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BRIEF NOTICES Summa of the Christian Life. By LoUis OF GRANADA. Translated by Jordan Aumann, 0. P. St. Louis: Herder, 1954. Vol. I, pp. 3~1. $4.00. Vol. II, pp. ~35. $4.50. Not the least interesting part of this work is the long historical introduction by Fr. Alvaro Huerga, 0. P. which provides a magnificent synthesis o£ the life and works of Louis of Granada, the humble Dominican friar who was born at Granada in 1505 and whose ascetical writings are known and loved throughout the whole world. Louis was received into the Dominican Order at Granada in 1524. Later he was sent to the famous College of St. Gregory, Valladolid, celebrated for the brilliance of its students and professors. Although admirably fitted for the life of teaching, Louis' ambition was to be a missionary in the New World; but his superiors provided otherwise, and his true vocation as a spiritual writer and preacher developed. His first venture was a small tract on the method of prayer which was sent to a student of St. Gregory, Valladolid-a work which was later to become the famous Libro de la Oracion y Meditacion. His fame grew to such an extent that he was given permission to preach anywhere in Spain. In 1551 we find him in Portugal, and here, apart from a few short visits to Spain, he was to live, work and die. He became Provincial of the Portuguese province of the Order in 1556 and also confessor to the Queen Regent. However, at heart he was still a humble friar and neither praise nor blame, success or failure ever moved him; rather his spirituality grows more mature under trials while his writing seems to acquire greater clarity and precision. The best known of his works are The Sinner's Guide, The Book of Meditation and Prayer, The Memorial of the Christian Life, and the Introduction to the Creed, a gigantic work written during the last years of his life but still redolent of the spirit of youth. There are over forty-nine authentic works of Granada extant-a surprising thing when we remember that he did not begin his career as an author until nearly fifty years of age, writing Ol). spiritual theology, on apologetics, hagiography and sacred eloquence , apart from translating works by other authors into Spanish. His influence as a spiritual writer both in Spain and other countries possibly may be explained by the fact that he appeals to all classes in the Christian community, but it is not the whole explanation. Nor can it be attributed merely to the beauty and purity of his style--and one must admit that his work possesses both qualities, especially in the original Spanish. The real explanation lies deeper. First of all, his doctrine is always 14~ BRIEF NOTICES 143 solid, being based on Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Secondly, the main theme of his writings-the Pauline idea that the Christian lives in and for Christ-is the mainspring of all spirituality worthy of the name. This theme Granada develops through a series of graded steps which anyone can follow. What is more, he appeals not merely to the intellect but also to the will. The result is a spiritual synthesis clothed in simple yet beautiful language which has a universal appeal. The Summa of the Christian Life contains a selection taken from Granada's writings and arranged in the order of the questions in the Summa of St. Thomas. The idea of using the Summa as a framework for the writings of Granada was conceived by Fr. Antonio Trancho, 0. P., who was executed by the Communists in the early days of the Spanish Civil War, and was finally brought to completion by Msgr. Francisco Barbado, 0. P., Bishop of Salamanca. Apart from the long historical introduction, of which we have given a summary, the first volume contains twenty-eight chapters of selections from Granada's writings. These treat in general of the existence and nature of God, the Trinity, creation and the wonders of the universe. Even in translation the author's appeal makes itself felt. In treating of God's perfection...

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