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Essential Monastic Wisdom: Writings on the Contemplative Life

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This book is a wonderful and readable review of monastic life. As a "normal" person (not a monastic) my assumption is that monastic life is overwhelmingly complicated and difficult to life. This book does a wonderful job of explaining the ideas behind monastic life in an easy way that is not the least bit overwhelming. This book includes much spirituality that I enjoyed thinking about and comparing to my own spirituality. If you are interested in religious studies, you'll really enjoy this book.

The "wisdom" here is mostly Benedictine (except for Thomas Merton and a few others), which left me wishing that the editor of this volume would have included more from a wider range of monastic traditions. Nevertheless, there are a lot of good seeds for contemplation and action here, and, after all, Benedict is the one who codified the life of the monastic to begin with. This is definitely a good volume to have on hand.

This is a beautiful book that will help the reader (Catholic or not) retreat into that world of peace that can be found in monastic life.

The reading selections are from a variety of authors, as far back as the desert dwelling monks and as recent as Thomas Merton.

It's not a book to sit down and read, it's a book to use as a guide for meditation. Reading it brings insight into the monastic tradition, breaks down a lot of presuppositions and prejudices, and brings the reader into a feeling of peace.

`Listen!'

This is the first word of the Rule of St. Benedict.

It is the first commandment in spirituality, as well as pastoral care, and should be in any good relationship.

`Monastic life is a training in the art of listening, which begins in silence, develops in attentiveness, and is perfected in communication.'

Many people have gone on monastic retreat to look for spirituality, to look for some enlightenment and wisdom, ancient and timeless yet hopefully accessible and useful. Many people come away from the monastery disappointed, for they never quite realise that the monastery is not where this wisdom is. The wisdom they seek is from inside.

In this volume of the `Essentials' series Hugh Feiss has put together a worthy little tome the explores some of the mechanics and the principles of monasticism. He begins with a section on the ordering of the day: Prayer, Reading, Work, Mutual Support, and Hospitality. How many of us think in these terms? How many of us put cooperation and hospitality as side aspects rather than central necessities to our lives?

Samples of the teachings on these are:

--Prayer--
Those who wish to pray quietly by themselves at times when there is no community prayer should simply enter and pray, not in a loud voice, but in tears and with full attention of heart. (Rule of Benedict)

--Reading--
Benedict wants us to do more than read the Scriptures. He wants us to study them, to wrestle with them, to understand them, to make them part of us, to let them grow in us through the work of traditional and contemporary scholarship so that the faith can stay green in us. (Sr. Joan Chittister)

--Work--
Just as the work of God, which mankind is, will not be exterminated, but will rather endure, so also human work will not fade away, because human work that is directed toward God will shine in the heavens...When God created human beings, he enjoined them to work on created things. And just as he will not come to an end--he will be changed into ashes but afterward he will rise--so his good works will be seen unto glory. (Hildegard of Bingen)

--Mutual Support--
Whoever knows himself knows all human beings....But whoever can love himself loves all human beings. (Antony, Letters)

Give aid to the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick, bury the dead, help those in difficulty, console the sorrow. (Rule of Benedict)

--Hospitality--
When upright men and friends arrive, [the monks] can speak with them at suitable times about whatever is proper, even if it is outside the time for community conversation. (Louise de Blois, Monastic Statutes)

These are brief glimpses into the five activities into which the Benedictine tradition divides a monk's day.

Part two begins to develop a bit of the monastic character -- one of the vows most monks must take is that of 'conversion of life', which means the never-ending task of trying to conform life in the physical, mental and spiritual senses to one of community and conformity to the will of God. These involve (as Feiss has laid them out) Silence and Speech, Reverence, Humility, Simplicity, Discernment, Peace, Patience, Separation, Stability, Obedience, and Authority.

Similar to the first section, each attribute here is supported with excerpts from the Rule of Benedict as well as other monastic writers, past and present. Rather than recount a section from each as I did above, let me give you a poem, from St. Gertrude, that sums up many of the monastic qualities:

Dear Jesus...
make me perfect in fearing you.
Make me pleasing to you
in humility of spirit,
in sisterly charity,
in chaste simplicity,
in humble modesty,
in purity of heart,
in the guarding of my senses,
in holiness of life,
in ready obedience,
in gentle patience,
in spiritual discipline,
in freely chosen poverty,
in holy leniency,
in maturity of conduct,
in cheerfulness of spirit, and
in all truth,
in good conscience,
in steadfast faith,
in holy perseverence,
in strength of hope,
in fullness of charity, and
in the blessed consummation of your cherishing-love:
so that the thornbush of my heart may be converted into a paradise of all virtues and a red berry bush of total perfection, as if it were a field blessed by the Lord, full of all peace, holiness, and devotion.

Benedict himself was almost entirely unconcerned with the 'success' of the monks -- the journey is the destination. He is concerned about mutuality and relationship, and a fullness of humanity. `For the glory of God, said Irenaeus, an early Christian writer, is a human being who is fully alive.'

He concludes with a discussion of the Good, both desired and possessed in the monastic vision, inclusive of both Longing and Love, and a subtle warning that even monks cannot used the monastery as an escape.

`The worst temptation, and that to which many monks succumb early in their lives, and by which they remained defeated, is simply giving up asking and seeking. To leave everything to the superiors in this life and to God in the next--a hope which may in fact be nothing but a veiled despair, a refusal to live.'
- Thomas Merton

Hugh Feiss has opened the doors of the cloister and let us wander through the various "rooms" of Benedictine living, including: Prayer, Reading, Work, Hospitality, Silence, Humility, Simplicity, Stability, Obedience and Love. (...)

Thanks Hugh for this feast for the spirit! We've been using this book in a young adult home group to explore together ways of deepening our life in the Spirit and find your insights and rich collection of monastic wisdom from many sources very helpful for us non-monastics to grow deeper in our life with God. The book is clearly laid out and well-planned to easily navigate around and find just the essential nourishment for soul growth. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to grow closer to God.

For another book on practicing the spiritual life for busy people, look into The Busy Family's Guide to Spirituality: Practical Lessons for Modern Living From the Monastic Tradition