BOOKS FOR THE INNER LIFE
THE LIVING GOD and THE ROSARY OF OUR LADY, by Romano Guardini.
SYMBOLS OF CHRIST, by Damasus Winzen (The Inner Life Series, Longmans, 9s. 6d. and 8s. 6d.).
ROMANO CiUARDINI, despite his name, is a German to whom the Church in that country owes much for his persistent refusal to take " phrases" for granted.
" We must think every problem through from the very premises to its last implications," he wrote. He is not only a spiritual writer of power, penetration and persuasiveness but also a literary critic and film reiiewer.
In this valuable " Inner Life Series " this is the second volume to appear, the first being " Before Mass," though Mgr. Civardini won his international fame originally with his famous book "1 he Lord," published in 1956.
Of the two short treatises in this 200-page volume, " The Living God " refuses to take the dead. dry phrase. It is vital, moving. " The Rosary of Our Lady " was, according to the author. 30 years ill gestation and. :n that time all the object:ons, real and imaginary, and all the deep spiritual profits of this great traditional devotion had come to light.
" Symbols of Christ." by Fr. Damasus Winzcn, 0.S.B., examines the great pagan symbols of God: the tree, the mountain. the sun ; the burning bush and the brazen serpent. which are the great Jewish symbols of the Messiah, the Saviour ; and then, of course, the familiar symbols of the New Testament, the Lamb of God, the vine, the bread of life.
This is a revealing and rewarding book which well deserves its place among the classics of the inner life.
To the point
ONE AND MANY, by Mud Evans, O.P. (Blackfriars, 4s.).
THIS paper-covered 82-page pam
phlet by the Prior of St. Dominic's contains live papers: " The Life of the Church," "The Life of the Mass," "Word and Worship," The Work of Worship," and "The Life of Charity."
Though most of the material has already appeared, either in " The Tablet." " Blackfriars." or " The Life of the Spirit." the gathering together is not as accidental as the provenance of the papers might make it appear. Nor is the unity so forced as the symmetry of the titles might suggest.
Fr. Illtud speaks, or rather writes, briefly and to the point. "It is a matter for sadness," he writes, "that baptism, the sacrament which is in one sense the most public and communal in its meaning. should — for reasons which are often inevitable in modern circumstances — be one of the most private in its administration."
Why not have the font between pews and sanctuary, and baptism between Masses ?
Modern classic
SAINT PAUL, by Danlel-Rops
(Clonmore and Reynolds, 12s. 6d.).
THE subject, the learning, and the ability of the author to make the past live make this new
edition of Daniel-Rops' "St. Paul" a welcome addition to the year's publications.
Published originally in 1952 in Paris, it has been widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting and stirring presentations of the story of the great " Enemy of Christ" who was called by Our Lord Himself and received the Gospel, as he himself said. " by a revelation of Jesus Christ," not taught it or given it by any man.
Of course, the theme of the book is necessarily the theme of St. Paul's own life and teaching that Christ's teaching was for all men. not merely for Jews, whether by blood and race or conversion. In fact, in a sense St. Paul is more the founder of the Catholic Church than St. Peter himself.