What do Brian McLaren, Fr. Daniel Horan OFM, Fr. Michael Casey OCSO, Br. Patrick Hart OCSO, and Phyllis Tickle have in common? They’ve all endorsed Befriending Silence.
- Brian McLaren praises Befriending Silence as “a great gift to all who hunger for meaning, mystery, peace, hope, and God.”
- Fr. Daniel Horan calls the book “an accessible and enlightening introduction to the beauty of Cistercian spirituality.”
- Fr. Michael Casey notes that “it will be found useful and stimulating by anyone who wishes to profit from the substantial wisdom of the Cistercian tradition.”
- Br. Patrick Hart says Befriending Silence “manifests in a wonderful way the Cistercian charism.”
- And Phyllis Tickle says it is “one of the gentlest, most conversational, and also humbly persuasive presentations of the joys and spiritual benefits for Christian lay folk of personal, vowed, and disciplined association and/or affiliation with monastic life and practice.” (whew, that’s a mouthful!)
You might be wondering “what is this book about?” It’s an introduction to the spirituality of Cistercian monks and nuns, famous for their lives of silence and simplicity.
The Cistercians may not be as famous as the Franciscans or the Jesuits, but they have given us some of the richest spirituality of the western tradition. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Aelred of Rievaulx, Thomas Merton, and Thomas Keating are among the great mystics and contemplatives of the Cistercian tradition. Trappist monks are all Cistercians. The centering prayer movement, one of the leading contemplative prayer movements in Christianity today, has its roots in Cistercian spirituality.
So Befriending Silence offers a friendly introduction to this under-appreciated stream of contemplative Christianity, with an emphasis on how everyone — not just monks or nuns — can be blessed and transformed by this lovely and serene tradition.
- Discover why monasteries are places of peace and serenity — and how to cultivate that same gentle spirit in your own life.
- Learn why monks and nuns value silence, humility, and stability — and how these “old fashioned” values can enrich your life today.
- Explore the many ways that monks and nuns pray — and learn how their spiritual disciplines can become part of your daily walk with God.
If you would like to see the book’s table of contents and/or see the complete endorsements, just click here. Or, if you want to pre-order the book, it’s already listed at Amazon.com (click here). B&N, Indiebook.org, and other retailers will have it soon. The publication date is November 2015.
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