A great site for an overview of CTS booklets

I've just discovered Ignatius Press's CTS page.  It is a great site if you want to look at a range of CTS pamphlets quickly - by rolling your mouse over any one of them, you pull up the details of author and the CTS blurb about it.

So if you want to know about a booklet that I have not yet reviewed, it's the place to go.

It does not of course, have the searing literary merit and critical insight offered by this site - but then I can only put up one book a week or thereabouts, so it is far more comprehensive!

The Extraordinary Form of the Mass

The Extraordinary Form of the Mass The Order of Mass in Latin and English published by CTS

The first thing to say about this booklet is that it is wonderful the CTS have published it.  It shows how far we have travelled under the current pontificate.  It is interesting to note that the original title (as on the review copy I was sent) was The Traditional Latin Mass.  I am not sure why it was changed.

As the booklet consists simply of the order of Mass (plus some prayers for after Mass and a list of the readings for Sundays of the year according to the 1962 Lectionary) it is hard to review it in the normal sense.  One thing I do want to say is that it would benefit from some kind of introduction (though in fairness, that purpose is served by another CTS booklet, The Extraordinary Form of the  Mass Explained by Fr Richard Whinder, which I shall review eventually).

The text is laid out in the traditional manner, Latin on the left and English on the right, and is clear and easy to follow.  But beyond that, there is not much to say: the prayers of the Mass are of course wonderful in Latin and the English gives a fair flavour of them on the whole (though I would be fascinated to learn where the translation comes from as it has some oddities, of which more below).

Beyond that, all I can do is list some editorial niggles: that is not to say that it is not a great booklet, because if you want to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form (and wouldn't it be wonderful if the Extraordinary Form was as prevalent as Extraordinary Ministers - but I digress) and you have no missal, then it is invaluable.

So here are some things to annotate if you buy a copy and wish to get everything correct (or if you are sub-editor at CTS for the next edition!)  It may be, of course, that with the change of title other things were changed, so to be accurate, I am here reviewing the first edition, published under the title The Traditional Latin Mass.  But I suspect that only the cover was changed at this stage.

There are no crosses in the text to indicate when one makes the sign of the cross (although this is referred to on p 15…)

Indications of when to sit, stand or kneel are inconsistent (eg no 'stand' for the Creed and no indication of posture and manner of receiving Holy Communion)

The ringing of the bell is mentioned at the Sanctus and the Hanc Igitur, but not at the Elevations.

The priest's raised voice at the nobis quoque peccatoribus is not indicated (and I find this a useful marker point in the silent Canon)

The translation is a little idiosyncratic: Adoremus is still not translated as we adore..., and the English of the  Sanctus includes the words Lord God Sabaoth. 

The Collect after the Gloria is headed The Prayer, which looks rather odd, and the Pater noster is marked for Server/Congregation, instead of priest.

And then there are a few typos: Graduale for Gradual, Domne for Domine (p20), habitabit  for habitavit in the Last Gospel, and some strange capitalisations:  While At Solemn Masses, and Come, O sanctifier, Almighty and eternal God.  However we are treated to a capital C for Catholic in the Creed.

Having said all of which, it is still a great booklet to have: if I have sounded critical it is because the positive aspect - the actual text of the Mass - is way beyond my critical ability: if you want to study that, read Mons. Knox's: The Mass in Slow Motion (which reminds me, I must review that some time!)

Benedict XVl

Benedict XVl by Helena Scott and Ethel Tolansky CTS Biographies

This booklet was written and published within months of the Holy Father’s elevation to the throne of Peter, to give the faithful some more factual background information than that provided by the press (remember all the stuff about Cardianl Rottweiler and the slurs about being a member of the Nazi party at the time?)

I should perhaps confess to a few personal interests here.  One is a bias favour of the subject of this biography: someone who disliked the Pope would review this very differently (‘hagiography’ etc).  The other is the fact that one of the authors is my sister.  Whether that biases me in favour or against is for you to judge…

The booklet opens with a brief introductory chapter, recalling the 19^th April 2005 and Habemus Papam,  and introducing us to a quick character portrait of the new Pontif.

Then as one would expect the biography traces the life of Joseph Ratzinger from his earliest days, the ‘joyful colourful, human Christianity’ (as he describes it) of Bavaria, before the war.  But of course the war came quickly, and in 1941, the 14 year old Ratzinger was required to join the Hitler Youth, along with every other boy in Germany.    It is useful to be familiar with the facts of this period of his life, to counter the slurs and innuendo in which his enemies like to indulge. He was drafted into the failing war effort and managed to avoid being 'volunteered' for the SS by saying he wanted to become a Catholic pries, for which he was mocked and abused.

The next chapter takes us through the period after the war and the young Ratzinger’s journey towards the priesthood: his seminary days and studies (including de Lubac and von Balthasar), and the development of his intellectual, moral and spiritual character.

The following chapter traces his academic life and his role at the Second Vatican Council.  Here we start to find more authorial comment (rather than straightforward narration) than we have had since the initial scene-setting chapter.  Here’s a flavour of it: It has often been said that Ratzinger was a “liberal” in the time of the Council who afterwards, shocked by the path events were taking, changed direction and became more “conservative” in his views.  Labels apart, what his life actually shows is how the currents of thought that arose around the Council could have developed if they had remained faithful to the Church, and had been pursued in a spirit of loyalty and humility.

The authors go on to discuss his involvement with the journals Concilium and, after that went off the rails, Communio, as well as his continuing interest in liturgy and intellectual life, as a professor at Tubingen and later Regensburg Universities.

In 1977, at the age of 50, Ratzinger became Archbishop of Munich, and almost immediately was awarded a Cardinal’s red hat by Pope Paul Vl.  Within four years he was called to Rome by Pope John Paul ll to be appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  The authors are keen to stress here the critical distance that he was able to maintain between what he knew to be the official teaching of the Church and his own opinions as a theologian: he never used his authority to advance the latter only to serve the former.

Inevitably in this new role, Cardinal Ratzinger had to take on Liberation Theology when it over-stepped the mark and tried to turn the Church into a political movement, and use the Gospel to justify class struggle and violence.  Whilst understanding the context, particularly within South America, which gave rise to these errors, Ratzinger was always clear that the primary liberty is freedom from sin.  All this period is supported in the booklet by extensive quotation both from Cardinal Ratzinger’s own books, and official documents issued by his Congregation.

The authors go on to consider Ratzinger’s reflections on the place of Mary in Catholic theology,  and on the Eucharist and liturgy more broadly, and also his crucial role in chairing the commission which drafted the new Catechism of the Catholic Church.  This long section concludes with the Domine Iesus controversy which characteristically shows Ratzinger both standing firm for Catholic truth (that the Catholic Church possesses the fullness of truth as revealed by God in Jesus Christ) and also engaging in serious, committed and respectful dialogue with those who took issue with it.

The final chapter is a brief note on his election to the Petrine Office and some speculation about what we may expect of him: which makes for interesting reading as it was written within months of his election, and we can now look back and see what he has actually done.

Overall, this is well written, with copious quotations and references to support the narrative, and enough authorial presence to avoid it being merely a dry litany of dates and events.   As so often with CTS booklets, it would have benefitted from more assiduous editing (plural pronouns referring to singular nouns – forsooth, Helena!), but these occasional infelicities do not confuse the reader or make it unreadable. So for any Catholic (or anyone else of good will) wishing to know more about our Holy Father and his formation and thinking, this is an excellent introduction and contains a good bibliography if one wants to pursue the subject.




PS I have just seen that the CTS wwwsite boasts an updated edition, and I should make it clear that this review is of the first edition.

Catholic Traditionalism

Catholic Traditionalism by Dr Raymond Edwards CTS Explanations Series

It takes a brave man to write about Catholic Traditionalism, and one might wonder what sort of bravery we are encountering here, when the booklet notes that Dr Edwards regularly writes for The Tablet (for me, at least, that raises a question…).  However, he commends both Fr Z’s and and Fr Finigan’s www sites as good sources for information on traditionalism and matters liturgical, so that suggests another perspective.

A short introduction makes it clear that this book is primarily about liturgical traditionalism, in the wake of the Holy Father’s permission to priests to use the traditional form of the Mass without needing permission from their bishops.

The first chapter is A Brief History of Liturgical Reform.  This gives some of the background to the liturgical changes introduced in the 1960s and afterwards, and then takes us through the initial reforms, and some of the objections to them (the Ottaviani Intervention) which Dr Edwards thinks were largely ill-founded.  However, he then describes subsequent changes, not mandated by the Council’s documents, and has far more sympathy for those who object to these (such as universal use of the vernacular, communion in the hand, celebration versus populum and so on).   For example, he is quite clear that bishops (including UK bishops) who place obstacles in the way of priests wishing to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass are acting beyond their authority.  He ends the chapter with sections on the Preservation of the Older Rite and a conclusion in which – as throughout – he strives to find a balanced position between the extremes of either side of the debate.

The next chapter is Catholic Traditionalists Today.  This is essentially a Cook’s Tour of the major groups in communion with the Holy See, starting with the UK and the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, and then ranging overseas to include organisations in the US,  France and worldwide.  This is helpful to those of us who sometimes can't remember whether we are thinking of  Fontgombault or Le Barroux... He ends with a brief note on the Chartres pilgrimage.  As this is something I know about from direct experience, I was disappointed to see a couple of (minor) inaccuracies in his description of it.  His approach in this chapter is largely sympathetic. 

In the next chapter: Schismatics and Other Irregular Groups, he is somewhat less sympathetic. This is, of course, largely about Archbishop Lefebvre’s SSPX and the various groups that have splintered from it, as well as a few at the more lunatic end of the spectrum.  Dr Edwards gives an account of the history of Archbishop Lefebvre’s seminary and subsequent defection from the Church.  He then offers a discussion of the history of radical traditionalism in France (Action Francaise etc) and its anti-Semitic tendencies, which he points out have no place in true Catholic traditionalism, any more than they do in the Church today.  But his principle complaint about the SSPX is that they are the mirror image of the liberals whom they despise, in that they set themselves up as a competent authority to judge the Holy Father and the Church and reject what they don’t like.

The booklet closes with a brief conclusion about the value of the older rite, and of the new.  Dr Edwards seeks a future of parity and mutual enrichment.  This is because his analysis, finally, is that the crisis in the Church (and to his credit he recognises that there is one) is one of catechetics rather than liturgy.  On this point I, for one, take issue with him: I think the crisis in catechetics reflects and is reflected in a crisis in liturgy: they are inevitably intertwined, according to the principle Dr Edwards mentions earlier in the booklet: Lex orandi, lex credendi (as we pray, thus we believe).

There are also two appendices (not labelled as such, but they follow the conclusion as add-ons..) The first concerns the Good Friday prayer for the Jews and makes clear the the perceived anti-Semitism of the traditional prayer is a total canard on a number of fronts; the second is a list of useful information: organisations, books and websites

All in all, a stimulating, informative and provocative read: well-written so that it is clear without being simplistic, and with a particularly delightful quality: there are some paragraphs to which one wants to say a resounding Amen, and others with which one will probably want to quarrel.  Who could ask for anything more?

He took me at my word...

A reader, Victor S E Moubarak, took me at my word, when, in my first post, I suggested others might like to submit reviews.

He has submitted two - one of a book by the late  Fr John Woolley, the other for a book by himself.

I made it clear that I would publish or not at my discretion - but having done a little digging find that Fr John Woolley was an Anglican vicar.

As this blog is dedicated to Catholic books - and not least because Fr John's book is described as 'truly interdenominational' - I have decided not to publish the review here.  You can search on the www if you want to find out about him or it (it is commended by Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, but even that doesn't tempt me to publish...)

As for VSEM's own book, I reserve judgement for the minute, pending further enquiries....

Exorcism

Exorcism by Fr Jeremy Davies CTS Explanations Series

I had known very little about Exorcism before reading Fr. Davies’ booklet, and found it quite fascinating. The booklet is subtitled Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice, and it is this approach that makes for such a rich mix.

A lot of the booklet is about setting the context for a correct understanding of exorcism and making distinctions between different causes and degrees of demonic influence. It is only after this context is set that exorcism itself is directly addressed.

In an age which does not treat Satan seriously, it is salutary to read the work of someone who encounters and confronts him directly on a regular basis.

Fr. Davies starts by quoting Mark 16 ‘and in My name they will cast out demons…’ and the introduction sets context (the fall of angels and men) and grounds the Church’s work of exorcism in the salvific work of Christ, and the example of His many exorcisms.

The second chapter then distinguishes between three types of Demonic Influence: Indirect Rule through Sin (as a result of the Fall), Direct Influence through Sin: ‘If an evil Spirit tempts us to sin, how, if we yield to that sin, should we not be united with that spirit?’ and Direct Influence without Present Sin. It is in this last case, that Exorcism is most usually a part of the remedy.

The third chapter explores the Causes of Demonic Influence. Clearly the principle cause is sin, and this is explored in some depth. But Fr Davies also mentions other causes of demonic influence, including sever shock or trauma, original sin itself, and the fact that when we progress in our spiritual life, we provoke a diabolic counter attack.

The following chapter examines the different degrees of demonic influence, ranging from temptation and sin, through obsession to possession, and leads naturally into the next chapter on discernment and diagnosis. This includes some important advice on distinguishing between spiritual and medical malaise.

It is Chapter Six which deals directly with exorcism itself. Do not expect Stephen King style accounts of dramatic scenes. Instead, you will find a description of the different types of exorcism, including those embedded in baptism and confirmation, major (or solemn) exorcism, minor exorcism, exorcism at a distance (Our Lord’s example in St Mark 7:24 – 30 is cited), deliverance prayer, and the exorcism of objects, and places and attacks on the Church.

The final chapter offers some conclusions, of which the most important is to seek help if you believe – or wonder if – exorcism may be required. For while this book provides a very thorough overview of the topic, it is, rightly, not a do it yourself manual!

Sacramentum Caritatis

Sacramentum Caritatis by Pope Benedict XVl, published by CTS

This document from the Holy Father is a ‘post-synodal apostolic exhortation.’ What that means is that after a synod, or meeting of bishops, the Holy Father has summarised what was discussed and agreed, and issued it as an exhortation or call to action for the whole Church.

The document is in three parts - three challenges, one might say. The first is “The Eucharist, a Mystery to be Believed.’ This offers a profound meditation on the nature of the Eucharist, relating it first to the Blessed Trinity, and in particular to Our Lord and the Holy Spirit, and then to the Church, and examining its relationship to the other Sacraments.

This part ends with a section looking forward in time and emphasising the importance of prayer for the dead, and a final paragraph on Our Lady ‘who by her complete fidelity, received Christ’s sacrifice for the whole Church.’

The challenge to us all in this section is to deepen our understanding of, and our faith in, the profound mysteries explored.

The second part is: ‘The Eucharist, a Mystery to be Celebrated.’ As one might expect, this is about the way in which we celebrate Holy Mass. This part explores how art and beauty contribute to a worthy celebration, as well as the need for respect for the liturgical books and the importance of authentic participation.

The challenge here is to consider whether the way in which we celebrate Mass is the best, or merely the way we have got used to. To take just one example, do we give Gregorian Chant pride of place as the most suitable music for the Liturgy? The Pope, along with the fathers of the Second Vatican Council, says we should!

The final part is: ‘The Eucharist, a Mystery to be Lived.’ Again, this is a profound exploration and meditation. It may also be the most challenging section of all, calling us to centre our lives on the Eucharist, to proclaim the truths of our Faith through mission and witness, and to unite ourselves in sacrificial self-giving with Our Lord in the Eucharist.

While this is a long document (some 45 pages, plus footnotes) it is well worth reading. For the individual lay person, it is a source of richer and deeper understanding of our Faith, as well as a challenge to live it more fully.

For priests and all those responsible for planning liturgy, it is an even more important, and more challenging, read.

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo by Fr Ben O’Rourke, CTS Great Saints Series

This booklet tells the story of one of the most fascinating lives of any saint. Augustine famously wrote his Confessions tracing his path from wayward youth to bishop, thanks in large part to the unfaltering prayers of his mother, St. Monica. Almost everyone has heard of his famous prayer: ‘Lord, grant me chastity – but not yet!’

In many ways, that prayer expresses the contradictions and tensions in Augustine for much of his youth. On one hand, he was studious and gifted, doing well at his studies, and clearly destined for great things. But on the other, he was a youth of the worst sort: promiscuous, a vandal and a member of a gang, The Wreckers, of which he disapproved, but which he joined for fear of not being in with the in-crowd.

This period left him with bad habits, particularly in relation to the virtue of chastity, with which he wrestled for many years. However, he seems to have calmed down when he settled with one woman, his mistress (whom he could not marry as she was from the wrong social class), who bore him a son.

Another turning point in his life was reading Cicero. This gave him a taste for philosophy which never left him, and led to his becoming one of the doctors, or great teachers, of the Church. But thanks to St Monica’s teaching, he realised that pagan philosophy was insufficient, and started to read the Old Testament. However, that disappointed him, both as it was written in a less formally beautiful way than Cicero’s writing, and also as the stories of the Old Testament did not speak to him.

Always searching, he tried Manichaeism: this was a heresy that taught that good and evil were equally powerful and engaged in a struggle that would last till the end of time. The idea that evil had its own power seemed to release him from some of the feelings of guilt that his own sins caused him.

However, when he left Carthage, where he had been educated, and moved to Rome, he was disillusioned with the Manichees. Soon after that, he moved on to Milan as Public Orator, and here he came across St Ambrose. Initially it was Ambrose’s skill as an orator that impressed Augustine: but gradually the teaching moved him. Over time, and with St Monica’s unfailing prayers Augustine was drawn to the truth of the Church.

Fr O’Rourke traces this dramatic story, with quotations from Augustine’s ‘Confessions’, in a vivid and interesting way, taking us on to Augustine’s period as bishop of Hippo and his eventual death. He concludes with a beautiful selection of prayers and reflections from Augustine’s writing. A truly inspiring read.

G K Chesterton

G K Chesterton by Karl Schmude CTS Biographies

Chesterton is one of those writers whom many of us feel we know a bit. Perhaps we have read the Father Brown stories, or we may have come across one or two of his poems or hymns. But it is easy to forget quite how much he wrote, quite how well he wrote, and quite how widely he was read. Karl Schmude helps to put the record straight: and remind us how well worth reading this great Catholic writer remains to this day.

This booklet, in some forty pages, provides both a biography and an introduction to Chesterton’s thought. The opening chapter describes his early life and the development of his ideas. Perhaps Chesterton is remembered most for his love of paradox. What is interesting is that in some ways he himself was a paradox. His writing sparkles with imagination and speed of thought: he himself, it seems, was vague and absent-minded.

But in his writing, paradox was not a mere literary device. Right from the start he championed ideas that were unfashionable to the point of being indefensible. His world-view was that the received prejudices of his time needed to be turned on their heads: it was for this reason that he loved paradox as a startling and memorable way of getting people to think differently. He profoundly believed that the best way to understand the familiar is to see it afresh, and that was the theme of many of his essays and novels.

In the second chapter, Schmude summarises Chesterton’s worldview, looking at five themes. These are the nature of wonder, his love of ordinary people, cherishing man, not supermen (in contrast, for example with his friend and antagonist, G B Shaw), orthodoxy and the excitement of truth, and heresy as the distortion of truth. Chesterton admitted that he had been tempted to found a heresy of his own, only to discover that it was orthodoxy.

The next chapter goes into detail on the heart of Chesterton’s philosophy: Hope. Chesterton’s view was that it is only by understanding the fall of man that we can have a positive view of reality: that we are in a world created good, and spoiled by men’s failings. That offers the hope that the world can eventually be righted by the right use of the will. This, together with his commitment to objective truth, finally led Chesterton into the Catholic Church in 1922.

The second half of the book explores Chesterton’s career as a writer, critic and editor, and goes into detail on his social thought, particularly distributism. This was Chesterton’s solution to the problems posed both by collectivising socialism and individualistic capitalism.

The final chapter considers Chesterton’s Legacy, and in particular the extent to which he is a prophet relevant to our own times. Having read this booklet, the reader has only one thought in mind: to go way and read some more Chesterton.

A Way of Life for Young Catholics

(Guest Reviewer: Annie Plasom-Scott, 17 years)

‘A Way of Life for Young Catholics’ by Fr Stephen Wang is a brief but challenging series of practical guidelines for Catholics from around 16 to 25yrs aiming to deepen their Faith. It contains advice on a range of aspects including Faith, Prayer, Holiness, Confession, Chastity and Vocation.

I find that the format used by Fr Wang is very effective. The short sections, in the form of lists of five action points on each topic are very helpful. They make his ideas easy to understand, and also ensure it’s easy to pick up the booklet in a few idle moments and really gain something valuable. You do not feel that you have to dedicate hours to ploughing through dense literature - the answers are all easily accessible in the form of five things you can start doing immediately to deepen your Faith.

On ‘How to be Holy’ for example, Fr Wang starts with 5 spiritual practices to get into the habit of. These are Arrow prayers, ‘Offering up’, Fasting, ‘The Little Way’, and Reconciliation. He explains the importance of each in our daily lives and gives practical suggestions of how they should be accomplished. This leaves me with the feeling that at least I know precisely what I’m aiming for, and even if I fail, I know where I went wrong and how to improve.

Also Fr Wang makes his message seem relevant to the reader, without the undercurrents of reprimand that often seem to accompany the good advice that I receive and ignore on a regular basis. He conveys that he has our best interests at heart and writes positively. This prevents the booklet becoming a depressing list of ‘do nots’, and transforms it into a worthwhile challenge.

This is characterised by his point on alcohol beginning with ‘There is nothing wrong with alcohol in itself’. Clearly this is true, but rarely is it made the starting point for advice on drinking. It has the desired effect however. It does not put you off with overstatements of the evils of drink or the Church’s teaching on it. Fr Wang very effectively avoids encouraging a ‘giving up’ attitude, through his positive outlook and achievable suggestions, not only concerning common sins but also growth in Faith and holiness.

In conclusion, Fr Wang writes very well on a range of issues that are relevant to today’s Catholic youth. He is practical and sets achievable aims, which motivate you into improving your prayer life and everyday dealings with the world.

(Published by CTS)

Dominic Barberi

Dominic Barberi by Fr Ben Lodge CP CTS Saints of the Isles Series

The Saints of the Isles series is mainly concerned with men and women from the British Isles, so at first glance one might wonder why Blessed Dominic Barberi is included. However, he was ‘of these Isles’ in the same way that St Augustine of Canterbury was: he came here as a missionary and his mission was to convert these Islands to the Catholic Faith.

He is most famous as the priest who received John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman into the Church, but his story is much richer than that. It starts with his birth in Pallanzana a small hamlet some 50 miles north of Rome, where Dominic was born in 1792, the youngest of eight children.

His parents were devout and also perceptive: they quickly recognised Dominic’s natural talent and, though poor, ensured that he was educated to the highest levels they could manage. His childhood was not always happy: his favourite sister died, and his mother also died when he was only eleven.

However he kept his faith and at the age of 18 he first came across the Passionists. Very quickly he decided that his vocation was to join them, initially as a lay brother, and eventually as a priest. At the same time he had a growing awareness that he was being called to ‘announce the Gospel truths and bring stray sheep back to the way of salvation.’ Over time, it became clear to Dominic that it was England to which he was called.

However, it was only after many years and many hardships that he finally came to England, and his mission here was not easy either.

This booklet traces his whole history, and brings it to life with memorable and amusing anecdotes. Dominic, apparently, never mastered English fully: at one retreat to a group of Religious Sisters, he announced that ‘without face, you cannot be shaved!”

Despite such poor English, Dominic’s reputation as a scholar, a wise and a holy man spread and spread. His retreats were popular and he converted scores of people to the Faith; he spent hours in the confessional and it was as a direct result of observing his personal sanctity that Newman finally converted.

But as this booklet makes clear, in worldly terms one could question how successful he really was. He only actually spent eight years in England, and he failed in his mission to bring it back to the Faith. He suffered for much of his life and he died practically alone.

However, Fr Lodge makes it clear throughout that the Passionist vocation is to preach Christ Crucified: this Dominic did with his whole life, not just by his preaching and missionary work, but even more by his suffering and the spirit in which it was offered back to God. It was that holiness, above all which people recognised in him, and it is for that holiness that he deserves to be remembered and honoured.

Problem of Evil

The Problem of Evil by Fr M C D’Arcy SJ
CTS Explanations Series

This is a reprint of a booklet written in 1935, and it is written in a style that reflects the period. It is rather elaborate and formal in its language and approach, but if one persists in reading it despite that, it certainly repays the effort.

Fr D’Arcy starts by defining what the Problem of Evil is, from a Catholic perspective, and also what it is not. The question, as Fr D’Arcy states it, is this: Why does God permit suffering, mental and physical, and the moral evil of sin in this world, which He has created and governs? Fr D’Arcy also makes it clear that the problem is not a choice between believing in God or believing in evil, although it is sometimes stated in those terms.

The second chapter addresses some of the wrong answers that have been generated to answer the problem of evil. He points out that pessimism, for example, is more a mood than a philosophy, and that any attempt at an answer which places a limit on God simply fails to address the problem. We know that God is infinite in his goodness and his power – that is part of the problem: why an infinitely good, just and powerful God allows suffering and sin.

Fr D’Arcy starts to address the question by considering God’s Justice and Goodness, and demonstrating by logic that these are not compromised by the existence of evil. Our freedom makes us able to choose wrongly, and God does not always interfere miraculously to prevent harm or the whole order of the world would be overturned.

Fr D’Arcy also points out how suffering may develop us and indeed bring out the best in us; ‘that suffering which produces the kind of character we admire and love is…most precious.’ He concludes that it is only suffering that is loveless and meaningless which makes us question God. And as we cannot expect to see the full and final meaning of our experiences on this side of the grave, we can never conclude that suffering is meaningless.

But the fuller answer is found in the very meaning of Creation, and in the revelation of Christ, who teaches us that God is our Father, and that He is our suffering Redeemer. Finally, Fr. D’Arcy concludes, it is an excess of God’s love which allowed this world, complete with sin and suffering, to exist: ‘this pathetically weak world has, at any rate, this glory, that it has served to manifest the infinite resources of divine love.’

This is a densely written and tightly argued booklet, which is not as easy to read as most CTS Publications. However, as Professor Haldane writes in the Foreword, it is worth reading once quickly, to get the main points, and then re-reading slowly, to meditate on.

Rediscovering Virtue

Rediscovering Virtue by Fr Bernard Green SDS CTS Deeper Christianity Series

This thought-provoking booklet is designed to help us rediscover the importance of the virtues in our daily life. Fr Green starts by describing – and criticising – today’s moral relativism: that is the idea that each individual should decide for him- or herself what is good, and act accordingly.

Instead, he highlights the importance of the three theological virtues, Faith, Hope and Love, which place us in a right relationship with our creator, our fellow human beings, and ourselves. He then explains how the Cardinal Virtues, first identified by the ancient Greek philosophers, help us to translate the intention to love into a practical approach to living.

The Cardinal Virtues are justice, courage, temperance and prudence. Fr Green explains how each of these provide a framework for our decisions which enables us to make individual choices in unique situations which are truly in line with what we are meant to be: human beings sharing in, and sharing, God’s love.

For example, justice is the virtue which informs our relationships with others. It helps us to identify the correct principles for living with others in a community, and serves to inhibit our tendency to self-centredness. Justice also is the virtue that asserts that there are absolute standards of right and wrong. ‘A just person searches these out and lives them. As he realises the virtue of justice, so he grows in freedom: freedom and doing what is right are intrinsically dependant on each other.’

Likewise Prudence is not, as is sometimes thought, about being cautious. Rather it is the opposite: it is the virtue which encourages sensible risk-taking. That is, it is about being able to assess the realities of the situation in which we find ourself, and then choose a virtuous course of action – and take responsibility for that choice.

In this way, Fr Green takes us through all the virtues, explaining them and their relationship to each other. He offers the book as a challenge to modern Catholics to become a beacon in a world that struggles to know what is right and what makes for happiness. The challenge is to respond, and to live a truly virtuous life.

Advent and Christmastide with the Saints

Advent and Christmastide with the Saints by J B Midgley published by CTS

When we approach the great feast of Christmas, it is sometimes difficult to abstract ourselves from the worldly rush of preparation: there are presents to buy, cards to send, decorations to put up and so on. So it is valuable to have a resource which helps us to reconnect with the real meaning of this part of the Church’s year.

In particular, it is most useful to have a way of distinguishing Advent from Christmas. The commercial world wants us simply to celebrate in an unremitting frenzy of spending, and commercial Christmas seems to start earlier every year. It is all the more important to be able to step back from the fray and celebrate Advent as a season in its own right.

This excellent anthology of prayers and meditations helps us to do precisely that, as it is arranged with those relating to Advent first. It also takes us beyond Christmas, providing short passages to reflect on for the feasts which follow.

Each section consists simply of short prayers or meditations, taken from the Old or New Testaments, from the writings of saints, or from recent popes or other inspirational Christian thinkers. Within each section, these are arranged in the order in which they were written: so the Old Testament extracts come first, then the New, then the early saints, the representatives of the middle ages, and finally the modern quotations.

The first two sections are both on Advent: one focussing on the Second Coming, and the other on awaiting the Saviour. There is then, as one would expect, a long section on the Nativity, with meditations ranging from King David to the late Cardinal Hume.

The booklet then continues to follow the feasts that follow Christmas: from the Feast of the Holy Family right through to Candlemas: the Feast of the Presentation.

The index at the back gives a very quick overview of the range of saints (and others) quoted. One of my favourites is St Thomas More, who is quoted in the section on the Nativity: “Christ made Himself weak for the sake of the weak so that by means of His own weakness He might take care of these who were weak.” But in fact every extract is quotable, and every one repays meditation.

Even if you can only grab a couple of minutes of peace each day in the busy period running up to Christmas, this booklet will help you quickly to turn your mind to the deeper meaning of this festive season.

Cloning

Cloning by Anthony McCarthy – CTS ‘Explaining Catholic Teaching’ Series

This booklet is by a Research Fellow at the Linacre Centre, the Catholic institution specialising in healthcare ethics. It addresses a complex set of issues, both scientific and moral, and requires some concentration to understand. However, it is essential reading for any Catholic who wishes first to understand and then to explain the Church’s teaching in this area.

The first chapter is on the scientific background to the controversial issue of cloning. McCarthy explains what cloning is, the different methods of cloning, why it is undertaken, and why stem cells are so significant. There are some technical terms used, but each one is highlighted the first time it appears, and is explained clearly in a glossary at the end of the book.

The second chapter explains the Church’s teaching. McCarthy explains the status of the embryo as a human person, the moral problems inherent in nonsexual reproduction, and the essential link between sex and marriage. From these considerations it is crystal clear why the Church opposes ‘all ways of conceiving children which distort the natural and spiritual bonds of family members with each other.’

However, McCarthy is well aware that we are more likely to be arguing with people who do not share our Catholic Faith than with those who do. Therefore the next chapter seeks to examine the arguments in ways which people of other faiths, or no faith, can appreciate. This is a wide-ranging chapter, covering issues from human experimentation to issues of identity. It also picks up five of the arguments which may be used against the Catholic position, and shows us ways to demonstrate that they are wrong.

On finishing this booklet, the reader feels firstly that complex issues have been made understandable; secondly that the Church’s position is just and good; and thirdly that the reader is better placed to engage in constructive and positive discussion of these issues in ways that demonstrate the wisdom of the Catholic approach.

Patience

Patience – Great CTS Classics by Richard Clarke, SJ

This short booklet (46 pages) is both inspiring and challenging. Patience is a virtue which I (and I suspect many others, in our urgency-driven culture) need to cultivate.

Fr Clarke starts by defining patience as ‘the wiling endurance of what is painful to us’ and clarifying that the virtue of patience is ‘the willing endurance for God’s sake of all that is painful to nature.’ Already there is food for thought, and we are only half way through the first page!

In fact the whole of the first chapter of the booklet, on Patience and Suffering, makes for a profound meditation on the human condition. After defining patience and describing the need for it, Fr Clarke considers The Divine Patience and what tries our patience, before exploring the mystery of suffering. His insights here, whilst absolutely rooted in Scripture and the tradition of the Church, make startling reading to the 21^st century reader, to whom the avoidance of suffering is seen as an obvious good. But Fr Clarke reminds us that suffering is ‘one of the best gifts that God can give us,’ and makes it clear why that is the case.

The second chapter is called Patience and Impatience, and contrasts these two approaches to life. In a very practical way, Fr Clarke takes us through the first, second and third degrees of patience, explaining how we may progress in this virtue over time. He contrasts this with impatience, and demonstrates the folly of that vice: again one feels a raw nerve is being touched!

The third chapter explores patience under temptation, with sections on sickness, bereavement, and contempt, and ideas on how to turn each of these into opportunities to unite ourselves with the suffering of Our Lord.

The next chapter roots the ideas of the book very firmly in Sacred Scripture, by considering the examples of Job, Our Lady and Our Lord, as well as the saints, martyrs, angels and holy souls in purgatory. Again, the thinking here is alien to modern thought, precisely because it is looking at life through a truly supernatural lens. It brings one up short and makes one consider what one really believes and how sincerely one is striving for heaven.

Finally Fr Clarke examines the fruits of Patience: Peace, Hope and Joy. He explains how they are related to the practice of this virtue.

On reaching the end of this booklet, which it is hard to put down, one wants to go straight back to the beginning and re-read it. There is so much richness and wisdom in it, and so much that is contrary to the accepted ideas of modern times. But always the fundamental challenge is to imitate Our Lord, who is our Teacher and Example: ‘none ever suffered as He did, and therefore none had to exercise such patience as He exercised.’

Passing on Faith to your Children

Passing on Faith to your Children by Peter Kahn (Published by CTS)

This booklet is another in the CTS’ Family Matters series. It starts with a reflection on Abraham, our Father in Faith, and with the example of St Margaret Clitherow. But just when one might think that these are too difficult examples to follow, Peter Kahn reassures us that such a reaction is normal; ‘We are more likely to find ourselves shouting at our children rather than dying for them!’ This mixture of the inspirational and the practical, the ideal and the reality, is very much the tone of the book, and makes it both uplifting and realistic.

The next chapter is much more immediately practical, focusing on how our Faith can shape our daily life – and how that transmits an understanding of our faith to our children. The first practical issue is to look at whether the way in which we work allows us sufficient time with our children; and also whether the way we approach our work is itself a witness to selfless love. As Kahn points out: ‘Anyone approaching life in this way will have opportunities galore to demonstrate to their children that faith comes before possessions.’

As well as work, Kahn explores other aspects of daily life that can be opportunities for a faith-filled approach, such as childcare and care for the sick or needy. Leisure activities are also examined: do we prioritise the life of a consumer? Would we consider a pilgrimage rather than a beach holiday, and celebrating the feasts of the Church rather than secular bank holidays?

This leads on to a consideration of more explicit ways of living our faith: keeping Sundays sacred, fasting on Fridays, and paying attention to the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. Kahn highlights the importance of capturing our children’s imaginations, with short plays, or stories on religious themes, as well as preparing their intellects to counter the arguments they will meet from others.

Above all, prayer must punctuate our daily life: the rosary, the Angelus, night prayers… These have the additional benefit of drawing the family together at specific times, which in itself teaches about the need to put other values in front of ‘what I want to do just now.’

The following chapter examines in detail the relationship between parents and children and the particular challenges that parents face as their children grow through childhood and adolescence.

This is followed by an exploration of the relationship between the parents themselves, which provides the context for all of the issues discussed, and emphasises the graces given in the sacrament of marriage that prepare us for the seemingly impossible task of raising children for God.

In the final chapters the focus is wider still, looking at Faith and the Wider World. As earlier, there is a valuable mix of the inspirational and the very practical and realistic. The book ends with a challenge: not to make excuses and delay, but to step out in faith on the path our Father is asking us to tread as parents who love our children enough to give them our most valuable possession – the gift of Faith.

Prayer in the Family

Prayer in the Family, by John and Beth Viatori (Published by CTS)

This booklet is in the CTS’ Family Matters series. It starts at a rather general level, pointing out why prayer is necessary for families, and how parents need to have an active personal prayer life in order to make their families into places of prayer.

However, it is when it gets more specific that it is most helpful. In the section on The Liturgy of the Domestic Church, it runs through many different opportunities for building prayer into our day-to-day life in the family.

On a daily basis, it considers morning and bedtime prayers, grace before meals, the Angelus and the Rosary. It is full of helpful tips such as ‘Allowing each family member to voice his own intentions before each decade often appeals to older children and teenagers and helps all family members to renew their concentration.’

It also looks at how we can use the feasts and seasons of the Church’s year to provide an annual rhythm to our prayer, to vary it, and to educate our families about the main events of salvation history. Again, it is the translation of this into practical examples which really brings it to life: 'In our family, children enjoyed marking every good deed with a piece of straw to soften the manger (during Advent).'

The final section Praying with our Whole Life, examines the role of the sacraments, and how we ground our understanding of the spiritual realities in our appreciation of natural realities.

One of the most useful aspects of the booklet is the many examples of how real families incorporate prayer into their family routines in ways which are actually enjoyed and valued by the children, such as singing: ‘One advantage that hymns have is that their lyrics teach catechetical truths without the potential tedium of dry memorization.’

This is a book to read and then to re-read and trawl for ideas to continue to enrich the prayer life of any family.

About this blog

Some time ago, I agreed to write reviews of new CTS (Catholic Truth Society) booklets for our diocesan paper, The Voice.

Many were published, but the paper is being re-thought, and so there is a hiatus at present.

But the CTS continues to send me review copies, (far more than the paper would accept reviews of) and I don't want to cancel, as the Voice may need more reviews at some stage.

So to assuage my guilt, I decided to send the CTS a donation, and start this blog, so that review copies are being reviewed!

I will start by posting reviews which have already appeared in The Voice, and then write some fresh ones for the blog. I will also add reviews of other Catholic books I value.

Others are welcome to send me reviews of CTS or other Catholic books which they would like posted: I reserve absolute rights to post them or not according to my own subjective and arbitrary judgements...