A poem by Peter Menkin, done with pictures by Terry Peck, turned into a movie video.

Megachurch New Life preaches 'Speaking in Tongues' during its Supernatural series
by Peter Menkin

God is not looking for someone to become a robot or fall into a trance.
Tongues is a sign of growing in God.
--Pastor Brady Boyd

Mark 16 tells us new languages, speaking in tongues, will drive out demons; also, Jesus did not speak in tongues-- according to Pastor Brady of New Life Church during his megachurch’s “Supernatural Week.” He goes on and exhorts his members to help lost people come to Jesus. He exhorts his 12,000 members to speak a language they never learned to help people come to Christ. He explains, for those from America’s State of Kentucky, this Church does not work with snakes. People in New Life do
learn a charismatic way, speaking in tongues. He does proclaim thatat the first Church service, “everyone there spoke in tongues when they were Baptized.”

New Life seeks the numinous, the ecstatic, the beautiful. His Sermon given standing before the congregation in jeans, titled, “Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues,” sermon by Brady Boyd (The Supernatural) on video is here.

He starts out this American traditional practice of “speaking in tongues” by telling what tongues is about and isn’t about: Tongues are a normal part of our existence; It is for our charismatic friends; Tongues is speaking in a spiritual language; He asks, Are tongues from the Devil; Tongues are, Praying in an unknown language from your spirit to God.

He tells everyone, We are from Colorado Springs, American. He explains, God is Spirit, We are spirit.

The World Wide Web describes the numinous, which is sought, as:

• evincing the presence of a deity; "a numinous wood"; "the most numinous moment
in the Mass"
• of or relating to or characteristic of a numen
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Numinous (from the Classical Latin
numen) is an English adjective describing the power or presence of a divinity.
...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numinous
• Related to a numen; indicating the
presence of a divinity; Awe-inspiring; evoking a sense of the transcendent,
mystical or sublime
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/numinous

This writer’s tradition in The Episcopal Church USA seeks and discovers “the beauty of holiness.” At Morning Prayer, many Episcopalians say, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.” So Senior Pastor Brady Boyd implores his flock to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and has done so in this megachurch since 2007--and though not like the Episcopalian (“The frozen chosen,”) but as charismatics seeking the supernatural.

He says, “I want you to worship with your mind,” but “Tongues help you to personally communicate with God.”

The “Christian Post” article, “New Life Pastor Asks Christians to Speak in Tongues,” is found here, (New Life Church is found on the web here.) The report offers a look at the Supernatural week at New Life Church.

This writer’s experience with the numinous, a kind of ecstasy, was experienced ten or more years ago when commuting to San Francisco by Ferry Boat. At the time the writer was working for the American Television program, “The Judge Mathis Show” as a researcher. During the job, which lasted a few months, the early morning hour and trip across San Francisco Bay was numinous. This from my website:

Here is an excerpt that describes the ferry ride to San Francisco from where I live. How beautiful this ferry ride is to San Francisco from the Larkspur terminal...a joy for many in the early morning before 7:30.

“How I get to San Francisco is a pleasure: I go by ferry, and my trip to the courthouse there is walk, bus, ferry, bus. Here is what the ferry ride is like: The approach into San Francisco is magnificent. One can begin to discern the skyline and buildings in the fog and mist about a mile out from the docking area at the San Francisco pier. The entire skyline is a white against the white fog sky. This makes it appear to come to the eye as if through a magical appearance.

First there is the mist and the fog, and then the eye catches a glimpse of some-thing solid, or large and quite lovely behind and within the cloud. The shapes start to appear, and the patterns on the buildings themselves become apparent. The shades of the structures, their lighter or darker contrasting colors against the light morning mist of fog becomes a transformation of a visible glory that is just a small city, somehow reachable very soon across the water.

God is residing in the morning light of the new day, bringing a hope to man’s edifice by painterly scene and the dawn of the day. I do enjoy this approach by water in the early morning as the ferry brings us all to our civil destination in safety and comfort. It is a thankful trip, and a peaceful one.”


The New Life church experience, as described in the “Christian Post” article by Audrey Barrick , says of Pastor Brady Boyd,

He has many friends who disagree with him on the subject [speaking in
tongues]. But for Boyd, speaking in tongues – known to some as a private prayer
language – is nothing out of the ordinary. Every church he attended while
growing up he saw the demonstration of tongues, he said.

"I thought everybody had that at birth because of the way I grew
up," he told the New Life congregation.

He himself couldn't imagine being without it. Pointing out
that pastoring a church is tough, he said he would not survive long-term at New
Life if he didn’t pray in tongues – which gives him "amazing strength."

One comment on the article demonstrates strength of conviction, and mirrors a regard the Pastor’s exhortation requests and offers:

Acts 2: 6-11 explains that the Holy Ghost caused all the different Nationalities that were there to hear in their own languages, the disciples weren’t all speaking different languages, they were speaking as the spirit gave the utterance and God allowed the hearer to understand what was no matter the difference. God as Pastor Boyd said is still God and can do the same today. The Holy Ghost is according to scripture given to as many as obey.

This was commented by, darrellm2005 .






Addendum from, USA Today report:
“Brady Boyd encouraged his Colorado Springs congregation [New Life church] and reminded them of their ‘holy tenacity,’ two days after revelations that a male church volunteer reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard.


“It's the second such claim against the founder of the 14,000-member New Life Church. Haggard resigned as president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals and was fired from the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, in November 2006 amid allegations that he paid a male prostitute for sex and used methamphetamine.”


Images: (1) Senior Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church; (2) Senior Pastor Brady Boyd, By Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette via AP

He is with us even after the end of our days

Homily for Aldersly Garden Retirement Community
outreach Church, skilled and acute ward (ECHMM)
Sunday, August 8, 1999
Matthew 14:22-33

Homily by Peter Menkin


Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. Matthew 14:22

What is most amazing to me in this reading of the Gospel is the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I read Matthew, and that is our reading today, I find that it contains a dismissal of the crowds by our Lord. The joy of the message of this part of the life of Jesus Christ is that he has in his great love left us with a promise to be with us, and to know him as the Lord. We are fortunate that we may allow ourselves the pleasure to continue in prayer with the understanding that the disciple's, too, were many times in doubt and confusion. Even Peter, who failed so many times in his faith, was heartened by the willing hand that Jesus reaches out to us in those times when we are alone. This aloneness that is experienced from time to time is described in a poem by the present Pope, John Paul II. His book of poetry called The Place Within is part of my summer reading program.

Like the disciples, and like many of us experience, these times when the Lord has left us are moments, seemingly hollow without hope. In fact, as we live them we live them as they are hollow and without hope.

Let us seek the Lord. The Good News is Christ gives of himself to us to know him as a way in our journey to Easter, and the life to come. It is by the very "sparks" of His [as capital "H" for God the Father] mouth that we are saved. When we are alone, or seem to be dismissed by God, and are hollow so that there is so little for us, the reality is that the Holy Spirit is available.

And this too: The Spirit of Christ, a living presence that clearly declares he is with us even after the end of our days, or the end of Church today, or the hollowness that we experience at times in our lives. Christ is for us in our lives and in the time of our death. This is how we get to know Him as Lord, through these passages and ways, these venues, and sparks, these even "empty shores" when the slightest weight is too much for any of us. Like Peter, we walk on the water with Christ for he is with us and reaches out his hand to us to help us along the ways we must go as we hasten to our heavenly home.

The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II, translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz, "Schizotymik: the Polish title refers to a term in Ernst Kretschmer's typology, denoting a person immersed in himself and isolated." Pg. 79.
The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II, translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz "There are moments, hollow without hope;/ will ever light up a thought,/ ever strike warm sparks from my heart?" pg. 79.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha . Jesus… "Was far from the land, Greek literally 'was many stadia from the land'… 'in the fourth watch of the night' (the fourth watch was from 3 to 6 a.m.)" from the notes pg. 22 NT Matthew 14:22-36.

Photographs by Henry Worthy, Camaldoli Oblate, London.

--Peter Menkin, Obl Cam OSB

Poem about JO,
who passed away

The Redwoods is a retirement community located in Mill Valley, California USA and the result of efforts for the elderly by the local United Church of Christ (Community Church). For more than 6 years I've visited the elderly in their Health Care Unit, and I've been fulfilled numerous times in my volunteer work. This poem is really about a particular resident in her later years, about JO, who spoke with difficulty. Because her hearing was good, she let me do almost all the talking. Many times I read her the Psalms. I visited her from the time before this poem was drafted in 2004. She died before the poem was "completed" in 2008.

Christ's Presence
by Peter Menkin

A vision of creation.
And a moment of God's
need to have man. His ways
appeared to me when an old
woman ate soup.

She eats slowly this one time
again,
and her arm brought the spoon
to her mouth with meek vigor.
So I saw that we pass away,
for she was many years old
and her arm proved she was
a creature of God. Dust to dust.

There is the breath of life,
that is in us like this woman.
An inner dwelling, spirit of the Lord.



Artist's note and comment on the poem "Presence of Christ" as it appeared on the Academy of American Poets writers workshop ( www.poets.org ):
During the comments and suggestions made 2008 on the poem, this statement on the use of "Dust to dust" was made by me, Peter Menkin to another poet called "Gould."

Gould:
Many thanks for your remarks on my newly posted and recently revised poem, originally drafted 2004. I am concerned with the issue of what is cliche, and something like the statement "Dust to dust," appears so familiar to us, its use Biblical and religious as so many know. But I believe that much of the Bible, both Old and New Testament is familiar and sometimes a cliche or considered tired.

In one manner, we seek a new way to communicate the religious and spiritual sensibilities and understandings of faith, especially when one is in the "business" of writing poetry that is considered "faith poetry."

I think what speaks to one in the Bible, or in the religious and spiritual language of ones tradition and history as it is practiced, is fair and reasonable game for poetry, regardless of how familiar it may be to readers, or in its contemporary reading cliche like in its evocative imagery. I say this, with the understanding that in the religious life as it is reflected, and especially in the Biblical reflection of spiritual reality as it speaks to us as the word of God, that each of us needs to find our way. Selections and parts of the Biblical words do engage us as individual people and groups, denominations, more than others. I find this so. And so I reflect in my poetry this sensibility and searching for relationship with God as a living experience, in the Christ.

Recently, I've been watching YouTube talks by a Camaldoli, Benedictine Monk who is deceased, a holy man who spent his life in India, and a fulfilled man who reflects the way the Bible spoke to him. His name is Bede Griffiths, and perhaps you have heard of him. It is apparent in his talks caught and posted now on YouTube that he is a genuine man of God. In my poetry, I look to this genuine sense of what has meaning in the poem. Hopefully, in time, or even taken in my intended way, even a cliche like "Dust to dust" will be illuminated in a similar way of the genuine. This is a truth, I believe, or definition of one in the poetic way.

Here is a link to one of the Bede Griffiths' talks, that last about 11 minutes each. Father Bede is a Christian, one must keep that in mind. He is also a Catholic Priest. So he speaks from that perspective.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3BNQhWsPIZ0&feature=related

With thanks for raising the issue concerning "Dust to dust."
Yours truly,
Peter

Notes on the photograph: The photo accompanying this poem is again by my 78 year old neighbor Rick White, who has 9 children and 20 grandchildren. Rick took the photograph on the grounds of the apartment house we both live in, and so we are neighbors. Rick is a professional photographer who in his working life took many travel photographs, and when he lived in Chicago was an advertising agency art director. He lives in Marin County, North of San Francisco USA. He calls the photograph, "Ladies in the Shade." It was taken August, 2008 (Summer).

Book Review: Centered on Jesus

Seeking the beloved makes sense to John of The Cross, the mystic. He considers such desire and action Christian progress: “Christian progress means: searching for the one who is giving joy to my life, who seems to believe in me, who makes me alive. When I am with him, every moment is a discovery; and being without him is like dying.”

So the poet is quoted in the wonderful and inspiring book, “The Impact of God, Soundings from St John of The Cross” by Iain Matthew, published by Hodder and Stoughton, London, England. This work discusses the Saint, his poetry, and his doctrine. The great John of the Cross is a writer of wonderful love poetry, poetry directed at Christ, and his doctrine includes the idea that one cannot know God, for to ascend in contemplative prayer is to reach nothingness. He writes in a poem:

To come to savour all
Seek to find savour in nothing;
To come to possess all,
Seek possession in nothing,
To come to be all,
Seek in all to be nothing….
To come to what you know not
You must go by way where you know not
To come to what you are not
You must go by a way where you are not.

The author of this book explains this love poem, and many others, and the doctrine of the Spanish Saint. A Discalced Carmelite himself, the author is prior of a Carmelite Monastery in Dublin. As the jacket blurb aptly puts it, “John of the Cross testifies to a God who longs to meet us and to love us in our deepest need.” I, as reviewer, think the writer is successful in meeting this description, and the book is very worthwhile reading before reading any of St. John’s works (afterward, too, as did I).

John of the Cross writes love poems out of encounter with Christ. Here is an example regarding Easter morning. Iain Matthew says it is about a visitation St. John received:

My beloved, the mountains,
Lonely wooded valleys,
Rare islands,
Thundering rivers,
The whisper of love, carried by the breeze.

The tranquil night
At one with the rising dawn,
The silence of music,
The mighty sound of solitude
The feast where love makes all new. (Canticle A 13-14)

Jean Vanier writes a short introduction to the book (mine in paperback, and loaned to me by an Episcopal Deacon—good fortune for me to be introduced to the book). At the end of the introduction, this quote:

“For some people, John of the Cross, the John of Pain and of Ecstasy, seems too austere and complicated: for others he seems too pantheistic, not sufficiently Christ-centered. Iain Matthew reveals beautifully the true John, firmly centered in Jesus, in love with Jesus, the John who through all his life and teaching shows the path to inner liberation and union with God.” I found the book a lesson on John of the Cross, the liberator.

An unusual thing to say, yes, but there are many lessons in this book that have helped me to value and enjoy, understand the writings and poetry of John of the Cross. One important lesson and activity of John of the Cross is clear. John of the Cross points to Jesus. As Iain Matthew writes of the Saint’s dictum, “Essentially…choose the person of Christ, and get used to making him, not your feelings, your ultimate basis for action.” Lots of doctrine and good thoughts in this book.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from “The Impact of God: Soundings from St John of the Cross.” I think this is a sounding. It is also a strong statement on love. Love is explored in the book. I brought to this quotation a sense that the Ascension of Christ brings not only the perfected humanity of Jesus, but also the humanity of human kind. I found myself thinking about what was offered and brought my own questions right along as I read. The concepts of hunger, ache, dignity, being shaped for Christ resonated with me:

"So our needs--for answers or love or solutions to our problems ache is the price of our dignity. If we are meant for this much, we shall suffer that hunger.

"John designates that dignity by the term 'bride'. In the Ballads, creation was intended to furnish the Son with a 'bride', a whole people who would be his own. In Canticle, the bride is found and wedded beneath the 'apple tree' of the cross, where 'the Son of God redeemed, and so betrothed, human nature, and so each soul, with himself'. This means that humankind, and each person in it, has, necessarily, a bridal shape. We are, from our origin, shaped for Christ, a capacity, a need for Christ.

"That -- our incompleteness -- is our dignity, and when we feel it we are most truly ourselves. When we utter our appeal from there, we are being mature, being what we were meant to be. That appeal is prayer. For the human person, then, prayer is a supreme value."

The book has Chapter names like: “Prayer, a ‘Being With’,” “The Gospel Has Eyes,” “The Right Kind of Emptiness,” “There is Somewhere to go,” “It Has to be God,” and “The Experience of God…”

If you as a reader find the following words by the writer of the book ones that resonate with you, then by all means read this book. Regarding prayer, Iain Matthew says of John of the Cross: “But in each as the need, though real, is a symptom of a deeper need, of a craving that is as close and as vital as we are to ourselves. The mystic sounds human needs; and about the person John has said many magnificent things. But the most real thing he says about us is that we are created to need God—‘infinite capacity,’ for God.” The book and John of the Cross speak to people who have a need, craving, vital arousal in the heart for God.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost 2008

My Sheep Shall Hear my Voice: Poem
by Peter Menkin

One listens for Christ,
His voice.

They ask
Many things of Him:
Forgiveness.

Again, with another question
And desire. Forgiveness.

The nature of wanting to know
Christ is in the call, the desire
of Him.
Of themselves, too. One burns.

This poem asks about Christ, wanting him in desire, and ends with the words, "One burns." The statement here is about love, the love that is God and human need to seek one so good, as is Christ. There, I have set it out boldly.

Love is a wonderful subject, and John of the Cross speaks of love in his poetry. For those interested in serious reading on the subject of John of the Cross, and a statement about Christ and God, read "The Impact of God: Soundings from St. John of the Cross," by Iain Matthew. I recommend it.

Easter Sweetness: A Poem

by Peter Menkin

(I have wondered on this poem, considering how sweet it is and how much like an icon of Mary, or a painting of Christ being brought down from the Cross. Sweet it is, and I hope the sweetness of it is something you as reader will find a strength.)

To delight in the Paradise

of Easter; it is the Lord's.

The Christ!

Alleluia!

Oh, speak in the night, a conversation

of the spirit, a complaint, a plea.

It is the Lord’s will, a renewal

For humankind. Celebrate in the fullness

Of living.

Do so in the Church at prayer,

Meditating on the day, ones failings,

Surprises—opening to God.

So one speaks, listens, waits

And lives in the knowledge of Easter,

Its seasonal presence. This divine gift.

So may we rest in thee, in aloneness.

We rest in thee, together our love in emotion and soul

binds us joyfully -- thank you

for the morrow in the bringing

of the quickening spirit, a

millennium of blessings in color,

in shadow, in light, early morning.

There is God, our beloved

He calls us.

In the flame of the candle unknowable vastness (2001)

by Peter Menkin

God's presence arrives,

listening to the lighted

candle. The flame

communicates the aware

devotion of silence, making

things seen and unseen

prayerful notices. These conversations

continue reverently in the room

where we were on vigil Eastertime.

Those prayers remain still. How soothing it is to listen

to prayer; the Yes, be awake in spirit

and mind

as during the engagement with God

there is room for the fiery envelopment

elicited within and enjoined

to others in a rising embrace

by unknowable vastness. Given

a moment to be aware

of God's presence.

Receive the season

that astounds, despite slowness

of heart. Say "Stay with us..."

At the back of the Church,

at the foot of the Cross in the Cathedral,

by the sacrament in private on the mountain,

in the chapel at noon time,

on the road,

in the light of day,

during work, how it is to recall

the spirit.

Times eternal unending. Here remember:

Others know, too.

When she goes to pray, an intimate

time of life, we know love

embraces us as love embraces her.

On Sunday, first the flame listens

best; later all week the heart be open, love invites

on the road. Feed us, You do

in the breaking of bread.

Take the cup. A moment and minutes that love offers,

this is the sweet enduring spirit.

Continue the ongoing conversation.

This poem has a third revision, and it is a response that is part of the series "Conversations with the Holy Spirit." Written after reading the end of Luke in the New Testament (NSRV), and mostly begun in response to the suggestion "Take a moment to be aware of God's presence," one line requires its own place about the middle of the now shorter work. "First the flame listens;" is the line. I'll make that change.

This makes sense to me because the setting of the poem is the Sunday Church service. The poem is written as a prelude to the coming Sunday, and the reading from Luke is where two apostles are going down towards the village Emmaus, and they come across a stranger who they talk to about a man who was before God, walked with God, was God and Man. They talk about being astounded by the women of their group who were at the tomb of Christ in the early morning. Here they speak of their joy and a promise that is given of something wonderful and mysterious, a spirit that will come among them.

I am reminded of the flame of the candle that is lit by the worshipper in Church, and the prayers of the heart that are burning. Mostly, I attempt to render the experience of the spirit. This is a kind of listening experience that I believe is known to many people.

Here is a line from that book by Luke (24:13-53), "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"

These notes are from the original posting on July 12, 2001. That along with the poems, also posted then on the same board (The Atlantic Monthly Writer's Workshop). Should the reader of this blog wonder how 2001 and poems with notes from them make a journal entry for today, January 23, 2008, understand it takes a while to get around to things. Though this is the season of Epiphany in the Church I attend, I am looking forward to Lent and Easter. Also, afterall, I am also working on poems from as many as 7 years ago. For some reason, I am happy with this particular incarnation in two versions, and the notes about them from 2001.

Book Review: "Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the 'Saint of Calcutta'"

by Peter Menkin

This is the story of a holy woman's journey with Christ, her growth in relationship and spirit told through her letters, with narration by a man of the Roman Catholic cloth. A stunning and revealing story, "Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the `Saint of Calcutta'" edited and with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Ph.D. tells us of Christ's thirst, his loneliness for human souls, and the same expression returned in love through need by reciprocity--a mirror of living the Cross in letters and in service to others by a Roman Catholic Nun. There is lots of light in this book.

In the chapter, "God Shows his Nothingness to Show his Greatness," Mother Teresa's spiritual experience is described:

"Her long experience of darkness, her sense of rejection, her loneliness, the terrible and unsatisfied longing for God, each sacrifice and pain had become for her as one more `drop of oil' that she readily offered to God, to keep the lamp--the life of Jesus within her--burning, radiating His love to others and so dispelling the darkness."

A sometimes apophatic experience of Christ, after years of much darkness and unknowing, Mother Teresa came to recognize and live the Christ experience as a knowing by his feeling of God's abandonment on the Cross, and his tears and need, his suffering and darkness at his time of the Cross and during his life. Mother Teresa found a union of understanding with Christ--through Christ a holiness of spirit and a gift to mankind.

This is a work of religious history, through letters of intimacy; the work is a service of literary religious feeling and belief. The book reveals her service to the poorest of the poor. Her obedience to the Church and her obedience in faith is literally a marvel of discipline and rigor. It is by the strength of God that she was given such Obedience, and to God she devoted her life in service. So this book demonstrates in words and letters.

A marvelous revelation of personal letter writing, the confession of an unknowing-knowing journey and suffering which she recognized as sharing in the suffering of Christ. Observers have claimed that her journey was a failure of faith, and a darkness of spirit that made her despair. True, she experiences despair and writes of her pain, but evidenced by her continued work and prayer, she maintained faith and journey with Christ in the most holy of ways. So I postulate based on her letters and the narrative written by Father Kolodiejchuk, a member of the Missionaries who works towards the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

A famous Nun of her time in the 20th Century, Mother Teresa's book of letters and her life as a light of Christ, will have a place in religious literature for decades to come. This book is a most interesting and fulfilling book for people interested in the religious life, and living with Christ through their own relationship and religious life as Christians. For Mother Theresa and her religious worked tirelessly for the poorest of the poor, in a special way of religious devotion. Many of these poor lived and live on the streets of Calcutta, in a hole, or a dirt floor shack. The religious Order Mother Teresa founded, the Missionaries of Charity, provide their service in many cities in India and other parts of the world including the United States.

Many or much of the poor helped by Missionaries of Charity (mostly Nuns, but a few Brothers and some Priests), are as poor or many significantly poorer than those poor described in the sociology book "Poor People," by William T. Vollmann. From the Rules of her Order, started and led during her lifetime mostly as Mother Superior:

"The General End of the Missionaries of Charity is to satiate the thirst of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the love and souls by the Sisters [through] absolute poverty, angelic charity, cheerful obedience." To do this they carry "...Christ into the homes and streets of the slums, [among] the sick, dying, the beggars and the little street children..."

People all over the world admired this woman who was born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1910 and died 1997. The Roman Catholic Church beatified her in 2003. The dust cover quotes her famously: "If I ever become a Saint--I will surely be one of darkness. I will continually be absent from Heaven--to light the light of those in darkness on earth." A chilling note, a note enough to give one a chill, Mother Teresa lived a good life and her Order remains active today. They bring light to darkness.

This calling is a noble means of doing God's work, and in the religious life serving and connecting to Christ. The book tells of this work and its development, both the order itself as a developing group of religious, but mainly of Mother Teresa's relationship and struggles of spiritual and religious significance in her saintly life and holy connection to Jesus Christ: Letters that cast a light on Christ and his relationship with mankind.

--Peter Menkin, 4th week of Advent (Sunday) 2007

"Listening to my Muse, Conversations w/the Holy Spirit III"

by Peter Menkin

The resurrection of the dead, you Almighty

blessed from eternity to eternity, say

"...in that age and in the resurrection from the dead

neither marry nor are given in marriage."

Pray,

"Indeed they cannot die anymore."

Mystery and wonder, can this be--the end.

As I wait this Advent, waiting on Christmas,

the beauty of the liturgy, the starry Eucharist,

the gathering of the congregation, what is desire?

I desire You; oh, my soul

I read the Psalms as St. Romauld suggests,

and my dear one Christ, which a Priest says,

offers wisdom's gifts of healing, too. Manifold graces, tears.

Book Review: "Expanding Our Hearts in Christ: Perspectives on The Rule of Saint Benedict"

"The Rule of St. Benedict" is an optimistic work. Sister Aquinata Bockman, the author of the book of commentary on it titled, "Expanding our Hearts in Christ: Perspectives on The Rule of Saint Benedict", says it is so for the monastic, and for the reader of The Rule who is a layperson. Aquinata Bockmann calls the work, in declarative terms, an "imperative."

The Benedictine Nun, who has taught in Rome since 1973 at the Pontifical Institute for Spirituality and Moral Theology Regina Mundi, says it is "...a promise offered personally to each monastic..." that "...expresses the optimistic tone." (My editorial emphasis.)

The Rule begins: "Listen..." Simple, yet profound.

There is much here for all of us to gain benefit. The writer is learned.

Referring to another classic work, as she often does to expand and explain in a scholarly manner The Rule in her wonderful and thoughtfully fulfilling book, "Expanding Our Hearts in Christ: Perspectives on the Rule of Saint Benedict," The German Sister quotes: "My son, listen, son, to your father's instruction, and incline your ear to my words. Readily devote your attention to me, and with a faithful heart heed to all that is said. For I want to teach you about the spiritual battle and to instruct you in the ways that you should fight for your king."

How excellently this adds measure to the opening words of The Rule, which is: "Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice."

These words come down to us through fifteen hundred years. Traditional truth and learning, certainly. She notes Benedict had certainly read that first quote in the Latin in the Admonitia S. Basilii ad filium spiritualem. Right from her book's beginning the theme that St. Benedict worked with previous texts, especially "The Rule of the Master" indicates both a strength in his work and his ability to make it a Rule outliving, and widely outlasting in popularity and use all previous sources. This Rule is without doubt one of Benedict's own originality and wisdom, though it relies on the Fathers of the Church, Scripture, and previous texts. Where does the work of commentary point the reader?

It is pointed out to us that it is Christ who points us from within. So we learn about expanding the heart in Christ in this work, and it is a work that delivers. You won't be disappointed in her commentary, so I believe. "The inmost soul expands and extends into God," she writes of The Rule. Covering selected parts of The Rule, she continues, "Like the Master, Benedict seems to believe that walking, just moving ahead, is not enough. Rather one should hasten, run (cf. RB 73). This seems to be a sign of intense love and zeal, as well as of longing for God and the magnetism of God who comes to meet us."

In a decade, nay even an era, where we have forgotten God, and some say God has forgotten us, and faith is hard to come by, we learn of ways of faith and the heart, we learn that The Rule asks for zeal. The commentary points a way, the way of The Rule. What is this "zeal" the postmodern man and woman may ask? Sister Aquinata writes, "...we see that zeal is a radical passion in people. It is exclusive, permeates everything, and knows no half-measures. It is a dynamic reality, the direct opposite of weak, tired, timid, or hesitant movement." We are given doors that open us to the necessities of faith in this work, an important need in this time and certainly both the century previous to this one. Broad statement as I've made, large in its expansive way, there is a truth to this book's exhortations, as there remains the strength that The Rule brings to its reader's faith. Call this commentary a companion book of faith.

In the book's section, "That This Rule Does Not Contain the Full Observance of Justice," we learn, "Benedict addresses any human being, `anyone,' indicating that he is not referring to special perfection for a certain group." This is a commentary that calls the work a way to the Creator. Benedict "...realizes his solidarity with all of humanity that ought to let the Fathers, especially through Sacred Scripture, help us on the way to the Creator." A work that relies heavily on scripture, Benedict is a genius--a religious genius. So I say, and so it is implied in this work about his Rule. How one enters in the monastery, makes a request, is similar to the way one makes a request in Christ of God. The Rule says, "Therefore, if the newcomer perseveres in knocking and if it becomes evident in four or five days that he patiently bears the injustices done to him and the difficulties of entering and persists in his request, then entrance is to be granted, and he may first stay in the guest quarters for a few days." It is pointed out in the commentary, "Yet we may also recall that the Lord himself knocks in this way on our door and remains there even if we do not open to let him in readily..." A metaphor for coming to Christ, certainly. "

How much it is emphasized that humility is an important attribute of The Rule. "...[H]umility is the fundamental attitude of hospitality." In my own zeal for hospitality, I've gone on at length about the commentary and The Rule. I purposefully wrote a long review, yet despite various efforts have not done the book justice, nor given it the review it merits to say how good it really is as a commentary. There is so much to this book. Read it yourself; you won't be sorry. What is the worth of The Rule, and what is the worth of all the exhortation and explanation and commentary of the work by Sister Aquinata Bockmann in her book, "Expanding Our Hearts in Christ: Perspectives on the Rule of Saint Benedict"?

I want to end this review with a quotation about stability of heart used in the book from Gregory of Nyssa: "This is the most marvelous thing of all, how the same thing is both a standing still and a moving...I mean by this that the firmer and more immovable one remains in the Good, the more he progresses in the course of virtues...It is like using the standing still as if it were a wing while the heart flies upward through its stability in the Good." This Rule of Benedict is a book of ethical teaching, moral teaching, and a work about God and getting to know and live with him, a means of expanding our hearts in Christ. It says stay with God.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday, 2007

This review appears on Amazon.com.

Film Review: "Into Great Silence"

An edited transcription from a public email discussion of “Into Great Silence” indicates that this film is a winner: director Philip Groening's study of the Grande Chartreuse monastery.This is the opening email, written by Father R. and talks about the main character of the movie. Keep in mind that the film is silent, with subtitles, and that it took sixteen years for the filmmaker to receive permission to film the inner life of the monastery. Father R. writes in his message:

“Fr. Laurence Freeman…made a fascinating point, that the major character of the whole is the mysterious God, there everywhere: in the monks, in the hallways and the church, out in the fields. And the implication is that God should be the main character in our lives, in our hallways and church and fields.”

The life of a monk is one dedicated to God. “Into Great Silence” documents the events in the life of monks who live in a Carthusian monastery in France. The DVD I own has two disks, with the second disk containing a statement by Cardinal Pupard, (that is an added attraction and insightful words on the cultural merits of "Into Great Silence"). There are other interesting commentaries on the second disk. Regarding the film, which is on the first disk, I found this a powerful film.

In response to Father R., I wrote in my public email:

“Dear Father R.
"I like what you say about the film ("Into Great Silence"), for it is so apparent and yet not noticed as you've said: The mysterious God. That's part of the mystery. Thanks for the surprising observation.The photography (cinematography) is excellent, so artistic and spare, adding to the silence and simplicity. The director captures the pace of life in the monastery effectively. It helps in viewing the film. Many fine shots, like stills. This is a good documentary, and a work of art.I received my 2 CD set as a birthday gift, bought from Amazon.com. The experience of watching the film helps me to fill out the sense of community and relationship between monks and with God. I'm lucky to be reading Aquinata Bockmann, "Expanding Our Hearts in Christ, Perspectives on the Rule of Saint Benedict." Film is a powerful help to the imagination, and this film brings outa sense of lives committed to Christ. For not only is that a message in this film, it is also a message of Sister Bockmann’s book.”

There are many special moments in this film: the changing of the seasons, the rhythm of daily life through the seasons, and even the faces of the monks looking into the camera. This series of portraits is in itself interesting. During the email discussion, Anne wrote of her delight and interest in seeing the faces of the monks:

In response to the power the film held for this religious woman, Anne a viewer of the film, said:

“What they seemed to be saying to me was -- We have found it: the thing everyone in the world looks for, the deepest longing of every human heart: we have discovered it. Their faces radiate a celestial joy and a peace from beyond themselves. Something in my soul reached back out to them in longing and recognition and love. It's a moment that makes your heart whisper a long 'yes.'”

She saw in the film men fulfilling their lives. This is a positive film, filled with a kind of awe. The awe is in the life of these monks, as how they live and what they do in their prayers and dedication. It is in their peace, and their connectedness to the Almighty.

For the individual or group interested in religious subjects, wanting to learn more about life in a monastery, or what it is to dedicate one’s life to Christ, this film is an excellent choice. For film buffs interested in an artistic and visually beautiful film, this is an excellent choice. For seekers of God who wish to see what a group of people are like who make God primary in their lives, this choice of film is helpful and edifying. In fact, in its form, style, and method, this is an edifying film.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost 2007 (November)

This review is posted on Amazon.com.

Book Review: "The Genesee Diary"

For the Catholic Priest and writer, Henri J.M. Nouwen, writing about visiting a Trappist Monastery is more than a diary, a visit to a monastery, it is a statement of insight and inspiration by a writer who starts his book with the simple words, "Thanks be to God that I am here!" Like the report on his visit, his words are heartfelt. The title is descriptive and straightforward, like the book itself: "The Genesee Diary: A Report from a Trappist Monastery."

A sincere, remarkable memoir by the writer, I was taken with his willingness to seek God and in his seeking come to terms with his life and relationship in Christ. Although it is a religious book, no doubt, the light hand of the well-known Henri J.M. Nouwen will not disappoint a wide readership. After all, this popular and well-regarded work has stood the test of time since it was first published, and, happily, is available again to a new generation of readers.

In his honesty, Nouwen says at one point about his conversations of spiritual direction with the Abbot John Eudes, "If I allowed no one but the Lord to determine my identity, would I know the Lord? Or is it a fact that even in my meditation I relate to the Lord as I relate to people--that is--by manipulation and projection."

Please don't be misled; this is a good man telling of his struggles, a brilliant man, even. Once a professor at Harvard, his time at Genesee brings him to say, "...I can slowly detach myself from this need for human affirmation and discover that it is in the relationship with the Lord that I find my true self, an unconditional surrender to him becomes not only possible, but even the only desire..." We journey with Father Nouwen as this unfolding reveals what he hoped for by staying at the monastery, not only for reflection and meditation, but also a coming to himself.

It is fair to say this book is about God and man; as part of his explanation, the writer states how the means to that end is prayer: "Speaking about prayer, I asked John Eudes a question that seemed very basic and a little naïve: `When I pray, to whom do I pray?' `When I say `Lord,' what do I mean?" In his quiet way, almost unnoticed by the ease of manner in the writing, the book addresses many most important questions. That is what Abbot John Eudes calls this particular insight about prayer, "...[a] most important question."

I found this book a book about love. "I would like to think a little more about love," he says, and he writes of how the monastery is a place of relationships. We learn how the monks live out their lives in Christ. We learn how he joins them, and they especially offer a hospitality that is one in Christ. Henri J.M. Nouwen comes to find this love, which teaches him, aids him in his ruminations and self-appraisals of his relationship and life in the world. After all, this is a book about a retreat. An admirable and readable hardback title published by Doubleday in my copy, certainly an asset to anyone's need for spiritual direction in the form of a report, and an asset as a book that fills the need for a just plain good read.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost 2007


This review appears on Amazon.com.

Book Review: "The Way of Jesus"

I come to recognize publishers that publish books interesting to me, specifically with titles of spiritual and religious topics. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company of Michigan, USA and Cambridge, United Kingdom is one such publisher. A friend loaned me the book titled, “The Way of Jesus,” I am happy to recommend this anonymous work after reading it. I admit I may have found myself overlooking the title if it had not been brought to my attention. This is a book helpful in knowing Christ and living the Christian life.

The book was originally discovered in Germany in 1516 under the title “Theologia Germanica,” published by Martin Luther. A contemporary style helps with understanding the work, it was translated into the contemporary English by Tony D’Souza, who lives in London, England. The writing contains a certain charm without being difficult to the 21st Century American reader; hence the editing is successful if only containing a whiff of plainness and kind of simplicity. This may be to its credit, after reading the entire book and looking back on it.

You guess this is a mystical work, probably, and you guess right. Written in short segments, one may read it on a daily basis finding time to reflect on each chapter. I read it straight through, so to speak, not reading it as a devotional, but as an instructive and illuminating work on Christ and my relationship and understanding of him in my life. Fortunately, I found this satisfying and illuminating. The work is an illuminating book, 140 pages and introduces itself on the cover as, “a contemporary edition of a spiritual classic.” Tony D’Souza is noted as “editor,” by the way. Just to be clear on the matter and give proper credit to him.

From the start, the book offers evidence and instruction: “…[O]ur knowledge of God should become so perfect that we see that none of our gifts or will, love or good works come from ourselves but that they all come from God, from whom all good proceeds.” Perhaps you as reader of this review say, “How obvious.” But I recall a situation where I confused my own sense of smallness before God instead of his largeness; instead my posture required an attitude of humility that accepts and acknowledges His goodness and greatness. This is not so large an error, or far from a way to humility, yet to get on a better path to the Way of Jesus this book is helpful in sorting out relationship and truths. There is discernment on its pages.

Again, in the same line, as the author says early in the book, “…[I]t is better that God should be loved, praised, and honored even if we vainly imagine that we love or praise God. This is preferable to God being left unloved, unpraised, and unhonored, because when the vain imagination turns into understanding of truth, then claiming anything for our own will fall away naturally…’Poor fool that I was, I imagined it was me, but all the time it was God.’” Simple, yes, but clarifying and also helpful in bringing the reader to an insight to Christ’s significant and special relationship with mankind (womankind, too, of course.)

It is by degrees and example, by various dictums the writer lets us know something of perspective: “Four Things Are Necessary Before a Person Can Receive Divine Truth and Become Possessed by the Spirit of God.”

Possessed by the spirit of God? I ask, and I wonder. This statement about divine truth is novel to my ears, as are discussions of evil personified by the Devil. Yet as a reviewer I urge you to buy the book to read on and persevere; the reader will find this endeavor of a book both entertaining and also written so that its certain realities are recognizable in our century. Reading a classic work does take some leaps and jumps, especially when written almost 500 years ago.

Christ says blessed are the poor. He means material poverty, and that is common knowledge. But he also says, blessed are the poor in spirit, and the author who is imparting “knowledge,” or a way of knowing, ends a chapter with the promise of his teachings: “Out of this grows that poverty of spirit of which Christ said…” One gets the firm intention of learning something about spiritual poverty by this work, and thereby a humility. To this end, the chapter headings are like aphorisms, such as the chapter just noted: “There is a Deep and True Humility and Poverty of Spirit in a Person Who Shares in the Divinity of God.” I thought these a kind of Zen Koan. But slightly so. More a puzzle made statement than an exercise in special construction. Yet the book is that, too, in its own way. There you have a sense of the way mystery is constructed by the modern edition, I guess the modern language is true to the original since a noteworthy publisher publishes the book. Here is another “aphorism”, clearer and less puzzling, but a puzzle: “What Sin Is, and How We Must Not Claim Any Good thing for Ourselves, because All Good Belongs to the True Good Alone.”

I was glad to find this book title available through Amazon.com, for I tried searching on it (the title), but could not find the book. I tried a search on the editor, Tony D’Souza, and found the book on Amazon.com. This particular copy, which was loaned to me, was purchased at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California (USA) where my friend said she found it by browsing.

I am happy she thought it suited my interests and tastes, and also that I would appreciate something that takes a desire for a special religious flavor of instruction. My Deacon friend practices contemplation in the morning, and knowing my own interest in contemplative prayer is correct in her recognition that contemplatives will find the book, “The Way of Jesus,” helpful in living a Christian life. That is a lot to say about a book, but I am sure if you’ve gotten this far in this review, you have an interest that will make this a work beneficial to your own life, contemplative in leaning or not. This is also a book for the active life in Christ, for it clarifies and instructs on understanding this historic person and God. A helpful book in living a Christian life.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost 2007


This amateur review of mine appears on Amazon.com.

Swept Away

My call by God led me to become a Benedictine Oblate. It has been 12 years, including postulancy. Sometimes I feel as if I must abandon myself to Christ in the spirit and life, to go down the path of the Way and meet God on the mountains he's offered me, by grace.

Swami Abishiktananda was swept away by God. As is said on the back cover of the book, "The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda: The Cave of the Heart,"

"This is the moving account of the extraordinary life of the French Benedictine and Indian sannyasi, Henri Le Saus/Swami Abhishktananda, whose search for the Absolute carried him beyond the boundaries of established religion."

As Father Henri Le Saus writes in a letter:

"You are free, instead of being jammed together in trains or buses. There are enchanting solitudes and wonderful times of silence. Think of it, no noise of engines, no motor-horns, no trains, no radios or loudspeaders, etc. The solitude of Shantivanam is nothing compared to it. You cross hills and valleys, climbing up and down. Sometimes you follow beside a river, one of the streams which join up to form the Ganges, along a narrow valley beside the swift torrent...sheer cliffs on either side, maybe 500-1000 metres high. Then with the Ganges, you descend towards the plain. The Himalayas open up, hills are less high, the Ganges spreads out, divides up and enters the plain to make it fertile."

From the book, The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda: The Cave of the Heart, by Shirley du Boulay, published by Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, p. 171.


Christ was swept away by God. (See the quote below.)

It is a powerful and awesome thing to be caught in the hands of the great God of our Bible. Mary was swept away, by obedience. I think to myself and say in prayer that I dare to think of being swept away. These can be powerful calls for any of us. But Christ's call was awesomely special, as is noted in his mountain experience by the writer Brother Ramon SSF in the book, "The Prayer Mountain."

"Many things were happening on the mountain of transfiguration, but as the Collect reminded us, the shadow of the Cross had fallen across Jesus' path. After his baptism, driven in the wilderness, he had rejected the worldly and ambitious ploys to gain power or win favour. It had become clear to him that his path was that of Messiah for Israel, then the very word had to be emptied of its military and nationalistic accretions. He had already understood that such a Messiah would tread the path of suffering, and in some mysterious way that suffering would be redemptive. This was the basic impulse that drew him towards Tabor."


Prologue of the great Text of The Rule
by Peter Menkin (2001)

Savoring the words of meaning
in The Rule is an offering
for understanding
"...let us open
our eyes to the light..."
and come to know language--arise from a sleep
--to listen.

Saint Benedict!
Awakening heart and mind, in His goodness
stirring the fear of God, King, Christ the Lord
through the words of "...this message of mine..."
notes the sloth
of disobedience is in us. Calls to ears that listen
"Run while you have the light..."
inviting all to the voice of the Lord;
call delightful, what is more?


Recently, I learned through my agent Kelly Morris in Ohio, that two print publications will print poems of mine in Fall, 2007: Ruah: A Journal of Spiritual Poetry will print, "Poetic Recitation on The Rule of St. Benedict," Western Quarterly will print a poem (can't remember the title), and the web site Sacred Journey has a poem posted. I am pleased to be noticed.

Fourth Commandment: Day of Rest

In a film trailer, I noticed a clip of President Bush talking with a citizen. The woman said she had three jobs. President Bush said in so many words, this is American enterprise. I do not think he was thinking of the Sabbath, or commenting on it, so much as remarking on how much Americans work --and the President saying it is good. I don't think it is good to work that hard.

Now that I've gone deeper into the subject than I planned, it is my opinion that people should not work so hard to make ends meet. I think it is important to set aside a time of rest. The Ten Commandments allow us space to decide how we will interpret them, and live by them. The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to bring one closer to God.

Most of us in some ways violate the Ten Commandments. We are all difficult people to someone, and difficult people to God. Praying for each other is helpful in keeping neighbor and friend, difficult people, too. Prayer needs to bring people who are evil towards God, and people who are good.. This quote from Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, July August 2007:

"But praying for difficult people confuses us--do I want this person to be blessed? Did I want my daughter's wayward boyfriend to make money so he could finance her life on the streets? In these cases, we can borrow from the best, using ideas from the saints. For example, Jesus and the Apostle Paul used the following phrases:

"that [Christ] would be in them and they in [Christ] (John 17:23)

"that they may become completely one with others who love God (John 17:21, 23)

"that they be strengthened in their inner being with power through Christ's Spirit (Eph. 3:16)

"that they be rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:17)

"that they know (interactively) the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19)

"that they would overflow with God's love and be full of discernment (Phil. 1:9-10)"

From "A Journey of Formation" by Jan Johnson in Weavings.

Saturday Commandment; Day of Rest
By Peter Menkin

The integral given

by the Lord

is rest the seventh day.

By this mankind may find

another way of living

a better, more fruitful

living life to God.

Pondering the meaning,

and examining my way of living

with a mighty God:

Alas, modern living in the 21st Century,

is not so friendly

to the God we know.

"A Sacrifice of Praise"
by Peter Menkin

As I prepare, I am
praying in new understanding,
How there is a deeper union.

Illuminated prayer, you reveal to me
That I am received. How wonderful Christ’s hospitality
When I take the bread of blessing given.

Awaken this day, too, to the presence in God.
An entry made by invitation, an invitation I know:
There is the presence of God's statement. These
Are moments made: Redemption of mystery.

I am here for the mystery: Paschal.
I eat the bread. I take
The cup. I drink the wine.

Book Review: "Humility Matters"

In one section, the author writes about baptism: “In this foundational renunciation signified by baptism, we surrender our false self, generated by our egocentric desires. Since sin is living heedlessly, harming others or ourselves, we renounce these patterns of ignorance and sin by choosing a better way for ourselves and others.” In her book Sister Mary Margaret Funk suggests the way of humility (Humility Matters: for Practicing the Spiritual Life, foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama). This better way starts with baptism.

First point: The book is for anyone interested in living life with greater practice and aptitude for humility. If you are interested in the subject “humility,” or as a Christian in living a deeper spiritual life, this closely written book is for you. The book is published by The Continuum International Publishing Group (2005 copyright by Sisters of St. Benedict of Beech Grove, Indiana, Inc.). The copyright holder name is an indication of how current this title is and how savvy a book this is, the fact that a corporation of Sisters owns the copyright. How contemporary, and to have an introduction by the Dalai Lama!).

“This is the third volume of a trilogy that began with Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life and continued with Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life.” That from the flyleaf of the dustcover. The only book of the trilogy I’ve read is the one on humility, which is based on Rule of St. Benedict teachings. Sister Mary is Benedictine, as you recognize and for those interested in Benedict and living a better kind of life, the 186-page book (with notes) is more than acceptable, it is an asset. Interested in Christian living, read this book. Keep in mind the book is not a casual read.

Second point: Christian living is based on a belief in Jesus. It is also an expression of living life in community, and expressing that way of life through various disciplines and practices, mostly guided by the community. In this manner, the book is written from a Christian perspective, albeit Roman Catholic. Why have a Buddhist write the introduction? He likes what Sister Mary says. The forward answers the question, and here is insight the spiritual leader gives when he writes, “Humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of transformation, although this may seem at odds with our need for confidence. But just as there is clearly a distinction between valid confidence, in the sense of self-esteem, and conceit, so it is important to distinguish between genuine humility, which is a kind of modesty, and lack of confidence” (from the forward by the Dalai Lama.)

Third point: Surprisingly, Humility Matters is genuine in its value to interreligious dialogue for it speaks to a cross section of believers. Sister Mary served as executive director of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, a group fostering dialogue among monastics of the world’s religions.

A statement that is basic to Christians and believers in God is one step proposed by the writer. Relying on various sources of religious living, it is clearly inspirational and basic to consider this suggestion from the writings of John Cassian: “…to renounce our self-made thoughts of God.” I find this Biblical, and like the teaching in this book based on wisdom sources. The book is a source of wisdom for the reader, with many directions to consider, and even meditate upon.

One imaginative way Sister Mary brings these directions to life is through a play-like series of interviews with wisdom teachers from the long ago past. She interviews John Cassian, Teresa of Jesus The Illuminative Way, and holds a like imaginative dialogue with Therese of Lisieux. In a meditation Sister Mary writes, “In this book we have taken a long look at how we can respond to grace in order to empty ourselves of all…This journey is often called ‘The Way.’” A means of God consciousness, the book brings the interreligious dialogue along, as well as aids the Christian in his or her journey. Sister Mary writes in her introduction, “The external journey above the river is to do good and avoid evil. The spiritual journey starts with this plunge into the unseen, the interior life.” The Dalai Lama says in his forward, “Humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of transformation although this may seem to be at odds with our need for confidence.” A goal for the Buddhist is mindfulness. For the Christian, it is humility. The book points the reader in the direction of a deeper life, in a life more mindful.

Fourth point: In our consumer society we need things, so advertising tells us-- persuasively. Listing renunciation of “things” leads to better understanding and control of ones life, and is a subject of the book. In writing of these afflictions, she addresses food and sex, among other conditions mankind lives with and with which one needs to make various kinds of peace. The book is about having peace in ones life.

Conclusion: I like the section, “Thoughts on Vainglory.” From a lectio divina section of the book she quotes Proverbs in the Bible: “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” In many ways this is a book about living a better life, a life that turns away from evil and towards good. It is about living a life that finds greater meaning, and that is interested in living a more holy life in God. The book is not out of the reach of the intelligent reader; the suggestions and outlines are within the grasp of the ordinary person who desires a stronger inner life, and a better life in common with others. This book points in the direction of Luke, quoting, “…what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The response by the writer is to turn towards God; “No one is good but God alone.” Consider the book a gentle exhortation.

--Peter Menkin, 7th Sunday of Easter 2007

This review was posted to Amazon.com.