Benedictine Spirituality

Saint Benedict's fifth-century guide to humility offers the antidote to the epidemic of stress and depression overwhelming modern young adults. But the language of The Rule by Saint Benedict is medieval, and its most passionate advocates are cloistered monks and nuns. How then does this ancient wisdom translate into advice for ordinary people?

With candor, humor, and a unique approach to classical art, Father Augustine, a high school teacher and coach, breaks down Saint Benedict's method into twelve pithy steps for finding inner peace in a way that can be applied to anyone's life.

Drawing upon his own life experiences, both before and after becoming a Benedictine monk, the author explains every step, illustrating each chapter with color reproductions of monastic art that he has embellished with comic flourishes. The winsome combination is sure to keep readers from taking themselves too seriously--which is already a first step on the path to humility.

From the time it was first promulgated in the sixth century, The Rule of St. Benedict has been one of the most influential, enduring documents of Western civilization. Composed for the guidance of his own monks at Monte Cassino, St. Benedict's Rule has become the basis for the rules of practically every Christian monastic community in the West. In it are the guidelines for living the spiritual life -- through work, prayer, study, obedience, community, and moderate asceticism.

This acclaimed edition of The Rule of St. Benedict is a highly accessible modern translation that conveys the spirit and logic of the original text. It contains an invaluable in-depth Introduction that explores the development and spread of Christian monasticism; a biographical sketch of St. Benedict; a discussion of the structure and implementation of his Rule; its value and impact on religious orders from the Middle Ages down through history; its tremendous influence on Western culture and civilization; and, finally, various texts of the Rule.

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.