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The quest for solitude with God runs through the entire Christian tradition. Peter-Damian Belisle shows us its biblical origins, through the age of the early desert monastics and the rise of monastic orders. He surveys those orders, like the Camaldolese, Carthusians, and Cistercians who maintained the hermit ideal. He continues on to examine such twentieth-century figures as Charles de Foucauld, Dorothy Day, and the Trappist martyrs of Algeria.
"Behold, I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart." Hosea 2:14 After a thousand years and in a new world, this volume assembles, for the first time in any language, all the key foundational writings of the oldest eremitic order of the Western Church. The earliest of these, Saint Bruno-Boniface's The Life of the Five Hermit Brothers, doubles as one of the most important documents of early Polish history. The two most celebrated works of "the Monitor of Popes", Doctor of the Church Saint Peter Damian, are included: The Life of Blessed Romuald and Dominus Vobiscum. The latter has a theme particularly dear to contemporary theologians: the Church as ...
The Privilege of Love: Camaldolese Benedictine Spirituality is a collection of essays by Camaldolese monks, nuns, and oblates. After an introduction by Michael Downey and an overview chapter on Camaldolese Benedictine history and spirituality, three chapters center on the Benedictine aspects of spirituality, such as liturgy, lectio divina, and Word/Wisdom of God. The book focuses on Camaldolese sources, eremitical/cenobitical dialectic, and solitude, followed by chapters on Camaldolese ecumenical and interreligious involvement, as well as oblate spirituality. The concluding chapter comments on Camaldolese Benedictine spirituality in a post-Vatican II context.
Intro -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- One: Italy at the Millennium -- Two: Establishing Fundamental Principles -- Three: The Mature Theologian -- Four: Standards for Church Reform -- Five: Renewal of Religious Life -- Six: Reflections on Secular Society -- Concluding Remarks -- Appendixes -- Appendix 1: Subject Index to the Writings of Peter Damian -- Appendix 2: Addresses of the Letters of Peter Damian -- Appendix 3: Subject References and Topics in Peter Damian's Sermon and Letters -- Appendix 4: Biblical Citations in Peter Damian's Letters -- Bibliography -- Index.
A collection of guides to the spiritual journey. The authors deal with such masters as Cassian, St. Benedict, John of Forde and Carl Jung, discussing ideas from East and West.
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) is an exceptional example of a paradox that is found in many saints and thinkers through the ages (St Jerome, St Bernard, St Bridget of Sweden, St Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton come to mind) – of a lifelong tension between two competing vocations: the call to solitude and holiness and the call to prophetic social and ecclesial engagement. The author has explored this tension throughout his adult life, both in his published work and in his own life as an Episcopalian/Anglican priest and later bishop. Damian’s “The Book of ‘The Lord be with you’” is a profound exploration of the spirituality of solitude, whereas his “Book of Gomorrah” is an inten...
For many of us, living simply is simply impossible. We just have too much to do. But one of the main reasons we think simple living is impossible is that we are unsure of how to get a simpler life started. Drawing on the powerful histories of the saints and her own personal experience, author Paula Huston shows us how living simply begins with a commitment to spiritual simplicity in our lives.Each chapter in The Holy Way introduces a different spiritual practice, including solitude, purity, and generosity, and explores it through historical perspectives and Huston's compelling personal reflections. From Saint Anthony's chosen life of solitude to Saint Catherine of Siena's strength of conviction, Huston tells stories of courageous faith that exemplify the blessed and transformative power of being alone with God and living simply.
A book of daily readings drawn from the writings of those who have lived the monastic life in all the major spiritual traditions of the Eastern and Western Churches: Benedictine, Franciscan, Orthodox, Carmelite, and others. For each month there is a specific theme: Starting Out, Seeking Guidance, Living With Others, Balancing Life and so on, through the year. Each theme is introduced by quotations from one of the great monastic Rules, and for each day of the year there is an excerpt from the writings of a huge variety of men and women stretching across the centuries, from 5th century Desert Mothers to Basil Hume, Joan Chittister, Thomas Merton and many more familiar and new names. This is a book for all who are looking to an ancient, rooted wisdom for practical guidance on living in the world today.
Seeking in Solitude examines select forms of contemporary Roman Catholic eremitic life and practice in the United States. Given the sustained presence of, and increased interest in, the eremitic life and practice, this book responds to the question of the place of the hermit in American Catholicism in a way that neither mystifies nor mythologizes it, but rather attempts to understand it.
The Quest for God is a study of the explosion of interest in newer approaches to spirituality that took place in the west among Christians, Jew, and Muslims in the twelfth century. The book explores the historic internal and external forces that influenced members of the three major faith groups who were looking for new ways to approach their personal relationship with God. It contains a detailed explanation of the new attitudes and religious practices that emerged among the three groups during that century. This includes special emphasis placed on the mysticism of Christian monks and nuns, the Kabbalah of the Jews, and the tenets of Sufism in Islam. It also paints a clear picture of the rol...