Cloister Talks: Learning from My Friends the Monks
Come along as author Jon M. Sweeney sits in the warm October sun
talking with Father Luke or enjoys a December afternoon in the
monastery with Father Ambrose.
In Cloister Talks, Sweeney offers a rare glimpse into his
decades-long friendships with monks and shares the wisdom and
insight for everyday living he has gained along the way. The
contemplative monasticism Sweeney practiced with these monks has
been the greatest source of guidance in his journey of faith, and
here he shares it with poignant honesty.
Sweeney's conversations with monks engage various universal areas
of life, including life, death, love, work, play, and spirituality.
Readers will emerge with a deeper understanding of this ancient way
of Christianity, a much needed antidote to the hurry of
contemporary life.
EXCERPT
Ambrose has such an interesting mind. When he talks it's as if he's
painting the circles on a target, beginning at the outer ones. "If
I had to give you one piece of advice it would be this: Don't look
for sudden enlightenment. People call them ah-ha moments; don't
worry about those. I know that you may feel your time is wasted
here if you haven't had enough ah-has, but I assure you it won't
be."
"So what should I be doing?" I asked him, feeling confused.
"When you finally quiet down enough you'll begin to hear the divine
voice.
"Don't walk around looking for moments of enlightened insight,"
Ambrose continued. "For one thing, we're not that smart!" He
laughed. "Instead, you should walk around praying. Sit in the
church before dawn, praying. Or just shut your mouth for a few
days. Listen to the talks given by the retreat master, if you like.
Just sit. Try your best to stop thinking."
It sounded too easy to me. I told him that.
"What I'm suggesting is much harder than you might think. You'll
see."
From the Back Cover
Monastic Insight for Everyday Living
Cloister Talks is a series of glimpses into Jon
Sweeney's decades-long friendships with Cistercian and Benedictine
monks in monasteries across the country. These communal brothers
hold the keys to many of the things we all yearn for: stillness,
solitude, simplicity, contemplation, and clarity of purpose. Here
Sweeney shares with poignant honesty the wisdom he has gained among
these holy yet still very human men. Their conversations engage a
wide range of topics, including life, death, love, work, play, and
spirituality, offering a deeper understanding of this ancient way
of Christianity--a much-needed antidote to the hurry of
contemporary life.
"In this poignant, richly nuanced book, Sweeney gives us our best
record yet of the sweet tension between the cloister and the world
that, like a leitmotif, sings always within those of us who yearn
for both."--Phyllis Tickle, The Divine Hours
"If you ever wondered what a monk's life might be like,
if you don't mind looking into a mirror to see the craziness of
life in our culture, if you think you might splurge and go deeper
with God, Sweeney shares his cloistered, very human, and wise
friends with us as companions along the way."--James C.
Howell, author of The Beautiful Work of Learning to
Pray
"Cloister Talks is a contemplative conversation
inviting us to know ourselves in the deep, deep love of the One by
whom we're already known."--Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove,
author of New Monasticism
"This will be a very encouraging book for those who want
to glean insights from monks for everyday life outside the cloister
and need permission to fail from time to time in implementing what
they have learned."--Dennis Okholm, author of Monk Habits
for Everyday People
Product Details
- Title : Cloister Talks: Learning from My Friends the Monks
- Author: Sweeney, Jon M.
- Publisher: Brazos Press
- Publication Date: 2009
- ISBN: 9781441204264
Jon M. Sweeney is the author of several books, including Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi, which was a selection of the History Book Club, the Book of the Month Club, and Crossings Book Club. He lives in Woodstock, Vermont.