Customer Reviews

Listen With Your Heart: Spiritual Living with the Rule of St. Benedict (Voices from the Monastery)

5 star:		(2)
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This book is a real gem for anyone with an interest in monastic spirituality, the Rule of Saint Benedict in particular, or the charisma that was Basil Pennington. He lived a remarkable life--a cloistered monk but also a world-traveler. A scholar but also with a great talent for making the wisdom of monastic life down to earth for those of us on the outside. He died in 2005 and these talks were given to the monks in Georgia during his time as abbot, there. As a Protestant man, I must say that I found them uplifting, informative, and instructive on how to live as husband, father, and son of God. There is also a two CD set of the talks themselves (the book is the transcription of the talks), available directly from the publisher. The audio talks remind me of the talks that Thomas Merton gave at Gethsemani back in the 1950s and 60s.

I had to give it five stars because I just love Dom Basil...but the recording is transferred from a cassette tape, and some things even technology can't repair! Still, if you are an audio learner/absorber, this is just like the book AND you get to hear his voice, which now is something left for the angels! (well, and God and the great cloud of witnesses!) It is worth every penny to learn more of Beloved Benedict and those who try to let their lives be shaped by the Rule. Surely the Lord smiles! here's the link for the written transcription!Listen With Your Heart: Spiritual Living with the Rule of St. Benedict (Voices from the Monastery)