Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit' by Paula Huston
by Peter Menkin
In the useful book on Lenten practice, where quiet
and silence, even meditation is recommended and outlined as practice for the Season,
author of “simplifying THE SOUL: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit.” Paula
Huston, again gives readers an excellent opportunity for the bettering and
continuing their work of Church life.
Another in a series of well-done books, which
include, “By Way of Grace,” and Following Jesus into Radical Loving,” as
another in her few number of books in the religious realm, one received a
starred review from “Publishers Weekly.” That was the one she authored titled “The
Holy Way,” which is recommended for reading, too, by this Religion Writer.
Published by Ava Maria Press in Notre Dame, Indiana,
my review copy arrived in time for the 2012 year, and a pretty paperback for
Lent/Spirituality it is-- besides the readable and attractive type and design,
it is a good size for carrying around. City people can even bring it with them
on a bus or transit of any kind, if you don’t mind others seeing you are
reading something religious. Should those others even notice, let alone care—though
someone might get curious. It is good enough for curiosity, too; for looking
through it at a bookstore, online, or even when catching someone at an involved
reading of the work, the curious will find gems of practice and observance
like:
Today,
consciously avoid looking at or listening to any advertising, whether it is on
the Internet, in magazines, on the radio, or on TV. The easiest way to do this
is to keep all these devices turned off, but if you have to use one of them, pray
first for the ability to recognize, then avoid, any ads that pop up. Pray also
for insight into your own susceptibility to constant advertising. Are you ever
overwhelmed by the urge to go shopping? Do you find it comforting to spend
money, even money you don’t have? Do you find yourself judging your own
appearance on the basis of people you see in ads?
No servant can
serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. . . . What is of
human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God. (Lk 16:13, 15)
That makes good sense, and here
the observant Christian is going to look at some practice for a week, as this
example above tells us on page 24, both to give something up of our living and
lives, and create something to do in the light of Christ and one’s faith so as
to come to better preparation for Easter and relationship with God. As a means
of relationship with God, and we are alive for good reason to be in
relationship with God, and to celebrate and prepare for the promise of Easter
in this life as Christians, there is little doubt that with this kind of Lent
anyone who uses “simplifying THE SOUL” by Paula Huston will come away a little
more uplifted in their penitential and renewing work. High praise, but this
book is just what the cover blurb by Phyllis Tickle, author of “The Great
Emergence” declares it as being: “The most practical work I have ever seen on
Lenten practices.”
Allow this writer to stop a
moment and say the author of the book writes well. Enough said there. She has
organized the book into useful and somewhat thoughtful parts to lead and
prepare the reader for the Season of reflection, which this Season is as well
as other things. Does not this book renew us in its promise and offering to a
new Lent? Some of us need this kind of thing.
Here are the few chapter headings
in the book: beginnings: simplifying
space; first week of lent: simplifying the use of money; second week of lent:
simplifying the care of the body; third week of lent: simplifying the mind;
fourth week of lent: simplifying the schedule; fifth week of lent: simplifying
relationships.
I have always believed and liked
the hymn, “Tis a Gift to be Simple,” and here is an opportunity to turn, turn,
turn.
The writer, Paula Huston, has given
us a slice of her life as testimony and insight along the way, as this excerpt
from page 25 demonstrates:
Here in the Chapter titled first
week of lent: Simplifying the Use of Money, under the subhead, Wednesday: Today, Walk to the Store Instead
of Driving, she writes…
MEDITATION:
Some years after we got married, I was awarded a writer’s travel grant that
allowed us to take the family to Europe. But even a very generous grant could
not cover six people traveling in style. So we compromised; we’d rent a small
van, we’d haul tents, we’d sleep in campgrounds every night, and we’d do all
our own cooking. This way, we could stretch a week’s worth of wandering into
five. By the time we landed in Amsterdam, we’d added our former Dutch exchange
student and my recently widowed mom to the passenger list, so every seat in our
eight-passenger van was filled. Since the majority of the crew were teenagers,
pulling together our daily food supplies was a top priority. Each morning after
breakfast, we’d hike from the campground to a bakery, a farmer’s market, and a
grocery store and buy everything we needed for the next twenty four hours.
Though our menus were simple—baguettes, cheese, fruit, milk, couscous, and
veggies, plus an evening chocolate bar, split between us—it took some effort to
find all the ingredients, and we soon learned to stick with the essentials.
One
evening we set up camp in the shadow of a great ruined castle on a hill, a
perfect spot for sunset watching, though everybody was too footsore to
appreciate it. I also seemed to be the only one who cared about dinner: my teenaged
helpers had melted away to their tents, Mike was studying the map, and my mom
was writing in her journal. I couldn’t really blame them; I knew they were all
famished, but even I wasn’t particularly thrilled by yet another one-pot meal. Then
my head went up, and my nose began to quiver. Before I could even think about
it, I was grabbing my backpack and heading back down the hill to town, a good
half mile at least. But if I were right . . . I was! Golden brown, running with
juices, a plump hen, squeezed in among her many sisters, was just making a
final turn on the street-side rotisserie when I arrived. I handed over some
money, the proprietor plucked the bird from the spit and wrapped her up in
layers of paper, and back I went up that long hill with a succulent roasted
fowl cradled in my arms. The moment my exhausted family caught the scent, they
came back to life; that meal, consumed with fervent gratitude, was unanimously voted
the best of the trip. People who are otherwise impressed by the holiness of the
Desert Fathers and Mothers are often put off by their rigorous, sometimes
extreme, lifestyle. Why would anyone choose to live in such a harsh environment
where water was almost nonexistent and it was nearly impossible to grow food?
Why put their bodies through such unnecessary hardship?
Though
the answer is complicated, here is at least one good reason: they understood
that those of us who live in a society of plenty often miss out on an important
experience: the visceral sense of what our easy pleasures cost in actual human
terms. What is so readily available more often than not gets taken for granted.
When we always have more than enough to eat, the capacity for gratitude at
mealtime is thus diminished. In a beautifully ironic way, the power of
ascetical disciplines, meant to loosen the stranglehold of our desires, is not
limited to showing us where we are weak and prone to sin. It does not even end
at teaching us self-control. By giving us the opportunity to genuinely value
what we would
otherwise
take for granted, asceticism also has the power to enliven authentic gratitude
and wonder.
Of course, the work is published
by a House founded in 1865 and located in the United States as owned and run by
monastics of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. As a ministry in a monastic
and Religious tradition, this Catholic publishing company that “…serves the
spiritual and formative needs of the Church…” of which it is a part,
fortunately speaks in this particular case to various denominations and for my
way of thinking Christians in many walks of life. The House has fulfilled its
purpose and role in helping “…others seeking spiritual nourishment.”
==Peter Menkin, Mill Valley,
California
February 13, 2012
ADDENDUM
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
1.
The
necessary first question is not that Lent makes such a good subject, but the
way you as writer conceived the concept for the book. Will you tell us a little
how you thought of it, and if you had trouble setting an organizational form?
What is the form the book follows?
I did not actually
think of this idea on my own. Instead, a
longtime friend and publisher, Tom Grady of Ave Maria Press, suggested it to
me. But as soon as he did, I knew that I wanted to work on a book like this because
I had long been feeling like we’ve lost touch with the original spirit of
Lent. Those of us who still observe the
season tend to think of something we are particularly fond of--say, wine or chocolate--and
then vow to ourselves that we will not indulge during the six weeks of
Lent. There’s nothing wrong with this
practice, but when it is disconnected from the original purpose behind such
acts of renunciation, it becomes quaint and even a little meaningless in the
minds of contemporary people. Yet I
believed that we might need this long season of introspection, compunction (a
piercing sense of regret for sin), and conversion of life more than anyone
before us. Why? Because we have almost no time anymore to
think deeply about our own spiritual state.
We are so busy being productive and solving problems for other people
that we are desperate for spiritual renewal.
The original purpose of the six weeks of Lent was to give people this
kind of time. As far as the structure of
the book, it simply follows, day by day, the unfolding Lenten season, beginning
with Ash Wednesday and ending during the great Triduum of Holy Week. On each day, the reader is offered a
quotation from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, a short meditation inspired by that
quotation that takes the form of a story from my own experience ,and a
suggested activity that can be completed within that 24-hourperiod. It is meant to be used as a personal retreat.
2.
You, Paula Huston,
have been an Oblate of New Camaldoli for about 20 years; they are Benedictines.
Though you have written a number of books that reflect on your life and
experience as a Benedictine Oblate, explain to our readers, What exactly is
an Oblate, and what does one do? Are you ordained?
I am an oblate of
New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, a Catholic monastic community
devoted to solitude, silence, and the formation of a loving community. The Camaldolese came into existence in Italy about a thousand
years ago when a Benedictine monk, Romuald of Ravenna, found that he was being
called to a more contemplative, more eremetical life--the life of a
hermit. Yet everywhere he went, he
attracted followers, so he wound up founding many small houses throughout Italy. Today, the Camaldolese live by the Rule of
St. Benedict and also the Brief Rule of St. Romuald. As an oblate, I am a lay associate of this
community. This means I continue to live
my married, family life in the world. My
focus is on my grown children, my six grandchildren, my husband and elderly
parents. I am also a full-time writer
and lecturer, a writing mentor in an MFA program in Creative Writing, and a
spiritual director. All this keeps me
very busy. But because of my oblate vow, I try to do all this in the same
spirit that monks fulfill their various roles in a monastic community. I try to always keep in mind the spirit of
these two Rules and how I can apply them to my particular situation. The monastery has been a wonderful anchor in my
life, and I look to members of that community for spiritual guidance. But we
are also, by now, dear friends--almost family--and I count that as a great
blessing. And to answer your question
about ordination, though I made a simple vow when I became an oblate, I am not
ordained in any way.
3.
In
the book, you speak of living a life of Lenten experience during the Season, a
kind of both meditative, a kind of living by giving something up, and a kind of
living by adding something—even in an active sense. Where does this kind of way
of following the chaste and gentle Jesus spring from? Also, how does it evoke
in one the penitential and reflective process of Lenten practice?
The concepts in the
book--meditating on the wisdom of the past, voluntarily giving up that which
distracts us, and engaging in activities that challenge us in some deep way--comes
straight out of the past. I did not invent any of it, but only applied it to my
own contemporary situation. The
rationale behind this particular approach to Lent is that we cannot begin to
change our lives until we first know ourselves as we are. It is too easy to live in illusion about
ourselves, and we are often too busy to question our settled opinions about who
we are. However, as soon as we try to give up something we truly value, or that
we count on for our sense of security, we find out all sorts of things about ourselves:
that we are, perhaps, quite a bit more self-indulgent than we thought, or that
we are a lot more fearful than we ever suspected, or that we really rely on
constant praise from others in order to feel worthwhile. So we learn something
important. Then we look at ways we can
begin to change--and we can’t do this until we actually do something. This was a major tenet of desert
spirituality: that we don’t change by thinking about things (or, in our time,
reading about them) but instead by doing something different than we’ve done
before, something that really stretches us and teaches us who we are. It’s a very pragmatic, practical way to deal
with ourselves, quite psychologically sound, and it’s very consistent with the
teachings of Jesus, who was constantly calling people into uncomfortable but
dynamic new situations they would have preferred to avoid.
4.
This
writer’s curiosity is piqued by some of the stories you tell in your book,
“SIMPLIFYING THE SOUL.” You were a
writer of fiction for some years before turning to writing religious and
spiritual titles. How did those previous years of work effect your development
as a writer who today writes religious and spiritual works—especially in light
of the story segments in your book about Lenten practice that has just released
through Ava Maria Press?
Those years of
writing fiction have turned out to be extremely important for the kind of
writing I do today. I had to learn how
to describe character, how to write dialogue, how to handle setting, how to
recognize theme, and how to employ other novelistic techniques most people
aren’t required to learn unless they really want to write fiction. Maybe more than anything, I had to learn what
makes a good story. In order to write
fiction, you have to develop a certain kind of observing eye and listening
ear--and you have to have a genuine interest in what makes people tick. So my years of training in those skills have
proven to be invaluable in this other field of writing. I’ve found that people tend to react a little
defensively when spirituality is taught in a didactic way. They don’t particularly like the sense that
they are being instructed by some kind of “spiritual master.” But they do respond eagerly to other people’s
stories. They can glean what they want
or need from them without feeling as though they are being argued into
something against their wills. Instead,
they are allowed to empathize--to actually form a relationship with the writer. I know this because I receive many letters
from complete strangers who are willing to open up their personal live to me
because I have done the same with them through my writing. That’s a wonderful,
and unexpected, kind of friendship--a real gift that would not come my way
without those stories acting as a bridge.
So I am very grateful for my years of fiction writing and hope that
someday I can do some more of it.
5.
I
suppose people are often curious how a writer gets published. Tell us how you
came to Ava Maria Press and something of your editor on the project and your
work and relationship with the editor on the project? Did he or
she suggest you join the Ava Maria Press book club, whose website is here
and where the book, “SIMPLIFYING THE SOUL”, may be purchased: Were you picked
for the book club, or was it not like an award of some kind?
SIMPLIFYING THE
SOUL is my sixth book, so by now I know a lot of publishers and editors. After thirty-five years in any field, you develop
a lot of relationships with people, and in this case, I was asked by a dear
friend who had once been my literary agent but is now the president and
publisher at Ave Maria Press, if I would be interested in doing this particular
book. As for my editor there, he was a
wonderful help as we put the book together.
Since it is so easy to self-publish today, lots of new writers head that
direction without realizing what they are giving up by trying to go it
alone. A good editor is priceless. He or she sees things in the work that the
writer cannot--both strengths and weaknesses. He asks you to clarify things you
think are perfectly clear. He argues
with you, and forces you to be more logical in the way that you present your
ideas. With this particular book, my
editor, in conjunction with the publisher of the company, came back to me after
the book had already been signed off on and scheduled for production. They had seen something I completely missed—that
we needed to tie each meditation and activity to a particular day during the
Lenten season. It was not enough to give
the reader “Week One,” “Week Two,” etc. We needed to make it extremely easy for
someone to actually start this personal Lenten retreat on Ash Wednesday and
follow it through all the way. Though it
took several days of last-minute work to reshuffle everything, I think that the
structure is maybe the best thing about this little book. And without a good editor, it never would
have happened. As for SIMPLIFYING being
selected for the Ave Maria Press Book Club, I honestly do not know how that occurred. That was an internal decision--but one I am very
grateful for!
6.
Thank
you so much for your time, and the opportunity for this writer to further his
relationship by getting to know you better. I am especially delighted to learn
something of how your work goes and how you work. But readers who have made
your acquaintance through this interview may want to know what it is that
wasn’t asked about. Please add here anything you’ve not been asked that you’d
like to talk about now. Our interview by
conversation by phone is coming to an end.
One thing people
frequently ask is what they should do if they are unable to handle a particular
activity on any given day--either they don’t have the time, or they are simply
put off by the suggestion. My best advice is to simply, without guilt, let it
go. My goal in offering a different
activity for each day of Lent was to introduce people to a practice they’d
perhaps never thought of before, something rooted in ancient spiritual wisdom
but modified for modern life. I’ve found
that we are usually most drawn to what we are already good at, and most put off
by what seems overly challenging, however, so I’d also add that if you can
bring yourself to overcome your nervousness or doubts, you might find that the
activity you would never do on your own is the one that turns out to be most spiritually
efficacious. In my case, this has proven
to be some version of fasting. It was
not natural to me (I’m a devoted foodie, an organic gardener and a cook), but once
I tried fasting, I realized how much of my time and attention is devoted to
eating, and this got my attention. Now,
I try to fast in some way every day by eating primarily for health rather than
for pleasure. The irony is that I love food even more than I used to--but now I
have more of a handle on my once-obsession with it. So think of this Lenten retreat as a way to
increase spiritual health in the same way that fasting helped me foster physical
health. And God’s blessings on your
practice!
No comments:
Post a Comment