Kelly, Margaret J, D.C.

English

Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University

Vincentian Heritage Journal Volume 16 Issue 2 Article 7 Fall 1995 Book Review: Deep Down Things Margaret J. Kelly D.C. Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj Recommended Citation Kelly, Margaret J. D.C. (1995) "Book Review: Deep Down Things," Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 16 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol16/iss2/7 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by the Vincentian Journals and Publications at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vincentian Heritage Journal by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact digitalservices@depaul.edu. 215Book ReviewDEEP DOWN THINGS:SELECTED WRITINGS OF REVEREND RICHARD MCCULLEN, CM.NEW YORK: NEW CITY PRESS, 1995. 784 PP.Deep Down Things, a collection of almost 300 letters, homilies, andtalks penned by Richard McCullen during his twelve years as superiorgeneral of the worldwide Vincentian communities, is at the same timepersonal and global; contemporary and historical; inspirational andpractical; religious and secular; learned and popular. Chronologicallyarranged from 1980-1992, the book is directed principally to the ex-tended Vincentian family, including Daughters of Charity, the Con-gregation of the Mission, and other charitable organizations whocontinue the vision of Saint Vincent de Paul.The book, however, has relevance and appeal for a wider audi-ence. The author's lyrical style and rich imagery, reflective of his Irishlineage, will appeal to those who demand literary craftsmanship andartistry as well as solid content. The fluid prose and the economicalstructure (very few entries exceed three pages) as well as the practicalturn of the spirituality reveal a mature author who has passed throughseveral decades of theological study, prayerful reflection, and pastoralservice.The title Deep Down Things is drawn from the Jesuit poet GerardManley Hopkins and captures well the effect of the book on thereader. One is quietly invited to penetrate everyday events and en-counters, and especially Scripture, to discover the essential, the"thisness" which binds all creation and human experience with itsSource and Destiny. The spiritual commentaries are carefully woventhrough or drawn out of events as diverse as earthquakes in Mexicoand Italy, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the celebration of thejubilee year in Rome, participation in a synod, a pilgrimage to Knock,the emergence of indigenous communities in Africa, and beatifica-tion/canonization proceedings. The original audiences for these writ-ings circle the globe from Ireland to Indonesia, Cameroon to China,Salzburg to Saint Louis, Berlin to Bolivia, Prague to the Philippines,and a multiplicity of other locations within first and third worlds, free216nations and oppressed countries. Personal experiences such as anexcursion to Mayan temples in Guatemala or a visit to the Romanchurch of San Andrea delle Fratte, with its associations with bothAlphonse Ratisbonne and Maximilian Kolbe, successfully fuse thetravel and devotional genres.A few basic themes echo fugue-like throughout the various chap-ters of the book which approaches 800 pages. While the contextsdiffer, the Eucharist as the center of life and Mary as the model ofdiscipleship, as well as Saint Vincent de Paul's special view of thepoor, are explored in a variety of ways. The author's treatment of thesesubjects as well as his creative walking through the gospel parablesoften evoke that experience Eliot referred to as making the familiarstrange and the strange familiar. It is the experience one has when aninterpretation seems so obvious and apt, that one is delighted and yetsurprised at not having thought of it oneself.While the gamut of virtues have their place in Father McCullen'swritings, he is particularly insistent on two qualities for effectiveChristian living. In a very Chestertonian way, he posits the need fora sense of awe and wonder to go "deep down things" and find theSpirit in the beauties of nature, the complexity of the psyche, and themeaning of the cross. Secondly, he places reconciliation at the pinnacleof human graces required for peace at the personal, interpersonal, andeven international levels. He constantly invites the reader to reflect onthe dignity of the human person and the effect of the Incarnation.While insisting on work for justice, he cautions that those who workfor justice cam"';ot pit one class against another or foment anger andcontempt.This book can be sampled, read in generous allotments, savoredin carefully chosen topics, or studied chronologically. The style of theprose is very personal and original, but two distinctive methods ofdevelopment recur frequently. In one, an experience, at times theauthor's but more often that of an historical, scriptural or literaryfigure, is narrated and then the contemporary significance of thatevent from the gospel perspective is explored. On the feast of theMagi, a fictional interview with a decidedly modern flavor is con-ducted with the Kings and on the occasion of the beatification of twoDaughters of Charity martyred at Angers in 1794, their seventeenth-century foundress engages in a soliloquy.In the second method, to make a spiritual point the author selectsand explores, from a variety of perspectives, a concrete image {stained217glass to consumerism-clogged arteries). Many of these images derivefrom personal experiences while others are drawn from the poets,particularly the metaphysical poets, Hopkins, and Eliot. However,prose writers such as Chesterton, Cardinal Newman, Ronald Knox,and others find their way into his commentaries as well. This store-house of literary allusions and carefully chosen images provide thememory hook that allows the listener or the reader to retain themessage and in the worshiper's case, carry the homily from Sunday toSunday. To recall the image or the reference, the part, is to rememberthe whole.While the book will be most valued within the Vincentian fami-lies, it offers much to persons who are interested in religious forma-tion and spirituality. Because the collection includes a large number ofhomilies developed by a talented preacher, it could serve as a veryuseful tool for those who preach and those who teach homiletics.Despite the careful editing, one does regret that a glossary was notprovided to assist readers both within and outside the Vincentianfamily to orient themselves to the variety of historical and contempo-rary personalities alluded to throughout the text. However, this is noteven a small deterrent to traveling "deep down things" and discover-ing in these pages, along with the Jesuit Hopkins and the VincentianMcCullen, the Holy Spirit brooding with "warm breast" and withvery "bright wings."Distributors of the book may be contacted at: The McCullen Project,333 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727, phone: 301-447-3121. The price is $25.00, plus $3.50 for postage and handling.Sister Margaret John Kelly, DCExecutive DirectorVincentian Center for Church & SocietySaint John's UniversityJamaica, NY 11439218It is only God alone who can make us abandon all, wretchedcreatures that we are and objects of his justice, that we may becomethe objects of his love. 0 happy change! To abandon an earthly lovefor a love that is heavenly, eternal, and utterly divine!(Saint Vincent de Paul,conference to the Daughters of Charity, conference #18)You must place your trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is thefather of the poor.(Saint Louise de Marillac to Sister Julienne Loret,19 September 1651, letter 327)

Book Review: Deep Down Things

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