In talk and writing about religion the expression ‘the spiritual life’ is well known. It is assumed not only to have meaning but to mean something very important. It will not, therefore, be out of place to examine these assumptions in a review that is called LIFE OF THE SPIRIT, a title which has affinity, if not identity, with the expression in question. ‘The spiritual life', ‘the life of the spirit', how shall we distinguish them? Perhaps any distinction there may be will emerge later.

The spiritual life is considered to be something that a religious man should seriously engage himself in, and an important part of it for him will be his ‘spiritual exercises', notably assistance at the sacrifice and reception of the sacraments, but also prayer, public and private, vocal and silent, and ‘spiritual reading'. To settle on the measure and manner of these, he will sometimes, even regularly, have recourse to a ‘spiritual director'.