PLEASE NOTICE: Posted 8/6/07

TO: Our Review for Religious subscribers

From: David L. Fleming SJ, Editor

I apologize for the late delivery of the third issue (66.3, 2007) of our journal Review for Religious. The printing company with which we have faithfully dealt for the past fifteen years was surprisingly brought out by another company, with a sudden takeover in early July. The Review for Religious issue was caught up in the printing snafu that resulted from the buyout.

With many promises of delivery "shortly" being given to us, we now find ourselves almost two months late in meeting our mailing deadline. You should be receiving your copy within the next couple weeks. The next issue (66.4, 2007) we expect will be delivered on our ordinary schedule.

I am grateful for your patience, and I appreciate your loyalty to Review for Religious.

 

 

66.3 2007 Review for Religious

 

INTERACTIVE ARTICLES

Some of the articles in this issue of Review for Religious are interactive, having prayers, psalms, and points for personal prayer and reflection. You can find the full text of these articles and material for reflection and prayer by clicking on the GO icon next to the interactive articles. Readers are invited and encouraged to share their reflections and comments through letters or e-mails.

Topics

| Prisms | Spiritual Legacy | Challenges | The Feminine |Apostolic Direction | Scripture Scope | Canonical Counsel | Poetry | Book Reviews | Navigational Tools |

Prisms

 

Prisms: The editor of Review for Religious reflects on where we find our contact with the risen Christ.

Articles

Spiritual Legacy

CHRISTIAN MINDFULNESS

Ernest E. Larkin OCarm shares an understanding of Christian mindfulness that integrates this spiritual practice with recollection, the practice of the presence of God, and the sacrament of the present moment. This article is published in a slightly different edited form as chapter eight in Larkin’s posthumously published book, Contemplative Prayer for Today: Christian Meditations, Medio Media, 2007.

Excerpts: "Presence to the moment is concentrated or focused attention; it means being "all there." ... The more down-to-earth we are, the less we fly off in flights of fancy. ... Our unfreedoms and attachments undermine our love of God. ... Affective detachment comes from effecitve detachment."

Challenges

 

INTERACTIVE ARTICLE
Go to this article to find questions for reflection and discussion

Clericalism and the Religious Life

Edward L. Krasevac OP discusses how various entitlements that are marks of “clericalism” manifest themselves in seven different styles of living out the ministerial priesthood among male religious who are priests. He is a professor of theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Tehological Union in Berkeley, California.

Excerpts: " Ambitious priests are usually not committed to values of collaboration, consultation, or collegiality in the exercise of authority. ... The gentleman priest is usually not very bossy, and may be quite humble in his relations with others. ... Although judgment is a necessary aspect of the priestly role, the enforcer priest seems preoccupied with it to the extent that he forgets its end: human salvation."

INTERACTIVE ARTICLE
Go to this article to find questions for reflection and discussion.

Conversation on Eucharist

Patrick Sean Moffett CFC suggests some ways of reviewing the role of the daily Eucharist in our lives as we face possible days when there is no Eucharistic celebration accessible. He has previously written for Review for Religious. He lives in Miami, Florida.

Excerpts: "I ask if any moments in the ritual have particular significance for them. ...Participation in daily Eucharist confirms an aspect of self-definition and engages me in a process of ego extension. ... Youth leaders attest that silent time before the Blessed Sacrament has a unique attraction for many of today's adolescents."

 

The Feminine

Mary and the Magnificat

Damian C. Ilodigwe proposes that Mary’s life challenges us to take seriously the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a Christian. He is a priest and a lecturer in philosophy at Sts. Peter and Paul Major Seminary in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Excerpts: "It is a privilege to be a Christian, and by virtue of our being Christians we carry Jesus in our hearts. ... Given her status as protodisciple of Jesus, we can confidently turn to her to teach us how to be disciples of her Son."

 

Margaret, the Woman of Becchi

Leo Hereto SDB relates the story of Margaret Bosco, the mother of John Bosco, and her influence on the beginnings of the Salesian mission. He writes from Don Bosco Technical Centre in Apia, Samoa.

Excerpts: "Never forget that I was born in poor circumstances and have lived in poverty all my life. I am happy to die poor."

Apostolic Direction

Discernment in Common as Cooperative Inquiry

David Coghlan SJ introduces cooperative inquiry as a form of action research that is compatible with the kind of faith activity that discernment is and accords with how discernment in common may be conducted. He is a lecturer in organization development at Trinity College in Dublin.

Excerpts: "Action research is research that aims at both taking action and creating knowledge or theory about that action. ... Action research works with ways of knowing that go beyond the propositional form that we think of as research. ... They held as principle that God is kind and gift-giving and that they should earnestly seek what God wanted of them. ... Each was to ready himself through prayer, Masses, and meditation to reach the right dispositions."

 

INTERACTIVE ARTICLE
Go to this article to find questions for reflection and discussion.

Early Jesuit Strategies

John P. Mossi SJ points out that early Jesuit strategies found in the Spiritual Exercises and Jesuit directives regarding
discretion and empathic listening can be helpful in fostering reform and unity today.He is associate professor of religious studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Excerpts: "Dialogue, understanding, kindness, instruction, and conversation are Ignatius's new pastoral approaches. ... Ignatius has an intense pastoral desire to keep all doors of respectful dialogue and interpersonal relationships open. ... Ministry begins with a theology of respectful listening."

Departments

The Great Journey in Luke's Gospel
Eugene Hensell OSB continues his Scripture essays, a regular feature of each issue of Review for Religious.

Canonical Counsel: Sharing Information in Confidential Matters
Elizabeth McDonough OP continues her on-going series of canonical information and reflection. She serves as canonical counsultant for many religious communities and for several dioceses. She is Bishop Griffin Professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical College Josephinum.

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Poetry

The Mat by Bonnie Thurston
Metronome by Walter Bunofsky SVD
Sonnet for the Fall by Ian T. White

| COMMENT ON A POEM | ORDERING INFORMATION | RETURN TO TOP | NAVIGATIONAL TOOLS |

Book Reviews

Book Shelf Life
Mini reviews by Philip Fischer SJ

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