Benedictine Spirituality

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

If life is a portal to paradise, then how we get there should be everyone's concern. Our Christian call is to know, love, and serve God in this world that we may be happy with him in heaven. In our day-to-day lives, this means finding and keeping to the narrow way that Jesus describes as the path to heaven.

Fortunately, we have a vast collection of Christian classics to help us on our way, and one of the greatest is Saint Benedict's Rule. In Enter the Narrow Gate: Saint Benedict's Steps to Christian Maturity, Susan Muto draws from Saint Benedict's twelve steps to humility, showing how these steps give us a road map to the narrow way. Rooted in timeless spiritual principles, this book offers guidance and encouragement to find and stay on the narrow path, no matter how attractive the easy road may seem.

The choices we make each day have eternal ramifications, and there can be no compromise between the narrow way and the easy road. Ultimately, each of us must face -- and answer -- this all-important question: Are we willing to enter through the narrow gate and follow the narrow way all the way to heaven?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Muto, Ph.D., is executive director of the Epiphany Association and dean of the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality. She holds a doctorate in English literature from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Muto has been teaching the literature of ancient, medieval, and modern spirituality for over forty years. She has written more than thirty books, and in 2014 she received the Aggiornamento Award presented by the Catholic Library Association in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the ministry of renewal modeled by Pope St. John XXIII.

2026 Catholic Media Association Honorable Mention, Design and Production

In this thoroughly revised edition of the 2001 international bestseller, The Glenstal Prayerbook provides a traditional approach to prayer, taking its essential form from the monastic prayer life as lived in Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. Divided into three sections, this prayerbook is a helpful resource for those encountering monastic prayer at all levels.

Section one describes the liturgical calendar. There are notes on each liturgical season as well as prayers specific to the season that can be used in place of the prayer at the end of morning and evening prayer. There is also a calendar of saints and feasts through the year.

Section two contains one complete week of the daily prayer cycle or Liturgy of the Hours. This section follows the structure of the Glenstal monastic liturgy and is the heart of The Glenstal Prayerbook, but now in a more contemporary translation.

Section three includes additional prayers, offering even more prayers than the previous edition. Selections include the Jesus Prayer, prayers with Mary, traditional Church prayers, prayers with the angels and saints, and more. The final section includes prayers for various occasions and situations--prayers for the sick, the dying, prayers before meals, and prayers for exams.

The GlenstalPrayerbook is a rich, nourishing resource for your prayer journey. It draws on the wisdom of the Bible, enshrined in Benedictine liturgy and reflects in a special way the Celtic tradition with its earthy, popular and devotional prayers. Beautifully bound and designed, it is both prayer and inspiration.

Written some fifteen centuries ago, The Rule of St Benedict is still read and studied by thousands of men and women throughout the world. In recent years more and more lay people have turned to the Rule, and have found within its pages a deep and practical spirituality which is helpful to them in coping with the problems and challenges they meet in their everyday lives. This edition of the classic Parry translation of the Rule has been prepared for a general audience and comes complete with an introduction by Esther de Waal which offers a commentary both on the underlying themes of the Rule and on the contents of specific chapters. We come face to face with St Benedict himself and appreciate anew the magnificent combination of spirituality and practicality that make the Rule a uniquely valuable source book for us today. Abbot Parry OSB was for many years the Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey Ramsgate, and the author of Households of God, which included both his translation of the Rule and an invaluable commentary. Esther de Waal is the author of a number of books, including Living with Contradiction and Seeking God, which explore the spirituality of the Rule of St Benedict and of the Benedictine life itself.