Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living With Illness (Explorefaith.Org) [Paperback]

Mary C. Earle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Explorefaith.Org | Publication Date: October 1, 2004

In 1995 Mary Earle was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. When she was able to return home, she still faced a long recovery. She had to stay in bed most of the time, and eating was difficult some days. The busy life she had always known was gone, and she had to begin again. Like others who suffer from serious or chronic conditions, Mary Earle found that living with illness can require major adjustments in life. Using St. Benedict's ancient Rule--his way of ordering the life and days of religious communities--Beginning Again teaches readers how to discern a rule of life that helps them with changes in resting and activity levels, with food restrictions, and requirements for medicine or medical treatment. The ancient Benedictine concepts of stability, obedience, and conversion can help anyone living with illness, even those who are dying. Beginning Again is a practical resource, written for those who know little about St. Benedict and his Rule of Life, with exercises to help readers discover how to live with God at the center of their lives and illnesses. It is useful for those living with illness, and for clergy, counselors, and spiritual directors who care for them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary C. Earle is a spiritual director, retreat leader, writerand Episcopal priest. She is the author of Broken Body, Healing Spirit: Lectio Divina and Living with Illness, and the co-author of Holy Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints, both available from Morehouse Publishing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819219657
• ISBN-13: 978-0819219657
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Rev. Mary C. Earle is an Episcopal priest, writer, retreat leader and spiritual director, who taught classes in spirituality for the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin until her recent retirement. A resident of San Antonio, Mary is also the Author-in-Residence at The Work+Shop, a ministry in partnership with St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Her most recently published book, Days of Grace: Meditations and Practices for Living with Illness, is also available as an audio CD. Currently she is working on a new book titled The Celtic Christian Tradition: Essential Writings for SkyLight Paths Publishing. She has also authored The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness, Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living with Illness, and Broken Body, Healing Spirit: Lectio Divina and Living with Illness. With Sylvia Maddox, she co-authored Holy Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints. Mary regularly teaches in a variety of settings in San Antonio, and online for the Seminary of the Southwest. As a member of the leadership team, she participated in the first ecumenical silent retreat at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. Mary and her husband Doug, also an Episcopal priest, live with three border collies and two cats, and enjoy growing organic vegetables. Their son Jason lives in New York and is a professor of French.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Again and Again, December 15, 2004

By 

HJT (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living With Illness (Explorefaith.Org) (Paperback)

In this inspired book, Mary Earle--spouse, mother, Episcopal priest, spiritual director--views the exigencies of chronic illness in relation to the gifts and graces to be found along the Benedictine spiritual path. Herself a victim of chronic (and sometimes excruciatingly painful) pancreatitis, Earle readily and wisely links such very real practicalities of patient life as treatment schedules, medication regimens, nutrition, rest, and exercise with Benedictine "listening with the ear of the heart," mindfulness, lectio divina, stability, letting go, "dying and rising" on a daily basis, humility and obedience, ongoing conversion, prayer, and spiritual companionship. The illness thus becomes the spur to spiritual growth in the gentle, balanced "way" of St. Benedict. Very helpful suggestions for reflection and prayer are included. Patients and their caregivers will want to consult this splendid resource, again and again.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning Again, November 30, 2004

By 

Barbara Digby (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living With Illness (Explorefaith.Org) (Paperback)

Mary Earle takes a difficult situation at best and turns it into a rich blessing from God. Whether you are learning to live with illness, living with someone who is, learning to live free of illness, or simply living life, she uses the Rule of St. Benedict to teach us how to live that life simply. We can all learn from Mary's journey how to enrich our own spiritual journeys.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide for making major changes in one's life, January 12, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living With Illness (Explorefaith.Org) (Paperback)

Written by an Episcopal priest and survivor of acute pancreatitis, Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living with Illness is a guide for making major changes in one's life to accomodate the requirements of daily living with a serious or chronic condition. Author Mary C. Earle applied St. Benedict's ancient Rule of ordering the life and days of religious communities to apply the structure and stability needed by anyone who must follow strict guidelines for living with illness. From complicated medicinal regimes to the importance of regular exercise and healthy diet to making time in one's life for prayer and submission to God's will, Beginning Again is a profound self-help guide, acutely spiritual, embracing God's love and championing the power of the human spirit.