Essential Monastic Wisdom

Essential Monastic Wisdom PDF Author: Hugh Feiss
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060624825
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
For everyone seeking to experience some of the deep tranquility of contemplative life, this artfully crafted guide brings together concise selections from the great writings of the tradition, from Saint Benedict to Thomas Merton. It explores all the essential ingredients of monastic life in brief chapters on such themes as speech, humility, discernment, patience, longing, and love. By providing a brief account of how monastic life evolved and the best examples of monastic writing through the centuries, from the desert fathers to the medieval nuns Julian and Hildegard to John Chittister today, Father Hugh Feiss offers a rich treasury of monastic wisdom on living a full life.

The Monastic Heart

The Monastic Heart PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593239423
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
The activist, nun, and esteemed spiritual voice who has twice appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday sounds the call to create a monastery within ourselves—to cultivate wisdom and resilience so that we may join God in the work of renewal, restoration, and justice right where we are. “Essential reading for anyone wishing to find the compass of their heart and the wellspring from which to live fully.”—Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart “In every beating heart is a silent undercurrent that calls each of us to a place unknown, to the vision of a wiser life, to become what I feel I must be—but cannot name.” So begins Sister Joan Chittister’s words on monasticism, offering a way of living and seeing life that brings deep human satisfaction. Amid the astounding disruptions of normalcy that have unfolded in our world, Sister Joan calls all of us to cultivate the spiritual seeker within, however that may look across our diverse journeys: “We can depend only on the depth of the spiritual well in us. The well is the only thing that can save us from the fear of our own frailty.” This book carries the weight and wisdom of the monastic spiritual tradition into the twenty-first century. Sister Joan leans into Saint Benedict, who, as a young man in the sixth century, sought moral integrity in the face of an empire not by conquering or overpowering the empire but by simply living an ordinary life extraordinarily well. This same monastic mindset can help us grow in wisdom, equanimity, and strength of soul as we seek restoration and renewal both at home and in the world. At a time when people around the world are bearing witness to human frailty—and, simultaneously, the endurance of the human spirit—The Monastic Heart invites readers of all walks to welcome this end of certainty and embrace a new beginning of our faith. Without stepping foot in a monastery, we can become, like those before us, a deeper, freer self, a richer soul—and, as a result, a true monastic, so “that in all things God may be glorified.”

The Art of Life

The Art of Life PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Twenty-Third Publications
ISBN: 9781585958917
Category : Art and religion
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
The best of ourselves. That's what Joan Chittister wants each of us to find and become. Through brief daily reflections, the bestselling author looks to great works of art for inspiration, bringing the monastic perspective to the brushstrokes of masters like Van Gogh, Cezanne, Millet, and more. Each art masterpiece one for each month of the year is reproduced in full, lustrous color, and is accompanied by Sister Joan's meditations on life, the soul, and the search for fullness of self in a modern world. This stirring and inspiring collection is full of the wisdom, wit, encouragement, and advice that have made Sister Joan one of the great spiritual writers of our time.

Seeing with Our Souls

Seeing with Our Souls PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9781580511230
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
As part of her ongoing quest to break open monastic wisdom for the modern world, Sr. Joan Chittister's latest book addresses the question: What qualities of the soul must be cultivated by each of us if we are to become a positive presence in a changing world? Rooted in the ancient tradition of lectio divina - sacred reading that connects Scripture with the pursuit of personal transformation - Seeing with Our Souls highlights a key Bible passage for each of twelve key qualities of soul and offers brief reflections that speak to the core of one's spiritual practice. Each reflection asks us to identify the political, spiritual, economic, and cultural choices we make and to assess our aspirations for the future. Seeing with Our Souls is ideal spiritual reading for busy people interested in gleaning scriptural and monastic wisdom for everyday life.

The Monastic Heart

The Monastic Heart PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593239423
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
The activist, nun, and esteemed spiritual voice who has twice appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday sounds the call to create a monastery within ourselves—to cultivate wisdom and resilience so that we may join God in the work of renewal, restoration, and justice right where we are. “Essential reading for anyone wishing to find the compass of their heart and the wellspring from which to live fully.”—Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart “In every beating heart is a silent undercurrent that calls each of us to a place unknown, to the vision of a wiser life, to become what I feel I must be—but cannot name.” So begins Sister Joan Chittister’s words on monasticism, offering a way of living and seeing life that brings deep human satisfaction. Amid the astounding disruptions of normalcy that have unfolded in our world, Sister Joan calls all of us to cultivate the spiritual seeker within, however that may look across our diverse journeys: “We can depend only on the depth of the spiritual well in us. The well is the only thing that can save us from the fear of our own frailty.” This book carries the weight and wisdom of the monastic spiritual tradition into the twenty-first century. Sister Joan leans into Saint Benedict, who, as a young man in the sixth century, sought moral integrity in the face of an empire not by conquering or overpowering the empire but by simply living an ordinary life extraordinarily well. This same monastic mindset can help us grow in wisdom, equanimity, and strength of soul as we seek restoration and renewal both at home and in the world. At a time when people around the world are bearing witness to human frailty—and, simultaneously, the endurance of the human spirit—The Monastic Heart invites readers of all walks to welcome this end of certainty and embrace a new beginning of our faith. Without stepping foot in a monastery, we can become, like those before us, a deeper, freer self, a richer soul—and, as a result, a true monastic, so “that in all things God may be glorified.”

Illuminated Life

Illuminated Life PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 1570758786
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
In this little dictionary of monastic wisdom, Joan Chittister offers an A-Z of how to 'be in the workd, but not of the world.' In her inimitable style, she eschews the quick fix in favor of a solid spiritual direction that has stood the test of time. Each chapter is devoted to a letter that illuminates a spiritual quality to be cultivated, from Awareness to Zeal, Community to Interiority, Enlightenment to Yearning--and many more. Every illumination opens with a story from the desert mystics, then seques into a practical application of that value to our tumultuous times.

Coenobium

Coenobium PDF Author: Michael Casey
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 0879070684
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
After sixty years of living in a Cistercian community, Michael Casey combines his down-to-earth observations about the joys and challenges of living in community with an appreciation of the deeper meanings of cenobitic life, taking into account the changes in both theory and practice that have occurred in his lifetime. He invites his readers, especially monks and nuns, to reflect on their own experiences of community as a means of seeing a path forward into the future. Many of the key components of monastic community have kept the same names for more than a millennium. In an age of paradigm shift, Michael Casey invites readers to examine these essential practices of community life and to ask how they might be envisioned in a way that speaks to our contemporaries.

Peace Be with You

Peace Be with You PDF Author: David Carlson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
ISBN: 0849947189
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
"If revenge and retaliation are the best responses that our nation could muster after 9/11, then Jesus did not have to come, live among us, and preach a radical understanding of 'neighbor' that includes the enemy." - David Carlson In the wake of the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, as tension between Christians and Muslims rises, author David Carlson seeks guidance in the modern-day deserts of monastic communities across America. Are Christianity and Islam destined to confront one other as clashing civilizations? Peace Be with You: Monastic Wisdom for a Terror-Filled World clearly answers "No." Peace Be with You is the result of more than thirty interviews conducted with abbots, nuns, monks, and even a Mennonite pastor who works at a Franciscan retreat center. Hear the wisdom of these men and women in their own words as they speak with hope to a suffering world. Follow Carlson's moving and at times difficult journey to discover a new, yet ancient basis for genuine peace between Christianity and other religions, especially Islam. "Sadly," he says, "Jesus has been drafted into this war. But Jesus as the banner-carrier of Christendom or Christian culture has, from the beginning, been unacceptable to me. Also unacceptable is the belief that Jesus gives the Coalition Forces some advantage. Jesus would neither be dressed in military khaki nor would He carry a weapon. This image, to others as well as me, is that of a false Christ."

Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light

Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light PDF Author: Joan Chittister
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 1608330303
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description


The Rule of Benedict

The Rule of Benedict PDF Author:
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 1683367014
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
This practical resource for finding peace, meaning and God, from the pen of a sixth-century monk, can help guide your own spiritual journey. Many people today are realizing that the cultural focus on competition, success, acquisition and constant busyness is ultimately not satisfying. They hunger for a way of life that has more lasting value and deeper meaning. For centuries, people within and outside Christianity have turned to the writings of Benedict of Nursia, a sixth-century monk committed to shaping a life of humility and compassion, to guide their spiritual lives. His Rule speaks profoundly to our contemporary search for spiritual grounding. Anglican laywoman and writer Esther de Waal says that Benedict’s Rule helps her know “how to be human now today, tomorrow and for the rest of my life.”This accessible introduction to the Rule of Benedict, intended for readers unfamiliar with Benedictine monasticism, presents the Rule as a guide to a God-centered, balanced approach to life. It shows us how to use Benedict’s wisdom to build relationships and communities formed by love and respect. It offers historical background and personal reflections on Benedictine topics such as living in the present moment, balance, finding God in everyday life, individual and community prayer, hospitality, and healthy approaches to work and service.