REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS volver al archivo   La revista REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS la publica la Universidad Saint Louis de los jesuitas en USA REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 63.2 2004 Articles Spiritual Wisdom Keeping a Balance: Contemplation and Christian Meditation New to our pages, Brian V. Johnstone CSSR writes from Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome, Italy. He proposes that some form of active vocal prayer may well go together with contemplation. Excerpts: "A fear of mistaking 'doing nothing, with nothing happening' for genuine contemplation has a long history in Christian prayer. ... St. Alphonsus insistes on some acts, those to which God is gently attracting us. ... Christian Meditation is not antiintellectual or antitheological. ... The more intense the power of grace, the more we are fully active." Faith Seeking Understanding: Spiritual Direction's Sapiential Function Dennis J. Billy CSSR writes again from Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome, Italy. He explains how spiritual direction is a divine (but also human) art that helps us "pray in truth" and come to an intimate personal knowledge of God. Excerpts: "The primary means by which the Spirit accomplishes its task is by nuturing in us a deep desire for solitude. ... Becoming ourselves in our faith is but another way of speaking about our desire for holiness." Windows of the Soul: Walter Ciszek SJ George Aschenbrenner SJ has written for this journal every couple of years since 1966; he currently resides and ministers in Scranton, Pennsylvanis. He relates the incident in the life of the Jesuit Walter Ciszek that gave him the faith-filled freedom to survive twenty years of Communist prison. Excerpts: "Walter Ciszek's contemplation of Jesus' agony in the garden gave new meaning to his own despairing helplessness." Mentoring Merton and a Spirituality for Millennials Fred Herron is chairperson of the religious studies department at Fontbonne Hall Academy and a member of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John's University in Staten Island, New York. He proposes Merton's retrieval of the riches of the Benedictine Rule as a spirituality for the millennial generation. Excerpts: "In contemplation, Merton realized, we meet God, and in meeting God we discover our deepest freedom. ... The believing community is less a haven than a supplier of spiritual goods and services." Paradox in the Monastery: Lessons from Two Ammas Author of The Forgotten Desert Mothers, Laura Swan OSB is prioress of St. Placid Priory in Lacey, Washington. In this article she reflects upon the paradox that oft-told stories reveal more about us and our current struggles than about the subject of the story. Excerpts: "The woman rose and stood in a position of tearful supplication or prostrated herself in contrition. ... The desert tradition was intended to force the seeker to face self without distractions, illusions, or barriers. ... The desert ascetics taught all to deliberately let go of whatever keeps us from the single-minded pursuit of God." Viewing Chapters as "Authorizing" Our Congregations' Narratives Patrick Sean Moffett CFC writes from New York, New York. He presents various aspects of religious-life chapters that emphasize the storytelling nature of these ecclesial events. Excerpts: "The New Testament offers what might be considered models of chapter. ... Congregations sometimes have regressed in search of past glories and a lost sense of security. .. The experience of chapter is not easy to share with those who were not present." Ignatian Tradition Our Lady's Presence in the Spiritual Exercises J. Thomas Hamel SJ does spiritual direction and lives at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He helps us to review the subtle, but penetrating, presence of our Lady to the prayer exercises of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Excerpts: "The grace to know our Lord more interiorly inavolves knwing our Lady more interiorly. ... In some wondrous, mystical way, our Lady continues to place her child in the manger as a way of offering him to fearful, hopeful people." The Spiritual Power of Matter:Teilhard and the Exercises Kathleen Duffy SSJ writes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She shows how the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius helped Teilhard de Chardin to synthesize the science of evolution with his Christian knowledge of God. Excerpts: "The Divine Milieu is a book about how to live a life of prayer united with Christ in an unfinished world. ... To sustain him on his journey, Teilhard prays for three things: purity, faith, and fidelity." Departments Prisms: The Missionary Church David L. Fleming SJ, the editor of Review for Religious, reflects our mandate to be missionaries given on Pentecost. Canonical Counsel: Mergers, Unions, Federations, and Confederations Elizabeth McDonough OP continues her on-going series of canonical information and reflection. She teaches at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and is canonical advisor for numerous religious communities as well as for the Archdiocese of Washington.