Forming a Christian Mentality (Chapters for the Religious Guidance of Youth for Priests, Parents and Teachers) Religious Guidance of Youth for Priests, Parents and Teachers). By Kilian J. Hennrich, O.F.M. Cap., M.A., K.C.H.S. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS121 Forming a Christian Mentality (Chapters for the Religious Guidance of Youth for Priests, Parents and Teachers). By Kilian J. Hennrich, O.F.M. Cap., M.A., K.C.H.S. (New York: Wagner, 1945. Pp. xii+288.) Reading Fr. Kilian's book is like enjoying a glass of rare, old wine. Just as such wine, rich and mellowed with age, pleases the taste and satisfies the whole man, so this work, the fruit of long years of study and experience, opens new vistas pleasing to both heart and mind. Alive to the needs of souls and thoroughly Catholic, the famous and venerable author implements here the recommendation of Pope Pius XII that human society be re-placed upon a Christian foundation. The Holy Father's program has been given on many occasions, notably in an address to Italian youth in 1940. There he tells us that to make society Christian once more the Bible "with its moral precepts must again be esteemed and honored. The family must be re-elevated, and motherhood must again receive the halo of its sacramental dignity. The married must learn and understand their duties, and must fulfill their responsibilities conscientiously" (P. 17). Attune to these needs of society, Fr. Kilian has written a book to form a Christian mentality. There is a crying need for such a mentality. The author writes: "Pope Pius XII stresses first, Holy Scripture as an excellent means to promote Christian living. He then desires that people should become better acquainted with the holy state and obligations of matrimony, and that all Christians young and old, should better fulfill the duties essential to Christian living" (Ibid.). Fr. Kilian shows that religious knowledge alone is not sufficient to make society Christian. "The knowledge of religion has not made all doctors of theology truly spiritual-minded. Fortunately, it is not necessary to be steeped in the science of religion in order to lead a very holy life" (Ibid.). Additional instruction helps people but such instruction must be brought into relation with their daily lives and with the whole body of revelation and the liturgy. It is earnest meditation on the truths of faith together with personal application to life that makes us Christian-minded and holy. Merely to know the faith and not to live up to it in all phases of life is the deplorable condition that must be remedied. Living as we do in a post-Christian world filled with the miasma of pagan "isms," we must be on our guard to preserve a clean and healthy Christian outlook. To do this is not so simple as may at first appear. Witness the many false notions among Catholics! To guide us we have indeed Scripture and Tradition, the works of the saints and the ever increasing encyclicals of the Popes; yet the Holy Father asks for a new vitalization of society on sound Christian principles! The clarion call of the Holy Father is echoed and amplified in Fr. Kilian's splendid book. It has a surprising amount of pregnant and clear doctrine. Based on faith as given us in Scripture and Tradition, the work shows the vital relation of faith to daily life. The author's masterful treatment of the sacred liturgy and its application to life also offers a timely and sorely needed remedy for the laxity and worldliness of our day and land. Not only priests, parents and teachers, but all who seek an answer to our present world problems will find in this book a harmony of doctrine 122BOOK REVIEWS and life given with many surprising and shrewd observations gleaned from a rich and varied pastoral experience. Fr. Kilian does not fear to tell the truth. He applies the knife to the wound. Though he cut and burn, it is unto salvation, and the balm of truth and light is poured out in abundance. Forming a Christian Mentality strikes at the root of domestic and social evils, not merely by castigating them, but by showing the dignity of the human soul, the glory of human personality, the splendor of holy matrimony, the magnificent role of the Christian family in society and the crowning effulgence of God...