INTEGRITY - Vol.5, No.7 - Editorial - The Spiritual Crisis of Middle-Age

Sep 29, 2026

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Editorial and themed article collection issue of INTEGRITY (Vol.5, No.7, April 1950) discussing religion and life. The editorial argues that mediocrity, caused by materialism, faulty practical theology, and misplaced confidence in effort, leads to spiritual deadness. It then describes a revolt among youth between “hot” devotion, “cold” indifference, and “tepid” restlessness. The issue frames its authors’ contributions as clarification rather than sensational blasting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time2 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial

The Spiritual Crisis of Middle-Age

“Assisi” (A Poem)

Religious Fanaticism

Mothers of Saints

Reform and Conversion

Meditations on Security

Book Reviews

oane Rotonm24452,Ra0e1ait A PRI L,1951,VOL.5,NO.7 CO NT E N T S 1 EDITORIAL THE SPIRITUAL CRISIS OF MIDDLE-AGE 2 By JoSEPH FoLLIET - “ASSISI”(A Poem) 7 By RoSEMARY FROST RELIGIOUS FANATICISM 8 By PETER MICHAELS MOTHERS OF SAINTS By SISTER MARIEL,S.S.S.21 REFORM AND CONVERSIONBy ED WILLOCK · 30 MEDITATIONS ON SECURITYBy EDWARD CAULFIELD 37 BOOK REVIEWS42 INTEGRITY is published by lay Catholics anddedicated to the task of discovering the newsynthesis of RELIGION and LIFE for our times. Vol.5,No.7 April 1950 Published monthly by Integrity Publishing Company,243 East 36th Street,New York 16,N.Y.,MU-5-8125.Edited by Edward Willock andCarol Jackson.Re-entered as Second Class Matter May 11,1950 at the Post Office in New York,N.Y.under theAct of March 3,1879.All single copies 25c each;yearly subscriptions:Domestic $3.00,Canadian $3.50,Foreign $4.00. INTEGRITY is indexed in THE CATHOLIC PERIODICAL INDEX 285 E D IT O RI A L O ONE can deny that mediocrity is more orless our heritage.Some people say it isowing to the materialism of the last severalgenerations.Who can be heroic on too fulla stomach?Who can dream dreams in acommercial school?Who can lead a spirituallife in a sea of gadgets?Other people laythe blame on a false theology(in practice)about nature and grace.They say we haveplaced too much confidence in our own ef- forts,as though we could be good without God,get alongtogether without grace,and make a good society without men-tioning the supernatural above a whisper.The :greatest humangenius,the highest effort,the most gifted personality alwaysbetrays its promise in the end,and life takes on a kind ofglittering deadness. Then comes the revolt.People cannot tolerate colorlessnessand tepidity forever.They burst the bonds of convention in thedirection of the hot or the cold.That's what is going on now:Youth particularly is beating against the wall of mediocrity.The"cold"hate Christ,which He said He preferred to indifference.The "hot"love Him with a total devotion.The mediocre growrestless with their own apathy or take refuge in drugs against theintensity of human experience and the reality of the Incarnation. Where tepidity reigns there is nothing to do but shout one-self hoarse in an effort to keep people awake.Missions are inorder in parochial life,and especially the sort of mission whichemphasizes Hell-fire. Now that we are entering a more violent period we needguidance more than stimulation,delicate directives more thanrandom applications of TNT.In this issue our authors deal oneway or another with the hot,the cold,and the tepid.You willnotice that none of them is blasting,but that the emphasis is onanalysis or clarification.They can take for granted a growingfervor. THE EDITORS | If you know any people who might become interested in INTEGRITY,we
shall be glad to send them,free,our new INTRODUCTION if you will send us
their names and addresses.Quantities are also available to give away at meetings. | | --- | INTEGRITY-1 The Spiritual Crisis of Middle-Age There is “a class of forty-year-old people.”Its existence has'been made clear to us by Peguy.Or rather,to put it in thetechnical language of the sociologists,there is an age group whichincludes mature people from the thirties to the sixties.If,insidethis group,one finds a natural and unavoidable sex differentiation,it is still true that the psychology of adult men and women isvery similar. Now,among the characteristics of this psychology,at leastapparently,it seems that some kind of crisis can be noticed;itis more so with the man than with his mate,though noticeablein her too.It will be useful to study this "climacteric"age of thereligious evolution. Let us look around among the adult men we know.Hereis one we used to consider pious.At one time he fulfilled hisChristian duties faithfully and punctually,even with zeal,andseemingly with joy.Now he hurries through the routine of hisSunda

FAQs

What does the editorial identify as the main cause of mediocrity?

It points to materialism of recent generations, along with a practical theology that relies too much on human effort and neglects grace and the supernatural.

How does the editorial describe the revolt against tepidity?

It says people cannot tolerate colorlessness and tepidity forever, so they break away toward either hot devotion or cold indifference, while the mediocre may become restless or seek drugs.

What is the editorial’s stated purpose for the issue?

It argues that in a more violent period readers need guidance and delicate directives rather than random stimulation, and it notes the authors emphasize analysis and clarification about hot, cold, and tepid attitudes.

Sep 29, 2026

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