Customer Reviews

In The Spirit of Happiness

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"In The Spirit of Happiness" by the Monks of New Skete, came to me by accident while browsing the religion section of a local bookstore. This book ignites a flame at the core of our souls.

Written in simple, straightforward language for the layperson, "In The Spirit of Happiness" provides readers as well as distressed and hopeless pilgrims with wholehearted advice. Particularly, it is appropriate for those hungry for spiritual direction, guidance, hope and happiness. The colorful, real examples and guidance provided by the Monks of New Skete stems from their contemporary way of life that has its roots in the Orthodox Catholic Church.

The Monks of New Skete support that spiritual change 'has to come from the heart, and not by simply following someone else's behavioral prescriptions'. They maintain that change requires spiritual discipline and, 'our task is to work continuously to clean up our hearts, our intentions, our fundamental stance towards life'.

"In The Spirit of Happiness" educates readers about monasticism, and monastic asceticism which integrates the wisdom of the mind with that of the heart' and, 'right practice should flow naturally from right thinking about reality' with God at the depths of our souls. The monks share with readers their belief that spiritual life is 'pushing ourselves beyond our own static self-conceptions in an ever-deepening communion with the source of life itself'.

Readers will gain much insight from the chapters in this book. For instance, in the chapter of 'Self-Knowledge', the monks emphasize the importance of knowing ourselves to the core. This,requires courage, that is, the need to dive deep within our souls and deal with whatever issues and pain we may have.

To accomplish self-knowledge, we need certain tools and, the Monks of New Skete share them with the readers. They emphasize the value of contemplative, silent prayer, liturgical and community worship.

Spiritual nourishment can be obtained from colorful writings on the chapter of 'Sacred Reading'. 'Lectio Divina', or 'spiritual reading', a discipline of meditating from Bible passages. The monks advocate that 'God is present everywhere' and that we must 'invite God's Spirit to lead us to deeper understanding and a willingness to show it in the way we act'. God speaks to us in silence, and where there is too much noise within the depths of our souls and in our environment we cannot hear His whisper. Hence, the monks provide suggestions on how to pray.

Food for reflection is available from chapters about 'What Does Love Look Like?' and 'Good Work'. The writers emphasize that 'Love is not abstract: it must be concrete'. It is in the small human deeds and acts that we are able to grasp true love. Furthermore, the monks support the need to work as it 'is essential in spiritual life'. In essence, work should be one of the many sources of spiritual nourishment as we pilgrims journey towards happiness.

In the chapter 'A River of Mercy', the writers discuss the importance of Divine and human forgiveness. They maintain that we do not earn Divine forgiveness.Instead, it is given to us as a gift. Being created in God's image, 'He exists in a mode of being that is eternally forgiving'. The monks discuss that it is only when we receive God's forgiveness with open hearts, that we are better able to forgive others. Consequently, forgiveness facilitates spiritual maturity and change.

Change, the monks advocate, 'is a fundamental reality of living'. True love, forgiveness, change and spirituality is reflected on how we act.

Of essence, "In The Spirit of Happiness" does not neglect the essential role of a spiritual mentor or, 'teacher'. A soul-friend, someone who reaches out in true love and compassion and is willing to guide us towards the realm of happiness. Thus,"In The Spirit of Happiness" is appropriate for spiritual study, meditation and soulful reflection.

We live in a world that has lost its heart where pilgrims are searching for true love and happiness. "In The Spirit of Happiness" comes to us as a blessing. Throughout the book, the Monks emphasize that we were created to be happy. Their writings reflect a torch that has been picked up in some of the darkest tunnels and in the process, they lighten our paths as we carry out our roles in this life.

Clearly, this book was written with love, as defined by the monks. I highly recommend it as it is filled with substance, wisdom, and, wholehearted thoughts that will give readers insight and bread as they journey home, into the Spirit of Happiness.

This book is amazing. I have read many books on the spiritual life and the monastic life, and this is the very best. Although written by monks, this book presents profound insights into living a completely spiritual, peaceful, and happy life in the world. This exceptional book will transform your perspectives on work, love, prayer, and the whole of life, and direct you towards bringing every aspect of your busy life into complete harmony and happiness. Very realistic and deep wisdom expressed very simply to accomodate all audiences, from monk to businessman to world leader. If you desire a deeper spiritual life, a more meaningful life, or a happier life, you must read this book!

We came across this book quite by accident, when looking for something else (we've forgotten what!) in the self-help section of a local bookstore. It seemed to jump off the shelf at us!

You don't have to be a monk to read this, or follow it. The writing is down to earth, and follows a seeker's experience with the monks who broke away from their original Franciscan monastery in the mid 1960's, to form their own. This is no easy feat! They were led by the belief there is meaning in eastern christianity (fundamentalists or traditionalists will find this book too liberal for their liking). Indeed, their monastery had room for brothers and sisters, living a celibate spiritual life.

There is much beauty and substance in this book -- we only wish it were available in paperback, to make it more accessible to more people.

If you are wondering how to live a spiritual life every day, if you would like to be monklike, but have responsibilities that keep you in the worldy life, do not despair! This book is something that can help you, and uplift you, in a down-to-earth yet uplifting way!

When I started this book, reading several chapters into it, I thought it was the best spiritual book I've read since Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy". Indeed, readers of Willard and Richard Foster would benefit greatly from this book, for it is really about the spiritual disciplines involved in maintaining a lifelong spiritual journey. Although it is written by monks, it is aimed toward anyone desiring union with God, which is the true basis for happiness. The continuing story of "the Seeker", a composite of several spiritual pilgrims that have committed to the monastic life at New Skete, is threaded throughout this book, and I can see much of my own pilgrimmage reflected in those accounts as the Seeker grows in wisdom.

The wisdom of Father Laurence, especially, but the other monks also, is not wisdom that is theoretical, but has been developed over a long period of time living in community. After reading the first few chapters, I was almost ready to head up to New York to join them, to sit under that marvelous teaching, to immerse myself in the rich, traditional worship, to participate in the cycle of prayer and work (indeed, work is considered a form of prayer by the monks). Alas, I then ran into a major snag.

I was tipped off early in the book by a brief discussion about the existence or non-existence of demonic forces. The flaw became more obvious in a later chapter when the monks took the liberty to disagree with Holy Scripture (St. Paul's writing in Romans 7 concerning why he does what he does not want to do, which is not him but the sin within him). There seems to be a concern that this scripture could be misused to shirk one's personal responsibility for sin (of course, nearly ANY scripture can be misused if not understood properly), so their solution seems to be to just discard it, rather than really trying to understand what Paul was saying. Then, in the middle of a very valuable discussion on sacred reading of the scriptures, they put forth a typical liberal view on scriptural interpretation, which to me puts them in the curious position of having a high regard for scripture as used in worship and devotions, while at the same time undermining the AUTHORITY of scripture. Therefore, they seem to put scripture on the same level as the writings of the early church fathers, which they can discard just as easily as they can the other, non-canonized writings, especially if it conflicts with their knowledge of modern psychology.

I could not continue the book at that point with the same enthusiasm with which I began it, but I did finish it, and I still highly recommend it to spiritual seekers, whether of conservative or liberal bent. It may very well become a modern spiritual classic, especially since, unlike most books of this nature, it is gives insight into an Eastern style of Christian monasticism.

This book by the monks of New Skete presents concrete, down-to-earth examples of how to try to grasp that elusive quality known as happiness. Easy to read, the reason I like the book so much is that it presents everyday, common problems, usually by a visitor to the monastery relating his/her experience, which reflects many of the same concerns, problems, etc., that I, or anyone might encounter in everyday life. It also presents concrete, accessible ways for us to take daily steps toward attaining happiness in this life. No estoteric, impossible-to-achieve "rules to attain happiness" here, just practical things one can do every day.

Outstanding! A feast of the practical and the balanced. This book gives the reader a breifing about the Monks of New Skete and answers questions like "What is Monasticism? and What is a Monk?" etc. in the "Interlude" chapters.
Then in the other chapters it offers practical advice on living a balanced Christian life that is community centered (Matthew 18:20 & 2 Peter 1:20.) In the chapters "Sacred Reading and the Word" and "Practicing Sacred Reading" they offer advice conserning the daily reading of the Psalms, which anyone will benefit from.
As evidenced in other reviews the modern conservative fundamentalist crowd might have a minor mute issue with something in this book.

an amazing book, thoughtfully and articulately written, and filled with inspiration, wisdom, and depth. once i started it, i couldn't put it down. i recommend it to anyone - independent of your spiritual/religious leanings. it's the kind of book i'll (hope to) read 10 times, and continue to peruse over the years, because the lessons for life are enduring.

A great introduction to Christian ascetics. It is very balanced, sober and ideal for a modern American.

This little book is full of wisdom that teaches how to nurture a relationship with God. It describes the monastic spiritual experience and then distills those elements that can be useful outside the cloister in everyday life.
Most of all, there's an attitude of holiness that is profound without being sacchrine.

This book is well worth reading. It is most effective when using back-and-forth conversation to teach (as opposed to long lecture type passages.) The treatment of Lectio Divina, especially as it relates to the Psalms, is one of the clearest I've ever read. There is also a great chapter on work as a spiritual entity.