Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary by the Monks of Saint John’s Abbey (Author), Maxwell E. Johnson (Editor) Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota (2005; second edition 2015) 2088 pages; 6.2 x 4.4 x 1.9 inches; 5 ribbons included. As part of my ongoing rebuilding older sections of this site, I have reblogged some earlier posts in
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The Abbot’s Shoes: Seeking a Contemplative Life by Peter Robertson (Kindle $2). This is Peter Robertson’s story, set in New Zealand. He joined the Cistercians in New Zealand at Kopua Monastery, in the early ’70s was when I first started going to the monastery (I am now a Cistercian Associate of Kopua). Vividly descriptive, it
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On Saturday, August 15, churches celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus. The day has many titles: The Assumption, the Dormition, the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary… In some places the feast is regarded as so special that it is moved to Sunday (or, one might argue, it is not regarded as special enough, and
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My mother, my daughter, life-giving, Eve, Do not be ashamed, do not grieve. The former things have passed away, Our God has brought us to a New Day. See, I am with Child, Through whom all will be reconciled. O Eve! My sister, my friend, We will rejoice together Forever Life without end. May you
Today, July 11, is the feast of St Benedict (480 – 547). Benedict describes a “middle way”, via media, bringing together positive ends – not either/or, but both/and. Community and solitude. Prayer and work. And so forth. He has a stress on the daily office, and on reading the scriptures in such a way as
I am an Associate of Kopua Cistercian Monastery, Southern Star Abbey. I am delighted to see these new YouTube clips: The date of foundation is 9 June 1954. This week is the 60th anniversary of their founding.
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Strike the Cloud – Understanding and practising the teaching of The Cloud of Unknowingby Graeme Watson (SPCK) 2011; 82 Pages. I was thrilled to be able to meet the author of this book, Rev. Graeme Watson, at church on Sunday, and to spend time with him last night (photo above). Fellow blogger, Fr Ron Smith,
I only realtively recently fell over some research that the whole 8-hours-sleep-in-a-row pattern is relatively recent (see here, here, and here). The research of Roger Ekirch, professor of History at Virginia Tech, (presented in his book At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past) indicates we used to sleep in two shorter periods with wakefulness of
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