Monasticism Books - Page 2

The Love of Learning and The Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture

Jean Leclercq

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Sacred Learning and Reviving the Love for God 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

"Read the acts of Sts. Anthony, Macarius, Pachomius..., the Egyptian Monks, of those who lived in the Holy Land or in the Thebaid. ...implant in the darkness of the West and in the cold of Gaul the light of the East and the ancient fervor of Egyptian religious life." Jean Leclerq, Ancient traditional Spirituality, pp. 112,113



Monastic History:
Overflowing from Egypt, monasticism has flourished both in the Eastern Orthodox churches from early Christian times to present, and within the Roman Catholic church since the late antiquity to Medieval ages. Christian monasticism was started in the mountainous eastern deserts of Egypt in the fourth century AD, by Saint Anthony the Great, who sought a higher level of spiritual experience and encountered St. Paul of Thebes, the first Egyptian hermit. Cenobetic monastic orders were organized by Saint Pachomius (d. 346), with the first communities of cenobites in upper Egypt.

Monastic Vocation:
Monasticism refers to a way of life adopted by those early faithful, who have elected to pursue divinization, an ideal of perfection, by deserting the world, through kenotic grace, within cenobetic or solitary schemes of devoted life.
The desert fathers have had deep and enduring influence in shaping of Christian ideals, and were the founding and leading abbots in Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia. Traditionally, monasticism embraces both the life of the hermit, characterized by progressive state of solitude, and the life of the cenobite, that is, the monk living in a community offering fellowship and a limited space for solitude. Ascetism, was a basic tool for monastic practices, which was based on the tradition of disciplined self-denial, and obedience to the elder. This asceticism could include Silence, fasting, denial of personal possessions, even of books, and a denial of bodily comfort, with vows to poverty, hand work, and celibacy. Athanasius the champion of Orthodoxy, recounting the spiritual struggles of St. Anthony, provided an ideal pattern of the ascetic life. The work became very popular in the West, and sparked intellectuals' attention, contributing greatly to the interest in monastic life in Western Christianity. Pilgrims to the Holy land made trips to the desert including Rufinus and Jerome, whose letters and works catalyzed the move among the educated around the empire (St. Arsenius).

Latin Monastic Tradition:
Two of the most influential in Spirituality as Evagrius Ponticus, and John Cassian who established the first European monasteries according to the Pachomian ideal, and wrote the first Monastic manuals, the institutes and the Conferences. "If Benedict created the institutional frame of Latin monasticism, then Cassian helped define its inner life, its mystical aspirations," wrote Wm. Harmless, Desert Christians, pp. 373.
The Benedictine rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia (6th century), formed the basis of life in most monastic communities until the twelve century. The schema faded out until St. Bernard of Cleurvaux restored it to its original zenith. Among the principal monastic orders that evolved in the Middle Ages were the Carthusians in the eleventh century and the Cistercians in the twelfth; the Mendicant orders, or Friars, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Carmelites arose in the 13th century.


Theognosis; Learning Spirituality:
Theognosis, the knowing of God, has always been a means for a unity in love which transcends all knowledge. This ultimate end is union with God or, partaking in the nature of God, the theosis of church Fathers Ireneus and Athanasius. The eastern tradition whose masters were Origen, Evagrius, and Dionysius, the pseudo Areopagite, has never made a definite distinction between mysticism and theology; between personal experience of the divine mysteries. In a certain sense all theology is mystical, inasmuch as it shows forth the divine mystery of revelation. On the other hand, mysticism is frequently opposed to theology as an unutterable mystery which surpasses our understanding faculties to any perception of sense or of intelligence, to be lived rather than known. We should, look for a profound change, an inner transformation of spirit, enabling us to experience it mystically, far from being mutually opposed, theology and mysticism support and completement each other.

Sacred Learning:
Medieval monks pursued their learning from three sources: Holy Scripture, writings of the Fathers, and classical literature. Study of grammar was intended as an `introduction to Scripture.' The monastics used to learn through meditative reading; seeking an appreciation of the ultimate goal as desire for heaven. The scholastics, when studying the text, sought mere knowledge. The monastic Scriptural trio (reading, meditation and prayer) produced a recalling and pondering of Scripture, an early tradition of the Desert Fathers, as exposed in "The Word in the Desert. This intimate knowledge of Scripture offered the ability of mystical pilgrimage of the entire Bible, granting them a pictorial Biblical imagination, which Cyril of Alexandria was its grand master. Early monastics have had the Scriptures on instant mental recall. Monastic exegesis was, according to Origen of a multiple themes that animated Biblical scripture that fostered the desire for heaven. Since Scripture was not a source for knowledge but the message of salvation from God, in reading it became mystical, but stayed literal because of the interest in grammar. The Old Testament was not viewed in its historical perspective, but as history of salvation's first part. The most read and commentated book of Scripture was the Song of Songs, a tradition initiated by Origen. While the scholastics interpretation was abstractly as God's relation to the Church, the monastics saw it as God's intimate personal relationship to the faithful in person; expressing their ultimate goal in life, and representing their whole theology.

Leclercq presents his Study:
Having declaring himself, a supporter of twelfth-century monastic theology, Dom Leclercq presents his book in ten chapters, grouped in three sections, addressing its formation, sources and its fruits. Right from the beginning, in a concise introduction, Dom Leclercq presents a distinction between monasticism and scholasticism, such distinction is radically clear in the three parts of his study of the monastic Culture. Roman Catholic Monasticism reached its apex in the twelfth century when, an often quoted, scathing condemnation of Byzantine monasticism was launched by Eustathius, bishop of Thessalonica. In Leclercq's eye twelfth-century Latin monasticism reached its apex in Bernard of Clairvaux. Most theological interest, is devoted to the 13th century, whose writers were scholastics, academics of ecclesiastic background. Leclercq keeps isolating monastic from scholastic theology, whose target was to acquire knowledge, pursuing a venue of objective analysis of his inquiry. The monastic, were just eager to know God, in subjective means of his own existence and within Scripture, earning Leclercq support within the two groups. Scholastic theology that stemmed from the University of Paris was debated orally before it was written. Monastic theology, based on patristic writings was literate from the start.

Latin Monastic Culture:
Benedict prescribed the goal and system of monastic culture: the pursuit of God through the meditated reading of the Scriptures and the Fathers. To this Gregory added an essential doctrine, that of the desire for God and the possession of God which alone satisfies that desire. Though rising to the highest office, Gregory wrote of the Christian life as a life of detachment and desire: detachment from the world and from sin, and an intense desire for God. The Christian who rightly appreciates his own sinfulness and consequent misery experiences a double `compunction': a compunction of fear and a compunction of desire, ending up with a hurting spirit, agitated over the misery of sin, but firm in its desire for God. Himself buffeted by suffering, Gregory saw that man must make himself compassionate and responsive to this caring pressure from God in tears of repentance, the soul commits an eagle like flight reaching a high standard into God to find love and peace. This flight into God has a beneficial service to God. Alas, the soul falls back, weary, but hopeful to recover and soar upward again. Gregory, called the dialoguist in the Eastern Church, because of his outstanding contribution to the experiential monastic tradition.

Sources of Monastic Culture:
Leclercq definition of the sources of monastic culture, in four headings: devotion to heaven, sacred learning, ancient traditional spirituality, and liberal studies. Defining that experience which "induces the desire to reach the culmination of this experience," Medieval monastic culture depended on two sources, textual literary sources absorbed in meditative reading, and experience. Summarizing the content of monastic culture her pronounced in two words: grammar and spirituality. The most important of the themes which kept the monks faithful to the vision of Gregory, was their devotion to heaven, clearly traced in their writings under the topics of the heavenly Jerusalem of which the monastery is a mundane icon, to which is attached the Old Testament concepts of Temple and Tabernacle, mediaeval monks were fond of dwelling on Christ's ascension and of his Transfiguration, similar to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Dom Leclercq Concluding:
The learned abbot concludes his work with a brief epilogue on Literature and the Mystical Life. Even though the monasteries were not always centers of spiritual life, there were periods when they were revived, producing an appreciable corpus of literature, that kept alive the Scriptures ancient commentaries and the Fathers writings. It was the writing of mystics who were motivated in learning that stimulated a desire for God, the product of great cultural and of spiritual attainment. Leclercq reminds us in the first sentence of his preface that he is a monk addressing other monks. It is therefore only to be expected that he should present a very favorable history of medieval monasticism. It has become trendy for modern historians, even evangelical historians, to strive for objectivity in the name of academic excellence. This produces church histories devoid of reference to God, something that would have been absurd to Leclercq and his beloved monks alike. The distinction Leclercq draws between monastic theology and scholastic theology could be applied to contemporary studies in church history.

Dom Jean Leclercq:
"Dom Jean Leclercq, OSB, a monk of Clairvaux Abbey in Luxemburg, died on October 27, 1993 in his monastery. For more than sixty years he resolutely used his great erudition for the service of the future of monasticism. He united together a confidence in monastic tradition which he knew so well and a great hope in contemporary humanity, its bold research and its spiritual possibilities which frequently remained unexplored. He was remarkable in the fact that, without holding any particular official place in the monastic order, yet his influence was definitive in many areas." Fr. de Bethune, In Memoriam

A Concise Review:
The book is what the subtitle proclaims it to be: a study of monastic culture, in medieval Europe. The reader who is foreign to the main outlines of monastic history is advised to read "Seek Learning and Revive the Love for God,' a Guide by Didskalex.

Evolution of the Monastic Ideal from the Earliest Times Down to the
Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism

The Rule of Saint Benedict (An Image Book Original)

Benedict of Nursia

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An interesting look into the rules of monkhood! 4 out of 5 stars.
20 of 23 people found this review helpful.

Benedict, having dropped out of university because he viewed the life there as degenerated, goes into the bush and makes his abode in a crack in the side of a mountain. Upon coming out he writes the moral code for the next 1,400 years! This is that code or set of rules.

Some of the book is dry - namely the end of it which goes over seating arangements for meals and other architectural details but the historical end of it is interesting and so are his guidelines for clean living in a monastic setting (which one can employ almost anywhere with the right focus).

Listen! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

The Rule of St. Benedict is in and of itself a fairly short book, fewer than 100 pages. It is a good example of the statement, 'good things come in small packages'. This volume, translated and with an introduction by Anthony Meisel and M.L. del Mastro, presents an historical context as well as their own translation of the Latin text of the Rule. The thirty-page introduction discusses the biography of St. Benedict, the formation of the rule, and the way it has been passed down through the ages in monastic community.

Benedict was fully aware of human frailty, as true 1500 years ago as it is today. This frailty requires much to be done to give the person strength, and so Benedict's Rule is designed for an ever-increasing self-discipline which is supported by community worship and practice.

Benedict's Rule for life includes worship, work, study, prayer, and relaxation. Benedict's Rule requires community -- even for those who become hermits or solitaries, there is a link to the community through worship and through the Rule. No one is alone. This is an important part of the relationship of God to the world, so it is an integral part of the Rule.

Benedict's Rule was set out first in a world that was torn with warfare, economic and political upheaval, and a generally harsh physical environment. This Rule was set out to bring order to a general chaos in which people lived. This is still true today, and men and women all over the world use Benedict's 'little rule for beginners' as a basic structure for their lives.

The first word of the rule is Listen. This is perhaps the best advice for anyone looking for any guidance or rule of life. While Benedict's Rule is decidedly Christocentric and hierarchical (though not as hierarchical as much popular ideas about monastic practice would have one think), it nonetheless can give value to any reader who is looking to construct a practice for oneself.

Benedict's establishment of a monastery was in fact the establishment of a school for spirituality. In his prologue to the Rule, Benedict even states this as his intention. 'In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.' He sets forth in this brief rule a guide to individual life within community that will bring one ever closer to the divine.

Benedict explores the issues of charity, personality, integrity, and spirituality in all of his rules. From the clothing to the prayer cycle to the reception of guests, all have a purpose that fits into a larger whole, and all have positive charges and negative warnings. Benedict is especially mindful of the sin of pride, be it pride of possession, pride of person, pride of place -- he strives for equality in the community (as a recognition that all are equal before God).

Hundreds of thousands of pages have been written over the last millenium and a half on the Rule of St. Benedict, but it all comes down to this brief collection, which can be read easily in an hour, yet takes a lifetime (or perhaps more!) to master.

Open it for yourself to see what riches it may hold for you.

This particular text ends with a good list of selected readings, a bit lacking for the latest of publications, but with 1500 years worth of texts from which to choose, there are plenty of selections worthwhile. There is also a composite plan of a medieval monastery -- this is not a master plan; indeed, all monasteries vary from each other in certain aspects, so this is a general idea.

Editorial Review:

Since the 6th century, this has been one of the most influential documents of Western thought and civilization. Full of plain wisdom, the words of St. Benedict are a guide for work, prayer, study, and community life.

Holy Man: Father Damien of Molokai

Gavan Daws

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Undoubtedly the most scholarly work yet on this topic. 5 out of 5 stars.
36 of 36 people found this review helpful.

"Holy Man" is undoubtedly the finest and most scholarly work to date on this topic. Prior to Daws' work, the overwhelming majority of books on this topic have been somewhat biased as they were produced by Catholic clergy and lay writers. Daws has brought the secular historian's skill to this subject and has produced a truly balanced account of the life and work of Father Joseph DeVeuster. Only a visit to the Molokai, Hawaii, settlements of Kalawao and Kalaupapa will provide the reader with a more detailed account of Father Damian's life and work among the lepers of Molokai. Father Daimian was beautified in 1993. A church inquiry is underway to determine whether or not this "Holy Man" should be made a Catholic saint. "Holy Man" is required reading for anyone even marginally interested in Hawaiian history. In the short period of time this work has been in print, it has become required reading for all students of Hawaiian History, American approaches to chronic and incurable disease and Catholic doctrine pertaining to leprosy and lepers. Daws has written a masterful account of the life and works of this important nineteenth century Catholic clergyman. "Holy Man" is the definitive work on Father Damian and is likely to remain so well into the next century. Father Damian was buried on the island of Molokai until earlier this century when his remains were exhumed and re-interred in his home of Louvain, Belgium. Today, only his hand remains buried on the island of Molokai. The hand is widely regarded as a religious relic.

Martyr of the Amazon: The Life of Sister Dorothy Stang

Roseanne Murphy

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Now this is a real saint 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have heard talk about the desire to canonize Pope John Paul II. I would like to suggest that we canonize this lovely and courageous woman. She certainly radiated the love of Jesus to the very end.

Martyr of the Amazon 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I was impressed with the self-sacrificing attitude of Sr Dorothy. To endure so much negativism and lack of understanding or support from the Brazilian government and corporate land holders, and still keep a smile on her face and love in her heart is a strong lesson for all of us who have so little to endure. Sr. Dorothy's love for all of God's people, but, especially for those who are victimized, is uplifting. It gives me an example to try harder to be a loving, cheerful person.

An excellent biographical survey recommended for any spiritual library. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The murder in 2005 of an American nun focused world attention on poor formers in the Amazon and their struggles with developers: for it was Sister Dorothy who helped these farmers in their struggles both spiritually and socially - and who died for her ideals, which went beyond Christian advocacy. MARTYR OF THE AMAZON: THE LIFE OF SISTER DOROTHY STANG probes her world, influences and impact and is an excellent biographical survey recommended for any spiritual library.

Elizabeth of the Trinity THE COMPLETE WORKS, I have found GOD, Vol 1

Soeur Elisabeth de la Trinite

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Elizabeth harvested! 5 out of 5 stars.
31 of 32 people found this review helpful.

This centenary series of the Complete Works is a major accomplishment. Volume I ('I Have Found God') goes right to the heart of Elizabeth's mystical vocation with a positively riveting General Introduction by Conrad De Meester, O.C. D., followed by a brilliant translation of Elizabeth's writings by Alethia Kane. Elizabeth's four major spiritual treatises being written in the last three months of her life, it's difficult to go anywhere but to the distinct heart of her message. I doubt that I've ever read a more enlightened essay on Elizabeth than De Meester's. If you look to understand who this woman was, read his perfect Introduction; taken together with a brief biography, he produces an ancient Elizabeth in an essential light. His appreciation burns with real insight into an obscured message and an authentic modern mystic. Kane leaves Elizabeth's voice alone, as other translators have not, making Kane's courageous, and ultimately peerless contribution the more valuable by leagues. Highest recommendation for Vols. I & II-- it's a champion series.

The Cistercian World: Monastic Writings of the Twelfth Century (Penguin Classics)

Various

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Fascinating and Delightful 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.

This is a brilliant and much needed book. It contains short (several page) extracts from all the great Cistercian writers (Bernard, Aelred, Gueric), which Pauline Matarasso has beautifully translated.

The book has two great strengths.

1. The best bits of these great authors have been chosen so that the reader receives a taste of their wisdom without being drownwed in thick theological tomes.

2. The subject matter is fascinating, ranging from monastery tales, even at the time of St Bernard, throught contemporary biographies of great men like Aelred of Reivaulx, to a beautiful description of Clairvaux.

This book was a joy and I thoroughly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

Founded in 1098 in Citeaux, France, the Cistercian Order sought a return to strict asceticism and a life of poverty. By the end of the 12th century, there were 530 Cistercian abbeys in Europe, and the abbot St. Bernard had become one of the most influential writers of the period. This book contains his letters, sermons, and other works, as well as biographies of other Cistercians.

Forget Not Love: The Passion of Maximilian Kolbe

Andre Frossard

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"Forget Not Love" is Special 5 out of 5 stars.
32 of 32 people found this review helpful.

"Forget Not Love" is the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish Franciscan who offered to die in the place of a married man at Auschwitz, yet this book is about so much more. It creates a portrait of Kolbe as a real human being, it tells of one man's zeal for his faith and country, and it is about what love really is. This book is one of the best I have read on St. Maximilian. Frossard's beautiful writing is an added plus. I HIGHLY reccomend this book to all!

Simply excellent 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 24 people found this review helpful.

Maximilian Kolbe was one of the 20th century's greatest witnesses to truth and what it means to be fully human, an extraordinarily courageous man, and yet so humble that few will have heard of him. This book is superb in conveying his greatness, and what it means to say that someone is a great saint. Suffering from chronic tuberculosis and with less than one full lung's capacity, he went as a missionary to Japan where he published his first newspaper within a month, in Japanese. During the war, his monastery gave shelter to 1,500 Jews. When the Gestapo were taking him and other Franciscan brothers to Aushwitz, he managed to stay cheerful saying that for once, their mission was paid for by someone else. What mission? Survivors of all beliefs remember his constant smile, his kindness in the dark of the night (he would go to the side of the dying to comfort them). In the end, he volunteered to die of starvation in the place of a young father so he might live to see his family again. When it comes to witnessing Christ, Kolbe was simply awesome. Inspiring yet sober. In one word, moving.

Editorial Review:

The famous French author's unique writing style captivates the reader with the heroic story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a modern apostle of Catholic evangelization, Marian spirituality, and a martyr of charity. With the encouragement of Pope John Paul II, Frossard chronicles the dramatic life of this Polish Franciscan who volunteered to die in place of a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz.

A Good Life: Benedict's Guide to Everyday Joy

R. Benson

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Spiritual Disciplines for the rest of us 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

The subject of Spiritual Disciplines is gaining in popularity and some books on the subject are quite overwhelming, especially for those of us who work 40 hours a week and have a family. "A Good Life" gleans insights from the Rule of St. Benedict to transpose into our 21st century lives. He divides our lives into four areas, which is slightly hard to do but interesting nevertheless, prayer, rest, community, and work, and discusses ways to pursue relationship with God in each of those areas. This is a great starting point for exploring how to be faithful in each of those areas of our lives.

Editorial Review:

What makes a "good life" in today’s fast-paced, competitive world? In this book, beloved author and spiritual guide Robert Benson turns to the wisdom of Benedict, a 6th century monk. Compassionate and practical, Benedict created a rule of life—balancing prayer, rest, community, and work—that has helped centuries of people to lead more fulfilling lives. With trademark humor and elegant prose, Benson shares his own struggle to balance a spiritual life with the demanding roles of father, husband and writer. Anyone who feels pulled in too many directions will find in A Good Life thoughtful, ancient wisdom for creating a life of deep meaning and joy.

Stories of Padre Pio

Madame Katharina Tangari

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Firsthand view of this great, holy priest. 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Shows how Padre Pio healed bodies, souls and hearts--through miracles, providential "coincidences," etc. Assistance in illness, bereavement, broken marriage, irrational fear, business, exiting Freemasonry, finding lost objects, spiritual life and conversions. Rare firsthand view of this great, holy priest.

A true Saint 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

My father gave me this book in 1998 as a gift. I couldn't put it down I finished it in one evening. My family and I have been followers of Padre Pio since my mother heard a talk given at her school in the 1950's. I have read seven books about Padre Pio and this book is still my favorite one of the seven.

Madame Katharina Tangari was so brave and a true follower of Padre Pio. I hope someone writes a book and a movie about Madame Katharina Tangari's life. If you want to learn about Padre Pio's struggles and road to Sainthood this is the book for you.

After you read this book you will want to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy and see where Padre Pio lived and died. A year in a half ago I went to San Giovanni Rotondo and I was not disappointed.

Editorial Review:

This book gives a firsthandview of this great and holy prienst who - as many are hoping - may soon become a canonized Saint of the Catholic Church./.

John Cassian: Conferences (Classics of Western Spirituality)

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Editorial Review:

At the turn of the sixth century the Mediterranean world was witnessing the decline of Roman rule that had formed the bedrock of its civil order. During the chaos of those years, there arose in the deserts of Egypt and Syria monastic movements that offered men and women a radical God-centered alternative to the present society. Among the most eloquent interpreters of this new movement to western Europe was John Cassian (c. 365-c.435). Drawing on his own early experience as a monk in Bethlehem and Egypt, he journeyed to the West to found monasteries in Marseilles and the region of Provence.

Included in this volume is Cassian's masterpiece, the Conferences, which is a study of the Egyptian ideal of the monk.

The new translation by Colm Luibheid is coupled with an insightful introduction by the distinguished Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History, Cambridge University, Owen Chadwick, who writes of Cassian's achievement: "Like the Rule of St. Benedict, his work was a protection against excess and a constant recall to that primitive simplicity where eastern spirituality met western."