Domestic Monastery

 It arrived today, and by late afternoon I had read it!  Short and packed. 

Excellent in STYLE.  Encouraging in SUBSTANCE.

Style-wise, author Ronald Rolheiser writes gently.

I found myself underlining softly, 

writing faint notes in the columns--

whispering as it were in response to the firm, quiet wisdom contained on the pages.

Style-wise, the illustrations were also quiet.

Plenteous.  Well-placed.  Reverent.

Style-wise, Rolheiser skillfully strings together phrases for optimum impact.  

For instance:  "Monastic prayer is simple, often rote, has a clear durational expectancy, and is structured to allow each monk the freedom to invest himself or hold back, in terms of energy and heart, depending upon his disposition on a given day." p. 43

Style-wise, the author chooses excellent illustrations for clarity.

These include the piano keyboard and a woman who visits her elderly mother in a nursing home.

And what can I say about substance?

Whether a faithful young mother or an aging reader such as I,

here is an invitation to monastery 

("a place set apart, period...a place to learn the value of powerlessness 

and a place to learn that time is not ours, but God's.") p 18

While I read all ten chapters with interest, those dealing with prayer,

time, the tensions of life, and the seasons of life 

were the four most challenging to me in this initial reading.

Ritual, rhythm, and routine are explained and recommended as essential

to the sane, simple, and sacred life I desire.

I WILL be reading it again.

Thanks to Pareclete Press for my copy.

wwwparacletepress.com