Worth noting:

MARY IN THE MASS . . . Since our Blessed Mother was "full of grace," it is not possible to understand completely the depths of her faith, hope and charity. We are accustomed to associate her with the birth and hidden life of our Lord, and of course she was present on Calvary. What about Mary's presence in the daily Sacrifice of the Mass? In this issue a Mariologist, Fr. Arthur B. Calkins, offers us his reflections on the reality of Mary's presence at Mass. To show that he is not alone, he quotes Popes Pius IX, Benedict XV, Pius XII, John XXIII, and John Paul II. The article opens new avenues of thought (p. 8).

POPE JOHN PAUL II OR CARDINAL BERNARDIN? . . . By now most Catholics in this country have heard about Cardinal Bernardin's "Common Ground Project" as an effort to overcome divisions in the Catholic Church. This month we present an article by Fr. Regis Scanlon, O.F.M.Cap., in which he analyzes some of the statements of Cardinal Bernardin relative to the "Project." There he finds an affirmation of "legitimate dissent" against the teachings of the Magisterium which is directly opposed to the documents of Vatican II and to the statements of John Paul II. So we are at the crossroads: Do we follow the Pope or the Cardinal? (p. 16).

CONSCIENCE IN THE CULTURE WAR . . . The problem of the culture war we are involved in has been mentioned in the pages of HPR several times. In this issue we have another article on the subject from the point of view of the supremacy of conscience. Dr. Roy Barkley examines the current American understanding of conscience and finds that the emphasis is on "choice" or "consent" rather than on the objective goodness or evil of what is chosen. This is manifest in discussions about abortion, contraception, sodomy and assisted-suicide. There is an intimate connection here with the reigning philosophy of relativism (p. 27).

RECOVERING A LOST TRADITION . . . Whether in a hospital room, at a wake service, or even in a church, the scene is all too familiar: blank looks and embarrassed mutterings from Catholics unfamiliar with traditional common prayers. An entire generation has grown up almost completely unaware of their rich and noble prayer heritage. In this issue, Fr. Joseph F. Wilson puts the spotlight on those "in the dark" and those who have snuffed out the light, then makes an impassioned plea for efforts to resuscitate the kind of prayer life which gave strength and consolation to ages past (p. 46).-K.B.