[+ Large View]
|
FINDING THE MONK WITHIN: GREAT MONASTIC VALUES FOR TODAYFinding the Monk Within: Great Monastic Values for Today is a treasure for all interested in the enduring value of monasticism. The author shows how monasticism distills values fundamental to the lives of all Christians, such as faith, friendship, humility, mentoring, stability, action and contemplation, and above all, love of God and neighbor. "By studying the history of monasticism and its great heroes we come to realize that, for the Christian, much of what we call `monastic' is purely and simply what being a follower of Christ is all about, and that being a monk, whether inside monastic enclosures or outside `in the world,' is simply becoming the sort of person everyone ought to be, a person who unites action and contemplation in the care of souls," writes the author. Finding the Monk Within is written with the conviction that lying deep within every person and underlying much of contemporary western and eastern cultures is an ancient memory, a vital archetypal energy related to monasticism and its spirituality. This book recovers that monastic memory, the living presence of the past, for those who desire to name and incorporate monastic values: values of solitude and silence, faith and compassion, friendship and mentoring, contemplation and leadership itself. Drawing from a long, deep, and strong tradition, Sellner's work will appeal to all who feel the monastic impulse in our own time and place but must find that inner cloister of the heart amidst the frustrations and fascination of ordinary `worldly' life. The author examines the social and religious dimensions in the fourth century that gave rise to monasticism, then looks at Christian leaders from late antiquity to the medieval period associated with monasticism in both East and West who have much to teach about monastic values and their relevance for today, among them Antony, the "first monk," Augustine and Jerome, John Cassian, Brigit of Kildare and early Celtic monasticism, Gregory the Great, Benedict and Scholastica and, finally, Bernard of Clairvaux. By becoming familiar with the stories and thought of these inspirational figures, readers will be inspired to incorporate monastic perspectives and values into their own lives. Price: $24.00 |