How that, the first year since the promulgation of Our Apostolic Constitution, Provida Mater Ecclesia (cf. A.A.S., XXXIX, n.4, p.114) has happily passed, since I We have before Our eyes so great a number of souls (hidden ‘with Christ in God’ (Col. o, 3) who aspire to perfection in the world and gladly ‘with generous heart and willing mind’ (2 Mac, 1, 3) consecrate their whole life to God in the new Secular Institutes, We cannot refrain from giving thanks to the Divine Goodness for this new militia which has increased the army of those professing the evangelical counsels in the world; and in this way the Catholic apostolate is providentially strengthened in these our times—times of trouble and sorrow —by a strong force.

For hundreds of years, it would seem, God left the revelation as it was at the time of the great Patriarchs. Even in the time of Moses there is no explicit reference to the Messias until we come to the most mysterious ‘ of all the scenes connected with prophecy: the oracles of Balaam (Numbers 24, 14-19). Bala King of Moat), asked his local prophet to curse the Israelites who were threatening his borders. Instead of cursing, Balaam blessed them. The fourth blessing runs as follows:

‘I see it (the people of the Israelites), but not as present. I contemplate it, but not as immediate. A star proceeds from Jacob, ft sceptre rises out of Israel. It shatters the temples of Moab. It exterminates all the sons of tumult. Edom is its possession; Seir, its enemy, is its possession. Israel does exploits’ (Num. 25, 17-8). This could be referred to David or to any conquering king of Israel. That was done; but generally, by Jews as well as Christians later, it was seen to refer truly and completely only to a spiritual Messias.

When our Lord addressed these and similar words to the Jews, he was contradicted and attacked by his hearers. They said, he is a Samaritan, he has a devil. In today's Gospel, on the contrary, it is recorded that after our Lord had miraculously fed the crowd with five loaves and two fishes, he was surrounded by the Jews who were enraptured with the great miracle, and they said: ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world'.

It has seemed to us opportune to speak briefly of that light which our Lord claimed to be. That light has enlightened all created lights. The sun, moon, stars, man's bodily senses, the intellectual light of reasonable creatures, in other words reason and intelligence draw their brilliance from it; by that light, all creatures are led and brought back to their origin. And if they did not. return to it, considered on their own without this true and essential light, they would assuredly be but thick darkness. Again our Lord said to every faithful soul: Give up your own light for my sake; compared to my light it is but darkness, the very opposite of my splendour.

A rule was written at the very end of the twelfth century for two or three sisters, anchoresses, and was designed to train its readers in the more perfect life of contemplation. But it treats of the first stages of the spiritual life, and, as we have seen, it only rises above the humdrum of the I purgative way in its final section. Now we are to consider the doctrine of a woman who had no doubt been trained by that or a simi:ar ‘Eiwle', and had so far profited by it as to have first been favoured by a series of visions in which she was passive in her acceptance of the ‘Eevelations', and finally, to have reached the highest forms of prayer. We are thus given the opportunity of studying the effects of the Ancren Riwle in their perfect stages; we are here taught the outcome of tne natural growth of the spirit if it follows the straight lines of an authorised rule.

Radicate et fundati in cantate as an ideal for the religious life is not older than the New Testament, but since that time it has been the inspiration of all religion. Each succeeding age has attempted to interpret it according to the spirit of its time, but no comprehensive interpretation has yet been achieved and one wonders what depths of meaning are still to be revealed. Like a jewel flashed in the sun it is continually revealing facets of scintillating beauty, and while one is paralysed by the beauty one now beholds, the beauty of yore is dimmed bub not diminished. Man's mind is finite and awaits the ultimate judgment, or appreciation of God, but our faith in the maturing life of the Church moves Us to hope that our interpretation of beauty, or charity, is the highest yet known to man. Other men may say ‘the old is better': other men have a right to their opinion. It is the Catholic Church.

In our own day a new congregation, with a new spirit and a new asceticism, is discovering a new application of this ideal of the religious life.