but we know that it is in some ineffable manner a sharing in God's own nature. Besides, not an hour of the day goes by but God manifests His personal concern for each of us by enlight-ening our minds and fortifying our wills with His actual graces. Again, the sacraments are so many rivers flowing down from the cross on Calvary to irrigate the world with both sanctifying and actual graces. Indulgences, sacramentals, intellectual guidance, spir-itual consolations are but gifts of God delivered to us by the Cath-olic Churdh. Our dignity surpasses powerful monarch because we are the Ghost and the adopted children of liberality;. It is also worth remembering that, are conferred upon all or many men that of the world's most living temples of the Holy God Himself through His though some of God's gifts equally, most of them are decidedly individualistic, earmarked for me personally either by their very. nature or by the manner in which they are presented. For instance, the providence which God exercises towards me differs from that which He exercises' towards anyone else. I had fny own distinctive parents. I have my own distinctive qualities of body and soul, and my 9wn special circumstances of life. The touches of God upon my mind and heart by actual grace are adapted to my special needs and are tinged with His thoughtfulness of me personally. God worked out my vocation by a series of external circumstances and internal helps that were verified in no other case. Only in heaven will I realize the vast number of gifts that God addressed to me personally, but a little reflection will reveal some of them even now. This reflection will be time well spent since it will sharpen my active spirit of thanksgiving. So much f6r the number and kind of God's gifts. We are literally walking bundles of God's benefits. It should fill us with 228 September, 1949 PROGRESS THROUGH THANKSGIVING humility to realize that at times we are so briskly grateful to some human benefactor for a single favor whereas we are s.o sluggish in expressing our appreciation to God, the "Source of all blessings." However, gratitude should be m'easured not only by the number and kind of gifts received but also by the nobility of the giver. On this score also our thanksgiving to God should be intensified. Other things being in balance, we appreciate more a present from a superior than one from an equal. The modern craze for autographs rests upon this principle. We are not personal acquaintances of either the Holy Father or his secretary, but we would value more a rosary sent us by the Holy Father than we would the same rosary given us by his secretary. If, then, on various occasions we have been impelled to active gratitude because some other person has been generous towards us, what should be our active gratitude to God, the Lord and Ruler of the universe and the Father of us all? One other factor enters into the degree of gratitude that we owe another. It is the intention of the giver. The greater the love of the donor, the'more heartfelt should be our appreciation for his gifts. "The gift without the giver is bare." The nobleman who tosses his unfeeling coin to the'beggar at the castle's portal is a benefactor, but not a lover. He deserves thanks; but not very much, because he does not give himself in his gift. His coin, no matter how precious, does not symbolize any self-giving. So necessary is this disposition of love on the part of the giver, that a present bestowed out of unal-loyed selfishness, for instance, solely to obtain some favor from the recipient, really merits no thanks at all. It would probably be correct to say that those people who by their kindness really activated our natural gratitude in the past were motivated by a personal regard for us, a love more or less intense. But even so, their love cannot compare with God's when He com-municates His gifts to us. God is never ~imply a benefactor. He is always the supreme lover, and this spiritual truth is manifested strikingly in some of His gifts. Consider, for example, the gift of sanctifying grace. By it we are in some mysterious way made "sharers in the divine nature." It is the seed of the future flower of the beatific vision wherein we shall one day be enabled to perform in a finite way acts of knowledge and love that properly belong to God alone. No creature by its natural powers could ever behold God intuitively and experience the ineffable love and joy that follow upon that knowledge. In short, sanctifying grace is not only a symbol of 229 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE Ret~ietO for Religious God's desire to give Himself, but it is an actual giving of Himself in as far as it is possible for Him to do so. It is evident that God could not possib!y assimilate us into His divinity. " The result would be paiatheism, Which would conflict with His infinite perfection. But by sanctifying grace He has conferred upon us powers that truly resemble His own. Again, this effort of God to give Himself to us as far as possible is revealed by His constant bestowal of" actual graces. These are outright gifts. By them God Himself stimulates our minds and wills. He illuminates our minds by endowing them with a bit of His own divine wisdom, and He spurs on our wills to do good by communicating to them a mite of His own power. If a blood donor saves our life, we are deeply.grateful. He has truly given up a part of himself. God is constantly renewing our spiritual forces by transmitting to us through actual graces tiny sparks of His own knowledge and might. Moreover, these visitations of God are frequent. They come many times every single day. They are directed to our welfare. They benefit only ourselves,.not God. No self-seeking mars God's activity in our souls. These graces are tokens of a perfect love that seeks only the good of the beloved, and by these graces we see with God's own light and we act with God's own power. Finally, we note God's loving intentions towards us in His gift of the Blessed Sacrament. By this marvel of God's omnipotence Our Lord becomes corporeally present, not merely in one place but in thousands throughout the world. He does not walk about now in His visible body to visit us in our homes, but He remains on the altar in an invisible manner so that we can walk to Him and con-verse with Him. Furthermore, not only has He blessed us with this gift of His abiding presence, but He comes to us daily in Hol'~" Communion, a tangible proof that He is not just a benefactor but an ardent lover. He literally gives us Himself for a short time every day in a union that transcends any possible union between mere human beings. Holy Communion, then, together with sanctifying grace and actual grace lends us some tiny ins.igbt into the flaming love that inspires God in all of His gifts to us. On all scores, therefore, we should be more actively grateful to God than to any human benefactor. We are indebted to God not for one gift or a thousand, but literally for everything. .Even the gifts of other people to us are in reality God's gifts. He is the 230 September, 1949 PROGRESS THROUGH THANKSGIVING ultimate source of all our blessings. Moreover, in dignity God the Giver excels infinitely all human donors. Then too, no human benefactor can possibly be motivated by the unbounded love of God as this is manifested particularly by His gifts of grace and the Blessed Sacrament. Yet despite all this we are at times deeply moved to gratitude by one trifling gift from another person, whereas our grati-tude to God remains ineit and lifeless. No doubt one reason for our lethargy arises from the fact that God does not visibly appear when He confers His gifts. We are so tied to our sense perceptions that our emotion of gratitude does not spontaneously react when we cannot sensibly perceive the donor. To counter this difficulty we should vivify our faith, since we know b.v faith (and also by reason) that God as a matter of fact does give us everything we have. A good reason for our failure to be more actively grateful springs from a selfish trait or quirk in human nature. When we recei~'e many gifts from another, our spirit of thanksgiving instead of waxing tends to wane. We tire of saying "Thank you." We begin to take favors for granted, or we even begin to look upon them as our right. We all know this from per-sonal experience, but we also realize that we should fight against this natural tendency not only in regard to God but also in regard to our human benefactors. Suppose, then, that by God's help we do manage to weave into our souls a rhore active spirit of thank, sgiving to Him. What bene-fits will accrue to our spiritual lives? To answer this we need only recall the benefits deriving from an active natural gratitude. First, an active supernatural gratitude will lead us to more intense love for God. In fact, such gratitude is one of the avenues that leads directlx." to perfect love for God, as all spiritual writers admit. Secondly, this energetic gratitude inspires us with humility towards God and towards our fellow meri. Realizing that we have been given so much despite the fact that we deserve absolutely nothing, we descend to our proper level with reference to God 'and our neighbor. Thirdly, such living gratitude, represses grumbling and criticism. The truly grateful man does not complain. He does not have his adverse com-ments to offer about every new regulation of his superior. He does not make the round of the community spreading cheap gossip about others. He is too grateful. This effect of gratitude is expressed by the poet, ,Josephine Pollard, in her poem "Grumble Corner": 231 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE Ret~iew got Religious And man a discontented mourner, Is spending his da~ls in Grumble Corner: Sour and sad, whom I long to entreat, To take'a house in Tbanks-gi~ing Street. Fourthly, this energetic spirit of thanksgiving will give us the right perspective on the circumstances that enter our lives. We will evaluate them correctly. We will not allow our minds to focus attention on minor irritations which, if unchecked, may upset our peace of soul for days at a time. The grateful recollection of the uninterrupted series of benefits flowing to us every minute from God's liberality will reduce such irritations to their right size.and keep our minds in proper balance. Fifthly, this vigorous gratitude to God will not permit us to forget our fellow men. It will impel us to do favors for others, and it will guarantee that these favors will be supernaturally motivated. Sixthly, just as the expression of natural gratitude wins more gifts from a benefactor, so an active supernatural gratitude brings down more favors from God, especially by augmenting the flow of His actual graces. ¯Lastly, and very important, this brisk spirit of gratitude, just like its natural counter-part, fills the soul ~vih joy. The grateful man is always happy, and this atmosphere of happiness, correctly understood, is indispensable for spiritual progress. Since God is the ultimate giver of all things, we purposely emphasize the value of active gratitude to Him. However, the exer-cise of this virtue towards Him does not exclude the propriety of 'exercising it also towards our fellow men. In fact, it would be spiritually profitable for us to say "Thank you" to others much more often than we do, always remembering that we are really thanking God even when we address our thanks to others. Various people contribute to our welfare every day by their services for our spiritual, intellectual, social, and bodily needs. These benefactors should be thanked, at least on occasion. It would be detrimental to spirituai progress for a priest or religious to adopt the viewpoint either explicitly or implicitly that those who provide these services ¯ are merely doing their job. True enough, such benefactors may have an obligation in conscience to perform some duty for us, and in some cases we may have a right to their service. But it would be profitable to remember that even the rights we have are gifts of God to us and that-all those, therefore, who minister to u~ in any way deserve our thanks. Among those who merit special and lasting thanks are 232 September, 1949 PROGRESS THROUGH THANKSGIVING superiors since they more than others supply our spiritual, intellec-tual, and temporal wants. ~ Just as with all other virtues, if we wish to develop our spirit of thanksgiving, we must practice it. This means a fight against our natural inclinati6ns. By nature we take favors for granl~ed. Even the child, model of sanctity in a general way, has to be taught to express gratitude. In order to exercise this virtue more energetically we might, then, make it the subject of our particulaz examination of conscience. It would be helpful, too, since we are dealing with a supernatural virtue whose exercise depends on the grace of God, to pray often for a gradual increase of our active thanksgiving. Finally, we may make progress in this matter by pr~ayerful reflection on the fact that God is our loving Father. Father Faber in All for Jesus has a lengthy chapter on thanksgiving, and he attributes our lack of spirit in the practice of this virtue 'mainly to our failure to reflec( prayerfully on the truth that God is our Father. To conclude, we are aware that many motives urge us to advance in our exercise of thanksgiving. We know that God wants it, because we have read some of His words as contained in the writings of St. Paul. We know, too, the gospel story of the ten lepers in wbich Our Lord expressed His disappointment when only one returned to say "Thank you." We know also that the Church wants more gratitude to God. In her prayers during Mass she says in the Gloria: "'Gratias agimus tibi'" (We give thanks to Thee) ; in the verses before the Prefac,e she prays: "'Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro'" (Let us thank God our Lord) ; and in the beginning of the Common Preface she sings: "'Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos Tibi semper et ubique gratias agere". (It is truly right and just, proper and salutary for us to thank You at all times and in all places). It is possible that we are urged to be grateful to God even by the rules of our order. St. Ignatius lays it down in his constitutions that his fol-lowers should "thank God in all things." Even reason tells us that we can never thank God enough. Prudence, of course, must regulate this virtue as it regulates all others, but most of us will probabl'! admit that we have not gone to excess in the exercise of thanksgiving. If there has been any imprudence, it has been in the dullness of our spirit of gratitude. The removal of that dullness will contribute substantially to our spiritual progress. 233 Report: !:o Rome Adam C. Ellis; S.J. "Introduction AS EARLY AS 1861 we find a clause put into the constitutions of congregations of religious women approved by the Holy See (Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars) pre-scribing that the superior general must send in an occasional report to the Sacred Congregation. For example, in the Constitutions Of the Sisters of Nazareth of Chalon (September 27, 1861) the obli-gation was worded as follows: "The superior general is bound every three years to send to this Sacred Congregation a report on the condition of her own institute. This report must cover both the material and personal condition, that is, the number of houses and of the Sisters in the institute and their disciplinary condition, namely, the observance of the constitu-tions, as well as whatever pertains to the economic administration.'" Gradually some such paragraph became a regular part 'of all constitutions approved by the Holy See. When the Normae were established in 1901, Article 262 covered this point: "Every three years the superior general shall give a report to this Sacred Congregation regarding the disciplinary, material, personal, and economic condition of her institute. The ordinary of the place where the mother house is located will certify this report by signing it." Left to th'emselves, superiors general of congregations app'roved by the Holy See wrote their reports on the four salient points as best they could. Sometimes minor matters were stressed and written up at great length while more important matters were either merely mentioned briefly or omitted altogether. As a result, in order to pro-cure uniformity and to be sure to get all the essential information desired in these reports, the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars issued an instruction on July 16, 1906, regarding this tri-ennial report and added a list of 98 questions to be answered. In 1917 the Code of Canon Law extended the obligation of sending a report to the Holy See to "the abbot primate, the superior of every monastic congregation, and the superior general of every 234 REPORT TO ROME institute approved by the Holy See" (canon 510) but made the concession that the report need be sent only every five years unless the constitutions prescribed that it be sent more frequently. With the increase in the number of reports sent to the Sacred Congregation by all institutes approved by the Holy See, the work of the Sacred Congregation became greatly involved. Hence it was not surprising that it issued a new instruction (February 23, 1922, approved by Pope Pius XI on March 8th) in which it divided all institutions into five sections--religious men according to the nature of their institutes, religious women according to their geogral3hicat location--Leach section being assigned a definite year in which to send in its report. The old questionnaire of 1906 was replaced by a new list of 105 questions to be answered when making the report. Only organized religious institutes approved by the Holy See and societies of men and women living in common without public vows were bound to make this report; independent monasteries of men and women as well as diocesan institutes were not bound. Meanwhiie a new form of religious, perfection had been devel- Oped in the Church. This new form was recently approved by Pope Plus XII, who officially applied the term "secular institutes" to societies which embrace it. These secular institutes may also receive the approval of the Holy See in due time. The aftermath of two world wars manifesting itself in modern life has made it necessary for religious institutes of all kinds to adapt themselves to the external circumstances in which they are living. A consideration of these modern problems which beset religious prob-ably induced the Sacred Congregation of Religious to issue a n~w instruction (3uly 4, 1947) regarding the quinquennial report. Two days later Pope Plus XII approved this new instruction which super-sedes all previous decrees on the subject. We shall give the provi-sions of this new instruction and then add a few brief comments. The Instruction "I. According to the Code (canon 510) the abbot primate, the abbot superior of a monastic congregatioia (canon 488, 8°), the "superior gen.eral of ever,y religious institute, of eve.r,y societyoof, comr mon life without public vows (canon 675) and of secular institutes approved by the Holy See, and the president of any federation of houses of religiou~ institutes, societies of common life, or secular 235 ADAM C. ELMS Review ior Re:igious institutes (or their vicars in default c~.~ tL'e above-named persons or if they are prevented from acting ]canon 488, 8°]) must send to the Holy See, that is to this Sacred Congregation of Religious, a report of the state of their religious institute, society, secular insti-tute, or federation every five years, even if the year assigned for sending the report falls wholly or partly w~:hin the first two years from the time when they entered upon the office. "II. The five-year period shall be fixed and common to all those mentioned above in n. I; a1:d they shall continue to be computed from the firs~ day of dzn:iary, 1923. "III. In making :he reports the following order shall be observed : "1. From among the religious institutes, societies of common life, secular institutes, and federations approved by the Holy See whose members are men the report is to be sent: "in the first year [|948] of the five-year period: by the canons regular, monks, and cnlitary orders; "in the second year [1949]: by the mendicants, clerics regular, and other regulars; "in the third year [I950] : by the clerical congregations; "in the fourth year [1951]: by the lay congregations; "in the fifth year [1952]: by the societies of common life, secular institutes, and federations. "2. From among the religious institutes, societies-of common life, secular institutes, and federations approved by the Holy See whose members are women the report is to be sent according to the region in which the principal house is .juridically established: "in tl~e first year~ [1948] of the five-yea~ period': by the supe-rioresses of religious institutes in Italy, Spain and Portugal; "in the second year [1949]: by the superioresses of religious institutes in France, Belgium, Holland, England, and Ireland; "in the third year [1950]: by the superioresses of religious institutes in other parts of Europe; "in the fourth year [1951]: by the superioresses of religious institutes in tlie countries of America; "in the fifth year [1952]: by the superioresses of religious insti-tutes in other parts'of theworld and moreover by the superioresses of societies of common, life, secular institutes, and federations throughout the world. 2.36 September, 1949 REPORT TO ROME "IV. In order that the Sacred Congregation may be able to obtain certain and authentic information regarding all those monas-teries and independent houses approved b~r the Holy See--both men and women--which are not bound by canon 5 10 to send the quin-quennial report, and regarding congregations, societies of common life, and secular institutes of.diocesan approval, the following are to be observed: "1. Major superiors of monasteries or independent houses of men which, although they" are approved by the Holy See, neither belong to any monastic cofigregation nor are federated with others shall send to the ordinary of the place, at the time and in the order mentioned above (n. HI, 1), a summary report of the five-year period signed by themselves and by their proper councilors. The ordinary in turn shall send a copy of. this report signed by himself, with any remarks he may see fit to add, to this Sacred Congregation within the year in which the' report was made. "2. Major superioresses of monasteries of nuns with their proper council, according to the order above prescribed (n. III, 2). for general superioresses, shall send a brief and concise report of the five-year period, signed by all of them, to the ordinary of the place if the nuns are subject to him: otherwise to the regular superior. The ordinary of the place or the regular superior shall carefully transmit a copy of the report, signed by himself with any remarks he may see fit to add, to this Sacred Congregation within the year in ~hich the report was made. "3. The general superiors of congregations, of societies of'com-mon life, and of secular institutes of diocesan approval shall send a quinquennial report, signed by themselves and by their proper coun-cil, to. the ordinary of the place where the prihcipal house is, at the time and in the order above prescribed (n. III, 1 and 2). The ordinary of the place shall not fail to communicate this report to the ordinaries of the other houses, and he shall within the year send to this Sacred Congregation a copy, signed by himself, adding his own judgment and that of the other ordinaries regarding the "congrega-tion, society, or secular institute in question. "4. Independent and autonomous religious houses and houses of a society without vows or of a secular institute which are not united in a federation, whether they be of diocesan or of papal approval, shall send a summary report of the five-year period to the ordinary 237 ADAM C. ELLIS Re~ieto for Religious of the place in the order above prescribed (n. III I and 2). The ordinary in turn shall send a copy of the said report, signed by him-self and adding any remarks hi may see fit to make, to this Sacred Congregation, likewise within the year. "V. In making out their reports all religious institutes, monastic congregations, societies of common life, secular institutes and fed-erati~ ns approved by the Holy See, even though they be exempt, must follow exactly the schedule of questions which will be made out by the Sacred Congregation and sent to them directly. "Monasteries of nuns, autonomous houses ot? religious institutes and of societies and secular institutes appproved by the Holy See, and congregations, societies and secular institutes of diocesan approval shall use shorter formulas which will be approved for them. "VI. The replies given to the questions proposed must always be sincere and as far as possible complete and based on careful inquiry; and this is an obligation in conscience according to the .gravity of the matter. If the replies are deficient in necessary .mat-ters or if they seem uncertain or not sufficiently reliable, the Sacred Congregation will ex o~cio see to it that they are completed and, if need be, will even itself directly conduct the investigations. "VII. Before the report is officially signed by the superior and by the individual councilors or assistants, it is to be carefully exam-ined personally and collectively. "The general superioress of religious institutes of women and 6f societies of common life, secular institutes, and federations approved by the Holy See shall send the report, signed by herself and by her council, to the ordinary, of the place in which the mother house is located, so that he according to law (canon 510) may sign the report; then in due time she shall see that the report signed by the ordinary of the place is sent to this Sacred Congregation. "VIII. If any of the superiors or councilors who has to sign the report has an objection of any consequence to make to it which he was not able to express in giving his vote, or if he judges that any-thing concerning the report should in any way be communicated to the Sacred Congregation, he may do this by private letter, and may even be in conscience bound to do so according to the case. However, let him be mindful of his own condition and remember tha, t he will gravely burden his conscience if he dares in such a secret 238 September, 1949 REPORT TO ROME letter to state anything which is not true. "IX. At the end of each year all religious institutes, societies of common life, and secular institutes and federations, whether of diocesan or papal approval, shall send directly to the Sacred Congre.- gation of Religious an annual report, according to the schedules contained in the formulas which will be made out and distributed by the Sacred Congregation, stating the principal matters which con-cern the state of persons, works, or other things which ~nay be of interest either to the Sacred Congregation or to superiors, "His Holiness Plus XII, in' the.audience given to the undersigned Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Religious on July 9, 1947, .approved the text of this decree, and ordered that i~ be observed by all and that it be published, all things to the contrary notwith-standing." Comments I. Who must make the report?--All superiors general of orders, congregations, societies living in common without public vows, and secular institutes are bound to make the quinquennial report from now on. It makes no difference whether they are still diocesan or whether'they have received the approval of the Holy See. Superiors of independent monasteries or houses not attached to a monastic con-gregation are also bound to make the report. The term "'federation" refers to a union of independent houses which have the same family name, live according to the same spirit, and are grouped together under the direction of a president who is a visitor rather than a superior. 2. When the report must be sent.--Whe division into five sec-tions follows that already in existence since the decree of 1922. The one exception is the case of clerics regular who pass from the third to the second year. 3. Forms for the report.--These will be of two different kipds. The first (revised and extended over that of 1922) will be for all institutes of whatever nature which have been approved by the Holy See. These will be sent directly to the Sacred Congregation after the ordinary of the place where the mother house is located has authenti-cated the signatures of the general council by appending his own sig-nature. The second form for diocesan institutes will be shorter and will be given directly to the ,ordinary of the place where the mother 239 ADAM C. ELLIS house is located. He in turn must read the report and, after having added his own comments, forward it to the Sacred Congregation. 4. Annual short report.--Every religious institute and every ¯ independent community, whether papal or diocesan, will be obliged to fill out a one-page report rega.rding the number of members, houses, and works performed. 5. Forms to be sent from Rome.--Since the new forms or ques-tionnaires'are to be sent by the Sacred Congregation, superiors are not obliged to make their reports until they have received them. When the forms appear, we hope to publish them in REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. In conclusion we may say that this entire instruction applies only to institutes which are directly subject to the Sacred Congregation of Religious. Institutes directly subject to the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith will be guided by the instruction published by that Sacred Congregation on June 29, 1937. VOCATIONAL LITI:RATURE Since many of our readers are engaged in various forms of vocational coun-seling, we make a special effort to. keep them.informed of any vocational literature we receive. Leaflets and booklets on religious and priestly vocations that we have recently received may be obtained from the following: Vocation Director, St. Paul's College, Washington 17, D.C. (An illustrated leaflet entitled, "'Whtj Not Be a Paulist Missionary!.") Brother Recruiter, St. Francis Monastery, 41 Butler St., Brooklyn 2, N. Y. (Script and pictures describing the life of the Franciscan Teaching Brothers.) Ft. Superior, St. Joseph's House. Graymoor, Garrison, N.Y. (An illustrated booklet entitled The Gra~jmoor Brother.) Mother General, Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, 372 N. Broadway, Joliet. Ill. (Script and pictures illustrating the life of the Sisters.) Mission Sisters, Mesa, Arizona. (An illusrated booklet describing the work oi the Mission Sisters of the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.) House of the Good Shepherd, 8830 W. Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa 13, Wis. (The life of St.Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in a pamphlet entitled A Harvester of Souls.) , Mother Vicaress, Corpus Christi Carmel, Keatney, Nebraska. (An illustrated leaflet concerning the work of the Corpus Christi Carmelites.) 240 Aclmission oi: Orientals into Latin Insl:il:ul:es Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. THE Code of Canon Law forbids, but does not invalidate, the admission of Oriental Catholics into the novitiates of institutes -of the Latin rite. Canon 542, 2° reads : ""The following are illicitly, but validly admitted: Orientals in institutes of the Latin rite, without the written permission of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church." This prohibition extends to all Latin reli-gious institutes, whether clerical or lay, of men or of women. The Code is speaking here only of Oriental Catholics. Oriental schismat-ics are non-Catholics, and their admission into a Latin religious institute is invalid, in virtue of canon 538. Oriental Catholics are commonly called Uniates; Oriental schismatics, Orthodox. It is evi-dent that the Catholic Oriental rites do not and cannot differ from the Latin rite with regard to the natural law, divine positive law, or revelation in general. The differences are in rites, ceremonies, laws, and customs that are purely of ecclesiastical origin. We may be inclined to consider the present impediment as one of little practical import. It is true that very many institutes in the United States have never received an application from an Oriental. Many institutes, however, have received such applications and on more than one occasion. In several of these cases the impediment was not discovered until after the candidate had been admitted into the noviceship and even only after final profession. This should arouse greater attention to the impediment. It is also true, as we hope to show in the following pages, that there exists a .very prac-tical problem of recognizing that the candidate is an Oriental. The principles for handling cases of this impediment are contained in the explanations that follow. I. The Impediment An Oriental in the sense of canon 542, 2° is a Catholic who is an Oriental at present. Evidently a Catholic, formerly an Oriental, who has already legitimately transferred to the Latin rite, is not an Oriental but a Latin Catholic and would not be affected by the impediment. The intrinsic reason for the necessity of the permission 241 JOSEPH F. GALLEN ,Review for Religious of the Holy See is that admission to a Latin institute" implies the entrance into a state of permanent and necessary conformity to the Latin rite. Therefore, the permission of the Holy See is not required in the relatively infrequent case of the admission of an Oriental can-didate who is destined either to establish Oriental houses or provinces of the Latin institute or to be affiliated with those already in exist-ence. II. Rite of Baptism of Children A child who has not attained the use of reason must be bal~tized in the rite of l~is parents (canon 756, § 1). 1. If both parents are Catholics and of the same rite (canon 756, § 1) and (a) both are Latins, the child is to be baptized in the Latin rite; (b) both are Orientals, the child is to be baptized an Oriental. 2. If both parents are Catholics, one a Latin and the other an Oriental, (a) the child is to be baptized in the rite of the father (canon 756, § 2). Therefore, if the mother is an Oriental and the father a Latin, the child is to be baptized in the Latin rite; if the mother is a Latin and the father an Oriental, the child is to be baptized an Oriental. (b) A contrary provision for a particular rite can change'the prece~.[ng general norm (canon 756, § 2). Such a contrary provi-sion exists: (1) in the Italo-Greek rite, in which the child of an Italo-Greek father and a Latin mother may be baptized in the Latin rite with the consent of the father; (2) for the Greek-Ruthenian rite in Gaiicia, in which sons follow the rite of the father, daughters the rite of the mother, but all children of both sexes follow the rite of a father who i~ a Greek-Ruthenian cleric. (c) A child born after the death of the father is more probably ro be baptized in the rite of the mother. ' 3. If one parent is a Catholic and the other a non-Catholic, the child is to be baptized in the rite of the Catholic parent (canon 756, § 3). Therefore, if the mother is a non-Catholic, the child is to be baptized in the rite of the Catholic father, whether the latter is a Latin or an Oriental; if the father is a non-Catholic, the child is to baptized in the rite of theoCatholic mother, whether she is a Latin or an Oriental. 4. If both parents are non-Catholics (either unbaptized or 242 September, 1949 ADMISSION OF ORIENTALS Oriental schismatics or heretics from birth), the parents may choose the rite, Latin or Oriental, of the Catholic baptism of their child. This favor does not extend to Oriental scbismatics or heretics who have apostatized from the Catholic faith, either in the Latin or an Oriental rite. Such a child is to be baptized in the Catholic rite from which his parents have apostatized, according to the norms given in 1-3 above. 5. Illegitimate children are to be baptized: (a) in the rite of the father, if. his name is to be legiti:natelv inscribed in the baptismal register (cf. canon 777, § 2) : (b) in the rite of the mother, if her name alone is to be legiti-mately inscribed in the baptismal register (cf. canon 777, § 2) : (c) in the rite of the place of birth, if the name of neither the father nor the mother is to be legitimately inscribed in the baptismal register; in the rite of the minister of baptism, if many rites are in existence in the place of birth. 6. Abandoned children are to be baptized in the rite of the place where they are found; if many rites are in existence in this place, they are to be .baptized in the rite of the minister to whom they are given for baptism. IlI. Rite of Baptism of Those Who Haae Attained the Use of Reason 1. A person who has attained the use of reason may rece'~ve bap-tism in the ri~e be cboc,~es, independently of the rite, whether Latin or Oriental. of his parcnt~. IV'. Title of A~liation to a Farticular Rite in the Church By baptism a physical pets,on is endowed with juridical person-ality in the Church, that is, be becomes the subject of rights and obligations in the Church (:.~non 87). The unbaptized are not sub-ject tc~ purely ecclesiastical la~vs, but all b~ptized are subject to such laws unless some are exempted by the Church in a particular matter. The ecclesiastical diriment impediment of consanguinity does not invalidate the marriage of two Jewish first cousins, but it does nul-lify the marriage of two Episcopalian first cousins since baptism sub-jects the latter to laws that are purely ecclesiastical. It is only natural, therefore, that the Church has enacted that baptism is also to determine the rite of a physical person, since affiliation to a particular rite in the Church implies subjection to distinctive laws and customs and thus produces distinctive rights and obligations in the individual. 243 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review for Religious Canc;n 98, § I states that a person is affillated to the rite in which he was baptized. Obviously this canon intends the rite in which the individual was legitimatel~! baptized according to the norms given in the two preceding sections. If baptism administered contrary to these norms determined the rite of the subject, there would have been no adequate reason for establishing such norms. Therefore, the principle that determines affiliation to a particular rite in the Church is the following: (1) a person belongs to the rite in which he was legitimately baptized; (2) if, contrary to the above fiorms, he was.!llegitimately baptized in another rite, he belongs to the rite in which he should have been baptized. The gdod or bad faith of the parents, the subject or the minister of baptism does not alter such a case of illegitimate baptism. For example, if two Maro-nite parents, thinking that their child may be licitly baptized in the Latin rite, offer the child to a Latin priest who does not even suspect the Oriental affiliation of the parents and baptizes the child in the Lati,n rite the child is an Oriental, not a Latin. Exactly the sam~ conclusion would be verified if there was bad faith or even deception on the part of the paren.ts, the priest, or both. A most noteworthy feature of this case is the difficulty it can cause religious superiors. The candidate will present a Latin baptismal certificate which will give no indication that he is an Oriental. There are two cases in which even a legitimate baptism in a p~r-ticular rite does not effect affiliation to that rite. The first is the case of serious necessity, when a person.is baptized in another rite becaus~e no priest of the proper rite can be secured (.canon 98, § 1). Such necessity is verified not only in danger of death but also when the baptism would be unduly deferred by awaiting a priest of the prdper rite. The consideration of the eternal salvation of the subject ren-ders the baptism in another rite licit in these cases of necessity. How-ever, the subject is not affiliated to the rite of his baptism but'to the rite in which he should ordinaril~t have boen baptized, according to the above norms. For example, if a Latin priest, with or without the request of two Melkite parents whose child is in danger of death, baptizes it in the Latin rite, the child is an Oriental, not a Latin. It is a well-known fact that these baptisms of necessity are of frequent occurrence in the United States, because of the scarcity of Oriental priests. The Latin.priest, in the example given above of the Melkite child, should have noted the Oriental affiliation of the child in the parochial bapt, ismal register of the place of baptism and should also 244 September, 1949 ADMISSIO~q OF ORIENTALS have sent a notification of the baptism to the proper Oriental pastor of the child. It is safe to assert that this law of annotation and notification with regard to an Oriental will oftentimes not be observed. It is not a law that is emphasized by the ordinary text-books of moral theology. We~ can thus again have the case of a can-didate for admittance into religion who Will present a Latin bap-tismal certificate that will give no indication of his Oriental affilia-tion. ' The" second case of a li~it aptism in a particular rite which does not cause affiliation to that'rit~e is a dispensation from the Holy See to the effect that one may be bfiptized in a particula~ rite xvithout, however, being thereby made ~i member of that rite. V. Transfer to Another Rite 1. Transfer from an Orielntal to the Latin rite, from the Latin to an Oriental rite, or the return to such a rite after a legitimate transfer is forbidden and is ilnvalid without the permission of the Holy See (can. 98, § 3). ' 2. When parents legitimatelly change their rite, the rite of children alread~l born is regulated by the following norms: ¯ (a) if the children have nlot attained the use of reason, they fo!- low the changed rite of the parents if both of the latter have changed their rite; if only one of the Iparents his changed rite, the children belong to the changed rite of tl4e father but not of the mother. (b) if the children haoe attained the use of reason, they have the choice of passing to the changed rite of the parents or of remaining in their present rite (c) if the children have completed their twent~l-first ~lear, they retain their own rite and are not affected by the change in rite of the parents. 3. There is one exceptio to the prohibition of passing to another rite. Canon 98, § 4 ,permits to a woman only, not before but at the beginning of or during marriage, to pass to the rite of her husband. She may also return to her former rite on the dissolution of the marriage. This latter right is limited by any contrary pro-vision made for a particular rite. Such a contrary prox?ision exists in the Italo-Greek rite, in which an Italo-Greek woman who had passed to the Latin rite of her husband is forbidden to resume the Italo-Greek rite on the death of her husband. 4. Oribntal schismatics and heretics from birth, upon their con- 245 JOSEPH F. GALL'EN Review [or Religious version to the Catholic faith, may .choose any Oriental rite they pre-fer. They have also the right of chooying to be affiliated with the Latin rite at their conversion. In the latter case they retain the right of returning to the Catholic Oriental rite that corresponds to their schismatical rite. If they are to be rebaptized conditionally, this rebaptism should, except in case of necessity, be in the rite they have chosen to follow. This favor, does not extend to Oriental schismatics and heretics who have" apostatized from the Catholic faith, either in the Latin or an Oriental rite, nor to occidental heretics dr schismatics. The former must return to the Catholic rite from which they aposta-tized, and the latter are to embrace the Latin rite. VI. Participation in Another Rite Does not Effect a Change of Rite Canon 98, § 5 affirms the principle that participation in another rite, no matter how prolonged, does not effect a change of rite. This norm follows clearly from the fundamental principles that one belongs to the rite in which he was or should have been baptized and that the permission of the Holy See is required to effect a valid change in rite. All the faithful, merely for the sake of devotion, may receive the Holy Eucharist in any rite (canon 866), may go to confession in any rite (canons 881, § 1; 905), and they may also attend Mass in any rite (canon 1249). All such participation in another rite, matter of what duration, does not effect a change in rite. Religious superiors in the United States will be compelled to exercise special care with cases that fall under this heading. It fre-quently happens that Orientals have been completely educated in schools of.the Latin rite or have for years participated in the Latin rite. They can readily believe that they are thereby Latins. They are Orientals. This¯ case is made more difficult when the baptism was also in the Latin rite (cf. section IV), for the Latin baptismal certificate will oftentimes contain no notation of the Oriental affilia-tion of the baptized. VII. The Permission The Holy See alone can grant the permission for an Oriental to enter a Latin institute. The competent congregation is the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church. The impediment is to admis-sion to the novitiate, not to postulancy. The common practice is to 246 September, 19 4 9 ADMISSION OF ORIENTALS apply for the permission 0nly before the noviceship and not before the postulancy. Since ecclesiastical authorities have .not objected to this practice, it may be safely followed. It has always seemed to the present writer that dispensations from any of the impediments of canon 542 as well as from those of the particular law of the institute¯ should regularly be sought before the postulancy. A sufficient reason for this doctrine is, to speak in general, that the refusal of a dispensa-tion is a practical possibility. A candidate who after several months in tbe postulancy should be compelled to leave because of the refusal of a dispensation would not be in an enviable state. This doctrine is more cogent in the case of lay institutes, whose superiors cannot be expected to know either the impediments or the conditions under which the Holy See is acct~tomed to dispense. It can be objected that the suitability of the candidate should be tested by the postulancy before a dispensation is secured for admittance to the noviceship. This argument does not appear to possess any great efficacy when it is considered that the Church does not impose the postulancy on all classes of candidates for the religious life. The petition is to contain the name, age, specific rite (not merely Uniate, but Antiocbene Marionite, Byzantine Rutbenian of the Philadelphia Ordinariate, Byzantine Ruthenian of the Pittsburgh Ordinariate, etc.), diocese of the candidate, and a statement that the competent superior is willing to admit him into ~he ~eligious insti-tute. A petition for a male candidate is to state whether or not he is destined for orders. A proportionate reason should be given for a dispensation or a favor that partakes of the nature of a.dispensation. The universal reason in the present case is the greater spiritual profit of the individual by religious profession to be made in a Latin insti-tute. 1 This reason does not have to be explicitly stated, since it is implicitly contained in the petition itself. The S. C6ngregation readily grants permission for an Oriental to enter a Latin institute. It has been said that the Holy See desires an Oriental to enter an Oriental province of the Latin institute he has chosen if such prov-inces exist in the particular institute. A study of several rescript, gives no indication that this desire has been urged. Furthermore, there are relatively very few institutes in the United States that have such provinces. Considerable variety is found in the manner in ~Religious profession as such constitutes the greater spiritual good, and in this case the profession is to be made in a Latin institute. 247 JOSEPH F. CIALLEN Review ~or Religious which the permission has been given, as will be clear from the fol-lowing : 1. If the candidate is not destined for orders (Brother, Nun, Sister).--Formerly a petition had to be made both before the nov-iceship and before first profession. The first rescript granted permis-sion to conform to the Latin rite during the noviceship, and the second definitively transferred the novice to the Latin rite at first pro-fession. In some of the rescripts it was stated absolutely that the subject was forbidden to return to his native rite without the permis-sion of the Holy See, while in others it was indicated that the sub-ject was transferred back to his native rite by the mere fact that he ceased to be ~i member of the Latin institute. In the present practice of the Holy See a petition is necessary only before the noviceship. The rescript does not transfer the subject to the Latin rite but merely grants permission to conform to the Latin rite. Obviously the subjedt who ceases to be a member of the Latin institute must return to the practice of his native rite, since the entire reason for granting permission to conf6rm to the Latin rite has then ceased to exist (canon 86). This is also explicitly stated in the rescript, as is the fact that the novice or religious retains his Oriental rite. Many of the latest rescripts also contain a clause that empowers religious superiors to permit the subject to use his native rite when-ever they judge this to be useful." The petitions for lay institutes are at least ordinarily being for-warded through the Apostolic Delegate. In this case the following 2The standard form now used by the S. Cong~'egation in granting the permission is: Prot. N . BEATISSIME PATER, rltus . dioecesis . ad pedes Sanctitatis Vestrae provolut . humiliter petit ut ad novitiatum admltti possit et dein in eodem . religiosam professionem emittere valeat, titui latino sere conformando. SACRA CONGREGATIO PRO ECCLESIA ORIENTALI, vigore facul-tatum a Ssmo D. N . Divina Providentia PP . sibi tributarum, benigne concedit ut Orat . in . de qu . in "precibus ad Novitiatum et ad religiosam professionem admitti possit. Eidem Orat . fit insuper facultas sese in omnibus conformandi ritui latino, ea tamen lege ut ritum nativum retineat ira ut si, quacuinque de causa, ad praefat . pertinere desierit, ritum originis sequi teneatur, quo interim legi-time uti potest quoties, Superiot?um iudicio, id utilitas suaserit. Contrariis quibuslibet non obstantibus. Datum Romae, ex Aedibus Sacrae "Congregationis pro Ecclesia Orientali, die . mensis . anno . 248 September, 1949 ADMISSION OF ORIENTALS formalities are required: (1) the petition in duplicate must be signed by the candidate: (2) the petitioner is to.state also the rite. place, and date of his baptism and that there are no Oriental provinc-~s in the Latin institute he wishes to enter; (3) the religious superior is to append a document in duplicate in which he states: (a) there are no Oriental provinces in his institute; (b) he is willing to admit the petitioner into his institute; (c) the date on which the noviceship of the petitioner is to begin: (4) all of the above documents are to be sent to the proper Latin local ordinary who will forward them to the Apostolic Delegate with his own approval in duplicate. 2. I[ the candidate is destined for orders.--The manner of giving the permission has varied also in this case. Foimerly one petition bad to be made before the novicesbip ~and another before first pro-fession. The subject was permitted to conform to the Latin rite during the noviceship and was canonically transferred to this rite b.y first profession. If he ceased for any reason to be a member of the institute, he was by that very fact transferred back to his Oriental rite. In some rescripts he was explicitly forbidden thereafter, with-out the permission of the Holy See, either to exercise any order he might have received in the Latin rite or to receive any higher order in his Oriental rite. From a study of several rescripts, it is clear that the present prac-tice of the Holy See is the same for a clerical religious as that for a lay religious described above. The rescripts read exactly the same. This is true also of the clause empowering the use of the native rite, which was mentioned above. This clause is written in on the stand-ard form, either by hand or typewriter, and it is difficult to account for its absence in some rescripts. If such a permission is given to some clerical and lay religious, it is not easy to see why it is not granted to all. Petitions for candidates destined for. orders are usually forwarded through the procurator general of the institute. If the petition is transmitted through the Apsotolic Delegate, the same for-malities are required as those listed above for a lay religious. 3. Urgent cases. Since the petition must be forwarded to the Holy See, it should be sent about three months before the beginning of the noviceship. If there is insufficient time to secure the permis-sion before the beginning of the noviceship or if the impediment is discovered only after profession, the petition is to be sent to the Apostolic Delegate, who in all likelihood can grant permission for a 249 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review for Religious temporary conformity to the L~tin rite. He will then forward the petition to the Holy See for the permanent conformity. VIII. An Oriental Admitted to a Latin Nooitiate or to Profession without'the Permission of the Holg Such an admissi6n does not invalidate the noviceship or profes-sion. The case, with an explanation for the failure to ask for the permission before the novic~ship, is to be presented to the Holy See. The petition is to contain the' same information and the same for-malities are to be observed as described in the preceding section. The case, as one of urgency, is to be bundled first as explained immedi-ately above. The reason why permissi6n must be asked even after profession is that an Oriental who is received into a Latin institute places himself in a de facto state of permanent and necessary con-formity to the Latin rite in the religious institute. This is the intrinsic reason for the necessity of the permission of the Holy See before the novicesbip, but the same reason is equally verified after the beginning of the noviceship or after profession. IX. Aids for Detecting the Impediment The difficulty of recognizing whether the candidate is a Latin or an Oriental has already been emphasized. Baptism and participation in the Latin rite.are sources of this difficulty. Or~e author has also called attention to our tende, ncy to rank all Italian-speaking Italians as Latins. They can be Italo-GreeksJ from southern Italy. The primary aid is the baptismal certificate if it is from an Oriental church or from a Latin church With a notation of the Oriental affiliation. Without such a notation the Latin baptismal certificate will be of no help unless the names of the parents suggest one of t'he Oriental countries. The same thing is true of the.confirmation cer-tificate. It is to be noted that in most Oriental rites the priest, as the extraordinary minister, a'dministers confirmation immediately after baptism. The Maronites do' not follow'this custom. Oriental priests may confirm in this way the members of their own rite and of other Oriental rites that enjoy the same privilege. The help given by the marriage certificate of the parents will depend on the same facts. The marriage certificate may be merely civil or non-Catholic, and an inquiry concerning such a marriage may bring out the fact that the parents are Orientals. If one of the parties in a marriage is a Latin or a Greek-Ruthenian, the marriage is invalid unless contracted 250 September, 1949 ADMISSION OF ORIENTALS before a competent priest and at least two witnesses. However, as a general principle, the other Oriental rites in the United States did not demand the presence of a priest for the validity of a marriage. Therefore, when such Orientals contracted among themselves or with a non-Catholic, the marriage was not invalidated by the fact that it was contracted before a civil official or a nbn-Catholic minister. The Holy See has recently promulgated new marriage legislation for the Oriental Rites. In virtue of this legislation marriages con-tracted from May 2, 1949, by members of all the Oriental rites are held to the same law as that stated immediately above for Latins and Greek-Ruthenians. The outline ofltheOrientalCatbolic rites appended to this article'~ is intended as something of an aid for detecting the impediment. The native country and language of the parents of the candidate, if they coincide with those of any Oriental rite, are indications that a reli-gious superior should make further inquiries about the rite of the candidate and "parents. This outline has been compiled from several sources, principally from Attwater, The Christian Churches of the East.'~Places outside the eastern countries, such as Canada, South America, France, Belgium, Australia, and Mexico are territories of modern immigration. This outline, as regards.the total number of the faithful of any rite and especially with regard to the number and places in the United States, is only a hazardous approximation of fact. It is sufficiently accurate to fulfill the present purpose, that is, to provide a working norm of caution. Lay religious who desire a general knowledge of the Oriental r'~tes can read: Attwater, Donald. I. The Christian Churches of the East. ll. The Dissident Eastern Churches. Milwaukee, Bruce, 1947. Fortescue, Adrian. The Orthodox Eastern Church. Catholic Truth Society, London, 1907--The Lesser Eastern Churches. Catholic Truth Society, London, 1913.--The Uniate Eastern Churches. ed. G. Smith. Burns, Oates ~ Washbourne, London, 1923. The Catholic Encyclopedia, under Rites. zSee pp. 252 and 253. 9 4Material from Attwater, The Christian Churches of the East, is used with the per-mission of the publisher, The Br,.uce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 25l RITE TOTAL NUMBER IN . FOUND PRINCIPALLY NUMBER UNITED STATES OUTSIDE U. S. IN I. ALEXANDRIAN RITE 1. Copts -. . 63,000 2. Ethiopians . 30,500 Egypt Ethiopia, Eritrea II. ANTIOCHENE RITE I. Malankarese 50,000 2. Maronites . 391,000 1 60,000 India Syria, Uruguay, South Africa 3. Syrians . 74,500 III. ARMENIAN RITE 150,600 IV. BYZANTINE RITE 1. Bulgarians . 5,500 2. Greeks . 3,300 3. Hungarians . 140,000 4. Italo-Greeks 60,000 5. Melkites . 173,000 6,800 5,000 1 1 10,000 20,000 Syria, Irak, Brazil, Argentina Syria, .Near East, " Russia, Greece, Galicia, Rumania, France, Belgium Bulgaria .Greece, Turkey Hungary Italy, Sicily Syria, Egypt, Pales-tine, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Brazil FOUND PRINCIPALLY IN U. S. IN DIOCESES OF 1 VERNACULAR LANGUAGE Arabic Amharic, Tigre ~1 Malayalam Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Cincit~nati, Arabic Cleveland, Detroit, Fall River, Hartford. Los Angeles, Mobile, New York, Phila-delphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond, St. Lot~is, St. Paul, Scranton, Seattle, Springfield, Mass., Syracuse, Trenton, Wheeling Boston, Brooklyn, Columbus, Detroit, Arabic, Syr;.~c Galveston, Hartford, Newark Brooklyn, Newark, New York, Spring- Armenian field, Mass. ~- Bulgarian 1 Greek o. Magyar Brooklyn, New York Italian, Albanian, Greek Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland. Arabic Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New-ark, New York: Providence, Springfield, Mass., Toledo 6. Rumanians .1.434,000 8,000 Rumania 7. Russians . 22,500 1,000 Russia, Europe, Far East 8. Ruthenians .5,000,000 a. Galiciansa . 302,100 Galicia, Canada, Brazil, Argentina b. Podcarpath- Cleveland, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Rock-ford, Trenton Los Angeles, New York In states of I11., Md., Mass., Mich., N. 3. N. Y., Ohio, Pa. Rumanian Russian Ukrainian inns4 . 293,871 Czechoslovakia, In states of Conn., Ill., Ind., Mich, N. ,l. Rusin Bukovina (Rumania)," N.Y., Ohio, Pa., W. Va. (Ruthenian) Canada, Brazil, Argentina 9. Yugoslavs . 55,000 .o Yugoslavia __ u Croat V. CHALDEAN RITE I. Chaldeans . 96,000 800 Irak, Syria Chicago, Detroit, Hartford, Los Angeles, Arabic, Syriac New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco 2. l~Ialabarese . 632,000 __1 India __1 Malayalam 1There are either no Orientals of this group in the U. S. or no figures exist as to their number. ~The Hungarians and Yugoslavs in the U. S. belong to the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Greek Rite. There are 14 parishes exclusively . for the Hungarians, with a total of 8,000 souls. The others are mixed in with the predominantly Ruthenian parishes. There ard two exclusively Croatian parishes, with a total of 1,000 souls. The others are mixed in with the Ruthenian parishes. ,SThe Ruthenians of Galicia form the Diocese of the Byzantine Rite (Ukrainian Greek Catholic), Philadelphia, Pa. ~The Ruthenians of Car~atho-Russian,. Hungarian, and Crotian nationalities constitute the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Greek Rite, Homestead, Pa. The two preceding groups are frequently termed Greek-Ruth~nians. They are the only Orientals in the United States who have their own Ordinaries. All other Orientals in this country are under the jurisdiction of the Latin Ordinaries. Tot:al Consecra!:ion !:o ary by Vow Robert L. Knopp, S.M. IN THESE DAYS ~vhen the message of Fatima is at last fanning the world to flame, any form of consecration to Mary must immediately claim the interest of her children. Her revel~tion that the world can be saved only through consecration to her Immaculate Heart-~consecration complete enough to sustain prayer and penance--must increase this interest if the consecration in question is a total one involving .the whole being and activity of the one consecrated. And finally, the urgency of her request, attested by the divine stamp of a cosmic miracle, must still further intensify this interest if the consecration has itself been attested by the Vicar of Christ on earth. Papal approval and commendation have long been accorded the total consecration to Mary by which.Marianists (members of the Society of Mary) are perpetually professed in the religious state. This year, especially, seems a most fitting time to explain this reli-gious consecration, for the Marianists are celebrating their American Centennial and anticipating two more centennials for next year-- that of the death of their saintly Founder, Very Reverend William Joseph Chaminade, and that of the foundation of their first American school, the University of Dayton. A further appropriate circum-stance is the recent arrival in America of the Daughters of Mary, a congregation of Sisters also founded by Father Chaminade and sharing with the Marianists the same total consecration to Mary by the vows of religion. This article is a small part of the Marianist expression of grati-tude to God for those hundred years during which they have been privileged ~o make their contribution to religious life in America through the 'total consecration which Father Chaminade always called the "gift of God" to the Society. Certainly, on their part, the Marianists and the Daughters of Mary, through the wise choice of, their Founder, have received gratefully both inspiration and breadth from many other religious institutes, to the enhancement of their own religious consecration. They humbly hope that in their turn 254 CONSECRATION TO MARY they may contribute by their Marian spirit to the vitality of other religious, both men and women. It is a curious circumstance that Father Chaminade founded the Marianists one hundred years before the Fatima miracle, even to the month. He had been waiting twenty long years in Bordeaux for the sign evidently foretold in revelations granted him during his exile in Saragossa at the famous shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar. That sign came off May 1, 1817, when one of his most promising young sodalists, John Lalanne, put his future entirely at the disposal of Father Chaminade. In October, 'the first seven members, repre-senting quite different walks of life, formed the new Society. They had already been consecrated to Mary as sodalists: then, desiring to belong to her more completely, they had under Father Chaminade's direction dedicated themselves to her by private vows while still living in the world. Now they prepared to give themselves totally ' by a consecration that constituted them religious, whether as priests, teaching brothers, or working brothers--the diverse categories which this new religious consecration united in harmonious social equality. To grasp the true significance of this total consecration, we must see it in the setting of Father Chaminade's full concept of religious life. To delineate this concept in all its completeness has required a family document, The Spirit of Our Foundation, over 2,000 pages in length. Hence, only a brief idea of the underlying principles can be sketched here. In the following developme.nt, quotations from the writings of Father Chaminade are taken from this family document. Father Chaminade followed the traditional concept of religious life as the state of perfection--a state constituted by the three vows, a perfegtion consisting in the highest love of God, attained through conformity with Christ, the Model sent to"men by the Father. Con-formity with Christ is an inward union by grace, a union of bein;l, an incorporation into the Mystical Body of which Christ is the Head. It is bestowed through faith and baptism and perfected by the sacra-ments, by prayer (especially mental prayer), and by the practice of virtue. In all this, with a special emphasis on the role of faith as the foundation of conformity with Christ, Father Chaminade followed the general tradition of religious life. In addition to these channels of the supernatural life, Father Chaminade stressed a prior channel, but one that is really not to be separated from them since it flows into and through them and at the same time disposes the religious to use them more perfectly. This 255 ROBERT L. KNOPP Review for Religious channel is Mary, our spritual Mother find Mediatrix of All Graces, through whom ~hrist first came to us and through whom we must therefore go to Him. To unders~;and the strong emphasis Father Chaminade laid upon this concept, we must begin with his vital grasp of Mary's part in the Incarnation, a grasp which he owed largely to St. Augustine. One of Father Chambiade's favorite thoughts was that before Mary conceived Christ in the flesh, she had conceived Him in spirit-- not, of course, in the sense that she was the source of His spiritual power, but in the sense that by her Immaculate Conception she was given a holiness so vast that, as St. John Damascene declares (It~ Dormitionero, 1, 13), by her grace she exceeded the expanse of the heavens, encompassing Him whom the whole world cannot contain. At the moment of her Immaculate Conception, then, Mary was granted by her fullness of grace such a complete participation in the life of God that she might be said to have conceived the supernatural life among men. This complete union with God was the dawn of our own redemption. For God could look down upon our race and see among us a creature whose full-blown supernatural beauty was at last worthy of His infinite love. Or rather, already dwelling in her so completely by grace, He gave that intimate spiritual union physical expression by the Incarnation. Because God Himself in His infinite wisdom had conceived from all eternity this ideal of human purit;/ informed by the fullness of His own divine life, because He had cre-ated in the midst of our race this His Immaculate Conception, because he could now find an adequate response to His divine love in a crea-ture, God became one of our race in the womb of Mary. We had lost the union of grace by the sin of Adam, committed at the solici-tation of Eve. Christ, the new Adam, most fittingly chose to win us back to God by becoming one with us at the consent of His new Eve, having been Himself won by her humble, supernatural love. It is because the Son of God has become the Son of Mary that our human race, as a race, has been united again to God, so that it is now pos-s. ible, through conformity with Christ', for each individual of our race to attain to this union with God. It is because, as the Son of Mary, Christ has become one of us that We can now become one with Him. And He has completed the winning of this divine life for us through His. lifework of redemption. His whole life was a unity comprise.d of the two great mysteries of the Incarnation and the re- 256 September, 1949 CONSECRATION TO MARY demption. By His Incarnation He took upon Himself the state of Son of Mar~/. By His redemption He acted i,n that state even unto His death as Mary's Son. And to accentuate her role as the new Eve co-operating with Him in the whole unity of His lifework of regen-erating mankind, He associated her in that work at every significant step along the way. Thus, from her arms He revealed Himself to mankind in the person of shepherds and Magi. At the Presentation He offered Himself to His heavenly Father from her arms. He spent His thirty years of preparatio.n in her company at Nazareth. Although He said His time had not yet come, He inaugurated His public life at Cana at her mere suggestion. Finally, He united her sorrow-pierced heart with His own in consummating His lifework c.n Calvary. Because Mary has been so closely associated' with Christ in the 'mysteries of the Incarnation and redemption, it is through her that we are conformed to the incarnate Redeemer. At the very moment that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man in. her womb, all of us became her children, for at that moment Christ embraced us all as members of His Mystical Body. Father Chami-nade, therefore, delighted in recalling St. Augustine's teaching that Mary is the Mother of the Whole Christ, of the Body as well as of the Head: "As Jesus Christ has been conceived in the virginal womb of Mary according to nature through the operation of the Holy Ghost, so all the elect are conceived according to the spirit through faith and baptism in the womb of the tender charity of Mary" (S.F., 456). It is, then, first of all through Mary that we have been conformed with Christ in grace: "It is by her transcending grace that this Virgin Mother conceived us; in her superabounding charity she communicated to us her being of grace, which is nothing else but a participation in Christ, that all things might be consum-mated in unity: "Consummati'in unum' " (S.F., 106). As by Hi~ physical conception in the Virgin Mary the Son of God conformed Himself to our nature, so through our spiritual conception in Mary we are conformed to Christ, made. partakers of His divine nature. Having once willed to unite Himself to us through Mary, God never "repents"; He always comes to us through her. Every new grace by which our conformity with Christ is perfected, He applies to us through her mediation and distribution. Just as her motherly care of Jesus did not cease at His birth, so her motherly office toward us does not cease with our spiritual birth: "Mary nurtured Jesus in 257 ROBERT L. KNOPP' Review [or Religious His infancy and was associated in all the various stages of His life, in His death and in His resurrection; the elect attain the fullness of age, as St. Paul terms it, only in so far as Mar~" becomes in their regard what she was for Jesus" (S.F., 10.9). Hence, the more perfectly we are sons of Mary, the more perfectly we conform to Christ. For Father Chaminade this was a cardinal principle of the spir-itual life. A Christian may receive grace through the sacraments, for instance, and thereby be united to Christ without even thinking of the spiritual Mol~her who distributes to him this sacramental grace. But how much closer to the full reality and therefore how much better disposed he will be for perfect reception of the sacraments if, conscious of Mary's role, he fully submits in filial love to her work of spiritual formation: "We have all been conceived of Mary.; we must be born' of Mary and formed by Mary to the resemblance with Christ, that we may live only the life of Christ, that we may, together with Christ, as so many Christs, be Sons of Mary: "Cure Cbristo unus Christus." Following up this principle, what devo-tion, what confidence in Mary will not the director inspire . . . in order to obtain ever more by Mary . . . resemblance to Christ oper-ated by the Spirit of Christ!" (S.F., 893.) Even as did Jesus, the religious must prove his filial love of Mary by a child-like abandon-ment of himself to her care: ". the Society intends to rear each of its members as Jesus was reared by her care, after having been formed in her virginal womb" (S.F., '115). The total consecration of the religious, then, consists in a com-plete surrender of self to Mary by which the religious participates spiritually in Christ's Incarnation. Like Christ, the religious "gladly intrusts to Mary both his person and his future" (Cons'fftutions, art. 4). In the practical order, he accomplishes this by his religious profession of vows made to God through Mary as a total consecra-tion of self in a Society entirely devoted to her service. If the Society itself is hers, i~s children form her family and abandon them-selves to her by devoting themselves in loyal "family spirit" to her Society. That is why Father Chaminade could identify the religious consecration and the consecration to Mary. Lived perfectly, this total consecration consists in complete detachment from all that is not Christ; for, by placing the religious voluntarily in the state of dependence on Mary that corresponds to reality, it removes the ¯ obstacles to her free maternal action in him, rendering him pliable in 258 September, 1949 CONSECRATION TO MARY bet hands so that she may form him, both directly through her power of mediation and indirectly through her Society, to the like-ness of the Model she knows so well---bet First-born: ". her entire ambition is that all the children whom her charity has brought forth after Him, be so united to Him, that with Him they may be but one Son, one and the same Jesus Christ" (S.F,, 440). But this total consecration demands of us not only the passivity of surrender; it also demands the activity of conquest. Christ, the Son of God become the Son of Mary, is our Model not only ~n being but also in acting, not only in His Incarnation, but also in His redemption. Since a man acts according to his nature, in the measure that he partakes of Christ's being he also partakes of His action. Religious life, then, especially as Father Chaminade con-ceived it, must also be considered a.s conformity to Christ in His activity through imitation of His virtues. Conscious effort to increase this conformity of action is also a meritorious means for perfecting the essential conformity of being. It is ordinarily in this area of imitating Christ's virtues that we find religious institutes differing in that wide and beauteous variety that fills up those things otherwise wanting to the Mystical Body of Christ. For as St. ~Fbomas quotes Abbot Nesteros: " . . . it is impossible that one and the same man should excel,in all the virtues at once, since if he endeavor to practice them equally, he will of necessity, while trying to attain them all, end in acquiring none of them perfectly" (II-II, q. 189, a. 8). Hence,. different religious institutes select different virtues of Christ upon which to center their attention. Since the teaching of Christ Himself, charity has been universally accepted as the greatest of the virtues. It is the tradition of religious-life, therefore, to see the charity of Christ's redemptive action as His outstanding virtue, manifesting first His love for His heavenly Father, then His love for all mankind. Differences arise from_~the various expressions of. this charity of Christ, whether through His obedience, His poverty, His mortification, or some other special virtue. It was typical of Father Cbaminade to see the most complete expression of these two loves of Christ in His filial love of Mary. She is for Him the embodiment of the divine authority, so that He can subject Himself to His Father only by being subject to her, and He can please His Father only by giving her the most complete filial 259 ROBERT L. KNOPP Reoiew for Reli'gious lo~'e; since Jesus owes "His body solely to her body from which alone the Holy Ghost formed it, she concentrates upon her Son the rights and the duties of both a father and a mother" (S.F., 119). And as the greatest of all mankind, she won from Him the greatest share of His infinite love for men. She won His love long before He became man. Back in eternity she was His Immaculate Conception, playing before Him at all times, even as He laid the foundations of the world. It was she whom He chose out of all mankind and filled with grace to become His Mother in the Incarna-tion and His Spouse in the redemption. Fundamentally, 'Christ's love for His Father and for man'kind finds its perfect expression in His. love for Mary not only because she is His own chosen Mother, but also because she is His chosen.means and associate for the who!e work of redemption. He was able to act as our Redeemer because' of her. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the Son of Mary for the salvation of mankin~l: "Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coetis, et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est." That is why Father Chaminade declared: "Jesus Christ prac-ticed every virtue in the highest degree of perfection. But of those virtues one which particularly entered into the accomplishment of His adorable mysteries was His love for the most holy Virgin, in whose bosom He was conceived and lived for nine months, and of whom He v~as born, who was associated with Him in all His mys-teries and who was made Mother of all those who were to be regen-erated in Him" (S.F., 440). .And therefore Father Chaminade found this filial love of Mary to be the "most salient feature" in Christ's life, the virtue by which Christ realized His desire for a life of activity devoted to His Father's Will for the salvation of man-kind. Redemption was the act of His state of Son of Go~(, but it was likewise the fulfillment of His being Son of Mary. For the man, then, who has embraced the religious state as son of Mary, zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls must embrace his whole activity. And therefore, in his filial love for Mary, he finds the perfect inspiration, expression, and embodiment of his love for God and for men. Father Cbaminade's deep conviction in the all-embracing value of this filial piety was rooted in his firm belief in Mary's central position in Christ's whole work of redemption. Moreover, like St. Grignion de Montfort, whose True Devotion to Mary was 260 September, 1949 CONSECRATION TO MARY unfortunately still hidden from the world, he was absolutely con-vinced that God had entrusted to Mary the leadership in the battle to overthrow Satan and re-establish the reign of Christ. On at least five solemn occasions he referred this mission of Mary especially to modern times. In 1839, for instance,, nineteen yearsbefore Lourdes, he ~nade this thought the very core of his long letter to the priests who were to conduct the annual retreats of the Society. Describing in vivid language the tremendous evils wrought in the world by ,religious indifference and secularism, so like those of our own day, be foresaw the loss of the masses that we are now trying to cope With, "a general defection and an apostasy really all but universal." But he was not discouraged: "Mary's power is not diminished. We firmly believe that she will overcome this heresy as she has overcome all others, because she is today, as she was formerly, the incompa-rable Woman, the promised Woman who was to crush the serpent's head: and desus Christ in never addressing her except by this sublime name, teaches us that she is the hope, the joy, and the life of the Church and the terror of hell. To her, therefore, is reserved a gre~t victory in our day: hers will be the glory of saving the faith from the shipwreck with which it is threatened among us.'" (S.F'., 101.). It was because of this firm faith in the leadership of Mary in the modern world, a faith that Lourdes and Fatima among a host of lesser apparitions have since strikingly vindicated, that Father Chami-nade enthusiastically called upon his spiritual children to realize in themselves the full valor of their knighthood: "We have enlisted under her banner as her soldiers., to assist her with all our strength until the end of our life, in her noble struggle against the powers of hell." (Ibid.) Such a dynamic ideal demands direct apostolic action, universal and intense, like the redemptive action of the first Son of Mary. Though the Society at present devotes itself chiefly to the education of youth, it is but applying Father Chaminade's principle of employing "means best adapted to the needs and spirit of the times" (S.F., 53). For such was the bigb dedication to which he called his children that they must labor with all their strength, not just to win Christians, b~t to "multiply Christians." And so, even as the knights of old dedicated themselves by their chivalrous vows, Father Cbaminade would have his modern knights. with ~'Maria Ducet." as their battle cry, vow a total consecration of themselves, to Mary their Queen and Mother: "She communicates to 261 ROBERT L. KNOPP Review for Religious us her own zeal and entrusts to us the projects ~vhich are inspired by her almost infinite charity, and we . . . vow to serve her faithfully till the end of our iife, to carry out punctually all that she'tells us. We are glad that we can thus spend in her service the life and strength that we have pledged to her." (Ibid.) To give this total consecration concrete expression in the religious profession itself, Father Chaminade added to poverty, chastity, and obedience, a fourth vow, stability, to which he specifically attached the meaning of consecration to Mary. This vow of stability, byl which the religious is constituted a Marianist forever, is officially described in the Constitutions as the vow by which the religious "intends to constitute himself permanently and irrevocably fn the state of a servant of Mary, of her to whom the Society is especially consecrated. This vow is, in reality, a consecration to the Blessed Virgin, with the pious design of making her known and of perpetu-ating love and devotion to her." (Art. 55.) This vow really expresses, therefore, the formal motive for embracing the Marianist life: ". it is in the name of Mary and for her glory that we embrace the religious life; it is in order to conse-crate ourselves, all that we h~ve and are, to her to make her known, loved, and served, in the intimate conviction that we shall not briw,~ men back to Jesus except through His most holy Mother, because with the hol~z Doctors we believe, that she is our only hope-- tota ratio spei no.~trae--our Mother. our refuge, our help, our strength, and our life" (S.F., 101). ' Consequently, by constituting the religious state itself, this vow of stability inspires, expresses, and effects conformity both with Christ's incarnate being and with His redemptive action, investing all the elements of re.ligious life with a special Marian significance. The three traditional vows, for instance, :partake of its character by stripping the religious, like another Incarnation, of all that he for-merly was or had. Thus, 'poverty imitates Christ who divested Himself of all His divine wealth to confide in Mary's care; it releases the religious from all l~aterial goods that he may be radically at the disposition of his spiritual Mother. .Chastity imitates the virginal integrity of Christ, Son of the Virgin of virgins; it releases the reli-gious from the ties of wife and family that he may present himself inviolate for the total service of his Immaculate Mother. Obedience imitates the loving subjection Of Christ to His Mother; by it the religious renounces his own will that he may follow hers, trans- 262 September, 1949 CONSECRATION TO MARY mitted to him by his superior, according to her word, "Do whatever he tells you." Since by these three vows the Marianist views the Soci(ty as Mary,'s property, its members as her sons, and its superiors as her representatives, he finds in his total consecration a very real counterpart of the Incarnation by which Christ completely sur-rendered Himself to Mary's motherhood. If he is wholly faithful to his state, he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him, returned again to earth, become again the Son of Mar'y for the salvation of mankind. And consequently, by acting according to his consecra-tion to Mary, loving her, obeying her, honoring her, confiding in her, living'with her, resemb!ing her, and especially assisting ~her ia her mission to .save the modern world, the religious finds his conse-crated activity a real counterpart of the redemption by which Christ sacrificed Himself entirely out of love for His Father and for mankind. If space permitted, the other elements of religious life by which the Marianist enters into this redemptive activity of Christ might be developed in great detail. Here, only a few indications of the practical implications of this total consecration may be presented. The Fatima visions suggest that cgnsecration to Mary must involve, special stress on prayer and sacrifice as redemptive instruments. It is not at all surprising, then, that Father Cbaminade should have laid great emphasis upon mental prayer, which he characteristically taught as union with Jesus and Mary in the mysteries of the Creed, the very goal of the rosar)~ as presented to Lucy in the final Fatima vision. He prescribed a full hour of formal mental prayer for all his reli-gious, no matter how actively engaged, and he constantly insisted on a "spirit of faith and of mental prayer" by which the whole day, encased between morning and evening meditations, is spent with Jesus and Mary in the presence of God and thereby becomes a con-tinual mental prayer, a prayer of the heart fixed in God rather than of the mind straining for considerations. With this in mind, be could write in the Constitutions: ". the more a, religious devotes himself to this exercise, the more he approaches his end . con-formity with Jesus Christ" (S.F., 247). And this prayer-life is so intimately bound up with the apostolic consecration that in the second article of his Constitutions Father Chaminade clearly stated his design to combine "the advantages of the active life with those of' the contemplative, to attain the ends of both." In that same article, he stressed the sacrifice that Fatima leads us 263 ROBERT L. KNOPP to expect: "The Society designs, 'as far as God will aid it, to unite zeal with abnegation . " Concerning this abnegation, or sacrifice, Father Chaminade was as emphatic as with prayer: i'.The Savior of the world came as a victim, He lived in privations, He died in sor-rows; the same sword pierced the heart of His . . . Mother. No better lot can befall the disciple and the child his Master and his Mother. The professed, as a victim, is not surprised at the privations to try him . he considers himself all than that of resembling regarding himself, then, by which it pleases God the days of his life as fastened to the cross, in order to continue., the oblation and sacri-fice of, desus Christ." (Art. 173-4.) aust as in the life of Christ the redemptive work itself was sacrifice, so the Marianist is to find his daily cross chiefly in the trials, fatigues, and difficulties inherent in a life of intense apostolic activity. Moreover, this self-sacrifice must consist principally in the interior self-denial of humility, simple and sincere, like that of ,lesus and Mary. Such, in briefest outline, is the conformity with Christ, S6n of God become Son of Mary for the salvation of mankind, that this total consecration of filial love for Mary expresses and effects. If. however, in order to be fully realized this consecration demands the religious profession, nothing prevents the faithful in the world'from embracing its spirit as completely as their state of life permits. It is to be expected, then, that Marianists hold as their "work of predi-lection" the spreading of this spirit of filial consecration to Mary among their own students, and through them to the world at large, by such means as the establishment and maintenance of sodalities, always intensely apostolic. Before Fatima and after it, Marianists have always held as their inmost conviction, the fruit of their own 'life-experience, that the world can be restored to Christ only through Mary. In this year of their American Centennial, they dedicate themselves anew to this work of bringing men to consecrate their lives to Mary, not merely in word but in being and in act-- in prayer and in sacrifice. 264 Books as Spirit:ual Direc!:ors J. H. Dunn, O.R.S.A. ~N PIONEER DAYS the early settlers of this country had a phrase which showed a nice blend of confidence in God and self-reliance: "Trust. in God and keep your po.wder dry." A religious of today might well make one small change, inspired by modern technological progress, and use that same phrase as a watchword in his own spiritual life: "Trust in God and keep your battery charged." Certainly one of the best means to keep the battery of zeal for increased perfection charged is spiritual reading. No one can deny its imperative necessity in the daily life of a religious; so much so, that progress in perfection is, to a large extent, contingent upon daily use of this important means of advancing in sanctity. Spir-itual reading is, then, one of the best means that a religious has for charging his spiritual batteries. But spiritual reading can be made to serve another end. When necessity demgnds, it can be used as a means of spiritual direction. Books can be substituted for men. About seven years ago, the REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS published a series of articles on spiritual direction that gave rise to a discussion which furnished a very good survey of its state in contemporary American religious life. At that time, it seemed to be the consensus among religious that adequate spiritual direction was a felt need in many communities. No doubt, the situation has changed but little since those articles and letters were written. What, then, is the religious to do who with all the good will in the world cannot find someone to act as spiritual director? It is the opinion of the author that, when every opportunity for human help has been canvassed and found wanting, the religious may with a .clear conscience turn to the next most perfect means of spiritual direction--books. In such a case as this spiritual reading can be used not only as a battery-charging agent, but as a generator and, some-times, as a mechanic. Spiritual reading can be used to supply an incentive to higher things and to fix up a "stalled" religious so that he can go on. After all, the spiritual .director has a twofold task--to give advice that will help or keep a person out of difficulties and, What is 265 J. H. DUNN Review for Religious far more important, to spur him on to h!gher things. Now if there is no director at hand, spiritual reading can be used to fulfill both these ends. In the matter of difficfilties to be solved there is probably no religious who will think that his particular problems are unique. It stands to reason, therefore, that most questions are answered some-where in print. The only problem is to find the right book. Any large work covering the spiritual life extensively will serve such a need as this. Christiar~ PerFection by Father Rodriguez leaves little untouched in the matter of spirituality. Many difficulties can be solved by articles in back numbers of the REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. Such works as these bare the one drawback--that it is sometimes hard to find what is needed quickly or easily because of inadequate indexing, dr because of improperly filed back numbers. On the other hand, such a work as Tanquerey's Spiritual LiFe is excellent in this respect. It.is sufficiently extensive to handle any problem that might arise in the. normal religious life, and it is well enough indexed to enable the reader to find a solution in a matter of seconds. It may be objected that such books as these will serve only for beginners in religion or for those who are not far advanced in per-fection but .will be of little or no use to those who have to contend with the complications characteristic of the higher reaches of sanc-tity. It is certainly true that the problems which arise in the later stages of the spiritual life are more personalized than earlier ones, but that does not mean that the broad general principles upon which such problems must be solved have not been fully .expounded in numerous spiritual books. Father Garrigou-Lagrange, for instance, in his Three Ages oF the Interior LiFe offers a sharply delineated plan of spirituality, extending as far as a man can hope to go and treating almost every difficulty that could arise. St. Teresa cannot fail to be helpful; and few problems are met in striving for the ultimate in divine union that have not been anticipated by St. John of the Cross. Besides, anyone who has progressed so far in perfection with-out a spiritual director may surely hope without presumption that God will continue to help him to bring the work to ultimate success. It is in the second phase of the spiritual director's work, that of spurring a person to higher striving arid keeping him going, that spiritual reading really comes into its own. In this respect there are some things that books can do even better than men; they can be more severe, for instance, and they are more patient at repeating 266 September, 1949 BOOKS AS SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS what needs to be said over and over. Nor can it be validly objected that many technical books will be needed if the printed page is to be used as a substitute for the living voice. A few good books will do the job and do it well. If in an ordinary novel the reader can find new matter at a second or even a third perusal, the same will certainly bold true of spiritual books. In this respect it_is important to note, even to insist upon, one point. However else a religious uses hi~ time for stfiritual reading, he must choose books which are a challenge. The time spent in spiritual reading should never be spent with books that might be called in Mark Twain's phrase, "flowers and flapdoodle." Espe-cially is this true if these same spiritual reading books must perform at least some of the functions of a spiritual director. Books that are to help religious souls to overcome their diffi-culties and urge them on to greater perfection--books that are to encourage them when they are in danger of stopping their progress through human frailty or going astray through ignorance of the way, must be carefully graded. A novice who could be helped by Gehon's Secret of the Saints wouldoonly be discouraged or bewil-dered by Tb~ Ascent of Mount Carmel. A person who might be helped immeasurably by Saudreau's Life of Union with God would no longer need Leen's Progrdss Through Mental Prayer. Each must choose for himself according to his own need, but it would certainly be folly to expect Saint Among Savages to be conducive to progress for someone who has long ago reached a measure of union with God. The book is fine, though, for a novice who must be weaned from comic books. A religious, then, who finds blmself without the help of a spir-itual director need not, because of that fact, give up all hope of spir-itual direction. That same religious would be the first to insist that God would take care of him somehow. What is more natural than that He should do so by means of help that is always at hand, the help of spiritual books? One who has tried by every possible means to get spiritual direction, yet, cannot find it, may turn with perfec~ confidence to those spiritual books which will keep his battery charged. 267 ommun{cal:{ons Who May "Follow Him"? Reverend Fathers: It is not without a coi~siderable degree of temerity that I even attempt a reply to Sister Mary Digna's scholarly article, "That God's Will be Better Known," published in the 3uly issue of REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. However, as it deals with a subject of paramount importance to fill religious orders, I would like to express what is a purely personal'reaction to the article. Let me begin by saying that I definitely do not approve of any diagnostic tests being given to a candidate on admission to a nov;- tiate or at any time during the novitiate training period. In the first place, any of these tests--that is: I.Q., aptitude, per-sonality, or emotional reaction tests--are vary likely to defeat their purpose not only by failing to give accurate information about an applicant to religious life but also by conveying actual ~nisinforma-tion. What was this novitiate period for many of us? Wasn't it a time when our hearts almost broke with homesickness, when every fibre of our being was taut and strained in an effort to adjust our-selves to a mode of life different in almost every detail from the old one left bebin:d? Might not the score, of a diagnostic test be very different .just a few years later when, as a professed religious, one has achieved a serenity and poise that is seldom compatible with a period of grave adjustment? Secondly, should not even a reasonably' capable master or mis-tress of novices be able to know fairly accurately, after two or three years of constant companionship and supervision, something of the intelligence, aptitudes, and emotional reactions of the novices? But, one may object, this purely subjective opinion should at least be supplemented by a purely objective score. Maybe so, but remember that in this case the subjective verdict is frequently based on years of experience with young novices and also on a knowledge of the spe-cific needs and requirements of a particular congregation. In regard to that typ_e of emotional reaction test designed to convey information concerning impulses and emotions of the sex instinct, I will admit that there may be factors involved here with which I am not familiar. That any anomaly along this line cer-tainly makes one an unfit subject for religious life is unquestionable. But again, I am willing to place this too in the hands of a shrewd, 268 COMMUNICATIONS alert, and spiritually wise master, or mistress of novices. "I'o boil it all down--isn't this idea of injecting these various tests into our novitiates find religious communities merely an unneces-sary form of secularization? Doesn't it tend to overlook a little the tremendous power of divine grace operating in a soul seeking to serve God? The use of a "natural aptitude" test whiCh would tend to prevent a superior from placing a "round peg in a square hole" might also undervalue the tremendous power of a work done in simple obedience. Certainly the religious literally writhing under an unpleasant, distasteful employment has infinitely more-opportunity to follow the divine precept to "take up your cross daily" than she who is happily and efficiently employed in a work agreeable to nature. What were the requirements stipulated by the first Novice Master on the shore ~f Galilee? Just the briefly stated "Come, ~ollow Me." But oh, the infinite possibilities for courage, sanctity, and even ultimate martyrdom contained in those three simple" words! Would not a modern psychologist be rather gravely concerned over the prob-able I.Q. of James and John, who were obtuse enough to hope for an earthly kingdom from a carpenter's Son? What would a present-day psychiatrist think of the apparent emotional instability of Peter who in one exultant outburst cried out, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," and then, not so long afterwards, muttered mis-erably to an illiterate barmaid, "I know not the Man"? But Christ knew what patient training could accomplish with His novices, and ¯ He took them for what they were Worth and in spite of their weak- ~esses. In conclusion, may I ask what one of us in religion would like to feel that a Mission a~ssigned or an employment given was in any way the result of tests administered perhaps years ago in one's novitiate days? What infinitely greater security there would be in knowing that an obedience had been given after a provincial or Other superior had knelt humbly before Christ in the tabernacle and with a fervent, heartfelt "Veni, Sancte Spiritus'" begged for guidance in placing her subjects. The religious then accepts her charge, whatever it may be, knowing it to be sanctified by obedience, fortified by faith, and ulti-mately made the "sweet yoke" and "burden light" because of that burning love for her Divine Bridegroom which had made it possible for her to "leave all things and follow Him." --SISTER MARY OF ST. GERTRUDE, R.G.S. 269 .uesE ons and Answers 35 Is it possible to gain ~he "tofies quoties" indulgence for the Poor Souls on November 2nd in a prlvafe chapel in which Mass is said daily but which is usedoonly by religious? This chapel is part of parish church It will be' well to explain the meaning of private oratory before answering our question. Before the Code of Canon Law was pro-mulgated in 1917, it was customary tocall the ordinary chapels of religious communities either domestic chapels or private chapels. Now the Code defines a private o'r domestic chapel ~s one erected in a pri-vate house in favor of a family or private lay person; whereas the chapel erected for the benefit of a community or group of the faithful is called a semi-public chapel. Of higher rank are public chapels and churches (see canon 1188). Generally speaking, the chapels in reli-gious communities are semi-public chapels. The officiai book on indulgences, Preces et Pia Opera, states spe-cifically under No. 544 that the indulgences for the Poor Souls may be gained by the, faithful on November 2nd "as often as they visit a church or public oratory or (for those who may legitimately use it) a semi-public oratory." Again, in an introduction which explains some general prin-ciples about indulgences, this same official text states under No. 4 that when a visit to a church is required it may be made "to a church, or to a public chapel, or (for those having the legitimate use of it according to canon 929) to a semi-public oratory." Religious, the.refore, may, make all "required~ visits t~ a church" in their own chapels according to the conditions laid down in canon 929: "The faithful of either sex who, for the pursuit of religious per-fection, or' for education, or for health's sake, live a common life in houses established with the consent of. the ordinaries, but which have no church or public chapel [of their own], and likewise all persons ¯ who live in the same place for the purpose of ministering to them, whenever a visit to any unspecified church or public oratory is pre- ~ scribed for gaining irli:lulgences, may m'ake the visit in :the~h~pel of their own house where they can legitimately satisfy the obligation of hearing Mass, provided that they duly perform the other works prescribed." 270 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS We may, therefgre, conclude that religious who legitimately enjoy the benefit of a semi-public chapel, may make whatever visits are required for gaining indulgences in their own chapel, even though there is a parish church nearby, provided that it is not required that a determined church be visited. If a specit~c church or public oratory is prescribed for the visit, then it cannot be made in the community chapel but must be made ifi the church or public chapel specified. m3b--. We have fwd years 'of novitiate. The reception is held on August !2th, and two years later, on the same date, the novices take their vows. Is this in accordance with canon law, or should the vows be fa~en on the 13th of August after the completion of the two years of novitiate? Canon 555, § 2 tells us that if the constitutions prescribe more than a year for the novitiate, the extra time is not required for valid-ity unless the same constitutions expressly declare otherwise. There-fore, unless your constitutions expressly declare t~at the second year of novitiate is required t~or oalidit~t of the subsequent vows, you need have no worries about the past. As for the future, it is a probable opinion, which may be fol-lowed in practice, that, if the constitutions prescribe two years of novitiate but do not expressly require the second year for validity, the profession of t.emporary vows may be validly and licitly made on the same calendar day on which the habit was received or the novi-tiate begun (See Larraona, Commentarium pro Religiosis, 1942, p. 16, note 973; Schaefer, De Religiosis, ed. 4, 1947, p. 513, n. 906). Hence you many continue your. practice of having the reception on August 12th and of allowing the novices to take their vows two years later on August 12th. According to our constitutions, to be elected superior general the candidate must obtain half the votes plus one. We have been following 3ardi's system of voffn9 (El Derecho de las Religlosas, Vich, 1927, articles 2:~0-242), namely, the name of the candidate is written in the cen-ter of the ballot. The ballot is then signed by the voter at the bottom: and the signature sealed. In case a candidate receives exactly one vote more than half, all the ballots in his favor are opened and the signatures examined in order to make certain that the candidate has not voted for h~mself'thus~ making the election null and vold. This method of procedure 271 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reoieto for Religious has .been severely criticized as being contrary to the spirit of the law, if not contrary to the letter. Please give us your opinion in thematter. The manner of election suggested by Father Jardi, which you follow, is the manner prescribed by Pope Pius X for the election the Holy Father by the cardinals. There is one difference, however, to which Father Jardi obviously did not advert. In the papal elec-tion, each cardinal, after signing and sealing his name at the bottom of the ballot, put on theoutside of the sealed part a secret symbol (three numbers, three letter~, a drawn image, etc.) which is known to him, to the presiding officer, ~nd to the scrutators alone. Then in case a cardinal received exactly two-thirds of the votes, his personal oote alone would be opened to make sure that he had not voted for himself. It was not necessary to open all the votes of all those who voted for him, since his vote was recognized by his cryptic symbol. It would certainly be contrary to the spirit of the canons of the Code regarding elections to open all the ballots of those who voted for a candidate in order to find out whether the candidate had voted for himself, since to do so would embarrass at least half of the voters. I do not think that it wc.uld make the election invalid, becausethe informaticn is given to those who are bound to secrecy. As a matter of fact, in a recent constitution of December 8, 1944, Pope Pius XII revised the method of electing a pope, especially the r~oi~t in ~,uestion. A vote of two-thirds of the ballots plus one is now required for a valid election; and the cardinals are no longer obliged to sign their ballots, since this provision makes it unnecessary to inquire whether the person elected voted for himself or not. In conclusion I would suggest that you change your constitutions by dropping the obliga~.ion of .having the members of the chapter sign their ballots, annd by requiring that the candidate must obtain two votes more than half the ballots cast. In this way it will always be certain that the candidate received at least one more than half the votes, even though he voted for himself. These changes will have to be approved by the Holy See, if your congregation has papal approval; or by all the bishops in whose territory you hav~ houses, if you are a diocesan congregation. .38 when it is found necessary to change some of the "legal articles" in the constitutions of a religious community, does that give the liberty fo 272 September, 1949 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS make changes in the prayers and other spiritual articles confMned in the same consfifutions? Some think that it does; others maintain that the original constitutions should be adhered to as much as possible. When the Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1917, it became necessary for all religious institutes to revise their constitu-tions to bring them into conformity with the new laws of the Church. I.suppose that is what our questioner refers to when he speaks of "legal articles." As a matter of fact, the Sacred Congrega-tion of Religious issued a declaration on October 26, 1921, stating that "the text of the constitutions is to be amended only in those things in which the constitutions are opposed to the Code; or, if it is a case of deficiency, additions may be nhade; and as far aspossible the words of the Code itself are to be used." The same declaration, how-ever, made allowance for other changes also, provided that "the pro-posed changes have been discussed and approved by the General Chapter." In the new Normae (A.A.S. 13-317), which the Sacred Congre-gation has drawn up for itself as a guide in the approval of new constitutions, it recommends that all formularies of prayers as well as longer ascetical instructions, spiritual exhortations, and mystical considerations be put into the directory or some other such ascetical book, "since the constitutions shduld contain only the constitutive laws of a congregation as well as the directive laws of the actions of the community, whether those pertaining to government, or those pertaining to discipline and the norm of life." This does not mean that all ascetical articles are to be excluded, because the Normae state explicitly that "brief statements regarding the spiritual and religious life are opportune" in the constitutions. To answer our question: For all changes in the constitutions of a religious institute: the permission of the Holy See is required in the case of a pontifical institute; that of all the bishops in whose diocese the institute has houses in the case of a diocesan institute. These changes should be discussed and voted upon in a general chapter before being submitted to the proper authority for approval. The mind of the Church is that the constitutions of religious institutes should not contain formularies, such as prayers, daily order, and so forth. These should be put into the custom book or director3~, or some such similar book. 273 BOOK REVIEWS Religious Does the chaplain have the r;cjht fo say the funeral Mass and hold the exequles for a deceased religlous Sister of the house where he is chaplain? The common opinion, both before and after the Code, held tha~ nuns ("rnoniales") were exempt from parochial jurisdiction; hence, before the Code the chaplain alone had all the parochial powers in their behalf; but after the Code these powers were divided between the chaplain and the confessor (see canons 514, § 2 and 1230, § 5). In the case of nuns not exempt from the local o~din, ary's jurisdic-tion, the chaplain's powers under canon 1230, § 5 were questioned: but the Code Commission, on January 31, 1942, decided that even in this case the right to conduct the funeral of the nuns belonged to the chaplain, and not to the parish priest. Other lay religious (Sisters---not nuns)are subject to canon 1230, § 1, that is, the pastor has the right to conduct their funerals unless the local ordinary has granted the community exemption from the jurisdiction of the pastor in conformity with canon 464, § 2. In this latter case the chaplain, not the pastor, has the right to conduct the funerals of the members of the community. took Reviews THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. By a Master of Novices. Pp. x -}- 431. The Newman Press, Westminster, Maryland, 1948. $3.50. Priests, religious, and laity alike will welcome this new edition of The Little ONce of the Blessed Virgin. In this ~-olume is contained an explanation of the origin and history of the Office, a chapter on attention and intention, and one on the rubrics. This latter chapter is especially helpful in solving the difficulties that may arise in the recitation of the Office. The procedure to be followed for each of the hours is carefully outlined in detail. Following these introductory chapters, the Office itself follows. On one side of the page the Latin text is given, and parallel to that on the opposite page is an English translation. Directions are given at the beginning of each hour. It is to be regretted that in making this new edition the publishers did not avail themselves of the new approved translation of the Psalms and that the Pater, Ave, and 274 September, 1949 BOOK REVIEWS Credo in Latin were omitted. Surely everyone knows the English version of these prayers; but for those who are required to recite the Office in Latin, the Latin version is essential. One of the finest parts of the.book is the commentary that fol-lows the Office proper. The greater part of the commentary is taken from the Mirror of Ot~r L'adg. This commentary not only sup-plies an explanation of the prayers of the Little Office, but also provides excellent topics for contemplation. It is full, complete, beautiful, and reverent. Explanations in praise of the Blessed .Vir-gin by the great St. Bernard and many of the other outstanding saints are interspersed throughout the commentary. Finally, in an appendix, is given the Office of the Dead, and also the new Office for November 2. This little book is certainly to be recommended to those religious who must recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin according to rule. It will certainly help one to acquire a deeper understanding of the Office, and lead to greater reverence and devotion. -~L. 3ANSEN, S.J. THE VEIL UPON THE HEART. By George Byrne, S.d. Pp. viii -f- 103. The Newman Bookshop, Westminster, Maryland, 1947. $2.25. This booklet of essays on prayer from the penetrating pen of an Irish ,lesuit will be read with relish by saint as well as by sinner. Scripture texts worn from use take on a newness that only a man of prayer can put into them, for example: "There is no better commen-tary on the nature of prayer and its efficacy than the meeting of the virgin disciple and the impure woman in a supreme act of divine faith: 'T

Issue 7.2 of the Review for Religious, 1948. ; A. M~ D. G. Review for Religious MARCH 15, 1948 Devotion . - . o Matthew Germ;ng Mor~,Abouf Maturity . Gerald Kelly Thank~glvlng after Holy Communion ¯ ¯ Clarence McAuliffe Gifts to Relicjious-qll . Adam C. Ellis Thou'cjhts on Obed;ence. ~ edwerd J. g,rney ~ Purity of Intention . C.A. Herbst Invitation to Praise . Richerd L. Rooney ,Books Reviewed Ouesti~ns Answered VOLU~E VII, RI::::VIi W FOR RI::LIGIOUS ¯ VOLUME VII MARCH, 1948 NUMBER 2 CONTENTS DEVOTION--~Matthew Germing, S.J . 57 CONCERNING COMMUNICATIONS . 62 ~MORE ABOUT MATURITY-~Gerald Kelly, S.J. .¯. . .63 THE CHRISTIAN ADULT . THANKSGIVING AFTER HOLY COMMUNION-- " Clarence McAuliffe, S.J . 73 ~. GIFTS',~Tb RELIGIOUS III. PERSONAL VEI~SU8 COMMUNITY PROPERTY--Adam C, Ellis. S.J. 79 THOUGHTS ON OBEDIENCE--Edward J. Carney. O.S.F.S .8.7 'BOOKS AND BOOKLETS . ~. ¯ ¯ ¯ 90 PUI~ITY OF INTENTION--C. A. Herbst, S.J . 91 INVITATIQN TO PRAISE--Richard L. Rooney, S.J .95 OUR CONTRIBUTORS . " . 97 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-- 7. Second Year Novices Doing Work of Professed . 98 8. Postulancy not Interrupted by A'bsence . : ¯ . ¯ '98 9. Novices Perform Penance in Refectory . 99 10. Indulgences for Sign of Cross with Holy Water . 99 I 1. Informing Bishop before Renewal of Vows . 99 12. Passive Voice in Provincial Chapter . 100 13. Plenary Indulgence on Each Bead of R~.osary . I00 14. Instruments of Penance . 100 15. Absence from Novitiate. during~Sumraer . . . " . I01 16. Retreat betore Final Vows . ~. ¯ 101 ~BOOK REVIEWS-- The Way of Perfection: For Thee Alone; The Christ of Catholicism; From Holy Communion to the Blessed Trinity; The Love of God and the Cross of Jesus; Papal Legate at the Council of Trent: Schoolof the Lord's Service: Maryknoll Spiritual Directory .102 " BOOK NOTICES . '107 FOR YOUR INFORMATION-- Vacations for Sisters; Flour ~or Altar Breads; For Vacation Schools; Summer Sessions . 111 REVIEW FOR RELIGIO~JS, March, 1948. Vol. ,VII, No. 2. Published bi-monthly: January,March, May,July, September, and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topel~a. Kansas, by St. Mary's College, St.'Marys, Ka~nsas, with.ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter ~January 15, 1942, at the Post Office, Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March 3 1879. Editorial Board: Adam C. Ellis. S.3., G. Augustine Ellard, S.J., Gerald Kelly; S.2. Editorial Secretary: Alfred F. Schneider, S.3. Copyright, 1948, 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 writ;rig to us, please consult not;co on Inside back cover. - .) -Devotion ¯ . Matthew Germing, S.J. ACAREFUL READER of The ~lmitation of Christ ~vill "ret~em-bet the saying of its author, '.'I would rather feel cgmpunction similart shtaatne mkennotw in ictosn dneecfitinointi "owni.t"h ,Ith me sauyb jbeect p~ethramt iftotremds ttoh e".m tiitklee a of. this paper-: I would rather have devotion than be able to explain its meaning or kno~.its definition. I will qubte.adefinition from Father. T. Lincoln .Bouscaren~s book, Principles of the I~eligious Life (p. 36), which reads as follows: ".Devotion is nothing else th~'n the readiness.of the will to s~et to work at whatever is-for the honor and service of God." This is the theological definition and, allowing for some verbal differences, may be r~garded as .~tandard among modern theologians. It harmonizes well, ~to~o, with the etymology of. the word devotion. F~r de~'otion means being devoted, and devotednesi to God means about the same thing as readiness of ~vill to do what-ever is for-the honor and service of God. D~votion therefore in the service of God is readiness to do what God requires of us and what we know. is pleasing to Him. It is not enthusiasm, nor pious sentiments, nor a. showy manner of prayer or piety in or out of church. Rather, it is promptness and fidelity' and alacrity and generosity and hearty good will in serving God. It is an evey-ready disposition to observe God's commandments and pre-cepts, to embrace and do whatever we know will~be pleasing ~o our Father in heaven, whether He encourages us with the sweetness of His grace or leaves us.in aridity. This is substantial QL essential devotion. It resides~ essentially in the will, not in the affections merely. When it comes to be the pre'~ailing° state of mind of a per_- son, it is called ~:ervor of spiriItt-. s"p r~in "g s" from charity, ai~d in turn nourishes chamy. Ammated by this spirit, the soul bught to remain permanently devoted to God, consekrated to Hi~ honor and inte~ests, ever on the alert to take'up and carry out what her state of life or her superior tec~uires. Devotion springs from the love of God. In the words of St. Francis de Sales, a great authority on this subject: True living devotion stipposes the love o~ God: nay rathei it is nothing else than a true love ofGod, yei not any kind 0f love; for in so far as divine love 57 MATTHEW GERMING beautifies our soul and makes us pldasing toHis divine Majesty, it is called grace; in so far as it gives us strength to do good,, it is called charity: but when it reaches such a degree of perfection that it enables us not only to do good~, but to do it careffilly, frequently, and readily, then it is called devotion . Since" devotibn consists in an excelling degree of charity, it not only makes us ready and active add diligent in observing all commandments of God, but it also prompts us to do readily and heartily as many good works as we can, though they be not commanded but only counseled or inspired,z Under normal circumstances substantial devotion is often accom-panied by some measure of peace and joy and alacri_ty, even sensible pleasure and sweetness. This sensible sweetness has been given the name of accidental devotion; accidental, because it is no necessary par/ of substantial devotion, though it may and often does serve a very useful purpose. When the joy and pleasure affect the will only, they are purely spiritu.al and are styled accidental spiritual devotion, the affections having no part in them. But when the pleasure is sen-sibly felt in the affections of our sensitive nature, then we have what is properly called sensible devotion. The genuineness of sensible devotion must be judged by its fruits, not by feelings. Substantial devotion, as was said above, consists in" an ever-ready disposition °to observe God's commandments and precepts under all circumstances. If your sensible devotion strengthens you in this disposition, if it makes you more devoted to God, to duty, to rule, more humble and obedient, more considerate, and patient, more kind and helpful and forgiving, more ready to make sacrifices, and in all things more unselfish, then the probability is that your sensible devotion is genuine and from God. It would be a big mistake, however, to imagine that therefore you have attained a notable degree of virtue; it is possible that God wishes to encourage the good will you mani-fest in what is in reality a feeble beginning. What is needed on our part in such circumstances is gratitude and a keen sense of our unworthiness and" helplessness.2 It is a commendable thing to pray for devotion, substantial devotion most of.all. The founder of-at least one religious order wrote into the constitutions of his order the following rule: "All must apply themselves earnestly to the attainment of devotion according to tile measure of God's grace imparted to the'm)' And 1St. Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life, Chap. 1. $St. Ignatius' "Rules for the Discernment of Spirits" may furnish useful reading in connection with sensible devotion. Father Rickaby gives the text with a few notes in The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Spanish and English, with Commentary, p. 143: 58 Maccho 1948 " DEVOTION the Church ha~. officially condemned the opinion that it is wrong .to desire and strive after sensible devotion. AS a matter of fact, sensible devotion is a gift of God and sometimes a help that we need in order to keep us from. falling into sin by reason of our natural weakness. Hence one may. well pray for it and, ,by the practi~ce of mortification and purity of conscience, dispose oneself to deserve it. Father de Ravignan, the celebrated preache~ of Notre Dame, Paris, wrote: _ We often complain that we have no attraction for prayer and spiritual¯ things. Certainly, if one thing is needful, it is this attraction, this taste, this unction in holy things. For if that is wanting, many other things will be wanting besides:, for what one does unwillingly, against the grain, one does badly, or at any rate, the task is a painful one. and codrage often fails for its accomplishment . If there is o~ie thing necessary, for our existence [ou~ supernatural life is meant], one treasure which we are bound to desire and to use every effort to attain, that thing is devo-tion . Without a doubt we must not serve God solely for our own consolation and for our own personal satisfaction. That wbuld be egoism. We must put the accomplishment of God's will. His glory, and His kingdom in the first place: but also. by reason of our infirmities and our weakness and in'order the.better to esfab-lish His kingdom in our hearts, we, must be filled,, not now and then. but always and forever with the love and sweetness and unction of a holy devotion.a This love and relish of spiritual thi.ngs, this sweetness and unction of a h01y devotion form an element that is beyond .the attainment of our unaided¯efforts. It must come from the Holy Ghost and His gifts, especially the gifts of wisdom, and kriowledge,_a~nd godliness (also called piety). We must implore Him in the ipirit of humilit.y and with a contrite heart, conscious of out.unworthiness and helpess, ness, but at the same time fully- confident tha,t our peti.- tion will be granted. Our Lord Himself has assured us of this in a very formal and emphatic way in a well-known passage of the Gos-pel of St. Luke about the importdnate bat successful beggar (Luke 11:8-13).It is supposed that the things we ask for will be for our spiritual good. Should God. foresee that they will prove harmful, He will refuse our specific request and answer our prayer by giving us something better instead. The Church bids us pray. "Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love." Yes. each of us ought to pray in all simplicity and sincerity :, Come, Holy Spirit. ' fill my heart and mind and my will with holy thoughts and desires, with" thoughts of God and how to serve Him with more care and exactness and fidelity, with deep-felt reverence and holy fear. Teach me. O Holy Ghost, how to pray, how best to-please God by my tho.ughts, my words, my actions: enlighten me with Thy grace., showing me how to become truly humble, 8Conferences on the Spiritual Life, pp. 32, 34. 59 MXTTHEW GERMING Reoiew for Religious ufiselfish and charitable i m~a_ke me see and. recognize what is worldly in me and grant me the strength to cast it from me 'and despise it, , " 'Send forth Thy Spirit,' 0 Godma twofold spirit, the love of - God and the holy fear;of God:" In one 6f his spiritual works Father Rickaby writes: "Never since the first preaching of Christianity have the judgments of God been less thought of and less dreaded .than they are at this .day/'4 He assigns'two possible reasons: (a) increased sensitiveness to suffering, which causes men to resenL se.ve~re .punish- .ments; (b) naturalistic views of life, which have robbed multitudes of their faith or at least blunted their sense 6fthe supernatural. ~ Ai a consequence they have come to regard thet~ri~ths:of" religidn with a giddy lightheartedness, the cure for which is fear~.0f God and dread -of His anger. We would prescribe the same r~medy.--fear of God~ind dread of His anger for those Catholics who aie infected with the naturahsm and secularism that have been flooding the earth since the late war. Again, we pray, saying, " 'Se~nd foith Thy Spirit,' O God, andleave us not to our natural desires, to the promptings Of the natural man within us." ~he natural man is seldom entirely and thoroughly supernaturalized even in the cloister and the sanctuary, much less so in the world at large; and gradually he comes to be the source of e~ery kind of worldliness. Now worldliness is a great enemy of devotion. For devotion implies dedication of oneself to God and the cause of God; dedication to God in ti~rn implies determination, it implies taking life seriously, it implies earnestness and perseverance in.serving "the person and the cause that "are the object of our devotion and con-secration. Worldliness, .on the contrary, gets a man interested -, and soon inordinately interested--in the attractions, the gains and lo~sses, the 1~leashres and efijoYmdnts of'~ the" visible World. Of this ~visible scefie the beloved, disciple said: "Do not bestow your 10re on the world and what the world has to bffer. What does the ¯ world offe~? Only gratification of corrupt fiature, gratification of the eye, the empty pomp of livin~ . . The world and its gratifica-tions pass away; the man who does God's will outlives them for-ever." (I 2ohn 2:15-17.) Such"is worldliness and the worldly spirit, "gratification of cor-rupt nature," the antithesis of devotion. Devotion draws men God-ward; worldlines_s draws them down to earth and keeps them there. This is the reason why it is responsible for not a few defections from ~p. dr., p. 230. March, 1948 DEVOTION r~ligion and from the faith. St. Paul,had experience of a typical case. Writing to Timothy, he says: "Demas has deserted me, lpving this w6rld" (2 Tim. 4:9). In his letter to Philemon (vs. 24) the Apostle had referred to Demas as one of his fellow workers: here h~ records his defection from the apostolic vocation, possibly also frbm the faith. How terse, how precise the statement! "Demas has deserted me, loving this world." It is. the story of many another defection from the religious life of persons with whom the drawing power of this world proves stronger than devotion to Christ. For-tunately ihere is also a more encouraging side. If.there is any class of peopleto which devotion is-of particular interest, it is religious. Why-so? Beacuse it was devotion to God or to Christ our Lord--they come to the same ~--that prompted them to become religious. There was a time when all who at,present are ~eligious became gradually convinced that our Savior was inviting them to leave home and father and mother, to part with all they posses~sed, to renounce all merely human love, and to bestow their whole love on Jesus Christ. It was devotion that made them accept His invitation. And again, it was devotion that urged them on to make their religious profession, an act which, next to martyrdom, is the highest expression of devotion possible to man. The thousands upon thousands of/eligious in this country, both men and womeh, are each and all so many living examples of what devotion is actually accomplishing, first, for the eternal salvation and holinessof these chosen souls themselves, and then for the spiritual and tempot?al welfare of millions of people for whom they are spending them-selves. Religious are on a footing of equality with pegple who.°are not religious in regard to ,the observance of the commandments of God and the laws of the Church. They ought to be, and I believe they are, exemplary in their observance. Besides, they are bound to observe their vows and the rules of the order of which they are.mem-be, rs. By fidelity to these several obligations they fulfill, the duty that rests upon al! religious of striving for Christian perfection: " The matter of striving after perfection is some,thing that-cannot be acomplished in a week, or a month, or even a year. It is a life that demands close attention for years; and the religious must realize that it is part of human weakness to grow remiss in spiritual exet-rises that are "of daily occurrence. Frequent repetition may beget negligence; repeated negligences are apt to beget a hasty and purely 61 k CONCERNING CO)MMUNICATIONS me~hanical'way of doing ,thing,~. "Haste is th~ ruin of devotion," is the expression of St. Francis de Sales, who evidently uses devotion here in the sense of reverence and iecollection in prayer. This usage i,,: not so rare. " The Bishop of Geneva said this over 300 years ago, but ~he ~ruth 6f his saying is confirmed for our streamlined fige by no 'less an authority than Bishop Hedley, O.S.B., who adds on his own acount: "This (hast~) if persisted in, is certainly nothing less th~in mockery of God" (A Retreat, p. 270): Again St. Francis,de Sal~s says, "Believe me, only one Our Father, said with feeling and affection, is of infinitely more Worth and value than ever so great a number run o~er in haste" (Introduction to tl~e Deuout Life, Part II, Chap. I). "Show me how you say your Hail Mary," said a great Saint, "'and I will tell you how you love God." In some of the above q~o~ tations there is question of pri~ying with devotion. Devotion can be truly said to hold one to reverence and carefulness in prayer and. also, to perseverance in,one's lifelong striving for perfection. CONCERNING COMMUNICATIONS Some letters on the Subject of vacations for Sisters reached us too late for pub-lication. They will be published later. We encourage communications on this and other ~opics. New subscribers who wish to familiarize themselves with the dis-cussion on vhcatigns will find it helpful to read page 11 1 of the present number, as well as the back numbers of the REVIEW there referred to. 'To facilitate our work and to avoid confusion, we request that orrespondents observe thi~ following suggestions: 1. If you w~int your letter published, address the envelope to: . Cornmunicat;ons Department Revlew for Rel;glous St. Mary's College Sf. Marys, Kansas 2. If at allpossible, type th'e letter, double-spaced. 3. Make the letter as brief as you reasonably can, Without however sacrificing ideas for the sake of brevity. '~. sign your name and address at the end of'the letter. If, however, you do not wish your name and addres~ published, add a postscript to that effect. In the past we hard published some letters that were not signed, and we may do so again in the future. However, we cannot guarantee that unsigned letters will receive the~ same consideration as those that are signed.raTHE EDITORS. 62.' More Abou!: Ma!:urlty 'Gerald Kelly, S.3. A PREVIOUS ARTICLE contained a general description of ~'emotional maturity and a somewhat detailed discussion of one of its characteristics,x The present article will briefly sketch the other characteristics with special emphasis on points that .seem of most value to religio.us. Unselfishness Ascetical writers say much about the need and b~auty of unselfish-ness in theirtreatises about the supernatural 'virtue of charity. Psy-chologists lay anequal "emphasis on the need of unselfishness for, leading an adult life. By unselfishndss the. psychologists mean thoughtfulness of others, the ability to gioe in contradist.inction to .the childish tendency to receioe. They show how men fail in busi-ness, in professional life, in social life,, and ~bove all iri marriage because they think only of themselves andJseek only their own'gain withoUt regard for the feelings and desires of:others. They demand as a minimum for succdssful.adult life what may be called in com-mon parlance a "fifty-fifty" spirit, a.willingness to go halfway and to give. as much as one takes. The mention o'f this "fifty-fifty" spirit reminds me of a very impressi~;~ remark made by a young Catholic layman at a discussion on marriage. Most of the participants in the discussion were unmarried collegians. They had almost concluded that for a suc-cessful marriage the husband and wife should both be willing to go halfway and to share burdens equally, when this young man, who had been blessedly married for several years, startled them with these. words: I have heard and read a lot about this "fifty,fifty" recipe for a happy marriage: but my wife and I ate convinced that this isn't en6ugh. [f each is willing to go only halfway, you simply come to a dead stop. .We have found that each must be willing to go more than h.alfway. Let's call it a "seventy-five-seventy-five" basis: that gives fifty percent extra to run the house on. The ideal constantly proposed to religious certainly goes beyond the psychologist's minimum standard for maturity; yet even this minimum standard is,not infrequently higher than our actual prac- ~See Volume VII, pp. 3-9. 63 GERALD KELLY Reoieto /or Religious tice, Selfishness is a form of childishness that is not easily lald aside. It can-:'d~sgmse ~tself~m.om~ny ,f6rms and actually appear as various ~irt~ues.? for examPle, as the necessary care of health, as the protection Of o n 'e s rlghts, as kindness to a friend, "and so forth. ¯ It can change .colors like the chameleon; it can wedge into the holiest of exercises. : Even__p.sych0~logists who know little of the: ideals of the-rehg~.o.us life could pr0b~bly gi~e us a very searching and illuminating ~xamination on our unselfishness or the lack of it. They'have the distressing f~tculty of avoiding generalities and' getting down tO" pertinent particulars. For instance, if a psychologist were allowed to. invade the privacy of our examination of conscience and to question us, he would very likely include such details as these: - Do you take.the best food at table or do you leave it for others? Do you try to get the newspaper first. (if there is a newspaper) or give others this chance? Do you' monopolize, conversation or show an interest in what others have to say?_ Do you make it a point to note what pleases others, and are you willing to do .that even at the expense of your own'whims? .- Those are .samples'of~the little things that show who is'and who is not selfish. It is interesting to note that our rules or customs usually include ~ such points: and for this~reason we have probably come to think of them only in terms of religious perfection. It is enlightening, ~and perhaps humiliating, to learn that even a material-istic psychologist would examine us on those very points, not to determine whether we~are saintly religious, but merely to discover if we are" really grown up. In Testing the Spirit,~ Father Felix Duffey, C.S.C'., rightly" insists on the need of a wholehearted spirit of self;sacrifice in the religious life." The life begins with self-obla~ion,'and its true ,peace i~ had only.by those who continue.in this spirit. In my first article on the subject of emotional maturity, I referred to religious who show a marked indecision about their vocation b~cause they seem never to have actually made their decision on the one sound principle,, namely, the will of God. Perhaps one reason for this indecision is that such p~ople are not really seeking God but self. . While I was teaching a group of Sisters ,in summer school, we ~Published by- Herder, St. Louis, 1947. See p. 31 for Father Duffey's remarks on self-sacrifice. The-second part of this book (pp, 25-98) contains a number of questions designed to help a vocational counselor to judge the emotional qualifica-tions of a candidate for th~ religious life. 64 March, 19~8 MORE ABOUT MATURITY-discussed ~ome~of th~ characteristics of emotional,maturlty. The class agreed tlfi;it in° actual life some of, the marks of the truly unselfish persofi would be the ~following: a tolerant attitude, cburtesy~ tact, a ready spirit of c~o-operation, consideration for the feelings and moods of others . One'thing th]t all of us ~hould keep 'in .mind is~this: a religious gives up the normal don~olations of family life. Yet it is doubtful if anyone can entirely divest, himself of the fundamental craving for love"and attention. ~ Some people d,o this exteriorly; but usually they suffer mu~h"° i'nteri6rly '6ver' it~ or the repression does some damage to thei~ personality. Part of the supreme art of living the religious life is to show to others thd kindness and sympathy for which they naturally" crave without letting one'i chari~y degenerate into sensuous or particular friendships. ~Each religious cgmmunity, is a family, and the members should be bound .together by an affection i~hat~is familial." The unselfish person realizes this and is warm and ap~r6achable without being soft and sentimental. Commur~it~ Responsibilit~ In speaking of unselfishness, I was thinking primarily in terms of thoughtfulness of others as individuals. This is a beautiful char- ~acter trait, but it is not enough for maturity. .The mature person must also.be "group conscious," that is, alive to his responsibility to promote the common good. This subject offers religious a vast field° for personal examination: for our lives are of necessity cornrnunit~ lives, and t'he success or failure of the whole venture depends on the co-operation,0°f each individual. No one can do it all; anyone can spoil it all--at least~in some sense. ~How can we test ourselves with regard to this sense of personal responsibility in commgn enterprises? The psychologist, I believe, would examine us on all the community aspects of our lives. He would very likely ask aboht such small points as this: Do you turn off radiators and lights when they are not needed? And he would put questions of greater moment such as: Do you help to keep certain privileges like .the radio, movies, victrola, and so forth, by not abusing them?" And he would want to know especially about your pfiblic conduct, for example: Do you speak well of your commun-" ity? Do you act always in such a way that you give no one gro.unds for thinking ill of your community, your institute, the religious life,~ the whole Churcli? 65 GERALD KELLY Reoiew ~or Religious Tha~ would be a general formula for the psychologists' quds-tions: the little things, the things of greater moment, the things of tremendous.import. Into this general scheme he would insert many other questions besides those I mentioned--for instance: Do you observe library rules so that all have a chance to read the booksL Do y6u enter into .special community projects, lik~L helping the mis-sions? When you play games, are you content to work for the team or do you want the spotlight even at tl~e expense of the team? Very likely we could list pages of pertinent questions, but there. is no need of doing that here. Each one who" wishes to examine him-self. on this aspect of maturity can forniulate his own questions. The essential point behind all such questions is to determine if .the reli-gious realizes that he is a part of a community and that all the inter-ests of that community are his interests. He work~ with the com-munity at home; he represents the community to outsiders. His lack of co-operation at home can spoil the harmony of common life and dull the effectiveness' of the community as an apostolic instrument: his disloyalty or bad example before outsiders can literally bring about a spiritual catastrophe. While I am on this subject I may as well refer to another article previously published in the REVIEW. Writing about the "'Qualities of a Good Moral Guide" (V, pp. 287-88), I described a sort of professional loyalty that should characterize all counselors. The example cited was that of,a priest who might have to correct the erroneous conscience of a child. The priest might find that the error arose from wrong advice by the child's rfibther or teacher: but in correcting the error he should try as.much as possible not to under-mine the child's confidence in his mother or teacher.It is a delicate. problem, but it can be solved by one who is conscious of the fact that all the child's counselors must work togethe~r: Many such deli-cate problems occur in our lives. For example, a teacher may make a mistal~e, and the case m~y be referred td the principal. The prin-cipal must do justice to the. students; but if at all possible both principal and teacher should act in such*a way that the proper rela- .tionship between teacher and class is not. harmed. This is not merely to save the personal feelings of the tea_cher~ but principally for the good of ihe class and of the entire school. Superiors can do much to foster the sense of community respon-sibility in their subjects, especially by keeping them well-informed about community affairs and projects. Some superiors seem to think 66 March, 1948 MORE ABOUT MATURITY that they are the "official worriers" for the, community: and they tell their communities little or nothing about business plans and such things. Everything is a solemn secret, even the name of the next retreat director. It is true, of course, that some things must be kept secret;-but exaggerated secretiveness is hardly calculated to foster a personal community interest in the. individual memberWs.hen treated as children, they are quite apt to react as children. Temperate Emotional Reactions Emotions are a part of human life. Granted an appropriate stimulus, there ought to be some spontaneous emotional reaction: for instance, the sight of sorrow should provoke sympathy, the' per-ception of kindness should prompt gratitude, the perception of imminent danger should stimulate fear, and so forth. Such reactions_ are normal. Some men seem to have such dominating control over tl~eir emotions that they either do not react to normal stimuli or they repress the reaction so swiftly that it is perceptible to none save them-selves. This is not necessarily virtue, not necessarily true maturity: on the" contrary, it may be quite inhuman. The "poker face" is neither a psychological nor an ascetical ideal. Our Lord certainly showed emotional reactions fear, pity, joy, .and so forth--although ~ He was capable, if He so wished, of repressing even the slightest reaction. True maturity, therefore, consists in responding properly and temperately to emotional stimuli. To show no emotion is ii~human: to react with u'ndue vehemence is immature. Calm anger may be justified both morally and psychologically: a wild outburst is never the proper reaction. Hearty laughter may be the adult, reaction to a humorous situation or anecdote, but hysterical giggling and ,wild guffaws are signs of immaturity. Both adult and child may feel fear: and both may and should run away from danger when there is no reason for facing it. But ,when duty calls, the true adult will control his fear and face the danger, Psychologically, the specific difference b,et, ween adult and chi, ldish emotional reactions lies in control. The adult reaction is held to moderation: the childish res.ponse is an explosive outburst. The ¯ ,_ problem 'of maturity is to acquire such control of the emotions that undesirable ones are eliminated or calmly repressed as much as pos-sible and desirable ones are used with moderation. For .example, although the kind of love that leads to marriage is good in itself, it is 67 GERALD KELLY Reoieto /. or Religious undesirable for religious; hence situations that would fost.er., it should be quietly avoided. On the other h~nd, a tender love of God, pro-vided" it has real spiritual substance, is desirable and is to" be culti.; rated. And so it is,with many other emotions: sorrow for sin,, sympathy with Our Eord, affection for our friends all such things can help greatly in the religious life; and the mature attitude towards them should be ofie of reasonable use. ~ "¯ As I suggested in the previous article, it would be easyto.cull the. psychological literature for questions to bring Out the negative side; and this is particularly true of emotional control. F0.r example., here are so~e offthe negatives: Do you easily b~come fretful?. Are you impatient to carry out your impulses? Do you expl6"de over a tiny offence? Are you~ a victim of moods~--up today and down tomor~ row? Do you nurse injured feelings for a 10ng time?" Are you i:lis"2 turbed frequent.ly by haunting fears? Do you indulge, in terrific w~eping spells?_ Do, you "sulk in your tent"? Do you .look u~6n yourself as a-martyr; or'th~ victim of misunderstanding and injfis~ rice? Do you easily" gro~r hilarious? ' ' ° The purpose of thes~ ~and similar'questions is clear. If reactions such as those just mentioned are characteristic of a person, he is immature. Or/ the other hand, if he.usiaally manifests poise, if he readily adjusts himself interiorly to emotionally stimulating situa-tions he.is an adult. ¯ We can conclude this section ;by quoting the description-of adult e~notioiaal control given by Father P, aphael McCarthy, S.J., in Sat:eguarding Mental Health: The management of one's emotions demands various kinds of repressions. ~It means that a man responds with the emotion that is justified bythe circumstances: he does not allow himself to become passionate over minor provocations and he ceases to be excited when the cause of his emotion is passed. Self-government implies, aiso, that a man can moderate his affective reactions; be'can make partial responses, so that he can feel fear without being thrown into panic, he 'is not swept into a towering rage by trifling oppositions, nor does he bellow when his hat is blown off by the wind. He can, moreover, check the physical expression of l~is emotion so that he does not strike out like an imbecile whetl he is angered,¯ or dash ¯ away like a terrified child when he is frightened,s "~ Attitude on Sex There is, at least in many instances, a rather close connection between one's generhl emotional control ' and one's attitude on sex. aPublished by Bruce, Milwaukee, 1937. See p. 287 for the text quoted here. ~he book gives a.clea.r pbrtrait of the ordinary emotional difficulties and helpful sug-gestions for controlling emotions. 68 March, 1948 MORE ABOUT MATURIT'/ Thi~, will be clear, I think, if.we consider briefly what shoulci be the mature attitude on sex. The adult" should be well-informed abbut the purpose of sex and the meatiirig of chastity. Not that he needs to kno~v everything about'sex; for 'there are some aspects of sex that are definitely patho-logical ahd~ that need be known only by exper~ts. But an adult sh6uld know the-normal phenomena pertaining to the psychology and physiology of sex, and. the moral and ascetical principles that apply to the sexual sphere. Without such correct knowledge he is apt to experience the adolescent's embarrassment in the presence of others, as well as a curiosity that easily becomes°morbid. Moreover, ~with-out such knowledge, he is unable to make ;i correct estimate of his own reactions to persons and situations, and this may lead to regret-table imprudences, to extreme sensitivity, and to scrupulosity. He comes to fear sin everywhere because he really does not know what-sin is; and he. cannot cope quietly ~with temptation because he does not know clearly, what is expected of him. Ignorance and anxiety, in a matter so fundamental and important as sex are aln~ost certain.to have an unwholesome effect on one's personality and to hinder the full development of the other characteristics of maturity. Protiting bg Criticism "Are you sincerely grateful to those who point out your faults to you?" I was more than a little startled when I read that ques-tion in a maturity test drawn up by a man who. I feel sure, has little br no .appreciation of Catholic asceticism. He was thinking 0nly in terms of sound psychology; yet he included in his test a equality which we are apt to look for only in the saints. Let us consider this in terms of our own experience in the reli-gious life. Spiritual directors often, tell religious that they should be patient when others point out theii faults: in fact, it is.generally said that religious should be willin'g to have their faults pointed out by others. And at times the directors do speak of gratitude; .but my. impression is that, when there is question of religious of only ordi-nary virtue, the directors tell them to be grateful to. God. They scarcely dare to counsel gratitude to the critic; rather, they seem con-tent with hoping that criticism will not be the occasion of angry out~ ~bursts or of long-continued grudges. But the psychologist unhesb tatingly demands gratitude to the critic; the psychologist dares to enter where the spiritual director fears to tread. 69 GERALD KELLY Review for Religioffs Perhaps I have underestimated the v, irtue of religious and have made the picture too black. Yet, if superiors, spiritual directors, and critics could all pool their experiences and thus determine the ave.rage reaction of religious'when corrected, I wonder what the result would be.Would it be that correction is the cause of an angry outburst? or of sullen silence? or of tears over the "evident injustice"? or of a defiant mind-your-own-business attitude? Would.it be that cor-zection is generally answered with a "Why-don't-you-say-something-to- the-other-fellow?"' Or wouM it be that correction is usually ~eceived with quiet resignation? or with depressed spirits but an hofiest attempt to be grateful' to God "for the humiliation"? 0r.with a certain eagerness to know the truth and. with gratitude towards the one who had the courage to point it out? Some moral theologians use an expression that is in remarkable agreement with the question put by the psychologist~ They refer to fraternal correction as a "spiritual almsgiving." The implication, of course, is that the critic is doing one a favor and is' deserving of thanks. And obviously, anyone who realizes that it is-'really good ,~or hi}n to know his faults, should ~0e grateful to the person who helps him in this regard. Hence, it seems that what the psychologists call maturity in this matter, is actually the ability to appreciate true values; one realizes the utility of knowing one's own faults and the - difficulty usually experienced by.those-who have to point them out. Are we therefore childish when we resent criticism? It seems that usu~illy we are; yet there are some special factors that may make ~i difference: For instance, osome offer criticism in an offensive man-net; others offer it through spite and without sincerity. And of -course there are those people who hgve so cultivated the art of fault-finding that they" see faults where there are none. Even in cases like these' the adult should receive criticism With composure; but there seems to be little need for~g.ratitude. While I am on the subject of profiting by criticism, I might men-tion that an adul.t, even when grateful.to his critic, should receive the criticism intelligently. Whether it be a criticism of one's character, of one's writings, or of anything else, it should be weighed carefully before.it is followed. Facin~t Reality] Reality is life, the whole of life; but wtien psychologists speak of facing reality they seem to think particularly in terms of one's 70 MORE ABOUT MATURITY capacity for attempting what is difficult and for adjusting oneself to painful situations. Speaking of men who shrink from realit~ or are broken by reality, they give such examples" as these: patients who love the hospital because it affords them loving attention and dependence and shelters them from the burdens of work and respon-sibility: men who go along ,nicely in a subordinate position but break when they receive a promotion: men who can live a quiet life but break when they must be active: men who thrive on activity but cannot stand the monotony of a quiet life: men who overindulge in recreation; men who avoid the realities of life by taking to alcohol: the wife who runs to her mother at the first sign of trouble "or responsibility in marriage. Little test questions sometimes used to determine whether one has the adult ability to face reality might run somewhat like this: When you are given a job that you are afraid of or dislike, do you try to get out of it either openly or by excuses that you know are not valid? Do you get upset or go to pieces when faced with a new situa-tion that will force you out of a rut? Are you given to day- . dreaming? When you fail, do you justify yourself by.a lame excuse or do you admit the failure and try again? DQ you find that you are. wasting more and more time, finding many useless things to do, before you settle down to the real work of the day? Do you dread responsibility and try to evade it? Do you neglect the present by thinking and talking in terms of your glorious past or by boasting of your glorious future? For us religious, reality is to a great extent the duty of the moment. Disagreeable or not, that duty is God's will--and that is the supreme test of reality. Yet we do have an amazing power of dodging, consciously or unconsciously, the disagreeable tasks.- One religious neglects his studies to engage, as he says, in "works of the apostolate." Another accomplishes the same result with equal ingenuity by deciding that "he has no head for books," but he can fit himself for his future work by playing games, making gadge~ts, and so forth. And grill another shirks the mondtony of prayer and study with the consoling observation that he was "cut out for the active life." Failur~'and disappointment are among the hard realities of life. The adult is expected to face them with composure when they threaten hnd to adjust himself quietly to them when their occur. Yet is it not true that all too many religious have been broken and soured 71 MORE ABOUT MATURITY by shch things? Do we not see, at least occasionally, a rdligious still-. .~comparatively young, yet useless for further work in the cause~of Christ because he has been denied the fulfillment of some ambition? Here ]s'a problem that I believe is not uncommon among us. As we move on fhrough our years of training we note a great de~ire for accomplistiment, yet on the other hand a great fear to undertake the very things we so much desire. We feel a dread of responsibility, which~, if fostered, can ruin our whole lives. I know of one sound defense against th~is: namely, to make up one's mind to try anything that is assigned by superiors and, never to try to avoid it unless there is some really good, reason for asking the superior to reconsider the matter. A religious who begins .to yield to such fears may soon find that his self-c6nfide~ce is utterly destroyed. We can conclude this point by refe~rring for a moment to_the life of Out'Lord. From the first moment of His life He was conscious of t.wo tremendous future events: "the.Cross and the Resurrection; and the actual HYing of His life--as far as the records show-- pre~ents a simil~r pattern: failure and success, pain and~joy, the bittei and the sweet. In His life too were the security of obeying andthe responsibility' of commanding, the doing bf~little things and the 9complishing of great things, the quiet hidden life and the bustling active life. It i~ a complex pattern; yet through.it all runs a won-drously simplifying'theme it was all His Father's will. The~ .same pattern runs through our lives, and the best tonic for fear and dis-appointment is the abiding .consciousness of God's loving provi-dence. One who has this consciousness, who is able to see the hand of God and the plan of God in all the events of his life, is scarcely in danger of becoming emotionally unstable; he is admirably mature. THE CHRISTIAN ADULT Hence the t~ue Christian, product of Christian education, is the supernatural man who thinks; judges and acts constantly and .consistently in accordance with right reason illumined by the supernatural light of the example and teaching of Christ: in other words, to use the current term, the true and finished man of character. ---PIUS XI, Christian Educat{on of Y~uth 72 Thanksgiving Afi: .r Holy Communion Clarence McAuliffe,: S.J. THE decree, Sacra tridentina synodus, issued by'the Congregation ofthe Council on December 20; 1905, and approved by Plus X, promulgated frequent and even daily Communion. Among the c6nditions for daily Communion the decree includes a "careful preparation" (sedula pr'aeparado) for the Sacrament and a "fitting thanksgiving" (congrua gratiarura actio). Nothing more specific can be found in this decree. No definite time for the con-tinuance of thanksgiving is mentioned. No precise manner of " making thanksgiving is recommended. The decree simply, states that thanksgiving should be "fitting" or "suitable" or "appropriate."_ ~ -~With regard to tim(-extension, .however~ we know that a thanks-giving is "fitting" when it continues as'long as Christ remains present within us. I6deed, thanksgiving may be aptly'described as a reverent attention paid to Our Lord during ~heTtime that He abides within a person after the reception of Holy Communion. In other words, thanksgiving shouId continue until the sacred species are corrupted, for with their corruption the Savior ceases to be present. Since this time ~nn0t be determined with mathcmatlcal precision and will vary with different persons according to their health and other conditions, catechisms and theologians have laid it down as a practical norm that thanksgiving should be made for about a quarter of an hour.In practice, therefore, one who devotes about fifteen mihutes to thanks= giving is carrying out the spirit of the papal decree. It is an objective fact that priests and religious in general do make a quarter of an hour of thanksgiving after ,Holy Communion. It is possible, however, ~hat all may not be aware of certain dogmatic reasons why thanksgiving shofild continue for this .length of time. Once informe.d of these reasons they may be prompted to make their thanksgiving with greater devotion. T.hey will also be able to trans-mit these theological principles to others and thus to counteract the widespread neglect of adequate thanksgiving so noticeable among lay Catholics today. The first reason for making a thanksgiving of about fifteen min- 73 CLARENCE McAULIFFE Review for,Religious utes springs from our faith in the Real Presence and may be calle~l a reason of courtesy or propriety. If a bishop visits a convent, he receives not only a warm welcome, but also assiduous attention as long as he chooses to remain. All the Sisters meet him. As many as possible remain in his presence. He is'the focal point of the eyes and ears of all He may not have any favor to bestow, but he receives the same marks of respect anyhow. His dignity as a successor of the twelve"apostles demands courteous consideration and his visit to the convent is itself a benefit. Politeness, attention, Utmost hospitality are marks of appreciation for this benefit. Their omission would be a discourtesy. The application of this example to Holy Communion is obvious. In Holy Communion we receive Christ Himself. He comes to visit us. He is present in His entirety with His divine nature and His human nature, both beady and soul. He is identically the same Christ as He is at this very moment in heaven. He remains within Us until the sacred species are corrupted. He merits the same attention that we would infallibly bestow upon Him were He to knock upon our door with the sacramental veils removed and His own lineaments manifested to us. Hence mere civility should urge the recipient of Holy Communion to make a suitable thanksgiving. To fail in this is thoughtlessly to ignore Christ. ' But other dogmatic reasons should prompt communicants to make the recommended thanksgiving. All the sacraments confer sanctifying grace automatically, but it is quite probable that Holy Communion has in Itself the power to impart more sanctifying grace than any other sacrament. Let us suppose, for instance, that one person is about to receive confirmation: another, Holy Communion. ~Both persons have exactly the same amount of sanctifying grace and both have the same proximate preparation. In this case, it is quite probal~le that the communicant receives more sanctifying grace automatically than the person confirmed. - This is the more remark-able. when we reflect that confirmation can never be received again during an entire lifetime: whereas Holy Communion may be received every.day. The same is frue even of the sacrahaent of orders as com-ps/ red with Holy Communion. Ineffable, indeed, are the powers to consecrate, to offer the Mass, and to forgive sins, powers that are conferred upon the priest by the sacrament of orders. Nevertheless, it is quite likely that even this sacram'ent, despite the exalted dignity it bestows'and despite the fact that it, too, can never be received a 74 Marcl~, 1948 THANi

Issue 5.1 of the Review for Religious, 1946. ; ~,$ANUARY. 15, I94~ and Catholic Ac~tion. '." ~ .: s from the, Council of Trent . Joseph V. ¯ Augustine Heart of Mary-r. o. ~ ~'ho~as A. O'Conr ~etic Power Of Christ~ : ¯ ¯ ¯ .~- ¯ ~. " Malhchi ,J. ~Donn, 0__f E q_ u ~ ¯ " .~, , ~. ¯ ¯ LOu;s J; . ious Buy ~nd Sell? . ~.m c, Ouesfions .Answered RE 'FOR RELi VOLUME V bANUARY 15, 1946 NUMBER CONTENTS-PIUS X AND CATHOLIC ACTiON o ~seph V, Sommers. S,J . SPIRITUAL READINGS FROM THECOUNCIL OF TRENT--~'IIIm Augustine Klaas. S.J.' . OUR ~ONTRIBUTORS ,o-, . '-, . "WHAT'S A DOMINICAN?" " . . . ¯ 24 THE IMMACULATE'HEART OF MARYmThomas A, O'Connor. S,J, 25 INDEX OF BACK NUMBERS .~. . . ,.- , , 32 THE MAGNETIC POWER OF CHRIST~-~-" Mal~l~i J,D0r.nelly, S2J, ,-. 33 BOOKLETNOTICES . , ; ." .". ~ " " 39 17 24 ~ .) COMMUNICATIONS . - . ., . . . . 40 THE VIRTUE OF EQUITY~L~uis J. Puhl, STJ,~ . 4~3 BOOKS°RECEIVED , . . L , -, ', .- . 49 MAY RELIGIOUS BUY AND SELL?Adam C; Ellis, S,J, " " 50 BOOK' REVIEWS-- . Journey" in the Nighf; The Servant"of God. Mar~ Theresa Led6chowska;. The Heart of Man: The Wool Merchant of Segovia: World Christianity; How the People of Africa Live . . . ¯ . ~ . 66 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS--~- l".'Active and Passive 'Vote or Voice ¯ 70 2. Spiritual Director for "Professed Novices" . . 70 3. Confession before Communiqn 4. Successor,to Deceased Mother A'ssistant . . . . 71 5. Te Deum on Feast of St. Joseph . '. . 71 6. Repair Work On Suffday . 7. Re-election of Mother 'General after Eli, yen Years . 72 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, January, 1946. Vol. V, NO. 1. Published bi-monthly; January, March, May, July, September, and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary's College, "St. Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January at the Post Ofl~c'e, Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March 3/1879. Editorial Bgard: Ad.am C. Ellis/S.~., G. Augustine Ellard, S.J., Gerald Kelly, s.J. Editorial Secretaiy: Alfred F. Schneider, S.J~, ~" Copyright, 1946, by Adam C., Ellis'. Pdrmi~sion is hereby granted for quotations of reasonable length~ provided due credit be given this, review and the author. Subseripti6n price: 2 dollars a year. Printed in U.-S. A. "~ Before writing to us, pleaseconsult notice on Inside back cover. ., Review t:or Rel~gio.us Volume V January--December, 1946 PubliShed at THE COLLEGE PRESS Topeka. Kansas Edited by TH'E JESUIT FATHERS SAINT MARY'S'COLLEGE St. Marys, Kansas PiUS X and°Catholic Joseph V£ Sommers, S.J. [INTRODUCTORY NOTE: This article° may lead to a misconception unless it is ¢lea~ly understood from the beginning that Catholic Action as here explained is lim~ ited~to the'thought of Pius_X. He was pope, from 1903 to 1914. Since that time Pius XI an~d. Pi~ul XII have further refined the,notion of Catholic Action. Their - writi'~gs and speeches so far ove'rshadow their predecessor's that.~in many articles . o and books reviewin~ the papal directives. Plus X receives, only passing ieference. His relative position might be made.clearer from this comparison. If all the di~ec, .tires on Catholic Action that have come from the Holy See since "the time of~ L, ed XIII were put into one volume, they would roughly equal a 670 page book. Of these Leo XIII would get the first ten pages:~Pius X the next sixty; 500 page~ would go to Pius XL and the remaining pages to out'present Holy Father. Yet' Pi-us X's thought is of historical importance: He gave Catholic Action its~ first great impetus. Although later popes have written more voluminously, yet~th, ey, repeat much that P~us X already sa~d. It'wdl be ~nterestmg. therefore, to inve.stigate. how the recent pap~al demands for an organized Catholic lay apostolate got started.] , .~ |oSEPH Sarto was Bishop o~ Manti~a wiaen in January~.~. ~,.~,~ 1890, l"ie heard the trumpet call for the~lay apostolate. Pope Leo XlII bad just issued his encyclical on'the .~bYef .Duffes of Christi'a~s as Citizeris. Listed amon~g;the ~obligations of every Catholic layman was an active'share in ~'.defendingand extending the Church (A, 115-8).~ Esp_e-. -,cial'ly in thes~ our-~ays, Leo wrote, the laity must openly profess ~the Catholic doctrines and teach them to the utmost 6f their' ability. They should take upon themselves, .indeed-the office of the pastor, but: the task'of communi-0. ~ating. to others what they. have received, becoming as it were living echoes of their teachers in the faith" (A, 1 16): The faithful, however, would.hot satisfy these du, ti._e~, as it is .fitting they should, were they ~to enter the fight single'-' handed. They must work" together as frained sol~tierd - deplbydd fof battle. In defence and in conquest, they inust ~" ~The present arttcle ~s a condensatton of,'a chapter tn a symposium on the life :ind i ~6rk Of Plus X which Will .be published in book form by St. 'Anthony:s Guild, ~'Tfie books and documdnts cited in the article are listed at the end. References in the text ~ill b~ merely by means of a letter °and number. The letter refers to the book; the fiumber to the,page. UO~EPH V. Sb~MERS " ~- ~ Reoiew for RetigioaF fight.' under the direction of th~ pope and ~he bishOps. Thu~ did'Leo XlII outline' the duty of the lay~aposto- "late: Almost immediately Bishop _Sart% re-e~hbed th~:. 't.~aching of his suprercie pontiff .in a speech on "Obedi~nc.e to the Pope inoCatholic Action." Izater, as-Cardinal Patri-" 7arch~of .Venice, he urged obedience to the popd- as an important motive for engJaging°ir~ this apostolate: "Cater ollc Action has.been c.ommanded by the Pope., who has sig-~ -nified hisown mind in.so many ways, and t~hat is ~nough -for us to be sure that it is the ~ill of God also" (B, 109). ~ Picking a.Name [or the Lay Apostolate Although Pius X did not co~n the title "Ca~tholic A'c-tion,;' yet be ,is certainly the fiist pope to make frequent~ ~ use of this term to dtisigfiate the laity's. ~lhare in the apostolic mission of the Church. Even before he had been elected," ti~ used. th~ eklSression. As Patriarch of Venice, fo.r exgmple, he eml~hasized that "Catholic Action is pro'per to the laity and'n6t to the clergy. " .-Catholic Action is prop- :er!y-lay in character." (B, 108. ) When pope he offi, ciall~i ~, c~ristened this apostolate with a-"distinctive, and.surely-a_ very nobld name: Catholic Action" (A, 192), All in~all,- Piu~ used the term's~veral dozen ti~es: in letters to the - Catholics of Italy, tb. the Hierarchy_of France, to .thd Arch!: ~. bishop of Quebec, and iff writing to the'whole Catholic~ World: Since his pontificate, "Catholic-Acti~ri" has~ remaihed a t~chn~cal term both in papal documents andi~ " " other W.ritings that adhere accurately to-the terminology: of~- .,the popes in this matter.Today "Catl~olic Action"~ erly Si~hifies-both the rnand[~te~d organizations"and~ the ~apostolic activit~r of those Catholic laymen who officially participate i~n the apostolic mission of the hierarchy. . Doc6ments on Catholic Action - : " ¯ Pias X did more than give the- l~y apostolate a Janua(g, 19~6 PlUS X AND CATHOLIC ACTION name. He wrote so, me fifteen thousand words clearly explaining Catholic Action and insistihg that it be accu-rately pu[ into practice. While six main, documents contain his.teaching, yet three of these deserve special men~ tion. The first is a speech.deli.vered in the 1890's (B, .107- 10) ; the second is a sizable part of his first papal encyclical. E su'premi apostolatus (of. C) ; the third, and most impor-tant, is his apostolic letter, II fermo proposi}o (The_ Firm Resolution; c~." D.) In fact, II fermo proposito, published justforty years ago, v~as for its time the 16ngest andmost dethiled 6f all papal pr0n0uncemen.ts on Catholic A~tion. It runs throUgh-tWenty-seven pages of the Acta Sanctad 8edis (The Acts-of the Holy See-) and is one of the rela- (ively few documents fotind there in tw~ languages: the original Italiafi and a Latin translation. A note prefixed to the Latin version gives the reason: although addressed to the Catholics of Italy, its very important teachin~g can be exceedingly profitable to Catholics everywhere (D, 741). The immediate effect of this letter upon the people of Italy was observed by the Roman correspondent-of The Tablet. Writing pack to London just two weeks after it ¯ was.released to thepublic he reports: "Not since the Ency.c-lical Return Novarum, published about fourteen years ago, has a Papal document excited such deep and ~eneral inter-est all through Italy as Pius X's last pronouncement on the Catholic movement" (cf. E). ° The far-reaching result 6f II fermo propos(to can be seen in Pius XI's voluminous writing on his fav6rite subject, where many of its phrases and nearly every one of its ~nain ideas are repeated (cf. F). Let us, therefore, r~view Pius X's teaching on Catholic Action b~rattempting, in some sort of logical order, a simple summary of what he said and firrote. We shall present his six main documents in 6he composite picture. In doing so we shall give.his teaching, as far as possible, in his own 5 JOSEPH V. SOMME.RS ReOieto [or Religious words. This will l~elp assure his views being seen in their own light, And for those familiar with the more recent directives of°Pius XI and Pius XIII it will be,convincing evidefice that many of their ideas have been taken from the words of their zealous predecessor. A Problem and an Answer Let us begin, then, where Plus began, with the pr0b-lem: The issue--as he saw it---concerned the salvation of souls, wh~ lived in a world that was in large part detached from the Church and heedless of the laws of God. Secu-larism was.the chief foe that fought against Plus in Man-tun, Venice, and Rome. In his first official letter as Patri: arch ofVenice, Cardinal Sart0 descril~ed the situation thus:. God is driven out of politics by this theory of the separation of Church and state. He is driven . . . from the laws by a morality which is guided by' the senses alone; from the schools.by the aboli-tion of religious instruction~; from Christian marriage; now deprived of'the grace of the sacrament . "q~re.must fight this great error of modern times, ~the enthronement of:man in the place of-God. (G,~ 46.7.) - Again in his'first encyclical he recalled the problem: "that enormous and detestable wickedness, so characteristic of. ou~ time.--the substitution, of man fbr God" (C, 8). This evil was directly opposed to his own firm resolve to restore all.things in Chris(. While still Cardinal he stated plainly th~ connection between secularism and the lay apostolate, between the problem and the solution: Catholic ACtion [he said] is properly lay in character for another reason . At one time the rights of Jesus Christ, of the Chflrch and "of the Pope entered into th.e, legis!ation of all ChriStian states . Now it is no longer so. The Church, the Pope, are no longer recog-nised as such and no longgr form part of the social organism;-they . are relegated to the sphere of.common rights; nay, they.ar~ even con~ sidered as enemies . Since these things are so; who is it that must danuar~l, 1946 PlUS X AND (~ATHOLICoACTION "~ stir himself to defend the violated rights'of . . . tl~e P6pe, lbe Church and the Bishops? In otl~er times it was the P01~es and the Bishops who intervenedin defence Of "their children. ; today it mustibe, the children wh6 will rise up in defence of their father, the laity .in ' defence of the Hierarchy: . . . (B, 108.) " ' In his first encyclical he outlined the means necessary to restore all things in christ. Urging ~:he bishops first to have as their.chief care the formation of their seminarians and priests to holiness and truth, Plus then exhorted them to instruct their people in the faith and to attract ~inful hearts "tO Christ by conspicuous charity. Finally, as -though reaching a climax; the new Pope pleadedfor the lay apostolate. He expanded this call till it filled one-eighth of his whole encyclical. He speaks to the.bishops of the world: ~. In this arduous task of the restoration of thi~ huma~ race in Christ neitl~er you nor your clergy should exclude all assistance, We know that God-recommended every:o~ne to have a care for his neighbor (Eccli. 17 : 12). For it is not priests alone, but all the faithful with-out exception, who must concern themselves with the intei'ests of God and souls not,'0f course, acco~rding to their own views; but always under the direction and orders of the bishops. ". (C, 12-3. Italics are ins~erted.) ' Here then is the world problem and a papal solutionl .In [t~ modern organized form Catholic Action has been developed as an integral part of the Church's answer to the " ~chief modern i~roblem. If God's laws arein great part dis-placed from politics, from public education, from the civil " marriage contract and the average home,, from big business and smart entertainment, then °the Church in her. efforts to restore all things in Christ will make special use of laymen. Who else ar~ better situated to re-Christianize labor and business, family life and entertainment? It is precisely the " [aity's place in the world that puts them-in a strategic posi-tibn to influence the reconstruction of these phases of life JOSEPH V. SOMMERS Reoiew 1o~ Religibus according: to the Christian pattern. Hence. the Pope's insistence ihat the laity collabor.ate in the ¯work for, God and souls. , ' - Explaining the Answer Already we have seen in broad.outline what Plus X .mteaecahnisn gb ym Coraet h loglsiecl yA.'c Wtiohnat. aIct croermdianign tso thoi mex ias mthien aei mhis ¯ of .Catholic Action? W~at are the methods it should employ?- What relation has Catholic. Action to the pope, the bishops, and priests? What are the effects to be looked fort Finally, what is the importance of Catholic Action in the eyes of Pius X? These are the main qi~estk;ns to be considered. 'Others of a secondary natu.re will be treated more briefly. ", In explaining the lay apostolat~ Plus, first and last, -~alled for ACTION. These are perhaps his str0nges.t words: - Catholic Action will not please certain timid souls, who thougl~ go~d living, are so attached to their habitual quiet ahd so afraid of every innovation that they believe that it is quite sufficient to pray, because God knows b~st how to defend the faith, humiliate His ene-mies, and make the Church triumphant. But these good people, whom I would call optimists, will' wait in vain for society to re-Christianize itself simply by tthe.prayers 6f the°good. Prayer is absolutely necessary because in the ordinary economy of salvation God does not concede graces "except to him who prays, but India and Japan would never have been converted by.tlSe prayers alone of Xa~rier: the.Apostles would never have conquered the world, if the~ .had not done the work of heroes and martyrs. It is necessary; there-gore, to join pr~iyer with hction,~' : There are others [he continues] who in order to justify .their inertia, give the worid up for lost, since~ they see in it.so many evil~!. ¯ Tl"ies~ people, whom I would call pessimists," say that it is so much wasted time to talk of Committees, of Circles, of SocietieS,~that they . will never :accomplish anything. It is sufficient' to remin~ these wearied and dispirit.ed souls that this kind of work of Catholic Action: danuarg,-1946 PIUS X AND" ~(THOLIC~ AC:'TION hag bee~ commanded by the Pope . (B, 1"09.) ¯ Up to the prese.nt, [he remarks] we have been like rabbits, too frightened" of everything and everyone to institute the Parochial Committee [local unit of Catholic Action], in order not to give offence. To whom could the Committee give offence? .To two cl;isses of people only: to the bad, and if we gave way. to them .we would. have ~0'stop all good wo.rks; and to those good people who shrink f~0m innovations. We must tell these last clearly and distinctly that these i~{novations~are both beautiful and good; that as the ba~d uhite; so also must the good: that if they are innovations they ar~ desired by the Vicar ofJesus Christ, and that he wh~o does not obey th~ Pope does not obey God.(B, 110.) Good Example a Prerequisite for LayApQstles- But as Words, and energetic hction [the Pope adds elsewhere] are' of no avail unless . . . accompan~i, ed . byexample, the necessary characteristic which should shine~ forth intall the members of e.very Catholic association is that of openly manifesting their faith by the holiness of ~their lives . . . and by ~he exact observance o'f the laws Of G0d~and 6f the Church. (H, 10.) Ifthe soul is not thus regulated [Pius observes] it will be diffi- Cult to stir others °to go6d, and, strength will fail for bearing perse-veriiagly th~ weariness Which every apost61ate brings with it: the calumnies of efiemies, the'coldness and want of he!p from men good in themselves, and sometimes the jealousy of~friends and fellow-- workers-~--excusable, doubtless, on account of the weakness 6f human nat.ure, but very harmful, and a cause of discord, offence, and quar-rels. (A,'193.) Good example, "therefore, and the solid virtue under-lying it are necessary if Catholik Action is to attain its end. With this in miffd the Holy Father remarks: .To carry it out rightly; we.mus~ have divine grace, and~the apostle receives none if he is not united to Christ. Only when we have formed Jesus Christ within.ourselves shall we more easily~ be able, to ,g!ve Him back ~o the family and to society. (A, 193.) The Aims o~ Catholic Action , ~ .~ C:~tholic A~tion is a~lay apostolate to restore allthings in Christ. In It [ermo proposito Plus adds further: 9 Reuiewfor RHigiou~ It is plainly necess.ary that every one take pa.rt i'n a work so impor-tant, not only,for the sanctification of his 'own soul,' but also i'n order ~o spread and more fully extend the Kingdom of God in individuals, in families and in society---each one working according to his own strength for his neighbor's good . (A, 189-90.) Ou~ pre.d.ecessor Leo XIII . pointed out . . . in the famous encyclical Return Novarum and in later documents the object, to which Catholic Actign should be specially devoted, namely, the prac-tical solution of the social question according to Christian principles. (A, 194-5.) Here the italics are in the text---one of the few instances in his apostolic letter on Catholic Action where Plus X thus undersdored his own words. He wished this last sentence to point like a spotlight at what he Considered the most impo.rtant work for the organ.ized lay apostolate of his day. He goes on to e~plain-his point: You see well what support is given to the Church by those chosen bands of Catholics whose aim is to unite all their forces in order to c6mbat anti-Christian civilization by every just and lawful means . : to reinstate Jesus Christ in the family, the school, and society: to re-establish the principle that human authority, represents that of God; to take intimately to heart the interests of the .people, especially those of the working and agricultural classes, not only by the inculcation of r.el!gion . but also by striving . . . to soothe theii sufferings, and by wise measures to improve their economic con-dition: to endeavour, consequently, to make public laws conf0rmhble to justice, to amend or suppress those' which are not so: finally, with a true Catholic spirit," to defend and support .the rights of God in everything, and the no less sacred rights of the Church. All'these works, of which Catholi~ laymen are the principal sup-po~. ters and promoters . . . constitute what is generally known by a distinctive, and surely a very noble name: Catholic Action . °(A, 191-2.) Re-Christianized in its civic, social, and ~conomic life, Civilization will then pr6vide a wholesome environment for those phases of individual and group life tl"iat are spe~ cifically and direcdy religious andmoral. It was the wis- 10 danuarg, 1946 PIUS X AND CATHOEIC ACTION - dom of Plus X to realize~that to Christianize individuals, a quick and sure way is to Christianize their surroundin'gs which unremittingly exert an influence for good or evil¯ For it is the environment which largely forms or deforms the individual, Christianizes or de-Christianizes him. On ~his account Pius repeatedly insiste~l that the Catholic laity help to establish and extend the Kifigdom of Christ not 8nly in individuals but also in families and in ,society. The Means to This Christian Restoration ;'The diffusion of revealed truth, the exercise of Chris-tian. virtue, and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy" (A, 190) are thegeneral means recommended to effect this restoration. 'Especially in his encyclical, Acerbo Nimis (On the Teaching of Christian Doctrine; I, 623), did Plus X insist upon the diffusion of revealed truth as a neces-sary means to restore men's minds and actions to Christ. Here too, he stressed the.need of the laity sharing in the edu-catibnal work of the hierarchy by his command that the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine be established in everv parish.in the world. Pihs likewise u.rged Christian charity. But the charity be wished to see exercised was not conniving and short-sighted tolerance. ¯ . . The first duty of charity [he says] does not lie in the toleration of erroneous convictions, however sincere they may bd~ nor in theo- - retical ok practical indifference for "the errors or vices in which we s~e our fellow-men plungdd, but in zeal for their inkellectual and moral improvement as well as for their material well-being. (d, 404.) Catholic Action as an organization is not a political party; .it has npthing to do with party politics. But its members as individual Catholics, Plus pointed, ou't, must use their civic right to vote and to hold office in order to pro-mote justice and truth. This section of I1 [ermo propgsito had particular appl.ication to the political situation in Italy JOSEPI~I V. SOMMERS ~ " ¯ "Review/:or Religious durir~g the ~first decade of this century. ~ Tile.wish of. the ~ Pope, howevei, extends to allCatholic citizens and direct~ them to use,, wherever possible, the democratic processes of government to bifild civil society according to the Christian .blueprint. . Other :means recommended by Pius, becau~e of their usefulness to bring about coope.ration and to arouse.enthu-siasm, were regional, and national congresses of 'the Cath-olic lay movements. These are his own.words: " ¯ . . In order to renew and increase in all Catholic undertakings the necessary enthusiasm, to give to.their "promoters and n~mbers an o~portunity ~o'f ~eeing and becoming atquainted with each other,.to draw ever more closely the bonds.of brotherly love, to enkindle in one another a more.~burning zeal for e~cient action, ,a.nd to provide, for the better establishmefit and,sp'.rea.d of the same works, a wonde~ful help .will be found in the meeting from time to time, according.to the Jules already; given by the Holy See, of general or local Con-gresses of. Catholics; and they ought to be a soler~n manifestati6n of Catholic faith, and a common festival of harm6ny and peace. (A, 198.) ~ : Relation of Catholic Action to the Clergg "It remains for us to treat of another point of the highest importance, namely the relation. which all the w6rks of Catholic Action should, bear to ecclesiastical authority" (A, 198). Those works immediately con-nec, ted' with '.the spiritual .and pastoral ministry of the Church,, having a religious a~m intended directly for the good of souls, should submit in every smallest particular to the authority of th~ bishops. But other works of Cath- 61ic Action de.signed .chiefly to restore and promote in iZhrist true Christian civilization have greater freedom, although the.y too are dependent on the advice and direction of ecclesiastical authority, inasmuch as they must conform to the principles of Christian faith and morality, . Although Catholic Action is proper to the laity and danuarg, 1946 PlUS X AND C/~THOLIC ACTION not tO the clergy, yet priests have the duty of guiding and encouraging its de.velopment. The Pope's ideals are rather high. He advised the French. bishops to choose from among their priests . ~. men who are active and level-headed, possessing the degrees of doct6r ¯ in philosophy and theology, and a thorough knowledge of the history of-ancient and modern civilization, and apply them to the less ele-. vated and more practical study of social science, in order that at.the "right time they may be put at the head of your Catholic Action. (d, 407). To the Italian bishops, he says: - . The co-.operation of the clergy in the works of Catholic .Act.i0n has a deeply religious end: it will never become a hindrance, but will be a help to their spiritual ministry by enlarging its sphere and mul-tii~ lying its fruits. ('A, 200). Results o[ Catholic Action; Its imp'ortance The good example given by a great army of.soldiers of Christ will be of mu~ch greater avail in attracting and per-. suading men than words and learned dissertations. In Our First Encyclical to the Bishops of the World, in which We echo all that Our glorious Predecessors had laid ~town c~ncerning the Catholic-Action df the laity, We d~clared that this action was. deserving of'the highest praise, and was indeed necess;iry in tile rpres-. ent condition of the Church and of society (H; 3). Speaking t~ the whole Catholic world in his encyclical on - St. Charles Borromeo, the Pope again praised that "Cath-olic Action which We have frequently recommended': as. most efficacious for the well-being of civil society (K, 246). Witl~ these public statements as a backdrop we can bet~ ter appraise.an incident narrated by Abb~ Chautard in The Soul of the Apostolate. Happening to be one day'amidst a group of Cardinals, the Holy Father sai'~ to them :" "What is the thing most necessary at the present, time to save society ?~' "Buikl Catholic schools," said one. 13 JOSEPH V. SOMMERS "Review,,for Religious "No." "Multiply churches," replied another. "No aga~." "~ncrease the recruiting of the clergy," said a third. ~ "No, no," replied the Pope; "what is most necessary at the pres-ent time, is to have in each parish a .qroup of fat.linen at the same time virtuous, well=instructed, determined and reallg apostolic.'" (L, 161- Not All Lay Organizations Are Catholic Action " After having gi~ren a lengthy explanation of the fu!l, meaning of C~itholic Action, Plus concludes, "such are the 'characteristics, aims, and conditions of Catholic0Action~" ¯ And he adds: This does not exclude the favoring and promotion of other works bf diverse.kinds and varied organizations, all equally aiming at this or that particular good of society and of the people, and at the revival of Christian civilization under various aspects. (A, 197~ The special and particular aim of these other organizations is what first distinguishes them from Catholic Action, the aim of Which is co~bxtensive with ~hat of th~ Church, The Pope goes on to add two further pbi~ts of differbncel' '.'The~e works arise, for the most part from the zeal of individuals; they are spread throughout separate dioceses and are "sometimes united in more extended federations" (A, 198), C~tholic Action, on the other hand, arises out of obedience to the pdp~,; in design it is world-wide. -. Were his directions being followed? In Italy, Catholic Action had developed-into four national organizations, each independent of the others. In Belgium the Catholic Association for Belgian Youth was coming into being, while in France a Similar organization was fairly well established. Even the Far East felt the influence of Plus X's apostolic i~ff0rt. In 1912 the Union of Chines~ Catholic Action had ,. been begui~. ' " 14 danuaq¢, 1946 PlUS X ANDCATHOLIC ACTION Cathoiic.Action l~s a C-bristian Tradition Pius. X's teaching on Catholic Action is but one chapter in the.long history~of the.lay apostolate. For~.Cath01ic Action is not an innovation of our day.Catholic Action is "more than an answer to a modern.problem; it is the°return to a Christian tradition. It~wa~ the practice of many of the faithful at~the time ofSt. Paul. It was re¢ommende.dby St. Augustine, St. Thomas !~quinas, and the Fathers of the Vatican Council. ¯ .In Pius X's.own words:: "It has always come to thi~ aid-of the Church; and the Chu~ch.:has always -welcomed~ and -blessed it, although it has acted, dn: various ways in accordance v,)ith the age" :(A, 19 2 ). " ":" _.~ Pius X in resgoring this . Christiai~ tradition gav~ detailed instructions on the lay apostolate that' far exceeded the known Writings of .any previous pope, In ~Snclusion:, however, it.wou!d be wall to note that .~he CatholicACt~ofi which Pius X had so carefully nu}tured was to develop even~ mbre. during the".p0ntificate of Pius XI. For itl was left to.this latter Pontiff to define~moreexactlY the-many details which now Characterize! official Catholic ~Action .(~cf. M). Yet despite these new qualifications, at.least-two-thirds of all his teaching can be found substantiall.y in the writing of Pius X. These_then are Pius X's contributions. He marked the way:-by restricting the term Catholic Action ~o the laity's share in the apostolic mission of the hierarchy; by setting the tinivershl aim for Catholic Action to establish, defend, and fully extend the Kingdom of Christ in. indi-viduals, in families, and in the whole, of society; by stressing its spedal necessity in our times; by giving it pre-eminence among the means recommended for the recon-struction of the social order according to a Christian pat-tern: by basing the obligation of Catholic Action on mem-bership in the Mystical Body, on the-law of charity, and. :~IoSEPH V. SOMMER~ -. obedience, to the pope; by outlining its subordination tO the direction of the hierarchy; and by., recalling t~) priests their obligation to gui~le and encourage this apostolic organiza-tion among the laity~ REFERENCES (A) The Pope and the People. Select letters and addresses on socia.I questions Popes Leo XIII, Pius X, Benedict XV, and Plus XI. The Catholic Truth Society~ London~ 1943¯ (B) Rest.oring All Things, by ,John Fitzsimons .and Paul McGuire. Sheed,and Ward, New york, 1938. Quotations are used here with the per.mission of the publishers. (.C) The Catholic Mind, I: "Encyclical Letter of.Our Hoiy Father Pius~X." (For the original text see Acta Sanctae Sedis, XXXVI, 129,139.) .(D) "'ll fermo proposito,'" in Acta Sanctae Sedis, XXXVII, 741-767. (See also The Pope and The People, 189-201, for an English translation of most of this apostolic letter.) .(E) The Tablet, CVI, 17~ "Correspondence: Rome." (F) A Manu.al oi Catholic Action, by Luigi Civardi. Translated by C. C. Mar-tindale, S.J. Sheed and Ward, New York, 1943. (See pages 12-45 .for a cursory-view of Pius X's in.fluence on the later development of Catholic Ac-tion.) ~(G)" Life of ~itts'X, by F. A. Forbes. Kenedy, New Y~rk, 1918. (Quotation i~ used here with the permission of the publishers.) (I'I) The Catbollc Mind, II, 3-10: "Popular Catholic Action.". (See also Acta Sanctae Sedis, XXXVII~ 339~345.) (I) "'Acecbo Nimis'" in the Acta 8anctae Sediso XXXVII. (d) .The Tablet, CXVI, 402-7: "The Pope and 'Le Sillon.' "''(See also Acta Apostolicae Sedis, II, 607.-33.)- (K) The Catholic. Mind, VIII: Encyclical.on St. Charles Borromeo. (L) "The Soul of the Apostolate., by~ J. B. Chautard. Translated by 3. A. Mo~ ran, S.M. The Mission Press, Techny, I11., 1945. (The quotation is used here with the permission of the Abbey of Gethsemani.) (M) What Does'the Pope Say About Catholic Action? Pellegri~i, Sydney,' Aus-tralia, 1937. See also Fundamental Pci~ciples of Catholic ACtion, by Fer-na~ nd Lelotte, S.2. Translated by ,J. P. Kelly. Australian National Sect. of Catholic Action, Melbourne. (This lafter book is soon to be published by The Ap0stolate Press, South Bend, Ind.)' 16 Splri :ual Readings rom :he Council Tren!:--II!* Augustine Klaas, S.J. Sacrament of Penance: Necessitg~ and Institution ~F IN ALL thos~ regenerated such gratitude were given toGod that they constantly safeguarded the justice received in baptism by His bounty,.: and grace, there would have been no need for another sacrament beiides that of baptism to be instituted for the remission of sins. But since God, rich in merc~l (117), knoweth our frame (118). He has a remedy of life even to those v~ho may after baptism have delive'red themselves up to the s~rvitude of sin and the power of the devil, namely, the sacrament of penance, by which the benefit of Christ's death is applied to those who have fallen after b.aptism. Penance was indeed, necessary.at all times for all nien who had stained themselves by mortal sin, even for those who desired to be cleansed by" the sacrament of baptism, in order to obtain grace and justice; so that their wickedness being renounced and amended, they might with a hatred of.sin and a Sincere sorrow of heart detest so great an offense against God. Wherefore the Prophet says: Be converted and do penance for all gout "iniquities, and iniquity shall not be gout ruin. (.119) The Lord also said: Except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish (120); and Peter the Prince of the Apostles, recom-mending penance to sinners about to receive baptism, said: Do pen- ¯ ance and be baptized every one of you. (121) Moreover, neither before the coming of Christ was penan.ce a sacrament nor is it such since His coming to an~rone before baptism. But the Lord then espe-cially instituted the sacrament of penafice when, after being risen from the dead, He breathed upon His disciples, and said: Receive ge the ']-Ioly Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (122) The con-sensu~ of all the Fathers has always acknowledged that by this,action so sublime and words so clear the power of forgiving and retaining 117) Ephesians 2:4 119) E~echiel 18:30 121) Acts2:38. 118) Psalms 102:14 120) Luke 13:5 122) John 20.:22 f *Selected from H. J. Schroe_der, O.P., Canons and Decrees of the Council of T~ent, (St. Louis, Herder, 1.94 I). 17 AUGUSTINE KLAAS sins was gi-v.en to the Apostles and their lawful successors for recon-ciling the faithful who have fallen after baptism, and the Catholic Church with goo.d reason repudiated and condemned as heretics the Novi~tians, who of old stubbornly denied that power of forgiving. (123) Penance Differs from Baptism ¯ Besides, it is clear: that this sacrament is in many respects different from baptism, For apar~ from the fact that in matter and form, which constitute the essence of a. sacrament, it differs very widely, it is beyond question that the minister of baptism need not be a judge, since the Church exercises judgment on no on~ who has not entered it through the gate of baptism. For what have I'to do, says St. Paul, to judge them that are without? (124) It is o~herwise with regard to those who are of th~ household of the faith, whom Christ the Lord has once by the laver of,baptism made members of His own body. (125). For these, if they should.afterward have defiled themselves by some crime, He wished not to have cleansed by the repetition of bap-tism, since that is in no manner lawful in" the Catholic Church, but to be placed as culprits before-this tribunal that by the sentence of the priests they may be absolved, not only once but as oft}n a~s, r~pentant of the sins'committed, they should turn themselves thereto. More-over, the.fruit of baptism is one thing, that c~fpenance another~ For By baptism we put on Christ ~126) and are made in Him an entirely new creatu're, receiving a full and complete remission of all sins; to which newness and integrity, however, we aie by no means able to arrive by the sacrament of penance without many tears~and labors on our part, divine justice demanding this, so that penance has rightly .been called by the Holy Fathers a laborious kind of baptism. This sacr~iment of penance is for those who have fallen after baptism neces-sary for salvation, as baptism is for those who have not yet been regenerated. Forms and Fruits of the" Sacrament The holy council teaches further,more, that the form of the sacra-ment of penance, in which its efficacy chiefl.y consists, are those words of'the minister: I absolve thee, etc., to which are indeed laudably added certain prayers according to the custom of holy Church, which, 123) Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., VI, c. 43 124)"See I Corinthians 5:12 125) I Corinthians i2:13 126) Galatians 3:27 JanuaGI, 1946 READINGS FROMTRENT however, do not ~)y any means belong to the essence of the form nor are they necessary for the administration of the sacrament.But th~ acts of the penitent himself, namely, contrition, confession and satis-faction, constitute the matter of this sacrament, which acts, inasmuch as. they are by God's institution required in the pe.nitent for the integrity o'f the sacrament and-for the full and complete remission of sins, are for this reason called the parts of penance.~ B~ut that Which is signified and produced by this sacrament is, so far as its force and efficacy are concerned, reconciliation with God, which sometimes,.in persons who are pious andwho receive this ~acrament with devotion, is wont to be followed by peace and serenity of conscience with an exceedingly great consolation of spirit. ' Contrition Contrition, which holds the first place ~mong the aforesaid' acts of the penitent, is a sorrow of mind and a detestation for sin com-mitted with the purpose of not sinning in the future. This feeling of contrition was at all times necessary for obtaining the forgiveness of sins and thus indeed it prepares one who has failen after baptism'for the remission of sins, if it is united .with" confidence in the divine mercy and with the desire to perform the other things that are reqtiired to receive this sacrament in the proper manner. The holy council declares therefore, that-this contrition implies not only an abstention from sin and the res61ution and beginning of a new life, but also a hatred of the old, ac~:ording to the statement: Cast away from yo.u all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. (127) And certainly l~e who has pondered those lamentatiohs of the saints: To ~thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee (128) ; I have labored.in my groanfngs,'everg night I will washmg bed (129); I will recount to thee all rny years in the bitterness of my soul (I 30), and others of this kind, will easily understand that they issued from an overwhelming hatred of their past life and from a profound detestation of sins., The council teaches furthermore, that though it happens sometimes that this contrition is perfect through charity and reconciles man to God before this sacrament is actually, received, this recon.ciliation, nevertheless, is not to be ascribed to the contrition 127) Ezechiel 18:31 128) Psalms 50:6. 13:0) lsaias 38:15 129) Psalms 6:7 19 AUGUSTINE KLAA8 Revie~v [or Religious itself, without a desire of the sacrament, which desire is included in it. As to imperfect contrition, which is called attrition, since it com-monly arises either from the consideration of the heinousness of sin or from tile fear of, hell and of punishment, the council declares that if it renounces the desire tO sinand hopes for pardon, i~ not only does not make one a hypocrite and a greater sinner, but is even a gift of God and an impulse of the Holy Ghost, not indeed as already , dwelling ~n the p.enitent, but only moving him, with which assistance the_peditent prepares a way for himself unto justice. And though with.out the sacrament of penance it cannot per se lead the sinner to justification, it does, howev.er, dispose ~im to obtain the grace of God in the sacrament of penance. For, struck salutarily by .this fear, the Nini¢ites, moved by the dreadful preaching of Jonas,-did penance and o" obtained mercy fro~m the Lord. (131) F~lsely therefore do some accuse Catholic writers,, as if they maintain that the sacrament .of penance confers grace without any pious exertion on the part of those receiving it, something that the Church of God has never taught br ever accepted. Falsely also do their assert that contrition is extorted and forced, and notfree and voluntary. Confession From the institution of the sacrament of penance as already explained, the universal Church has always understood that the complete, confession of sins was also instituted by the Lord and is divine law 'necessary for all who have, fallen after baptism (132): because our Lord Jesus Christ, when about to ascend from earth to heaven, left behind Him'priests, His own vicars (133), as rulers and judges, to whom all the mortal sins into which the faithful of Christ may have fallen should be brought in order that ~hey may, in virtue "of the power of the keys, pronounce the sentence of remission or retention of sins. For it is evident that priests could not have cised this judgment without.a knowledge of the matter, nor could they have observed justice in imposing, penalties, had the faithful declared their sins in general only and not specifically and one .by one. From whi.ch it is clear that all mortal sins of which they have kno.wl-e. dge after a diligent self-examinatiom must be enumerated by .the penitents in confession, even though they are most secret and have 131) Jonas 3:5; Mat-thew 12":41 : Luke l 1:32 132) Luke 5:14; 17:14; Idohnl:9 133) Matthew 16:19: John 20:23 Januar~l, 1946 READINGS FROM TRENT been cohamitted 0nly.against the last two precepts of the Deca-logue (i34); which sins sometimes injur~ the soul more grievously arid are more dangerous than those.that are committed openly. Venial sins, on the other band, by which we are not excluded from the grace of God and into which we fall more frequently, though the~ may be rightly and profitably and without any presumption declared in con-fission, as the practice of pious people evinces, may, nevertheless, be omitted without guilt and can be. expiated by many other remedies. But since all mortal sins, even those of thought, mak~ men children ot: wrath ('135) and enemies of God, it is necessary t6 seek pardon of all of them from God by an open and humble confession. While. therefore the faithful of Christ strive to confess all sins that come to their memory, they no doubt lay all of them before the divine mercy for forgiveness; while those'v~ho do otherwise and knowingly con-ceal certain ones, lay nothing before the divine goodness to be for-given through the priest; for if one sick be ashamed to make known his wound to the physician, the .latter does not remedy what he does not know. It is evident furthermore, that.thbse circumstances that change the species of the sin 5re also to be explained in-confession, for without }hem the sins themselves are neither integrally set forth by the p~nitent nor are they known to the judges, and it would be imtSossible for tfiem to estimate rightly the grievousness o~'the crimes. and to impose the "punishment due to the penitents on account of them. Hence it is unreasonable to teach that these circumstances have been devised by idle men, or that one circumstance only is to be con-fessed, namely, to have sinned against another. It is also malicious to say that ,confession, commanded to be made in this manner, is impos-sible, or to call it a torture of consciences: for it is known that in the Church nothing else is required of penitents than that each one, after he has diligently examined himself' and searched all the folds and corners of his conscience, confess those sins by which he remem-bers to have mo~tally offended his Lord and God; while,the other sins of which he has after diligent thought no recbllection, are unde~- stood to bein a general way included in the same confession; for which sins we confidently say with the Prophet: From rag secret sins cleanse me, 0 Lord. (136) But the difficulty of such a confession and the shame of disclosing the sins might indeed appear a burden-some matter, if it were not lightened by so many and so great advan- 134) Deuter_onomy 5:21 135) Ephesians 2:3 136) Psalms 18:13 AUGUSTINE KEAAS Review for Religious rages and consolations, 'which are most certainly bestowed by abso-lution upon all who approach this sacrament worthily. Moreover, as regards the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, although Christ has not forbidden that one may in expiation for his crimes and for his own humiliation, for an example to others as well ~ts for the edification of the Church thus scandalized, confess his offenses pub-licly, yet this is not commanded by divine.precept; nor would it be very prudent to enjoin by human law that offenses, especially ~ecret ones, should be divulged by a public confession. Wherefore, sifice secret sacramental confession, which holy Church has used from the beginning and still uses, has always been recommended by the.most holy and ancient Fathers with great and unanimous agreement, the empty calumny of those who do not fear to teach that it is foreign to the divine command, is of "human origin and owes its existence to the Fathers assembled in the Lateran Council, is convincingly disproved. For the Church did not through the~Lateran: Council decree that the faithful "of Christ should confess a thing that she recognized as of divine law and necessary, but that the precept of confession should be complied with by each and all at least once a year when they have attained the age of discretion. Hence the salutary custom of con- .re[sing during that sacred and most acceptable period of Lent is now observed in the whole Church to the great benefit of the souls of the faithful, which custom this holy council completely indorses and sanctions as pious and worthy of retention. Satisfaction Finally, in regard to satisfaction, which of all the parts of pen-ance, just as it is that which has at all times been recommended to the Christian people by our Fathers, so" it is the one which chiefly in our age is under the high-sounding pretext of piety assailed by those who ~ave an appearance, of piety, but have denied the power thereof (137), ~he holy council ~leclares that is absolutely false and contrary to the'word of God, that the guilt is never remitted by the Lord' without the entire punishment being remitteff also. For clear and outstanding ex.amples.are found in the "sacred writings (138), by which, besides divine tradition, this error is refuted in the plainest manner. Indeed the nature of divine justice seems to demand that 137) See II Timothy 138) Genesis 3:16 f; 20:11 f; II Kings 3:5 Numbers 12:14 f; 12:13 f 22 January, 1946 READINGS FROM TREN~T those who throhgh ignorance have sinned before baptism 1~ received into grace in one manner, and in another those who, after having been liberated from the servitude of sin. and of the devil, and after having received the gift of theHoly Ghost, have not feared knowingly to violate °the ¯temple of God" (139) and to grieve the Holy Spirit. (140) And it is :in keeping with divine clemency that sins be not. thus pardoned us without any satisfaction, lest seizing the occasion and considering sins as trivial and offering insult and affront to the. Holy Spirit (141) we should fall into graver ones. treaguring up to ourseloes wrath against the day of wrath.-(142) For without doubt, these satisfactions greatly restrain from sin, check as it were with a b.it, and make penitents more cautious and vigilant in the future; they also remove remnants of sin, and by acts of the opposite " - ' virtues destroy habits acquired by evil living. Neither was there ever in the Church of God any way held more certain to ward off °impending chastisement by the Lord than that men perform with true sorrow of mind these works of penance. (43) Add to this, that" while We by making satisfaction suffer for "our sins, we are made con-formable to Christ Jesus who satisfied for our sins (144). from whom is all our sufficiency (145), having thence also a most certain ~ledge, that if we suffer .with fiiro, we shall also be gloriI~ed with him. (1.46) Neither is this satisfaction which we discharge for our sins so our own as not to be through Christ Jesus: for we who can do nothing of ourselves as of ourselves, can do all things with the . cooperation of Him who strengthens us. (147) Thus man has not wherein to glory, but all our glorying is in Christ (148), in wl~om we live (149), in whom we merit, in whom. we make satisfaction, bringing forth fruits worthy of penance (150), which have their efficacy from Him, by Him are offered to the Eather, and through Him are a~ccepted by the Father. .The priests of the Lord must therefore, so far as reason and prudence suggest, impose s~lutary and suitable satisfactions, in keeping with the nature of the crimes and tBe ability of the penitent; o_therwise, if they should connive at sins and deal too leniently with penitents, imposing certain very light 139) See I Corinthians 3:17 140) Ephesians 4:30 141) Hebrews 10:29 142) Romans 2:5: James 5:3 143) Matthew 3:2. ~: 4:17; 11:21 144) Romans 5:10 ¯ 145) See II Corinthians 3:5 146) Romans 8:17 147) See II Corinthians 3:5 ; Philippians 4."13 148) See I Corinthians 1:31 ; II Corin-thians 10:17: Galatians 6 : 14 149) Acts 17:28 150) Matthew 3:8: Luke 3:8 AUGUSTINE KLAAS works for very grave offenses, they might° become partakers in the sins of others. But let them bear in mind that the satisfaction they impose be not only for the protection, of a new life and a remedy against infirmity, but also for the atonement and punishment of past sins; for the early Fathers al~o believed and taug.ht that the keys of the priests were bestowed not to loose only but also to bind. (151) . It.was riot°their understanding, moreover, that the sacrament, of pen-ance is a tribunal of wrath or of punishments, as no Catholic ever understood that through our satisfactions the efficacy of the merit and satisfaction of our.Lord Jesus Christ is either obscured 0r in any way diminished; but since the innovators wish to understand it sd, they teach, in ~rder to destroythe efficacy and use of satisfaction, that a new life is the best penance. It (the council) teaches furthermore that the liberality of .the divine munificence is so great that we are .able through Jesus Christ to make satisfaction to God the Father not only by punishments .vo!untarily undertaken by ourselves to atone for-sins, or by those imposed by t~e¯ judgment of the priest according to the measure of our offense, but also, and this is the greatest proof of love, by the temporal afflictions imposed by God and borne patiently by us. 151) Matthew 16:19; John 20:23 OUR CONTRIBUTORS LOUIS J. PUHL is professor of" ascetical theolbgy at the Pontifical College ,Josephinum, Worthington, Ohio. AUGUSTINE KLAAS is professor of sacramental theology; THOMAS A. O'CONNOR, of sacred oratory; MALACHI ,J. DONNELLY~, of dogmatic theology;¯and ADAM C. ELLIS, of canon law at St. Mary's College; St. Marys,~Kansas. ,JOSEPH V.SOMMERS is completing his course of theology at St. Mary's College. "WHAT'S A DOMINICAN?" ¯ Original, attractive, well-illustrated, this vocation booklet should have a wide. appeal among boys in the uppper grades and in the first years of ~high school. It will surely help many to "better know and love [the] sons of St. Dominic . [and] aspire to join their ranks." For co1~ies address Brother Bede's~ Mailbox, Dominican House of Studies, River Forest, Illinois. Irnrnaculat:e I-lead: o[ h~ary Thomas A. O'Connorl S.J. ItTHERE ~ill be peace if: . ." " - | " Th~ Queen of Peace, the M6ther of God, is speaking. The scene is a rocky, barren cove out-side a small town, sixty miles north of Lisbon in Portugal. It is ~July 13, 1917. Three shepherd children, aged ten, nine, and seven, wide-eyed in wonderrrient, are listening to a beautiful Lady who has appeared to them. She is con-fiding a great secret to them: the secret of the world's peace. It is the message of Fatima. Marg's Message God wishes to establish in the wbrld devotion-to my Immacu-- late Heart. "If people do whatI have told you, many souls will be saved and will find peace. The war [World War I] is going to end, but if people do not cease to offend God. not much time Will el~ps~, and precisely during the next Pontificate. another and more te,rrible war [Wo, rld War II] will commence. When a night illhmined by an unknown light is seen, know that it is the signal which God gives you that the chastisement of the world for its many transgressions is at hand through war, famine. and persecution, of the Church and Of the Holy Father. "To avoid this, I ask for the consecration ot:" the world to mg Immaculate Heart, and Communion in reparation on the tirst Satur-dag of each month. If my requests are h~ard, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. Otherwise, great errors will be spread throughout the world, giving rise to wars and persecutions against the Church. The gobd will suffer much. Different nations will be destroyed; but in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me; Russia will be converted, and an era of peace will be granted to humanity. Thus spoke Our Blessed Mother. It was ari answer to ¯, 25 THOMAS A. O'CONNOR Review for Religious the Catholic w~;rld's petition for peace. After all human efforts to secure peace had failed, Pope Benedict XV instructed the bishops of the world to communicate to all his ardent desire "that recourse be made to the, Heart of Jesus, Throne of grace, and to this Throne recourse be made .through Mary . To Mary, then,, who is the M6ther of Mercy and omnipotent by grace, let loving, and devout appeal go up from every corner of the earth." ~n her honor he had ~dded to the Litany of Loretto the title "Queen of Peace." Eight days after the Holy Father had made this request, Mary appeared to the children at Fatima. There will be peace if. there is established through-. out the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. No matter what happens, in the end the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumpfi. B~t the establishment and propagation of the devotion to the 'Immaculate Heart of Mary now can spare the world future.wars, suffering, and persecution. Tile Holy Father Fulfills Her Wishes On th~ 31st of October, 1942, Pope Pius XII conse-crated the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are his words: To thee, to thy Immaculate Heart in this, humanity's tragic'hour, we consign and consecrate ou'rselves in tinion not onl~r with the Mys-tical Body of ~thy Son, Holy Mother Church, now in such suffeiing and agony in so many places and sorely tried in so many ways, but also witti the entire world, torn by fierce strife, consumed in a fire of hate, victim of its own wickedness . "Give peace to the peoples separated by error or by discord, and espdcia!ly to those who profess such singular devotion to thee and in whose homes an honored place was ever accorded thy venerated icon (today perhaps often kept hidden to await better days): biing them° back to the one fold of Christ under the one true shepherd. The Holy Fatl~er has spokeh. He has consecrated the 26 January, 1946 ~ . IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. ' Now ¯ nations and cities, dioceses and parishes, families and indi-viduals have but to follow the lead of the Supreme Pontiff and to consecrate themselves to Mary's ImmacUlate Heart. "All the evil in the "world flows from the ignoring of God's, infinite Majesty and the complete neglect of His ¯ divine commands," Pope Pius XII once stated. The way back to God is through sinlessness and purity of life. Mary, the Immaculate One, is the way. She "our life, our ~weet-ness and our hope" is the. way to peace. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary Of all ,hearts, the most intimately united to and most closely identified with the,Sacred Heart .of Christ is the . Most Pure Heart of Mary, His Mother. It is not strange, then, that the devotion tO the Immaculate Heart of M~iry is very similar to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. ¯ - As the physical Heart of Christ, the symbol of His love, is the object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, so in a Simila~ manner the object to which this devotion is directed is the physical Heart of'Mary considered as the symbol of her love for God and for man. In honoring Christ's heart, we honor His divine person; and in honoring Mary's Heart, we 'honor her whole person, sifice her Heart .but symbolizes the love which motivated her whole being in every action of her life. Finally, like devotion to the Sa~red Heart, devo. ¯ tion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary expresses itself, first . in the specific practices of acts of consecration and rep~ra.-" tion, and secondly in the more generic practices 6f prayer and love and imitation of her virtues. ¯ Consecrqtton In 1899 Pope L.eo XIII, performing what .he termed ' ¯ "theogreatest act" of hi~ pontifica~e,~consecrated the whole world to the Sacred Heart. - 27 TH~31~AS A. O'CONNOR ~ . . Reoieto/or Religious' Just as when the.n.ew.ly born Church lay.helpless under the yoke of .the Ca~'sars, there ~ppeated in~ the heavens a cross, at once the sign and cause of the marvellous victory that was soon to 'follow, so today before o.ur very eyes there appears another most happy and holy sign, "the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, crowned by a brilliant cross set amid raging flames. In this Sacred" Heart. we shall place all our hopes; .from it, too, we ask and await salvatio~i. (Annum Sacrum.) The:purpose of that consecration was.to acknowledge God's supreme dominion over the whole "v(.orld and over the hearts of men. ~ndividuals consecrating themselves to the Sacred Heart voluntarily~professed this sovereignty over :¯themselves. In r~evealing this devotion to St. Marga~)et Mary, the Sacred Heart insisted more on "the immense love which He has borne to us than on His:fights over us" (Pius XI; Miserentissimus). Father Putz, S.J., says, As His dominion is one 6f lo~e and He wants submission out of love, the consecration is made to the Sacred Heart, the symbol of His love., 'Being consecrated to Him, we belong to Him in a special manner, we are placed under His special protection, we are sure of His special help 'and care. The s~me may be said; in as far as it is @plicable, of consecrating Ourselves to the Immaculate Heart Of Mary. LiKewise we may say that there has now appeareda new sign in the he~ivens. It is the radiantly beautiful, spotlessly pure, Immaculate Heart of~ Mary-~-the way to individual and world peace. The confident hope is that the whole world and each individual will consecrate himself to her Immaculate Heart and thus accomplish the purpose of theworld's consecra-tion tothe Sacred Heart, namely, that the "whole ~orld¯ will submit joyfully and willingly to th~ easy. yoke Of ':~hrist the King," and that the "fruits of,,the consecration will be to °bind With Chriatian love in the communion of pe, ace all peoples to the heart of the Ki~g, of Kings and danuar~, 1946 " " IMM~CULA'I:EHEART OF MARY SOvereign iof Sovereigns':~ (Miserentissimus). " : ' That this i~the purpose of the consecration of the world tO the Immacul~ate Heart'0f Maryis best expressedby Pope Pius XII: , As the Church andthe entire human r~ce oweie-cohse~fated to th~ Sacred Heart of Jesus.so that in ~eposing all hope in Him, H~might become for them the sign and pledge of victory and salvation; so we in like manner¯ consecrate burselves forever ~Iso to thee and. to. thy Immaculate Heart, Our Mother and Queen, that thy love and patron-age may hasten the triumph of the Kingdom of God and that all nations, at.peace With one another and with God, m~iy proclaim thee blessed an'd with thee may raise their voices to resound from pole t6 pole in the chant of the everlasting Magnificat of glory, l~sve and gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, .where alone they can find truth, and peace. -Pope Plus XII first consecrated-the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mar'y on October" 31, 1942. That same year, on the Feast of the Immaculate Con.c.eptioni he pubiicly repeated the Act of Consecration in.St. Peter's l~asilica. The official English translation of.the" Act of Consecration was 15ublished in the REVIEW FOR RELICdOU$ in 1943, p. 71. For the private consecration Of individuals ¯ any suitable form of words sufficest Reparation Reparation is an integ~al part of the devotion, to the. Sacre'd Heart. If in the act of consecration the intention t~ exchange, as it were, for the love of tl~ Creator the love of us creatures stands out most prominently, ther~ follgws almost naturally from this another fact. namely, that if this same Uncreated I~ove has either been passed ove~ through forgetfulness .or saddened by reason of our sins, then~ we ~should repair such outrages.-. We call this duty reparation. . Therefore we must add to the act of consecration. , . an act of expia-tion, b~" means of which all our faults are blotted out (Miserentissi- When Out'Lord a~peared to St, Margaret Mary, He 29 THOM/~S A. O'CONNOR Reolew for "Religious .asked that ~he Feasf of the Sacred Heart be established in .reparation for the sin~ of men, and t~ practice Of the nine -First Fridays .followed from the twelfth of His promises. Similarly in the devotion to the .Immaculate Heart Of Mary, reparation is an integral part. When Our Blessed Mother appeared ~.to the shepherd children, she s~iid: "I ask'f0r.the consecration of the world to my immaculate Heart, and Communion in reparation ono the first, Saturday of each month." Sister Lucy of.Jesus, one of the shepherd children to. whom Our Lady api~eared, gives the words Our Blessed Mother used: ~ - My. child, behold my Heart all pierced with thorns which the blasphemies and ingratitude of men drive deeper ~t every moment. Do thou, at least try to console me, and make known to men that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the gracqs necessary for salvation all those who,. on the first Saturday of. five.consecutive months, .go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say the Rosary, and spend a quarter of an hour with me in meditating .on the fifteen mysteries of tl~e Rosary, with the object of making reparation to me. On the 13th of May, 1939, the Bishop.of Fatima caused the following to be pfiblished: "It is Our Blessed Lady Her-self Who in our tim~ has deigned to teach us this devotion to the Five First Saturdays, the object of which is to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all offences and outrages committed against. her by ungrateful men." Pra~ter and Penance ~In his encyclical, Caritate Christi Computsi, Pope Pius,XI urged upon all the Spirit of prayer and-penitential reparationas the ex.tra.ordin~ry ~emedy for the e:~tr.aordi-nary needs Of the times. Our Lady in her appearanceh to the. shepherd children recommended 'prayer and pemince. "Pray, pray very much,"' she said on August 19, "and make sacrifices for sinners~. for. many souls, go to bell because there ~0 danuar~l, 1"946 , IMMACULATE HEART OF MARk' is no one to make sacrifices for them." H(r message'in October .was similar. "She said that she was Our Lady of the Rosary," the children testified, "and their we must repent of our sins, "change our lives, and no longer offend Our Lord, who-is so much offende!!" The prayer she recomme.fided most was the Rosary. Pope Plus XII, in his radio address to Portugal, dwelt on the same needs. After recalling that it is proper to have confidence in Mary, he added: But, lest this confidence,be presumpt~uous, it is necessary . . . for us to listen to the maternal advice she g;~ve at the wedding of Cana and do everything that, Jesus tells us to do. And He tells us all to do penance . to amend our lives, and to flee from sin, which is the principal cause of the terrible punishments with which Eternal Jus-tice is afflicting the world . [He bids us] to be the salt that~pre2 serves and,the light that iilumines, to cultivate purity and to show forth in our manner of life the austerity of the Gospel . More still, [He tells us] . to diffuse around us, near and far, the perfume of Christ, and by constant prayer --- especially the daily Rosary--as well as by such sacrifices as zeal inspires, to win for sinful souls the life of grace and eternal happiness . Sorrowful in her foresight of th'~s great misfortune with which the Justice of God is punishing the world, Mary has pointed out that the way to save the world is by prayer and penance . Martj Omnipotent by Grace¯ We should be most eager and fervent in our devotio~ to the Immaculate Heart of Mary because, as the Mother of God and our Mother, all graces, gifts, and favors come to us from G~d through Mary¯ She is the Mediatrix of all graces. She is omnipotent by grace. Hence it was that Benedict XV wrote on May 5, 1917: Because all graces which the Author of every good deigns to distributg ¯ . . are., dispersed by the hands of the most holy V~irgin, we ~;ish the petitions of her most afflicted children to be directed with lively confidence., to the great Mother'of God . . . To Mary, then, who .31 THOMAS A. O'CONNOR is the Mother of Mercy and omnipotent .by~ grace, let loving and devout appeal go up from every corner of the earth." Pope .Pius ~XI, concluded his encyclical Miserer~tissirnus with an act of confidence "in her intercession with ~lesus . . . who wished to associate His own Mother with Himself as the advocate of sinner~, as the dispenser and mediatrix of grace." This same note of confidence in Mary was expressed by Pope Plus XII in his radio address to the people of Portugal, in which he consecrated the wo~rld to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: .Toda~-, . . there remains to us only confidence in God and, as in intermediary before "the divine throne, in her whom one of our prede.cess0rs during the first world war invoked as the Queen of Pefidd. " Letus invdke her again, for she alone can help us! . . . " Queen 0f'the Most Holy Rosary, Hell0 o~ Christians, .Refuge of the~Human Race, Victress in all God's battles, we humbly prostrate Oursdves before thy thron~, confident,that we shall obtain mercy, and- ~eceive grace and bountiful 'assista'fice 'and protection in the present chlamity, not fhrough ou, r own inadequate merits, but solely' through ith.e, great go0dfiess of thy Maternal heart . Queen of Peace, pray for us. and give to the world at war the peace for which all people are longing, peace in thetruth, justice, and charity of Christ. Give peace to the warring; nations and'to the souls of men, that in the tranquillity of order the Kingdom of God may prevail. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! INDEX OF BAC~K NUMBERS REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS is indexe~l in the CATHOLIC PERIODICAL "INDEX. Con-tent~ of previous issues can be found by consulting the Readers' Gu.ide in your library. 32 The Magnetic Power 0t: Chris!: Malachi ~l.Donnelly, S.J, AS CHILDREN we .all played with an iron magne.t, and later, when we studied physics in high school, we perfdrmed experiments with the magnet. It was ", put under a piece of paper and upon the surface of this paper were scattered particles of iron dust. As we tapped the paper gently, we saw the tiny bits of iron arrange them selves in a definite pattern around the poles of the magne.t. We learned that between all the particlesthere was an inter~ play and exchange of magnetic power. Hence, they were not isolated units, bu.t closely interrelated and continually receiving and exercising magnetic influence. Further, all the power they had of influencing the.surrounding iron - particles all this came from the central magnet, their only. power-source. Finally, the-power of each tiny.iron filing depended on (1) its nearness to the.magnet, as source_of power; and'(2) its freedom from base alloys, which might render the iron particle less susceptible to the magnetic influence of the central source. With this illustration ~well in mind, let us consider briefly the religious life and especially ,the influence which every religious should exert on the world about him. Above all, the religious should realize the source of his power and what he must do that this power be his in the highest degree possible. This realization is of the greatest importance today, when everyone is talking, about post-war reconstruction and when even secular leaders are beginning to recognize the l~act that a material rebuilding will be of MALACHI J. DONNELLY " Reoiew [or Religigus little avail v~ithout a renewal of spiritual forces. Religious. .must,. and can,-play a major part in this post-war spiritual recopstruction, as we hope that the following, paragraphs " 'will illustrate. The life of _religious is not a fleeing from life. Nor, again, is it a mere repression of powerful life-tendencies. And, finally, it is not an utter abandonment of the world of human beings 6utkide the cloistered wall. Rathdr, the religious life is truly a fleeing towards, life, towards 'that source of all life, 3esud Christ, who has said of Himself, :"I am. the Life." Far from. repressing vital instincts, " the~teligious'life assures, thoiigh in a higher Spherel their full development. The religious life must mean a love-seeking, a love-search, but for God and men in God. This means that all true life-tendencies, tlhouglhts, will-acts (.yes, ~motions, too)--the whole human being must be 'vitally ~oncerned with this loving quest of God. ., From the psychological pc~int of view, such a life should never resultS in "crabbiness," neuroses of various kinds, or crippling inhibitions. The religious do~s not live a vacuum L life. He me~ely takes one ointment (indeed, good in itself) . frorfi the e:~rthly ~¢essel that it may be replaced by a" more precious perfume. True, if it does not attain its posit.ive p~rfection, such a life might well rest~lt in mere inhibitions and a consequent unwholesome, if not downright neurotic, frame:of mind. With regard to women in particular, this is well expressed in an excellent modern study: If we religio~s women fail to cultivate love on the high level of the supernatural, if we permit our love to center in self, we shall deteriorate in our spiritual .life and become objects o~f disedification within and without our convent wails. In the married state, as Wife and m~ther,a woman unfolds love, tenderness and co~apassion. In. " religious life, the sources of natural de, velopment are closed to her.She is" expected to-unfold love ori a supernatural level love for her , Divine Spouse and for the members of His Mystical Body. danuary~ 1946 MAGNETId POWER OF CHRIST If sh~ fai|S to cultivate this love; she be¢0m~s devoid of-all love, excepting self-love, which expresses itself in seeking morbid .h.um~an affections. She sinks into a condition that is not proper to her nature. The-finer qualities of he~ being dry up for want of fost.ering care. She becomes uhnatural in hard and exclusive selfishness.I But,.if lived as a positive, full-s6uled (-and ffill-hea~ted)i seard~i.ng f~r God, t~e hidden" l~i~e of the religious can never be.other thana fuller perfe~ti0n anti more complete dev~l~ opmentof human nature, of soul and of body, of the entire man. With attention now drav)n to the positive side of the religious life,.let us see what'eff~ct a relig!ous life WellAived can have on the world about us. Perhaps tile answer may be found in a consideration Of the religious and the Mystical Body of Christ. As we all know, the Mystical Body is truly liying and organic: Bodily life. is the power-of perfective, self-movement in an organism. It depends on nourishment 'from outside the living body, on food which through assimilation becomes part of the body and .supplies .the power by. which the living organism" directs itself in organic movement towards a definite end. Again, an o~ganism is made up of.heterogeneous parts. different in shape, and function, each of .which finds own perfection in working t~wards the good of the Whole .bqdy. And througho_ut the individual organs there flows the common life of the complete body. The life of the Mystical. Body is sanctifying grace, that divine life shared by men and poured forth into our souls by the Holy S~irit who is given to us. From the Holy Spirit, who is breathed forth into our souls by Father and " Son, ~omes our created Share of that same diC, ine life which 1Two Sisters of Notre Dame, Soul Clinic (New York and Chicago: Pustet. 1943). pp. 10-11. For a review of this excellent book. confer REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, II. p, 130. 35 MALACHI'J. DONNELLY " Reoieto /or Religious the three.divine Persons possess as identified, with theirown Persons. " - The life-movement of the Mystical Body is nourished by the in-take and assimilation of thi~ Christ-life, divine grace. Gra~e perfects the individual member and then, like the color of health,radiates out through the entire Mystical .Body and brings with it a health-restoring, or, as the case may be, a life-perfecting power. The movement of the members, or organs, of the Body will be an organic, hence corpo.rate movement towards God, the final end, the highest .good of the entire Body. As !.iving members of the Mystical, Body, we religious are, like ir0n-filings With respect to the central ma.gnet, grouped around Christ, our source of spiritual power. All the sup.ernatural efficiency we ba.v.e comes from Him, the uhique source. As members of Christ's Body, we receive and give off power, spiritual power received fro~ Christ the Head of the Body. Our sup,e.rnatural power .and efficiency depend on two things; (1) our nearness to Christ the sourcd of this power, and (2) the absence of base alloy in o~r sduls, that is, self-love and pridemin a word, the absence of worldliness, which implies a most subtle blending o.f pride and sensuality. ~ The communication of this divine lif~ to men is not a blind, necessary process. Christ does not force His life upon men. If men are to receive the life that ~lesus Christ came into the world .to give, they must freely respond to the, life-call. And here it is that we must look for the part played by the religious in post~war reconstruction. ~lust as iron-filings .far removed from the central .mag-net get magnetic'power only t~rough the intervening par- , ticles of iron which are closer to the magnet, so, too, in the ordinary,ways of God with men, the divine life, sanctifying grace, is given to men through the aid of other human January, 1946 MAGNETIC .POWER OF' CHRIST beings. ¯ This does not~mean that'men actually, give grace to others. But it doesmean that, ordinarily, the interior soul;life', divine grace, is given largely in'dependence upon external graces-offered directly through a fellow human being. How does this take place? In exa~t proportion as you keep close to 3esus Christ, your Source, will you get power~ and~ life. You know that worldliness is the, only real obstacle that can keep the divine life f~m flooding the inmo'st parts of. your soul. You know that,,by destroying self-love, by loving Chris~, by being, ambitious df the last place .in your Community to be in the first place i~ear~st Christ--you know that 'it is thus that y.ou Open the flood-gates for the rush of the divine life that is surging agalnst your soul. Add a real spirit of praye~ and what results? ~ Simply this: life floods.your souL. t~ut not to remain damm.ed up there.- No, like a riv~er in springtime," this life will overflow and flood all around you. Fill~d with ~this diyine life, you will benign to renew the face 'of the earth. You will bring one~essary external graces to a world hun-gering for divine life. Certainiy~, as even the unbeliever, George Bernhrd Shaw, maintained, the most powerful force in the world is personal example. And when this personal .example is the .overflo.w from intense love "of God, what must not its force be! Your own transformed life will bring to others, however faintly, the Very beauty of'Christ's own life, And there is-noth!ng that so wins.even the heart of the most hardened sinner as seeing Christ reflected .in a fellow human being of flesh and blood. The religious does not lead an in~sulated life, like a moth in a cocoon. If one rfiay Use a homely expbession, the ~reli-gious does not ride to heaven in an enclosed compartment. NO, he ride~ the coaches; and they aie crowded with fellow travelers hungeriiag for the life which you can give them. MALACHI J. E)ONiqEI~L~! ReoieW fo~ Reli0iou,~ TO "each person with whom you comeAn contact an infl'u.- - ence'goes forth from'y0u. And the real wortlawhileness o'f tha~.:infltience~, its spiritual value, is p~oportined to "your nearness to Christ." " 7~g.ain, it is well to remember that our workois the york of~Christ operating through us., We are really instruments in His hands. And, we all know that ~he effect produced by an instrument depends not .only 'on the dignit~y of the one ,using the instrument. " In order-to write well. the pen mus,t baste a good point, the ink mu~st notbe muddy. : Otherwise scratching and blottingappear. :'In similar mannevChrist ~ will not work ~ffectively th.rough the religious, if he as a f011o.wer of Christ does not condition and prepare himself to bi~ a good instrument in the hands of Christl Many there are, perhal3s. Who, in the eternM designs ~f God' will" ~r~directly owe their salvation' to you i*nd to you alon~. If you'rende.r yourselffit ?orpassing on the divine .life' in your own soul to others, then yo.u w~ll really save-souls. " : Surely, then, it is true that the-religious close to Christ will do much ~in the post-war reconstruction. Fbr brick ahd ste.el, bombs arid ta'nks are not what this world needs ~to insure a lasting peace.- What the world needs is a spiritual catharsis, a'complete soul-purging. And only the gra~e ~f " God can do this. That is the one and only all-out essential for mankind. And the one who can best.secure and apply this specific, this healer of the wounds of the world, is the fervent religious. Through the Christ,loving r~ligi6us. through the religious in close contact with Our Lo'rd, the" Christ-lif~ goes out to men. " In the classroom, the pupils will ,see in thkir instructor not just a human teacher, but rather one who,reflects Christ. And not only will the power of the religious teacher be increased, but the students will be impelled to seek after the- 38" January, 1946 MAGNETIC POWER OF CHRIST source bf the beautiful power that shines forth from their instructor. ' ° ~ In the hospital, the patients,~ Staff"members, arid ififei~nS, ~he o.r~lerlies,, the kitch~en help, and the janitors all will See in the religious, ' not .just a nurse, but a mirror ofChrist Who healed bodies ithat men might¯ v~ith this renewed healthalso get new life for their souls. Everywhere, then, in orphanages, in homes¯ for the a~ged7 eveffin the hidden life of¯the kitchen,-~his Christ-life must be.found pulsatirig in the soul of the religious. And from the religious this life must go forth to the world.For this Christ-life alone can renew the face of the. world, alone can effect a lasting reconstruction and a lasting peace among men. BOOKLET.NOTICES FIELD AFAR PRESS, 121 East 39th Street, New York, N. Y. Mar~.tknoll Mission Letters. Volume II, 1945. 50 cents. This ~dition of .the .Mission Letters¯ includes the-Mgryknoli Superior General's_ report on his recent visitation of the missions in China, a letter describing the . life and work of Father Rauschenbach. and the eulogy preached at the funeral Mass for Father Cummings---originator of "There are no atheists in fox-holes." Besides there are the usual interesting and informative letters from Maryknollers in China, the Philippines, and Ceniral and South America. THE NEWMAN BOOKSHOP, Westminster, Maryland. The Catholic Doctor and Catholics on the Police Force. both by Francis J. Con-nell, C.S.S.R. (Brief ~xplanations of the-moral obligations of doctors and policemen respectively). 15 cents each. GRAYMOOR PRESS, Peekskill, New York, Tale o: a Troubador. by Samuel Cummings, S.A. (A brief life of St. Francis of Assisi'). I0 cents. MONASTERY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 54thStreet and Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn 19, New York. Fighting Our Spiritual Enemies, 10 cents; O~w Warfare on the Spiritual Front, 5 cents. Both by a Sister of the Pre.cious, Blood. (The first of these booklets is intended for religious only; the second for lay people). " , THE CAMPION PRESS. 1184 Phillips Place, Montreal, Canada. Rosaries [or Russia: Little Meditations on the Rosary, by Magnus Seng. I 0 cents. "'PROSVITA-ENLIGHTENMENT'.' 61 I- Sinclair Street. McKeesport, Penna., and "AMER. RUSSKY VIESTNIK" Greek Catholic Union Bldg., Munhall, Penna. The Major Holy-Days (Greek Rite.). by the Reverend 3ulifis Gi-igaisy, D.D., and the Reverend Stephen Loya. N6price given. ¯ ommun ¢a!: ons - [NOTE: With regard'to communications published, the only" r~sponsibility ¯assumed by the editors, is to see that the letters contain nothing contrary to the approved teaching of the Church in matters of faith and morals. The opinions expressed in the communications should be judged on their own merits.] Reverend Fathers: You said you would welcome communications describing obstacles encountered in working for interracial justice. I want to outline a situation that constitutes such an obstacle. There is a Catholic high scho~l for. girls (one only) iffa.certain city: .t.he city's population is one-fifth Negro and one-half or more ~Catholic. ¯ The Sisters of this school are eager to do all they can to~ bring the blessings of higher Catholic education to the colored as well as the white ~girls of high school age. They long for converts among the colored, among whom the Church is little known. What can they do? Prejudice runs high ¯ in this town. But the nuns are not afraid of prejudice. They tell themselves, at least, that thdy would rather be lynched, with the col-ored than lynch with the white. They say, "We would,ripen our - halls to colore~l girls this afternoon, and remove .the lie which our doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, taught but not practiced. m~kes us live. But we have not the auth6rity of the clergy behind us." These Sisters talk racial justice in season and out Of season. They "teach a unit on it to every religion student. They write articles, give and have students give speeches, hold interracial panels, and urge girls, to take part in interracial retreats. And then they realize, in a cold sweat, that they are teacbihg their students that, as a matter of fact. o the local clergy are not bei.ng true to their pastorates. For it is known that the priests consider these .Sisters imprudent, not to say misled. And when the schedule o'f sermons calls for a sermon on brdtherly love. every pastor in the city talks about hating Japanese, of whom there are none in the city. or Germans, whom. they do not hate: but no pastor so much as mentions the Negroes-living just three or four blocki away in a shantied Africa that is largely the direct[ result of white oppr.ession, mistrust, and. in many cases, white hatred. Who would say that these Sisters are not, though with the best of intentions, forced either to deny the doctrine of the Mystical Body in practice by refusing Catholic secondary education to a portion of 40 'COMMUNICATIONS the Catholic population because of color; or, on the dther hand~ to prepare the way for the rending of tl~at same Mystical Body by teaching doctrines their students do not see upheld by.the ecclesiastical ~uthorities? Now everybody knows that many a Catholic diocese is not up a~ainst such.a prgblem as this. In many places the ecclesiastical supe-riors are backing fully and with Christ-like zeal the work of zealous lovers of racial jus~tice. But it is not done everywhere; and the tragic urievenness of the thing hu~ts. I suggest that your readers pray earnestly that the spiritual authorities will back us urffforrnl~t ,and ev, eryu)here so that the souls of our Negro brethren may not go on-languishing because loyalty to ecclesiastical authority keeps us from acting fully and with all our resources in their favor. " Sister Reverend Fathers: Father Coogan is right (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, ,November 15, 1945): "Hopes for a racially,~better day lie largely with religious, especially teachers." To. begin liquidating these l~opes many religious can within obedience use their.ingenuity about fostering the Christian attitude, They find opportunities, many or f~wer according to local circumstances, of influencifi'g their students. They can always give good example. They can a.t.the fight, moment encourage and direct classroom discussions: they can at time~s inspire their students through direct instruction and exhortation. ~ " The students are ge.nerally far ahead of their eiders, both parents and teachers, on matters interracial. "School strikes just don't hap-pen, unless the youngsters themselves are certain of being supported by parents, and even by teachers and pastors. ,.lanie and 2ohnny stand in no "picket lines once they hear an unmistakable order from home to '.'Get back into that school building!" The kids will squeal t~ the crooning of a generous, well-intentioned Sinatra; but a,snappy. rebuke from Dad packs more authority than an old-fashioned truant o~_cer. . ~ We were carrying on a discussion in my sophgmore class about the advisability of admitting Negroes to theschool, a private, academy for boys in a large Mid-Western city. Two or threeloud voices were" adamant, but the group all in all was very' favorable. -The discus, sion, however, was brought to a premature end by this p-olitely . 41 COMMUNICATIONS intoned comment: "If we're real Catholics, Father, we have to !~ C61ored boys into the school, The fellowss~em to agree on that. So it's.up'to the school authorities to talk'about it and do something." Since then two Negroes have been admitted and are-doing well. So is the school. Many authorities are in a position, to do mort by way of effective planning f6r Negro students. Those institutions which do havea "token attendance"i could'in many cases go a ~tep further by positively encouraging well qualified Colored youth--inviting them to scholar-ship competitions, personally canvassing their 'families, contacting Catholic pastors in Negro neighborhoods, etc. Elizabeth Adams has a poignant observation "in h~r autobio-graphical Darh Sgmphong: "Think of the number of Religious wh~) pray dail)~ to suffer--to share humiliations like those endured by. the Christ ;~ yet, if accepting a Colored child in a school or boarding home would mean financial loss to their institution, they would deny that child admittance." Truth is, Catholic schools have suffered not the siightest l~ermanent loss by accepting Negroes. Richa.r.d A. Schuchekt, S.J. West Baden, Indiana. CONCERNING COMMUNICATIONS We always welcome letters from our readers and are: eager to publish such as may prove helpful to others. However, to facilitate our work and to avoid confusion, we request that correspondents observe the following suggestions: 1. If you want your letter published, address .the envelope to: Communications Department Review for Rel;g|oui St. btary's College St. Maws, Kansas 2. If at all possible, type the letter, double-spaced. . 3. Make the letter as brief as you°reasonably can, without however sacrificing ideas for the sake of brevity,t 4.~ Sign ~rour name and ad~lres~, at the end of the letter~. If, however, you do not wiih your name and address published, add a postscript to that effect, In the past we have published some letters that were not signed, and we may do so again in the future. -However, we cannot guarantee that unsigned letters will receive the same consideration as those that are signed.--THE EDITORS. 42 The Virtue of IEquit y LouisJ. Puhl, S.J. 4~AUL, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples; to whom be said, 'Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed?' But they answered, 'Nay, we have n0.t even heard whether there be a Holy Spirit.' " (Acts 19' 1-2.) If an examination were conducted on the virtue of equ!ty, it is safe to say that .many answers would much resemble that Of the Ephesian disciples of St. Paul. Yet St. Thomas,°in his treatment of justice in the Summa (II- _ti, q. 120, a. 1), not.only defends itsplace among the vir:. ~ues but calls it a :'superior rule of human action,'; the noblest species of justice. Equity, according, to St. Thomas, rises above the dead .letter of the law,. that killeth, and-seeks to be guided by the spirit of tl~e law. by the intention of the lawgiver. It is impossib!~ for the limited human mind so to word a law or command that it will cover every set of circumstances that may arise. The lawgiver, as St. Thomas points, out, has in mind that which happens in the majority of cases and cannot foresee the almost infinite variety of circum: stances that may at times make it impossib, le to observe the 1citer of the law. (Summa, II-II,q. 120, a. 1.) An illus'tration from obedience wil! make the-matter clear. No one could be considered obedient who by. observing the letter of the law thereby, defeats the very put.- pose and intention of the superior. St. Thomas gives a few s!mp!e and striking examples of the application of equity to the natural law. If a madman Should demand the return of a:sword he bad deposited with us, we would be bound to 43 Louis J. PUHL Reoietu for R~ligious refuse to return it. in order to protect, .the lives of others. Sho~Id~someonedemand the return of a sum of mon.ey he had ~intrusted to us, the common good would oblige us to refuse if he intended to use it to fight against his country.~ Moralists and canonists are familiar with this matter. underanother name. They commonly retain the.Gfei~k word of Aristotle, epicheia. However, they are so busy with the exceedingly complicated and ever-recurring cases. of commutative justice and taw that they do ngt.look upon. it from.the point ~of view of the virtue, as St. Thomas does~ but rather from the angle of legitimate interpretation Or exception to the law. ¯. This question has a far greater bearing on the daily lives of religious .than may at first be appa_refit. Superiors often have the duty to judge of the application of certain. laws of the. Church to tl'ieir, subjects. They should, kn~w the recognized "excusing causes" from these obligations so i:hat neither they nor'their subjects will have to bear bur-dens theywere never intended to.carry. Also they should know the legitimate exceptions to their constitutions and;. according to circumstances, should "temper these and the-- prescriptions of rule and the Orders .of:higher. superiors." - If they have no concept of duty other than the literal observance of the law, actual injustice may be done in indi-vidual circumstances and the whole purpose of the law may be defeated. They must understand that conditions ~an arise in which it is eviderit to any prudent person ~hat the lawgiver never intended the lav~ to bind. In such. gases, both the cbmmon good and justice to the individual demand that they consider the spirit Of the law and the intention of the lawgiver. Canon Sheehan wrote a beatitiful novel, "The Blindness Of Dr. Gray. Throughout the story, "It is the law," w~s the final decision of the deluded doctor, on all points. 44 danuar~l, 194~ TH, E VIRTUE OF EQUITY C_harity ~nd justice had to yield to this inexorable maxim. The blindness that affected Dr. Gray is not sd uncommon. A misguided zeal for the rule and the constitutions may _ lea~d to flagrant ifijustice against individuals. The comm6n : gobd, too, which is the ultimate, purpose of the law, may then be wholly disregarded. Even individuals may be called upon to exercise the virtue of equity. We cannot always consult, and circum-stances arise that demand immediate action. To follow the letter of the law without regard to circumstances'might do grave damage--might in fact, ac.tually reverse the intention of superiors. In such cases we should observe th~ spirit of the law and make exception to. the letter. St. Thomas quotes an old legal maxim which~states: o. "There is no doubt that he sins against the law .who embraces the letter of the law, and acts. against the willcof .the prince." (Summa, II-II, q. 120, a. 1, ad. 1.) A still greater violation of law arises at times when there is question of what are rather loosely ~alled"customs.': "It is our custom" is the maxim for se~ttling all cases, even to the extent of secretly setting aside the law of the Church and the higher laws of. natural justice and charit.y. The Code itself make~ it clear that, except for cases allowed by. the Church, nb custom can be established against the gen; eral law. The Code speaks of customs in the ;trict sense; what it saysholds with even greater force regarding those things which are customs only in the wide sense.° And the Code does not have to prescribe that.customs cannot be enforced contrary to the divi'ne laws of justice and charity. This expression, "It is our custom," is occasionally used by . both supe.riors and subjects in ways that show a misguided, " if well-meant, Zeal. Superiors sometimes use it to hinder the accomplishment of a greater good; and inferiors use it to criticize certain exceptions made by Christlike superiors. 45 LOUIS J.,,PUHL ~ Review [or Religious I~ is evident that what, is apparently the highest justice may be the gravest injustice: Summum [us, summa iniuria. Our Lord's severe.condemnation of formalism and Phari,~ saism should be earnestly pondered by all who ire' too quick to quote: "It is the law," or, "Iris our custom." In this connection the whole twenty-third chapter of the Gos-. pel accord.ing to St. Matthev~ may be meditated upon with great, profit. Fortunately, we may tak~ it for granted that there are no willfully hypocritical persons such as Our :Lord was dealing with there, but misju.dgments under the' appearanc.e o.f~good may do very great harin to others. In literal truth, those who seriously violate equity "bind. together heavy and oi~pressive burdefls and place them upon. ¯ theshoulders of others, but not with one finger of their own do they choose to move them" (Matthew 23:4.) They neglect "the .weightier ,things of the Law-~. justice and mercy and faith" (Matthew '23:23). They clean ,the out- ~ ,~ide of the cup by apparent legality and zeal for Order and yet serve injustice within the cup. "This is. really straining 9ut the.gnat but swallowing the camel. (cf. Matthew 23:24). It is no wonder that St. Thomas had the highest praise f6r equity. Without it there can be no true justice. It is a virtue c!osely akin to charity, the life and soul of all the vir-tues. It is full of Christian wisdom and prudence, full Of the spirit of Him who was meek and humble of heart, who did not break the bruised reed or quench the smokiflg flax. It looks beyond the dead letter"of the law and the lifeless :formalism of legality. It respects the dignity of man and the~purpose of the law, the good of man, which'ultimately finds its origin in the Infinite Good itself. Often both superi61s and inferiors should recall that riot all are of equal calibre, physically, intellectua.lly, ,spiritually; that they must' apply and interpret laws.and. ,lanuaryo 1946 " THE VIRTUE OF EQUITY ctistoms in the light of ;circumstances in order to practice justice; in fine, that the Virtue of equity, has an important place in our lives. Not all have the bodily strength to endure the same amount of labor or to do th.e same kind of work. Those in authority would be unjust to demand it, and our com-panions are bound not to expect it. Not all can be treated in exactly the same way under the plea of conformity to law and custom. The delicate health of one.demands more attention than others. The material needs of one in clothing and food are not .the sameas those of another.~ We must love poverty and conformity to common life, but neither of these suffers when individual .needs require more for o'neperson than for another. To follow custom or rule blindly when supplying material wants in clothing and conveniences can. result in this anomaly: .that some have far more than they need (and thereby poverty is not observed), while'others are deprived of what is necessary or convenient (and thus the obligation l~he superior assumes when the subject vows poverty into his hands is being neglected). God has not made us all alike. Superior and subjects alike must accept the will of providence and make allovc'ance for all as God has made them; or they ~in against equity. Intellectually not all are fitted for every position. God has not;given equal talent to all. To ask one to undertake a task beyond his ability under the pretext of treating all alike, is to.oppress the weak and do damage to the common~ good. Not all can have the same opportunities for intel-lectual impro~cement.~ Some are not fitted by nature and it would be vain to try to force them or for them to exigec.t it. Circumstances prevent other~ from obtaining the privi-lege. Equity demands that both those who rule and those who are ruled face ~cts, not with a rigid law and 'custom but with intelligence and the kindness of Christ. It would 47 I~0UIS J. PUHL - Review for Religious be futile to appeal to a custorri of seniority a.s giving the. right to be head of,a department, if thereby either the com-mon good or the individual be made to suffer: Equity 'is a~ virtue far above our rank in the community or the laws of sdniori~:y. - ¯ "' Spiritually not all have the:;same gifts .and advance-ment; hence, here again, subjects.and Superiors must make allowance for conditigns in applying law and customs. It would be foolish to ex~ pect the solidity of virtue in a novice that one might readily expect in a mature religious. Neither can we expect ~ev~ry novice to manifest the s~lme spiritual stature nor under the plea of uniform training indiscrimi; nately apply tests in the s~ime manner and with the same severity to all. God has not given the same grac.es t6 all, ,nor have all cooperated equally well in the past? All have not the same character and.the same difficultie's to overcome. There are times, too, when souls may find a tiial very diffi-cult, which-under normal circumstances they could bear very well; and equity talls for a wiseunderstanding of such critical' situationS. We know what happens in education when 'children are given matter beyond their years and are expected to ~pass tests not suited.to their age. The same can happen iri. the spiritual life. There are works, too, which are fraught with spiritual dangers for one but not for, another. It would be unjust to expose one tO danger under the plea of treating all alike. ~Subjects.and officials are bound to recognize these circumstances which demand interpret~ition.of law and custom if'equity is tO l~e observed. ~ Epicheia, the time-honored term for ~quity, that h;is come down to :us from the wisdom of Greece, expresses well the spirit of this virtue; and its full meaning has been taken over in Christian .practice. It. signifies something that is over and above What is strictly in accordance with law, ~6methifig su~eradded:, to mere legal justice. It signifies J~nuary, 1946 ,THE VIRTUE OF: EQUITY clemency, mer~y, reasonableness. A1Lthese meanings show how necessary this virtue is for one claiming to walk in the spirit of Christ. If we have put on Christ, we must l~ave the kindness and mercy of Christ. We must "put off the works of darkness,-, and put on the armor of light'.~ (Romans 13:12). In truth when our justice is guided by equity, we have put on the armor of light, illumined, by faith and vivified by charity. Books Received (From October 20 to December THE NEWMAN BOOK SHOP, Westminster, Maryland. Sermon Outlines for the Sundays and Holy Days of the Year. By William R. O'Connor. $2.25. Holiness for All. By .His ExcellenCy Norbert Roblchaud. 75 cents (Paper). THE BRUCE PUBLISHING COMPANY, Milwaukee. World Christianitg. By John J. Considine, M.M. ~ $1.00. The Divine Pur- ~uit. By RaChel Maria. $1.75. The Priest of the Fathers. By Edward L. Heston, C.S.C. $2.50. Going His Way: Little Talks to Little Folks. By Rev. Gerald T. Brennan. $1.75. The Man Who Built the Secret Door. Sister Mary Charitas, S.S.N.D. $1.50. B. HERDER BOOK COMPANY, St. Louis. Pascal and His Sister dacquellne. By M. V. Woodgate. $~.00. The State in Catholic Thought. By HeinriCh A. Rommen. $6.00. SHEED ~ WARD, New York. The Flowering'Tree. -By Caryll Houselander. $2.00. dobn Henry Newman. By John Moody. $3.75¯ The Catholic Centre¯ By Edward Ingrain Wat-kin. $3.00. The Splendor of the Rosary.~ By Maisie Ward¯ $2.50. FREDERICK PUSTET COMPANY, New York and Cincinnati. A Tryst with the Holy Trinity. By the Very Rev. Frederick T. Hoeger, C.S,Sp. .$2.50. CREATIVE AGE'pRESS, New York. Chungking Listening Post. By Mark Tennien. $2.50. LA LIBRAIRIE EUCHARISTIQUE, Montreal. La Piete Eucharistique. By J. F. Berube. (No price given.) CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS, Washington. The Doctrine of S'r. Augustine on Sanctity. By Edward J. Carney, O~S.F.S. (No price given). - THE MARYKNOLL BOOKSHELF, l~Iaryknoll, New York. How the People of Africa Live. By Sister Miriam Claire. $1.00. LO~IC~IAN8, GREEN ~ COMPANY, New York and Toronto. Sptrttual Problems of Our Times. By Luigi Sturzo. $2.00. ¯ 49 May Religious Buy and Sell? Adam C[ Ellis, S.d. .~S A BO,Y,. Christ Our Lord learned the carpenter's~ trade from St. ,loseph; arid after the latter's d~ath, He supported Himself and Our Blessed Lady by His' l~ibo'rs at the carpenter's bench.We can infer this from the testimony of His fellow townsmen. On one of His rare visits to Nazareth, Christ went to tl~e synagogue on the Sabbath and began to'teach. '!And many.hearing Him .were in admiration of his doctrine saying: 'How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is thisthat is given to him, and such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is r~ot this the carpenter, the son ot: Mary?" (Mark 6:2, 3). The great Apostle of the Gentiles, St. Paul, imi-tated his Master and supported himself by manual labo_.r. He tells us: "We are homeless and we toil, workirig v)ith our own hands" (I Corinthians, 4: 12)~. And St. Luke informs us that "These two [Aquila and Priscilla] Paul visited and because he was of the same trade he abode with -them, and thus they worked; for by trade they were tent-makers" "(Acts 18:3). Inlthe early centuries'of the Chui:ch clerics and religious supported themselves by manual labor, applying themselves to trades of various kinds. The Church, therefore, has always held manual labor in high honor and has never considered it ber;eath the dign!ty of the~clericai or the religious s.tate, but rather recommended it as a worthy means of support for both clerics and tell: gious_. . From the very beginning, however, some of the clergy -found an easier way of supporting t.hemselves--by engag-ing in gainful trading. In itself, there is nothing wrong with gainful trading provided the price asked for the c0m- 50 MAY RELIGIOUS BUY AND SELL? modity traded or sold is not exorbitant. But the' exercise of gainful trading was beset with'm~iny dangerous practices and easily led to distractions from and neglect of the duties connected with the clerical and religious state. Hence are not surprised to find St. Paul warning Timothy: "No man being a soldier to God entangleth himself in secular business" (II Timothy 2:4). This warning 6f St. Paul became the watchword of the Church in .its legislation for-bidding clerics and r~ligious to engage in gainful trading. -For experience has proved that such occupation not only distracts and leads to a neglect of duty, but exposes clerics and religious to the dangerous spirit of cupidity and avarice with their consequent vices--fraud, perjury, injustke, and so forth. Besides from the practice of gainful trading there arises the danger of involving clerics and religious in civil lawsuits. All these possible dangers may r.esult in a serious diminution of the esteem of the faithful for the clerical and ~religious state and for the sacred.ministry. Hence the, need of a ~lear.understanding of the Church's law with regard to gainful trading as it applies, to religious.' PART I: THE LAW AND ITS MEANING In this matter there are~no special prescriptions that apply exclusively to religious, but canon 592 tells us that "all religious are bound to the common obligations of clerics listed in canons 124-142." The last of these canons, No~ 142, forbids clerics to engage in gainful trading. It reads as follows: "Clerics are forbidden to engage in lucrative industrial (negofiafio) or commercial (merccl~ura) trading, either personally or through others, either for their own advantage or for fhaf of others." Just what is fbrbidden by this cano_n? When are reli-gious and clerics said to be engaged in lucrative trading con- ~ trary to the law of the Church? No act of buying or selling comes unde~ the prohibition ADAM C. ELLIS Repiea~ for Religious against gainful 'trading, unless it contains ~four etem~nts simultaneousl~t.: (1) the object must be bought, (2) with tl'ie intention of reselling it, (3)unchanged or.changed, by hired help~ (4) at a higher price than Was paid for it. Let uk examine each of these four elements in detail. I. "'The object must be bought" .- It is not the property of the religious or cleric to begin with, hence he must acquire it in exchange for money or for some other commodity. Religious do. not violate -the law therefore when they sell the pro'dutts of their fields-- grain, fruits, vegetables. .They may likewise sell., wool~ hides, eggs, but~er, and milk produced by their herds and flocks, as well as calves, lambs, chickens, pigs, and other animals provided these are the natural produci of things ¯ already possessed. LikewiSe articles° received as gifts may ~ be sold, even at a great profit, since they were not purchased by the religious. 2. "'With the intention of reselling it'" ~ The reiigious who bu.ys an object or rawmaterials must intend, u2hen he bd~js them, to resell them later on. If this intention is not present at the time of purchase, then-his transaction does not come under the-prohibition of our_ canon. The religious who purchases a supply ofcommodi-" ~ ties for the use of his community does not intend to sell them. It may happen, however, that in the course of time some of the supplies are in danger of spoiling; or he may find that he has. purchased more than the community-needs. In either ca~e he may sell these supplies, even at a higher price than that he paid for them, because when he bought them he did not do so with the intention of r_eselling them. For the same reaso~ one may sell objects which have lost their usefulness fdr the com.rnunity,"such as furniture, raw materials, books, and other t.hings; and one may take a 52 MAY RELIGIOUS BUY AND SE~'.L~ _profit on them. It is. also allowed to invest the com- "munity funds in real estate, to buy ahouse or a-farm, and then to rent or lease it, thus assuring the community a source of regular .income. To rent or lease property which the commu.nity owns is ~not the same as selling it. This_ is merely an act of prudent administration required by canon 1523., 3 a. "'Unchanged" When an object is bought with the intention of s~lling it unchanged at a higher price, we have the most specific case of that strictly commercial trading which is positively forbidden to clerics and religious. This is never alloWed,. even tl~ough the objects bought are of a religious nature, such as rosaries, crucifixes, and prayer books. Nor may re!ig!ou~s buy real estate with the.intention of~selling it uhimproved as soon as an opportunity arises to sell it at'a higher price. Under this heading one is also forbidden to rent or teas~ property from the owner for the purpose of. immediat.ely subletting it to another party ata h.igher rental, for such a transaction is the equivalent of buying something with the intention of selling it unchanged at a higher price. ~ 3 b. "'Or changed b~t hired help'" We saw above that the Church has always held manual labor in high esteem; and spiritual leaders have ever encour-aged religiousto" employ themselves with such labor ih order to provide for their temporal needs, to avoid idleness.¯ and to make it possible for them to assist the poor and the needy. Furthermore, the Church has always allowed reli-gious to purchase materials in order to change them by their own labor and then to sell such objects at. a profit. Thus the monks of-the,desert supported themselves by wea~ing baskets, making fish nets, and the like. In the Middle Ages 53 AD!kM C~ ELI~IS / o ~ Ret~ieto /or Religious monasteries of both men.ahd ~vomen.frequently supported themselves by manual labor; the monks by cultivating their fields and caring for their herds, and then selling the prod-ucts of field and herd; or .by transforming these products into cheese, butter, wine, bread, or even by distilling.liqueurs such as the famous Chartreuse and benedictine. The nuns were famous for their fancy needle work and for their artistic production of illuminated manuscripts and books, This buying of materials and changing them by the labor of one's own hands may take many forms: grapes" may be bought, and made into Wine; silks and fine materials may be purchased and turned into precious vestments, or ¯ trousseaux. As long ~s the change is brought about by the " labor of the religious themselves, there is no ¥iolatioh of the law forbidding gaiffful trading. But the case is different when materials Which hav~ been rpeulrigchioausse dth.aerme sweolvrekse.d W orh ecnh apnagiedd l abyb ofrii irse tdts feide ltpo, cnfoiat ~b,yg teh"e. materials wfiicfi l~aoe beer~ bo~t~Tbt with a view to their sale at a profit in thei'r changed state, we have an operation which is equivalent to strictly comme~:cial trading since the religious are buying both the materials and the labor involved in making the change. This has b~en the Constant opinion of canonists; an opinion which has been upheld by many decisio.ns of the Holy See. Here are some practical examples of what is forbidden under this head: religious ma.y not buy grapes and hire 6ut-side help to mak~ them into wine; nor may they buy wool, cloth, leather, or other mate.rials, and engag.e hired help to make them into clothing, shoes, and the like with the intention of selling such products at a profit. They may not buy cattle to be pastured on rented land by fiired hell~, to be sold later at~the market price; nor may they rent land to be cultivated by fiired labor and then sell the crops at a JanuarF; 1946 MAY RI~LIGIOUS BUY AND SELLi~ profit. It is not forbidden, however, to. rent land needed to graze a herd which is owned by the religious; nor to buy cattle which will consume the surplus pasturage of land owfied by the religious. In both cases the cattle may be sold later at a just.~price. 4. "'At a higher price than was paid for it" " Here we have the final element which is required to con-stitute gainful trading forbidden to clerics and religious. This elemeni constitutes the very essence of gainful trading --the sale for pro~t. This, however, must be understood rightly. One does not necessarily make a. profit even though he sells an article at a higher price than that which. he paid for it. The ,expefises involved in the transporta-tion, storage, and.conservation of goods, the wages paid to hired, help, and any other ,ex15enses incurred are to be con~ sidered as part of the cost. An increase in the sale price because of such expenses does not constitute a real gain and consequently is not forbidden. This. clause in the, law merely forbids the sale of an article at a higher price than its complete cost, and this is true whether the article is sold unchanged or is sold after having been c.hanged by hired hands. Obvidusly then religious may sell articles and ~oods which they have purchased, provided they do so at the cost price (estimated as above explained). If-no profit is made in the transaction, it does not come under the pro-hibition of the law. This seems to be so evident that nothing more need be said about it. Thus far we have considered the four elements which constitute gainful trading forbidden to clerics and religiqus by canon 142. All"four elements must be present simul-taneoust~ t in order that the act of buying and selling come unde~r the prohibition of the law. If ang single one of them ¯ is lacking, the transaction is not forbidden. Let us now consider the remaining clauses of the canon. 55 AD~I C: ELLIS Re'uieW~for, ReHgio,,s "'Either personall~j or thr6~gh others'" Up to the time of Pope°Benedict XIV there were certain canonists and moralists who held that acleric'or.religibus, though forbidden to engage personally_in gainful trading, might do so through, others by entrustifig his money to a" layman to invest in his.obusifiess or trade. Their argument ran that in such a case the religious or cleric would not be burdened with the cares and worries of such trading.~ In practice, however,, such religious and clerics did not cease to worry about the success or failure of the business or trade in which they had invested their money; and,not infrequently" they were tempted to help the good work.along by taking an active, though perhaps a minor, part in it. H~nce they were distracted and hampered in the exercise of their clerical and religious functions. After pointingout that this had really been prohibited by his predecessors, Benedict XIV solemnly forbade clerics and religious to engage .in gainful trading even t/~rough others. Since his time, therefore, it has been prghibited to clerics and religious to be even part owners of any strictly indust.rial or commercial enterprise, though the busihess or industry was conducted entirely by laymen. "For their own advantage or for that of other~'" ¯ This clause was put into the law by Urban VIII and, emphasized .by Clement IX in,the seventeenth century w.hen missionaries began to engage in gainful trading not for their own benefit but for the support of their missions. In individual cas~s of great rieed the Holy-See gave permis-sion for Such trading in favor of mission work; but at the same time the fact was always emphasized that the law for-bade such trading even for the sake of charity towards others. Hence it should be kept in mind that gainful trading may not be carried on.by clerics or religious, no matter how 56- January/, 1946 MAY RELIGIOUS BUY.AND SELL~? worthy the cause may be. to-which the. profits of such trading are devoted. ¯ In concluding this first part it may be well to call atten-tion to the fact that this legislation binds both religious communities as a~ whole and individual religious with~ respect to their personal property. PART II: SOME MODERN PROBLEMS, IN BUYING AND SELLING Hav!ng anaiyzed the notion of what precisely is for-bidden by the law of the Church with. regard to gainful t.rading on the part. of clerics and religious, let us proceed to apply the law to some probl~erns which a~e peculiar~ to our modern e~onomy. Bookstor,es Most bo~irding schoolg and many day schools conducted by religious have a book store in which textbooks, station-ery, and sundries of various kinds are sold to the students. Originally, and in many cases even today, the primary pur-pose of such a store was not to make money, but rather, to serve the needs and the convenience of the st'udents. Fre-quently enough the Catholic textbooks used in schools can-not be purchased elsewhere. Agai'n, for purposes of dis-cipline and training, it is desirable that uniform stationery be used for class exercises, tests, homework, book reports, and the like. If each pupil purchased his stationery atria different store, such uniformity would be impossible. Hence "the need, or at least the convenience, of.~he school bookstore. What is the actual practice .with regard to such. stores? ,Usually books, stationery, and sundries are bought at. wholesale and sold at retail. ~ When this is done, .we have a perfect example of gainful trading forbidden to religious. The.articles arebought with. the intention of selling them unchanged at~.a higher~ price. As we have said above, the 57 ADAM C, .ELL[S ': ~:-~.: "i~:° 7 ;; ~ RevieW=.[o~ Religid£~s primary purpose" of th~ st,ore.is, not t.o.make profit but to meet the needs and" the convenience of the student body. Still, . the , law is violated unless:the elemeiit.of.profit is :eliminated. "Thismay be.done ifi. 5ne.of two ways : :either sell atcost price,., or. give the profits back to the students. Let us consider each method. " " " " ¯ To sell at.cost price has its .drawbacks. In certain cases the firms publishing school, books :~nsist tha~ a minimum rf.tail pr.ice,be charged. Then too, it is difficult at times to determine. [he exa~t cost of .a Sing!e. article. One must take 'into consideration attendant e.xP.enses--!ight, .heat, kental .ofspace occupied by the bo0kstore;.transportati0n chargds, a juit recompense;f0~dlerki, whether:'theybe extefns whb. work for a salary or students who receive fr~e textbooks and stationery for their services.Then there is the item of ,itoss due to deffi:ioration of goods which' become shoi3worn and must ibe sold.at a bargain, as well 'as books" left over which cannot be returnedto the publishe~,or which, if 'traded in, bring'a lower price than that originally paid: All these itemsshould be taken into consideratioh when "the c'o~t price"is put upon books and stationery. , . ¯ ~A far simpler arid more satisfactory solution of the problem may be found by returning the profits to the stu-dents- giving them something to which they are not entitled by reason of their tuition fees. Thus the profits may be used to supply the library with extra books and magazines which normally v~ould not be purchased; to provide extra lectures and performances of both a literary and entertaining character; to give the Students extra recrea- ~.tional facilities:' for example, additional recreation Or lounge rooms, or needed athletic equipment.: In this way the profits are, returned to .th~ students, whose purchases have created them. Thereligious do not ieceive any of thd profits; hence the law of the Chuieh is observed. 58 danuarg, 1946 MAY RELIGIOUS BUY AND SELL? A thirdsolution would be to turn the bookstore.over to the students: cooperative, if there be one in the school., Lunchrooms or Cafeterias ,Here again the motive for conducting these enterprises in a school is not primarily to make money but to promote discipline and to meet theconvenience of the student body. These activities differ from running a book store inasmuch as materials are purchased and changed before being sold at a higher price. If this change is effected by the religious themselves, they may retain any resulting profits. Usually, however, ~such changes as cooking .food, preparation of lunches, making sandwiches, and so forth are effected by hired help, wl~ether by outsiders or by part-time student help, and then the operation comes within the prohibition ~of the Code. Here again the solution of the problem lies~ . either in selling meals and lunches at cost price, which'is difficult to estimate, or in returning the profits to the stu~ dents as suggested above in regard to bookstores. The same . is .to be s~id with regard to profits derived from the sale of. candy,., ice-cream, and other edibles which are sold ¯ unchanged in lunchrooms and cafeterias. Gift Shops in Hospitals and Sanitaria Within recent years gift~ shops have made t.heir appear-ance in hospitals and sanitaria. One purpose of such shops~ is to supply visitors with a convenient opportunity to ~pur-chase a forgotten gift for the patient they are about to visit. No doubt they are also patronized by nurses and patients. .They have all the appea'rances of sale for profit that any other store has; and the pro.fits may not be kept by the reli-gious who conduct the hospitals. The best solution of the prOblem perhaps would be to rent out the concession to a lhy person who would take both the risks and th~ profits in return for a reas.onable.rental charge. If no ~uch person o 59 ADAM C. ELLIS ~ , Reoiew for ReligioUs. "can be found, the profits should be turned back to the pur-chasers ~in ~ome Shape' or form. Since these are, casual visi-" 'tors for the most part, this may be difficult. A certain amount might be used to make the visitors' "waiting rooms .m.ore comfortable; the rest might be devoted to increased :and ~improxied recreational facilities forconvalescent pa-tients. Sale of Religious Articles " Under normal circumstances there is no reason for reli-gious to engage in the sale of rel~gio.us articles. On special. occasions, however, such as parish missions and school 9r alumni retreats, it may be desirable too have .such good.s available for purchase. Usually,, they are obtained from a general supply house at wholesale prices with the p~ivilege of returning what has not been disposed of. Each indi- ¯ vidual article is marked with the retail p, rice. Here again we have a clear case.of buying and selling forbidden by the Church to clerics and religious. The only proper, way to ~onduct such sales is to turn over the entire transaction a ~church or school society, and allow it to keep the ~rofits. Neither clerics nor religious may share in them. Sisters who ~upply the needs of a. First Communion class (veils, wreaths, prayer books, rosaries, and similar objects) should 'sell. them to the c~ildren at cost price. "In country parishes pious Catholics who wish to obtain religious articles frequently ask the priest or the Sisters to procure them. In this case there is no buying at wholesale and selling ~it ret,ail, since there.is question usually of a single article a rosary, a crucifix, a prayer-book. T-he Sisters may purchase such an article from a Catholic supply hbuse and charge the retail price. The small, discount give.n single article may be considered as ~ gift to the religious: as a matter" of fact, it will .scarcely compensate them for carriage charges and'stamps" expended. 60 J~_r~uarg, 1946 ]~tAY RELIGIOUS BUY AND SELL.7 ¯ i . Articles Made in Trade and Industrial SChools " The modern religigus apostolate includes trade schools f6r poor boys and industrialschools for poor girls. In these schools boys are taught a trade, girls are instructed in'needle~ wc;rk and domestic science. Their first efforts will hardly ~.find purchasers; bu~ they learn rapidly, and articles, and goodsmade by them are sold by the institutio~i. Here we seem. tohave a form of industrg--materials are bought and ¯ changed by outside help. IS' it forbidden to sell such goods at a profit? No, it is not. First of all, the principal pur-pose of such schools is to instruct the pupils, to teach them an art Ora trade; and this cannot be done without practical work. It is not the primary intention, therefore, to sell the materials purchased ~nd changed by hired help at a higher price.,. Secondly, the proceeds do not go directly anti,exclu-sively .to the religious in charge,of the school, but are used to provide board and lodging for the pupils and fre-quently to pay the salaries of experienced lay persons-~ who act as instructors. ~rh~tever surplus may be left over should, be shared With the pupils who are entitled to some recompense for their labors. A final consideration which keeps the transaction from coming under the ban of.ga.inful trading is the fact that, at Ieast in a boarding institution, these pup!Is are not, strictly speakihg, hired help; they,may be considered as part of the religious family. . Printing and Publishing Books A religious or cleric is always allowed to print (or have p~inted) and sell at a profit whatever he has, written himself (Holy Office, June.10, 1846). Here he is not buying anything,, but he himself supplies the object which is changed and sold--his own literary composition. B.ut,. a religious is not allow.ed tO buy.books written and published by others and Sell them at a profit. This latter practice is clearly forbidden by the law. 61 ADAM C[ ELLIS '. ' '.: - ,~" ? ' ~. Ret~ieto for Religio~s M~g religious own and operate a prin, ting.pres~?. ( 1 ) If the religious run the press themselves and do all. the work, they may printand still not only books and writings of the m~mbers of their institute, but .also books written bY others who are not members. (2) If the religious merely. own-and direct the press and the' work is done by hired help, they" mayprint all :works w~itten.l~y members of their institute but nothing else unless they.have a special indult from the H61y See: nor may 'they engage in ordinary com-mercial printing. -In this second case,, they. may print reli-gious reviews, magazines, .journals,other. forms of xeligious literature destined for the spread, of the faith, and school ¯ books which cannot be obtained elsewhere--provided that ¯ no profit is made. Of coursea reasonable amount of income may be taken gradually to pay for .installation, "amortiza-tion of debt, .superintendence, and so forth. Rental.6f Space ~or Vending Machines Many institutiong, hospitals' especially, find it very conv