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The Mystery of the Church - By Humbert Clerissac
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John Lane
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Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 The Mystery of the Church - By Humbert Clerissac
Cristian suggested this book to me, and I have now read it, and I concur with his judgement that it is very beautiful, as well as edifying and instructive. Here's a review from the Tablet, 1st May 1937. Quote: ECCLESIA DEI The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC, O.P. Sheed & Ward ; pp. 144. 3s. 6d. (Mis-spelled occasionally as Humbert Clerrisac.)
Although The Mystery of the Church remains unfinished, it is a valuable analysis of the life of the Church, the work of a man with a deep sense of the intellectual and moral order displayed by the Church, as well as of her mystical relations to the divine. His first three chapters describe that relation to each Person of the Trinity, to the mind of God, to Christ Himself in a unique manner ("The whole mystery of the Church," he writes, "lies in the equation and convertibility of these two terms: Christ and the Church. This principle clarifies all the theological axioms concerning the Church. For example: Outside the Church there is no salvation, really means nothing else than: Outside Christ there is no salvation"), and finally to the Holy Ghost as supplying "that perfection of the Church which is personality." The hieratic [i.e. priestly] life of the Church is given a pre-eminent place, for hieratic "is the fundamental qualification of the office which the Church fulfils between God and men," while "it is evident that what the enemies of the Church would so much like to see Her abdicate, but what the world would not pardon Her for forgetting, is Her Priesthood." Man's need, both of the City and of solitude, inspires Pere Clerissac to a chapter of high merit, showing how the monastic ideal complements the life in the world so that each in a sense requires the other: "Sometimes the spirit of retreat blows so strongly that it is like a race to the desert; then the world takes its revenge for having been despised by so many souls, quibus dignus non erat,' by penetrating into the solitude and submitting the spirit to its low constraints. . . . The blossoming of the desert is one of God's promises to the Church. Exaltabit solitudo et florebit quasi lilium' : The solitary place shall be glad and shall blossom as the lily."
More than its incompleteness, this book suffers from compression; often the author has been content with the suggestion of some line of thought which might with advantage have been worked out to its conclusion. But it remains, as Jacques says in his admirable sketch of Pere Clerissac, published as a preface, "a collection of thoughts and fragments rather than a treatise," though it does not thereby forfeit the title he gives it, of "a lofty Meditation."
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:15 am |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
I`m glad you liked it! 
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:42 am |
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John Lane
Site Admin
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
I'm glad you recommended it.  My scanner's not working, but if you have one handy, maybe you could share page 52 to give others a taste. In the mean time, here's a cracker of a passage from page 53: "It is only in pagan hieratic life that inertia, cold conventionality, idleness, puerility and ugliness are found." That is, in my direct experience, a perfect description of the Novus Ordo, "inertia, cold conventionality, idleness, puerility and ugliness." Particularly those last three. There are few men more puerile or lazy than heretic Novus Ordo "priests". They bitch about each other the moment they get the chance.
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:08 pm |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
John Lane wrote: My scanner's not working, but if you have one handy, maybe you could share page 52 to give others a taste.
I just have it in Spanish! Is it ok? 
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:23 pm |
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Thomas
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:38 pm Posts: 30
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
Sounds very good.
Any idea of where one could find a copy at a reasonable price?
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:38 pm |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
Thomas wrote: Sounds very good. Indeed, it is very good!  Quote: Any idea of where one could find a copy at a reasonable price? In amazon and abe is sold for 85 dollars.
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:45 pm |
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John Lane
Site Admin
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
I paid $70 delivered, which for 144 pages is astonishingly dear.
We need to get this scanned.
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:34 am |
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John Lane
Site Admin
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:51 am |
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John Lane
Site Admin
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
And here's the rest of the book: http://strobertbellarmine.net/books/mys ... _index.pdfThere are many highlights, including his comments on the prophetic office of the Church and his little vignette towards the end on Newman (p. 107), which is absolutely perfect.
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:38 am |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
John Lane wrote: And here's the rest of the book: http://strobertbellarmine.net/books/mys ... _index.pdfThere are many highlights, including his comments on the prophetic office of the Church and his little vignette towards the end on Newman, which is absolutely perfect. Thanks John! I`ve 2 different editions (in Spanish). One the same as you, with the preface of Maritain and the other with a very long and beautiful preface of Bp Guerra Campos (called the "Lefebvre of Spain"). The thing is that he wrote it at the age of 24! Amazing!
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:27 pm |
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John Daly
Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 8:21 am Posts: 176
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
Yes, I've known this great book for a long time but I didn't know a translation existed.
BTW Fr Clérissac served as a model for the pope in R H Benson's Lord of the The World.
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Fri Aug 09, 2013 10:30 am |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
John Daly wrote: BTW Fr Clérissac served as a model for the pope in R H Benson's Lord of the The World. Interesting! Do you know if they knew each other?
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Fri Aug 09, 2013 10:35 am |
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John Lane
Site Admin
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 2:30 pm Posts: 4337
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
Cristian, according to the Preface by Maritain, they knew each other well, and Maritain speculates that perhaps Benson used Clerissac as his model for the pope in his book. See page xiii. I thought you claimed to have read this book??? 
_________________ In Christ our King.
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Fri Aug 09, 2013 5:43 pm |
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Cristian Jacobo
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:49 pm Posts: 552 Location: Argentina
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
John Lane wrote: Cristian, according to the Preface by Maritain, they knew each other well, and Maritain speculates that perhaps Benson used Clerissac as his model for the pope in his book. See page xiii. I thought you claimed to have read this book???  Well, according to my notes I began that book on July 28, 2007 (oh boy, time flies!), that means 6 years, so I got an excuse! 
_________________ "Il n`y a qu`une tristesse, c`est de n`etre pas des Saints"
Leon Bloy
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Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:20 pm |
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Thomas
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:38 pm Posts: 30
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 Re: The Mystery of the Church. By HUMBERT CLERISSAC
This is wonderful, thank you for scanning this John!
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Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:19 pm |
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