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R e v i e w s
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This Rock
Volume 13, Number 4
 April 2002 
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Little Way, Big Grace
"My little way is all love."
The Little Flower’s summary of her spirituality is familiar to almost every Catholic. Now, a century after her death, Pope John Paul II has named Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church, and those profound words still have the power to change lives.
But how can we truly understand this "little way of love" in today’s culture of greed and death when the very word love has been cheapened and stripped of much of its meaning? How can twenty-first-century Catholics even begin to comprehend Thérèse’s unshakable childlike trust in the love of God the Creator, a trust that was bedrock for the relationship that raised the sheltered little Carmelite to the heights of sanctity?
Msgr. Vernon Johnson, a convert from Anglicanism who credits the life and powerful intercession of Thérèse for his conversion and who became an apostle and teacher of her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, answers these questions. Originally published in 1953, Spiritual Childhood is a timeless explanation of Thérèse’s spirituality that is profound yet accessible to ordinary people who long to imitate the saint in her deep love for God and his Church.
The touching story of Msgr. Johnson’s conversion, appended to this edition, is a perfect example of how Thérèse’s words can lead a struggling soul to unimagined spiritual heights. Through his apostolate to priests, the Association of the Priests of Thérèse, the monsignor influenced untold numbers of souls during his lifetime.
The book begins with how the Little Way was revealed to Thérèse under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and through Scripture—particularly the words of Our Lord to his apostles, "Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Showing how Thérèse applied this teaching to her own life, Msgr. Johnson explains how it can be applied to the life of any seeker. He divides Thérèse’s teaching into three categories—love, humility, and suffering—and connects each with the foundational fatherhood of God and the relationship that is possible between the Father and each of his children.
Exploring the simplicity and directness of supernatural love, the author demonstrates its intimacy by comparing it to a mother’s love for her child: tender, sacrificial, self-forgetful, and in no way sentimental. What has been mistaken by worldly critics as sentimentality in Thérèse’s writings can be seen here in its true light, the genuine depth of feeling of one who described herself as "a little victim" of Christ’s love.
Msgr. Johnson writes, "The secret of being a victim of love lies in the fact that God’s merciful love, of its very nature, reaches out to those who are farthest away, to draw them to himself. . . .There is none so far away that he cannot respond." He quotes Thérèse’s response, "the self-surrender of the little child who sleeps without fear in his father’s arms," reminding readers that the resulting love that flowed "unhindered through her in her lifetime to those immediately around her" and "since her death to a legion of little souls" will "happen with everyone who surrenders himself to the working of God’s love."
Of course the path to this surrender lies in suffering and humility, and the greater portion of the book is devoted to these. To Thérèse, littleness and humility were identical. She wrote, "Holiness does not consist in one exercise or another, but in a disposition of the heart which renders us humble and little in the hands of God." The result, Msgr. Johnson writes, is true humility, "the removing, through surrender to grace, of . . . faults and failings, so that, where pride and self-love have hitherto dominated, the love of our Lord may reign instead." A chapter on humility probes the necessity and blessedness of humiliation as a path to true humility, pointing out that we need continual reminding of this hard lesson.
And what about suffering, pain, and death, which Msgr. Johnson calls "grim accompaniments of human life, which seem to quench our hope and dull our consciousness of the heavenly Father’s love"? He goes straight to the Little Flower’s autobiography to show how her teaching about the place of suffering was forged from a life of suffering and how loving acceptance "not only reunites us ourselves with God, but is also the means by which we can help other souls."
Two chapters are devoted to the little saint’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin, whom she described as "more a mother than a queen." The splendid final chapter is an explanation of the sometimes misunderstood shower of roses connected with devotion to Thérèse.
-- Ann Applegarth
Spiritual Childhood: The Spirituality of Therese of Lisieux
By Msgr. Vernon Johnson
Ignatius Press (2001)
230 pages
$13.95
ISBN: 0-898-708-265
In Lieu of a Pile of Books
"Where can I find out what the Catholic Church really teaches? Is there a single book I can buy?" It’s a question I asked several years ago as an Evangelical Protestant trying to find out what the Catholic Church taught officially about topics such as Mary, salvation, and authority.
Fortunately for me (and several million other curious readers), The Catechism of the Catholic Church had just made its way into English. The impact of that wonderful and essential work cannot be overestimated. Not only has it been a best seller among Catholics, it has been read by numerous non-Catholics as well. In fact, there are a steady stream of people entering the Catholic Church who name the Catechism as a major influence in their decision. The organic arrangement of material and the readability of the first universal catechism in five hundred years are endearing, and it will undoubtedly produce much fruit in the decades and centuries to come.
For over a century prior to the Second Vatican Council, the one-stop source for official Church teaching was Denzinger and Schönmetzers’ Enchridilon Symbolorum (1854), a thoroughly indexed and carefully selected compilation of council texts, papal documents, and creedal statements, all in the original Greek and Latin. Ideal for the scholar and advanced student, it was a bit daunting for those not skilled in the classical languages.
Which is one reason that Neuner and Dupuis’ The Christian Faith has been in print since first appearing in 1973. This most recent edition from Alba House is the seventh and largest, well over a thousand pages in length. Dupuis is a systematic theologian who patterns The Christian Faith after Denzinger and Schönmetzers’ classic volume in many ways while avoiding some of its limitations. The Christian Faith is arranged systematically and topically. It begins with "Symbols and Professions of the Faith" then covers subjects such as "Revelation and Faith," "Tradition and Scripture," "The Triune God," and "The Social Doctrine of the Church."
Every essential doctrinal issue is accounted for, with this latest edition incorporating official material up to 1999. Texts are arranged chronologically under the respective headings, and each paragraph is numbered; cross-referenced to the Enchridilon Symbolorum; and indexed by topics, persons, and Scripture references. Excellent introductions to both the topics and the specific texts are an added bonus. These supply insights into the historical, ecclesial, and theological background of each text.
The editors point out that these collected documents should not merely be viewed as polished pieces of a monolithic "system of doctrine" frozen in time but as doctrinal texts with unique origins and varying degrees of authority. In other words, appreciate the authentic unity and diversity of the texts, avoid the dangers of proof-texting, and always keep the big picture in focus. The value of this resource should be obvious to the apologist, especially when addressing questions about ancient conciliar and papal documents.
Concerned that the early Church may have erroneously taught that natural works can save us? Check out the Council of Orange (A.D. 529), which stated that only a person who is "deceived by the heretical spirit and does not understand the word said by God" would claim "to be able by one’s natural strength to think as is required or choose anything good pertaining to one’s eternal salvation" (p. 802).
How about the classic tactic, used by some Reformed Protestants, of quoting sections from the "Canons on justification" found in the Council of Trent’s "Decree of Justification" (1547) without ever reading the entire decree? You’ll find the entire text in The Christian Faith, accompanied by helpful introductory comments.
The one weakness of this valuable and inexpensive volume is not found between the covers but in the binding, which does not take wear and tear well. My first copy of The Christian Faith is five years old and has already become loose and sloppy along the spine.
The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church
Seventh edition (revised and enlarged)
By J. Neuner, S.J. and J. Dupuis, S.J., editors
Alba House (2001)
1,092 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0-818-908-939
Another resource—and a nearly indispensable one—for apologists, students, and catechists is the Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Inevitably when reading the Catechism there will be a brief quote or a footnoted reference that catches your eye and leaves you wanting more: What does that reference say? What is the larger context referred to by the Catechism? The Companion provides in a single volume the texts of those references.
For instance, paragraph 1269 of the Catechism is a brief statement about the newly baptized and their responsibilities and duties within the Church. Its four footnotes include references to passages of Scripture, Lumen Gentium, and the Code of Canon Law. In the Companion these references take up two pages, providing a more detailed background and context to the original paragraph of the Catechism.
The Catechism, according to the Ignatius Press catalogue, contains over 3,600 references to Scripture, conciliar texts, papal documents, and writings of the Fathers; the Companion contains all the passages that are cross-referenced in the Catechism footnotes. Although more expensive ($29.95 softcover, $39.95 hardcover) than The Christian Faith, this straightforward resource saves the reader space (one volume instead of a pile of books) and time and makes the Catechism even more accessible and enjoyable to read. Combined with a good Catholic Bible, the Catechism, the Companion, and The Christian Faith form a solid foundation for any library of Catholic doctrine and dogma.
-- Carl E. Olson
The Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Ignatius Press (1994)
976 pages
$39.95 hardcover
$29.95 softcover
ISBN 0-898-704-502 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-898-704-510 (softcover)
Biblical Roots of the Mass
Fr. Peter Stravinskas is a familiar name in Catholic apologetics and catechesis. The author or editor of twenty-one books and of over five hundred articles, Fr. Stravinskas is perhaps best known to the general Catholic public as the founder and editor of Our Sunday Visitor’s The Catholic Answer (not to be confused—though it frequently is—with Catholic Answers, which came first).
Those who have read Fr. Stravinskas’s work or have heard him speak know that he wastes no words. This economic style, combined with clarity and breadth of learning, makes The Bible and the Mass an especially fine resource for RCIA groups and catechism classes as well as for non-Catholics studying the biblical roots of the Mass.
Each chapter concludes with meditations on Scripture and questions for group discussions. More than explanatory, this book has a spiritual focus, meant to lead the reader into "greater participation in Sunday and weekday Mass" (p. 7). It also contains some helpful appendices on the place of Latin in the liturgy, posture in worship, and the use of vestments and objects in the liturgy. References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church have been added in this newest edition, adding to its catechetical value. Also valuable is how the ancient and organic relationship between Scripture and the Mass is presented with one eye toward the big picture—what is the Mass all about?—and another toward details likely to be revelations to many readers.
For instance, it is only in the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass that "a worshiper speaks as an ‘I’ rather than as part of a ‘we’" (p. 17), emphasizing the personal nature of sin. Or how about the fact that prior to Vatican II many countries such as Spain, France, and Germany celebrated Mass with the priest facing the people? And how many know that the third Eucharistic prayer is "a completely modern translation, essentially the work of the Benedictine liturgist Cyprian Vaggagini" ?(p. 69).
These and other details are woven into the larger picture: that of the eucharistic sacrifice that is a "covenant renewal sacrifice" reconciling man to God the Father through the work of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation history is recounted, experienced, and celebrated in the liturgy, with the sacrificial work of Christ being made present in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
"The Eucharist anticipates the end-time in a twofold movement," writes Fr. Stravinskas. "Through the liturgical re-enactment of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, God comes to us in a unique manner, which then has the effect of drawing us to Him—now and unto eternity" (p. 69).
Fr. Stravinskas also addresses many of the controversial and confusing issues surrounding the post-Vatican II Mass: the place and use of Latin, why non-Catholics cannot ordinarily receive the Eucharist, the unique role of the ordained priesthood, the abuse of the role of extraordinary ministers, and the defects of the current English translation. The belief that the altar is primarily a table for a meal rather than a sacred place for Christ’s unique sacrifice is shown to be false and dangerous. The schismatic claim that the absence of Latin is the downfall of the current Mass is exposed as misleading––Latin has never been banished from the Mass, despite attempts to do so.
All of these issues are handled in a balanced but firm manner. On the positive side, the familial reality of the Mass is emphasized, and the relational richness of the liturgy is highlighted. There are many references to the Eastern rites and distinctive features of the Byzantine liturgies. Most importantly, Scripture passages permeate the book, demonstrating that the Mass is a most biblical act of worship and that the Catholic Church "can be correctly called a ‘Bible Church,’ indeed the Bible Church" (p. 46).
-- Carl E. Olson
The Bible and the Mass
By Fr. Peter Stravinskas
Newman House (2000)
122 pages
$9.95
ISBN: 0-970-402-201
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