Quote of the Day (Garrigou-Lagrange)

"St. Louis (Marie de Montford) says that there are two forms of spiritual direction, just as there are two ways of making a statue. A statue can be made by hammering and chiseling a piece of wood or marble—a difficult and lengthy process, during which a single awkward blow may ruin the entire work. But there is another way, a much easier way—by putting clay into a mould. This is the method which Christ adopts for the spiritual formation of souls who have a great love for Our Blessed Lady, and who are urged by that love to a humble imitation of her virtues."—Reginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange (1877-1964), The Priest in Union With Christ (1952), translated by G. W. Shelton

(I found this book on the shelves of Carey Cottage Inn at the Chautauqua Institution, of all places—a village renowned for spiritual inquiry, as my readers know abundantly by now, but not necessarily known for its Catholic presence. A stamp on the first page announces that it came from the library of the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels. Was that located near Chautauqua in upstate New York? Is it still around?

Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is considered one of the greatest neo-Thomists of the 20th century. An intriguing discussion of his life—albeit one that takes as its starting point the questionable belief that “certain pre-Vatican II thinkers were buried by the liberals and reformers”—is contained in this link. In any case, I like the simple explanation that this French Dominican offered for the complex but powerful influence of Mary in the lives of believers. Not a bad meditation for the Feast of the Assumption.)