Letters to the editor

Thanks for the excellent book reviews and the thoughtful essays. Your magazines always go "on retreat" with me whether to the monastery or the quiet of my reading corner at home. Please continue to include poems by St. Therese and the other poets of Carmel. They contain so many nuggets of spiritual wisdom and insight.

M. Gerrity, Maryland

Without sounding too dramatic, I must mention that your magazine has changed my life. The articles about St. Therese and B1. Edith Stein are particularly helpful. P. Murphy, California

I am compelled to write you to encourage Dr. Richard B. Patterson, author of "The Gift of Simple Faith," which appeared in the 1998 Spring issue of Spiritual Life, to pursue his initial desire "to read" the Catechism of the Catholic Church.... I sincerely believe that Dr. Patterson is denying himself abundant graces, knowledge and appreciation of his Catholic Faith for failing to pursue the study of the Catechism due to his unfortunate experience. I would urge him to renew his efforts and as "an educated man," "to study" the Catechism, seeking...enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.

E. Tetreault, Rhode Island

Even before finishing the Spring 1998 issue of Spiritual Life, I am moved to write and thank you. Your editorial: "Great people and lowly people have dreams, have desires deep inside that they long to express. If we meet a nurturing person, we can express what lies deep inside and feel more alive." To be that nurturing person to those around us seems to be a major component of the Carmelite call.

Kevin Regan's marvelous and timely piece"The Mystical Character of Conjugal Love." How brave of him to speak so clearly and truly.... That seems [to be] the heart of the matter, whether the vocation is marriage, the religious life, a single life in the world. The core experience that one is seen in all one's nakedness & terrible poverty and accepted and deeply loved by Another and another. That generates the love for all others. L. Wilson, Pennsylvania

(We welcome your comments. Please send them to The Editor, Spiritual Life, 2131 Lincoln Rd. NE, Washington, DC 20002 or e-mail to: edodonnell@aol.com. Our new web site address is: www. Spiritual-Life.org.)

Spiritual Life