Saint Teresa of Avila wrote many letters, which are collected here. Her correspondence was most extensive, including bishops, archbishops, kings, ladies of rank, gentlemen of the world, abbots, priors, nuncios, her confessors, her brothers and sisters, rectors of colleges, fathers provincial of the Society of Jesus, nuns and superiors of her convents and monasteries, learned doctors of different religious orders, and even most eminent saints, such as .St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, &c. In the Letters of St. Teresa it seems to me that all her admirable endowments, both of nature and of grace, can be more clearly discovered than in any of her other works. When we peruse her Life, or The Interior Castle, one is at first inclined to imagine that the Saint was altogether unearthly, unfit for the cares and troubles of life that all her time must have been spent in holding sweet converse with her Beloved, and sighing for the hour when she should be united with Him for ever, and that visions and raptures must have engrossed all the powers of her soul. Others, again, might fancy that the Saint must have been very grave, austere, solemn, exceedingly scrupulous, and given to melancholy. Some might also be inclined to believe that she was quite an enthusiast, led away by the ardent temperament of her character, or the vagaries of an unsteady imagination. But how quickly are such erroneous ideas scattered, when we read her admirable Letters. They soon convince us that the Saint possessed what we call common sense" in a most remarkable manner that so fur from being an enthusiast, she was endowed with a solidity of judgment, and a prudence and sweetness in all her actions, which won the admiration of everyone; that she was so careful to guard against melancholy, as never to allow any one to enter the Order who seemed to be the least infected with it. With regard to herself, we shall see, by perusing her Letters, that she was cheerfulness itself, even in the midst of her greatest trials and afflictions, and withal exceedingly witty, lively, and jocose; indeed, her naivetr is one of the greatest charms of her Letters. These will show us, too, that her raptures and visions did not, in the least, interfere with her ordinary duties, for she was an excellent and most admirable woman of business. Considering her numerous labours, duties, journeys, sicknesses, and infirmities, is it not surprising how she could find time to carry on such an extensive correspondence? Juan de Palafox, the celebrated bishop of Osma, remarks, "that it was principally by her Letters the Saint was enabled to effect the reform of the Carmelite Order."

" All I have written seems chaff to me." Thus six months before his death spoke the greatest mind of the Middle Ages. He had up to this time lived a life full of labour, lecturing, writing, dictating, and praying; and now after having received a revelation he laid aside his pen and would write no more. His favourite disciple, with a directness characteristic of him, asked him why he would not write when he was in the midst of a great work; to which he simply replied, "I cannot." Being pressed still further he again said, " I cannot, for all that I have written seems chaff to me." This incident, well attested as it is, is so clearly sincere that no interpretation of it can rob it of its grandeur and pathos. The words were spoken by a man still only in his prime, as far as years go, but one whom incessant labour and devotion to a high cause had brought, at the age of forty nine, into the valley of the shadow. His name is one that all men of education profess to know. His fame is noised abroad scarcely less by those who ignorantly contemn, than by those who injudiciously worship him. But his life, his real concrete life, is still in many ways a closed book. For while one class of men look on him as a great intellect, and another as a great holiness, the human lines of Aquinas have been singularly neglected. His holiness and his greatness in the eyes of a critical generation will depend, not on the mysteries of his extraordinary raptures, but on the way in which he a man bore himself in the jostle of life with men. If this has not been overlooked by his many biographers it has, for the most part, been undervalued, and it is fitting that in this age, which bears some resemblance to the Renaissance in the re-discovery of the enduring masterpieces of olden time either from neglect or undiscerning attention, some attempt should be made to show Aquinas to the world, not as a saint on a pedestal or a statue above the rostrum, but as one faring in the road of life and faring manfully. This work contains: OFFICE OF CORPUS CHRISTI THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER THE NATURE OF TRUTH DETERMISISM Os GRACE CHARITY ASD FRIESDSHIP RELIGIOS ASD HOLISESS THE SERVICE OF GOD PURITY THE SAISTS THE INCARNATIOS Os FAITH THE TEACHINGS OF PHILOSOPHY ASD FAITH. SUPERSTITION PAPAL POWER THE VIRGIN MARY THE RELATIONS OF MATTER ASD FORM PRIMARY MATTER FORM ASD NATURE OF UNITY OF FORM THE SOUL OF GOD CONTEMPLATION THOUGHT, MEDITATION, AND CONTEMPLATION THE MODE OF CREATION THE INTELLECT AND KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE AND THE SENSES SENSE AND UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE MORALITY OF BUYING ASD SELLING USURY NATIONALITY AND THE STATE THE RIGHTS OF PROPERTY FAVOURITISM DUTY OF A CITIZEN IN REGARD TO KNOWN CRIME THE COMMON GOOD WAR THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR FRIENDSHIP HABITS THE SCOPE OF NATURAL SCIENCE SEMI ; AL CAUSES. THE ELEMENTS NATURAL SELECTION AND PURPOSE ACTION THROUGH A MEDIUM PLANTS AND SEX WEIGHT AND DENSITY ACCIDIA WOMAN BEAUTY PERFECTION AND MARRIAGE. LANGUAGE THE USE OF ANIMALS SIMONY SCANDAL WHETHER WE ALWAYS WISH FOR WHAT IS GOOD LETTER OF SAINT THOMAS NON-BAPTISED INFANTS AND THE VISION OF GOD APPENDIX

This work by Henry Edward Cardinal manning is an excellent spiritual book. My object in the following pages is to speak of the Sacrament of Penance, not so much as it is divinely proposed to us through the Church as an object of our Faith, but as it is, an object of our love. I may, therefore, pass over as already known its Divine institution, its form, its matter, and its effects, to use the language of our Theology, and speak of it as it manifests to us the special tenderness of the love of Jesus, and draws us to itself by the effusion of special gifts of grace. The Sacrament of Penance is loved by Catholics, and hated by the world. Like the Pillar, which of old guided the people of God, to us it is all light; to the world it is all darkness. There are two things of which the world would fain rid itself-of the day of Judgment and- the Sacranlent of Penance: of the former, because it is search ing and inevitable; of the latter, because it is the anticipation and the witness of judgment to come. For this cause there is no evil that the world will not say of the Confessiona1. It wonld dethrone the Eternal Judge if it could, therefore it spurns at the judge who sits in the tribunal of Penance, because he is within the reach of its heel. And not only the world without the Church, but the world within its unity, the unpure, the false; the proud, the lukewarm, the worldly Catholic, and in a word, all who are impenitent, both fear and shrink from the shadow of the Great White Throne which falls upon them from the Sacrament of Penance. But to all who are penitent, in whatsoever degree and of whatsoever character, it is an object of love next after the Holy Eucharist, and for reasons which even the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar does not equally present. The presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is real and substantial, proper and personal, in all the fulness of His Godhead and Manhood. His presence in the Sacrament of Penance is by representation and by grace. In this then there is no comparison possible. In the Holy Eucharist Jesus manifests Himself in His royalty, power, and glory. In the Sacrament of Penance, in His tenderness as a Physician, and Ilis compassion as the Good Shepherd. In the forn1er He attracts and transforms us chiefly by His divine attributes; in the latter by His human experience, sympathy, and pity. In the Holy Eucharist Jesus draws us upwards to Himself; in the Sacrament of Penance He stoops down to listen to us, and to open to us His Sacred Heart, in the midst of our sins and in the hour of our greatest miseries. The Holy Euchnrist is Jesus reigning amongst the just; the Sacrament of Penance is Jesus seeking among sinners for those that are lost; the former is the Sacrament of Saints, the latter, of the sinful; and therefore to such as we are it comes down with a singular nearness, an intimate contact with our needs, and an articulate and human voice of help and solace. What, then, I would wish to do is to set do, vn some of the reasons why we ought to contemplate and to approach it with love

With a Novena to the Holy Ghost and devotions for Mass, Holy Communion, etc. THE use of this book is fourfold: 1. It serves for short visits to Our Lord in the tabernacle. 2. It is designed to sene still better for long visits to the Blessed Sacrament. By means of it, half-hours and hours of adoration may be spent before the Tabernacle in the most fruitful and interesting manner; hence the sub-title has been affixed. It is indeed specially intended as a vade mecum for those pious souls who, as members of Eucharistic Leagues and Confraternities, are accustomed to keep the weekly or monthly Hour of Adoration. 3. It tends to inculcate and to foster devotion to the Holy Ghost, in connection with devotions to the Holy Eucharist. 4. It is finally a Prayer-Book for all ordinary occasions and devotions, especially for Mass and Holy Communion. Our little book follows the suggestions of Pere Eymard-the venerated and zealous Apostle of the Holy Eucharist- for making the hour of adoration. The pious adorer is never permitted to lose sight of the four ends of sacrifice or of the obligations we have to God, as our almighty Creator and supreme Master, viz.: 1. Adoration; 2. Thanksgiving; 3. Reparation; and 4. Prayer.

This is a fifteen volume set, which is being brought back into print for the edification of the Faithful. Anyone who wishes to appreciate the timeless Tridentine Mass and liturgy will find this set a valuable aid in that endeavor. Dom Gueranger has produced a most excellent work, which began the liturgical movement. We pray that this set of books will bring many more to a true appreciation of the Latin Mass and the Divine Office of the Catholic Church. At one time, under the impulse of that Spirit, which animated the admirable Psalmist and the Prophets, she takes the subject of her canticles from the Books of the Old Testament; at another, showing herself to be the daughter and sister of the holy Apostles, she intones the canticles written in the Books of the New Covenant; and finally, remembering that she, too, has had given to her the trumpet and harp, she at times gives way to the Spirit which animates her, and sings her own new canticle. From these three sources comes the divine element which we call the Liturgy. The Prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own petitions with those of this Spouse, who is so dear to her Lord, that he gives her all she asks. It was for this reason that our Blessed Saviour taught us to say our Father, and not my Father; give us, forgive us, deliver us, and not give me, forgive me, deliver me. Hence, we find that, for upwards of a thousand years, the Church, who prays in her temples seven times in the day, and once again during the night, did not pray alone. The people kept her company, and fed themselves with delight on the manna which is hidden under the words and mysteries of the divine Liturgy. Thus initiated into the sacred Cycle of the mysteries of the Christian year, the faithful, attentive to the teachings of the Spirit, came to know the secrets of eternal life; and, without any further preparation, a Christian was not unfrequently chosen by the Bishops to be a Priest, or even a Bishop, that he might go and pour out on the people the treasures of wisdom and love, which he had drunk in at the very fountain-head. For whilst Prayer said in union with the Church is the light of the understanding, it is the fire of divine love for the heart. The Christian soul neither needs nor wishes to avoid the company of the Church, when she would converse with God, and praise his greatness and his mercy. She knows that the companyof the Spouse of Christ could not be a distraction to her. Is not the soul herself a part of this Church, which is the Spouse? Has not Jesus Christ said: Father, may they be one, as we also are one? and, when many are gathered in his name, does not this same Saviour assure us that he is in the midst of them? The soul, therefore, may converse freely with her God, who tells her that he is so near her; she may sing praise, as David did, in the sight of the Angels, whose eternal prayer blends with the prayer which the Church utters in time.

THE Minor Writings of St. Teresa, -: Minor because they occupy but little space in print, although as a revelation of the beauty and grandeur of her soul they equal the Life and the Interior Castle, comprise the Poems, the Conceptions of the Love of God, the Exclamations and certain Maxims. While the Exclamations and the Maxims are fairly well known to English readers, the Poems and the Conceptions will probably come as a surprise to many of them. It is necessary to say a few words by way of Introduction. " I know one," says the Saint in her Life, evidently speaking of herself, "who, though she was not a poet, yet composed, without any preparation, certain stanzas, full of feeling, most expressive of her pain they were not the work of her own understanding; but in order to have a greater fruition of that bliss which so sweet a pain occasioned her, she complained of it in that way to God." This was when she had reached what she describes as the "third water" or the third state of prayer, which leads to "spiritual inebriation." It is an overflowing of the heart which can no longer contain the abundance of bliss infused into it. Alluding to the verse of the psalmist, Cum dilatasti cor meum, -When Thou didst dilate my heart. St. Teresa considers that such graces, even of a less high order, cause, or require a widening of the heart, because they do not follow the narrow measure of poor humanity. l What, then, must it be when grace comes in a mighty stream, a perfect torrent? Like a river it precipitates itself down the sheer rock into a narrow basin which cannot hold it, but casts it up again with double vehemence, though not in the form of a solid mass, but dissolved into a myriad of atoms which break up and reflect the sunlight in the delicate hues of the rainbow. Thus the vehemence of the spirit seeks an outlet, not by bursting its prison walls with elemental force, but by converting itself into sweet song. In moments of emotion the sober word is incapable of following the rush of thought. The love-stricken swain sings in verse the praises of the object of his passion. The ardent patriot rouses inert multitudes with mighty song; the prisoner in his dungeon, the sufferer on his pallet, finds solace and revives hope in accents that vibrate in countless hearts. Thus, in a higher order of things, the soul yearning for the Supreme Good bursts into verse; the prophet's words become a war song; the wailing of the downtrodden, of him that is humbled by his fellow men, or all but crushed under the heavy hand of God, is turned into lyrics. More than that Is there not a song reserved for those who are purchased from the earth, a new canticle which no man can say but the hundred and forty-four thousand ?" Who could tell the song when the morning stars praised Me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody?" Above all, is not God himself the first and the greatest of poets ? For, what is the universe but one great poem? Are not the Incarnation and the work of Redemption as it were the setting to music of the Word of God?

This book is a translation, the only one from the Latin, of the Preces Gertrudianae, a manual of devotions compiled in the seventeenth century from the Suggestions of Divine Piety of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde, nllns of the Order of St. Benedict. Of this work Alban Butler says, in his life of St. Gertrude, that it is perhaps the most useful production, next to the writings of St. Teresa, with which any female saint ever enriched the Church. Care has been taken to preserve, not only the substance, but, as far as might be, the form, of the original prayers; and a few others, well known and much valued, have been added as an Appendix. Let us consider this advice: When you are distracted in prayer, commend it to the Heart of Jesus, to be perfected by him, as our Lord Himself taught St. Gertrude. One day, when she was nluch distracted in prayer, he appeared to her, and held forth to her his Heart with his own sacred hands, saying: Behold, I set My Heart before the eyes of thy soul, that thou mayest commend to it all thine actions, confidently trusting that all that thou canst not of thyself supply to them will be therein supplied, so that they may appear perfect and spotless in my sight. Remember always to say the Gloria Patri with great devotion. The hermit Honorius relates that a certain monk who had been accustomed to say his office negligently appeared to another after his death and being asked what sufferings he had to undergo in punishment of his carelessness, he said that all had been satisfied for and effaced by the reverent devotion with which he had always said the Gloria Patri.

This is a 2 volume set this is volume 2. Our blessed Lord was innocent, and pure from all stain; yet He endured torments greater than any of the martyrs. His sufering was voluntary, and, if' it be lawful to say so, superfluous, for the least of' His agonies was more than sufficient to redeem the world. So again, saints who never lost their baptismal innocence, have voluntarily punished themselves, and endured torments of incredible severity. They might have perhaps abstained from all these inflictions; yet such was their love of God, that they must enter into the communion of His sufferings, and offer up their own bodies, cruelly punished, in imitation of Him, and in deprecation of His wrath, deserved by the sins of their fellow creatures. It was heroic charity that led innocent souls like S. Aloysius and Cardinal Baronius to punish their bodies, and tender women like S. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi and S. Rose of Lima to put crowns on their heads that drew blood from their pierced flesh. It would be tedious to enumerate the penances and strange austerities of the servants of God, which they willingly underwent for their own sins, and in reparation for the wickedness of others, who thought not of God and His holy laws which they were daily transgressing. The contents of these volumes will supply abundant illustration of this matter. It may suggest itself to some that this account of the saints and their actions which Benedict XIV. has given us is technical, and reduces too much to rule and system the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit. But what is the fact? He has but collected together the recorded acts of the saints, and referred them to their several heads. The virtues which the Gospel enjoins are definite and known; and the saints who observed them are known, and so also the history of their lives. He has but compared the facts with the theory, and if the theory becomes clearer and more definite, that is the case with every other theory or system whatever. He had the advantage of the labours of others who preceded him in this discussion, and also the results of his own experience as Promoter of the Faith, and was, consequently, minutely conversant with the very details of the subject. He has done with the practice of the Church what S. Thomas and the Schoolmen did with reference to the Faith. These saw the records of our Saviour's life and doctrine, and constructed therefrom that wonderful and harmonious system which we revere, and the ignorant and the wicked ridicule-the scholastic philosophy of Holy Church. That system was begun before Peter Lombard, but he reduced it to its proper heads, and then the sanctified intellects of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders raised it in its grand proportions, and at the Council of Trent it proved to the Church an impregnable fortress, against which heresy raged in vain. Perhaps, too, in the present form of unbelief, and the prevalence of strange superstition which has taken possession of psychological inquirers, this systematic discussion of moral and intellectual phenomena which are displayed in the lives of the saints, may prove to many a solution of difficulties, and a safe guide to lead them out of danger. Learning is in our circumstances become a matter of necessity, and those who dwell much on the simplicity of the evangelical law, and on the danger of subtle discussions and minute investigations, will do well to remember that our Blessed Lord was once found "sitting in the midst of the doctors."

It will not be difficult to see the common purpose of these Studies. Read only the critics, whether Rationalist or Christian, and it would seem that the Gospels must always be surrounded by at least some element of doubt. Read the Gospels themselves, and they are their own convincing witness. External difficulties can always be raised against them, some of which can never be solved; not because they are insoluble, but because the corresponding external evidence is lost. But such difficulties, at their best or worst, are never more than negative or circumstantial; they do not touch, nor do they usually attempt to touch, the positive truth which the Gospels contain on every page, for one who is willing to see. It has been the writer's aim to illustrate this, by drawing out a few of the threaas of the Gospel Witness to itself. The witnesses considered are Saint John the Evangelist, Zachary, The Blessed Virgin Mary, the people in Nazareth, the people in Galilee, the Apostles, the lawyers, Pontius Pilate and ultimate Almighty God.

What did alcoholics do before there was Alcoholics Anonymous? Let us consider a few parts of this holy man's life: "He was not quarrelsome when drunk, but went quietly home to bed when the public-houses had closed for the night. No matter how much drink he had taken the night before, he was up in time for his work, which started at 6 a.m., and left the house clean and tidy in his person. He acquired the habit of taking the Holy Name in vain and of using strong language when talking with his fellow workers, and he began to neglect the Sacraments, though he went to Mass on Sundays. His prayers consisted of blessing himself when he got out of bed in the morning, as he was, usually, too drunk to say any prayers going to bed. For two, if not three, years before his conversion he had not been to the Sacraments of Penance or the Holy Eucharist. "The picture which Matt Talbot presents to us at this period is that of a young fellow going fast on the road to ruin; the craving' for drink gradually mastering him; the duties of his religion almost completely neglected; and the duties to his parents entirely ignored. The picture is dark, but it is not all black. All his troubles came from the one sin-indulgence in drink. He had no other vice and his moral character was irreproachable." And let us consider the day of his conversion. "Matt was sileiJlt for a time, and finally turning to his mother said, "I am going to take the pledge." She smiled rather incredulously, and said, "Go, in God's name; but don't take it unless you are going to keep it." He answered, "I'll go in the name of God." He went to the room in which the boys slept, washed himself carefully, and, taking his cap, turned to leave the house. As he stood at the door his mother turned to him and said gently, "God give you strength to keep it."" He took the pledge, which at that time was a pledge to give up drinking for a period of time. "On the present occasion, Matt had made up his mind to take the pledge for three months as he doubted his ability to keep it for any longer period. He had be'en about three years from confession, so he went to confession in the College and took the pledge when his confession was ended. He then returned home, and on Sunday morning attended the 5 a.m. Mass at st. Francis Xavier's Church, Upper Gardiner Street, where he received Holy Communion." Let us consider what started Matt on to the life that has caused his life to become known: "He had now to consider what steps he should take to enable him to keep his pledge. If he continued his ordinary course of life it would mean meeting his companions at the most dangerous hours, namely, after the day's work had finished. To avoid them without giving offence he could not remain in the neighbourhood of his home after worki, ng hours, and he should, thel'e, fore, go where they would not think of looking for him. His decision was, to go to daily Mass at 5 a.m. in St. Francis Xavier's Church, Upper Gardiner Street, and after the day's work was done to visit a distant Church where he could pray for strength to keep his promise." This book goes on to relate Matt's life of sanctity after first making the pledge and the struggles he had to become a Saint. And he did it without the help of others in AA, only the help of his confessors and family. Let us hope this life will inspire others to overcome their habits of sin, whether they be drink or any other habit, for the cure is the same, prayer, penance and resignation to the will of God.

The Fathers of the Council of Trent showed at a very early date that they were satisfied with none of the existing works, and that they were fully alive to the need and necessity of preparing an authoritative Catechism. The realisation of their desire, however, was retarded for several years by events over which they had little control; and when the work was finally taken in hand another idea prevailed, resulting in the publication of a manual for the use of the clergy, and not, as originally suggested, a Catechism for children and uninstructed adults. Of the countless Catechisms that continued to appear, two - those of Bellarmine and Canisius - have steadily held their ground ever since, and to a large extent have served as the models of nearly an subsequent compilations of the kind. The influence of Canisius, however, has on the whole been limited to Germany; whereas Bellarmine's Catechism, which was written by command of Pope Clement VIII in 1597, has been copied in almost every other country in the world. At an early date it was translated into Arabic, Latin, Modern Greek, French, Spanish, German, English, and Polish. It had the warm approbation of Clement VIII, who prescribed it for use in the Papal States; of Urban VIII, who directed it to be adopted in all the Eastern missions; of Innocent XIII and Benedict XIV; particularly of the very important Council of all Italy, held at Rome, in 1725, which made it obligatory in all the dioceses of the peninsula; and finally of the Vatican Council which indicated it as the model for a proposed universal Catechism. Though Bellarmine's Catechism was largely followed as a model all over the world, yet, owing to the modifications introduced in diocesan editions, it came to pass in the course of time that almost every diocese had its own Catechism, differing in many respects from the Catechisms of other dioceses. The obvious inconvenience of this bewildering multiplicity of Catechisms occupied the attention of the Fathers of the Vatican Council, the great majority of whom were agreed as to the desirability of having a uniform small Catechism for the faithful all over the world. Early during the sittings of the Council, forty-one of the assembled Fathers devoted six sessions (February 10 to February 22) to an examination of the question; and the report which they drew up occupied the attention of the whole Council during the sittings of April 29 and 30. The question being put to a vote on May 4, an immense majority was found to be in favour of the compilation of a small uniform Catechism, to be compiled in Latin, translated into every language, and made obligatory in every diocese. But the approach of the Italian troops towards the walls of Rome brought the Council to an untimely end and there was no time to promulgate the constitution on the proposed uniform Catechism, so that it has not the force of law. The idea, however, has never been lost sight of. During the sitting of the first Catechetical Congress in 1880, the then Bishop of Mantua (later St. Pius X) proposed that the Holy Father be petitioned to arrange for the compilation of a simple, plain, brief, and popular Catechism for uniform use all over the world. Shortly after his elevation to the Chair of Peter, Pius X at once set about realising, within certain limits, his own proposal of 1880, by prescribing a uniform Catechism - the Compendium of Christian Doctrine - for use in the dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Rome, at the same time indicating that it was his earnest desire to have the same manual adopted all over Italy. The text selected was, with slight modifications, that which had been adopted for some years by the united hierarchy of Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Emilia, and Tuscany.