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The Monastery Of The Heart - Introduction
The Monastery Of The Heart - Introduction
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Introduction To the Many Seekers, After more than fifty years of life in a monastery, I have begun to sift and sort the effects of it all, asking myself, what—if anything—of monastic life is worth passing on to others in this day and age? What of this life has any impact or impor…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 12 Nourishment
The Monastery Of The Heart - 12 Nourishment
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Nourishment “Nothing is so inconsistent with the life of the monastic as overindulgence.” The seeker’s ideal is to be “in the world but not of it”- to be like everyone else but different where it counts. For those who seek to define this other quality of life by membership in a M…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 16 Responsibility
The Monastery Of The Heart - 16 Responsibility
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Responsibility “Let everyone receive help as the size of the community or local conditions warrant.” Benedictine spirituality is communal. It never intends to create a world of isolates, even for the isolated… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by Joan Chittister
The Monastery Of The Heart - 20 Stability of Heart
The Monastery Of The Heart - 20 Stability of Heart
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Stability of Heart “Do not… run away from the road that leads to salvation.” The will of God in life does not come in straight lines, or clear signs, or certain choices… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by Joan Chittister
The Monastery Of The Heart - 2 A Seeker's Path
The Monastery Of The Heart - 2 A Seeker's Path
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
A Seeker’s Path OUR SEARCH “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way.” The search for God is a very intimate enterprise. It is at the core of every longing in the human heart. It is the search for ultimate love, for total belonging, for the meaningful life… Tak…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 3 A Single Vision
The Monastery Of The Heart - 3 A Single Vision
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
A Single Vision “Perform the Opus Dei where you are… Those on a journey are not to omit the prescribed hours but to observe them as best they can.” The Benedictine Rule is based on the notion that community life is the preeminent form of the spiritual journey, because it provides…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 21 Humility
The Monastery Of The Heart - 21 Humility
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Humility “After ascending all these steps of humility, we will quickly arrive at the ‘perfect love’ of God which ‘casts out fear.’” In Benedictine spirituality, there is a twelve-runged ladder that leads to God… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by Joan Chittister
The Monastery Of The Heart - 23 Sacred Art
The Monastery Of The Heart - 23 Sacred Art
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Sacred Art “They are to practice their craft with all humility.” The bond between Benedictine spirituality and art goes deep. Medieval monasteries were centres of the arts and patrons of the arts because art, as a reflection of beauty- which is itself an attribute of God- came to…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 24 Good Zeal
The Monastery Of The Heart - 24 Good Zeal
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Good Zeal “Just as there is a wicked zeal of bitterness which separates from God, so there is a good zeal which leads to God.” The Rule of Benedict was written in the sixth century, in an ascetical climate more given to personal self-denial than to the discipline of community bui…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Epilogue As we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.” Benedictine spirituality is not a spiritual practice that waxes and wanes, comes and goes, as we grow and chan…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 18 A Listening Heart
The Monastery Of The Heart - 18 A Listening Heart
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
A Listening Heart “Listen carefully to my instructions… and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” There is a magnet in a seeker’s heart whose true north is God. It bends toward the Voice of God with the ear of the heart and, like sunflowers in the sun, turns all of life tow…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 11 Sufficiency and Sharing
The Monastery Of The Heart - 11 Sufficiency and Sharing
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Sufficiency and Sharing “Do everything with moderation.” The purpose of the monastic life is never to amass wealth for the sake of the self. Instead, Benedict’s definition of the relationship between persons and things is sufficiency, not frugality… Taken from The Monastery Of Th…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 15 Loving Care
The Monastery Of The Heart - 15 Loving Care
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Loving Care “Let those who are not strong have help….” Patience and care are two pillars of Benedictine community. They hold up before our eyes, in blinding light, in immovable form, what is to be the nature of our presence in the world… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by J…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 17 Hospitality
The Monastery Of The Heart - 17 Hospitality
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Hospitality “Once guests have been announced, meet them with all the courtesy of love.” It is possible, of course, to make community out of “our kind of people,” out of people who look like us and think like us and have the same backgrounds we do… Taken from The Monastery Of The …
The Monastery Of The Heart - 19 Conversion of Heart
The Monastery Of The Heart - 19 Conversion of Heart
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Conversion of Heart “It is high time for us to arise from sleep.” Every life is one long list of defining moments: At one moment, we discover that what we have done with our lives to this point is not really what we are meant to do… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by Joan C…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 22 Spiritual Tools