having been away for a few days i caught the last of the monastery on video last night. what a great series it has been – i have found it compelling. someone described it to me as reality tv with soul (which is of course a refreshing change). it was very moving to see transformations of various degrees in the 5 men who had spent 40 days and nights in the company of the benedictine brothers. tony’s story was particularly touching, especially the scene where the brother presented him with a white stone and prayed a blessing on him and he was overwhelmed by the Spirit. the white stone ritual made me smile – it’s something various alternative worship groups have done (e.g. vaux) – monks have clearly been on to this stuff a lot longer!
the series has got me thinking about benedictine spirituality. i have a friend who is a benedictine oblate ( a member of the community but who lives a regular life ). she has given me two books to read which i am enjoying – the cloister walk and the rule of benedict:insights for the ages . it also struck me how good an experience it was for the monks to encounter 5 men from the outside world and realise the transformative power of christian spirituality and the benedictine way. i am really pleased to see that they have taken the opportunity to develop a good web site with advice on meditation, bible reading and offering weekends for people interested to get a taste of what they have watched… lectio divina | tips to meditate
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I enjoyed Cloister Walk when I read it a few years ago and have used extracts in a service on the Psalms. I was struck by the commitment of moving through all the emotions in the Psalms service by service.
I loved the monastry I thought it was absolutly thought provocking and challenging especially to those of us from new church/charismatic/evangelical church backgrounds.
In the spiritual life of the monks I saw something that for a while I had been senseing was missing from my own spiritual life and also those of my freinds but that I cannot put my finger on completly.
i haven’t read the books, but i am familiar with them. having spent times at a monastery i know that it’s not an isolated incident where they are understanding a new place in todays world. the one i frequent is contemplating doing monastic retreats (within the rule of st. benedict). being in the states, if you find a way to purchase a copy of ‘the monstery’ i’d love to get ahold of a copy. shalom gavin