Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:BOOK REVIEWS 155 tation of the Catholic natural-law tradition of moral theology!... They,are called-usually by detractors---" proportionalists." (p.109, 110) At the expense of being thought a "detractor," I must point out that it is not just the " current magisterium" but the consistent teaching of the magisterium from St. Paul and St. Augustine on that their are concrete exceptionless ("absolute") moral norms and that the "dissenters", although they have tried, have not been able to put up a good historical case to the contrary. But, these absolute norms are not about " physical actions " as such, hut about the moral evil of the intention to perform actions which have specific physical results. While it is true that those who deny such exceptionless norms and maintain that the decisive moral principle is simply "proportionate reason", i.e. the balance of positive and negative premoral values, do not form a " cohesive school ", this only evidences the fact that while agreeing on a common methodology they have not found any single defense of it which has been able to withstand critical analysis. The present work is another example to prove that this approach with its talk of " the texture of human relationships " and " proportionate reasons " becomes hopelessly vague and arbitrary when faced with the real problems of our day, since it supplies no workable criteria hy which to decide among the new technologies, and thus leaves society open to the uncontrolled employment of them which these authors rightly deplore. BENEDICT M. ASHLEY, O.P. John Paul II Institute on Marriage and the Family Washington, D.C. Madonna: Mary in the Catholic Tradition. By FREDERICK M. JELLY, O.P. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 1986. Pp. 210. $7.50 (paper). Madonna is a hook that is, in this reviewer's opinion, long overdue. There is an abundance of theological material on the subject of Mary available to the " theological public " but much of it is found in scholarly journals and relatively little is in English. Fr. Jelly has done English-speaking Catholics (and probably many others) a real service hy producing a solid, fluid, and readable book on the Woman of Faith who is still attractive to multitudes of people while remaining ohjec· tively an integral part of Catholic biblical and theological traditions. Not only can we not avoid discussing Mary when in dialogue with our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, but also our Catholic understanding 156 BOOK REVIEWS and appreciation of Mary's place in our faith lives needs to be con· tinually nourished. This book contributes much to fulfill this need. In the book the author gives a good historical background to each of the issues raised: Mary's Motherhood, Virginity, Immaculate Concep· tion and Assumption. His chapter on Private Devotions and Appari· tions is a good analysis of the facts and gives some good insights into a particularly delicate aspect of our Marian heritage. Throughout the book the author displays a familiarity with the latest scriptural developments regarding Mary and these are blended well with theological reflection which help to clarify and deepen our grasp of the mystery who is Mary. It will serve as an excellent intro· duction for those who are interested in pursuing further certain Marian themes. It sets up clearly the " state of the question. " And for anyone wishing to have a clear and intelligible understanding of the Catholic position on Mary, this is a book to read. This book is well structured; one's interest is captured and maintained throughout. The reviewer's hope is that this is but the first of several works on Mary by Fr. Frederick Jelly. GEORGE KIRWIN, O.M.I. Boston, Massachusetts The Risk of Interpretation: On Being Faithful to the Christian Tradi· tion in a Non-Christian Age. By CLAUDE GEFFRE. Translated by David Smith. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1987. Pp. vi + 298. $12.95 {paperback). Several years ago, M.-D. Chenu described himself, in his preface to Claude Ge:ffre's A New Age in Theology {New York: Paulist, 1972), as " one who, not without some boldness and certain risks, has reacted against decay in theology and envisaged opportune breakthroughs in historical and speculative...