| |
Resources for spiritual formation
Resources, in addition to the Bible, that Urban
Abbey members have found particularly useful in their the journeys of
drawing closer to God.
List of favorites
Extended list
If you would prefer, you may
download the document (in Microsoft Word format)
List of favorites:
Resources, in addition to the
Bible, found particularly useful by Abbey members for the journey of drawing
closer to God
The following are some of the
Urban Abbey Leadership Team’s favorites, in no particular order; they are
included in the extended list, below. You are
invited to share your favorites with us;
please send them to
Len Abrams.
Personal retreat at the Benedictine Monastery in Bristow, VA, with
or without spiritual direction (mentioned by two team members). Arranged through
the Benedictine Pastoral Center (Sister Louise, 703-393 2485; see below). “I was
very moved by the experience of being on the grounds, praying with the
Benedictine Sisters and listening to Sister Louise. This setting helps the
visitor step back from the cares of daily life and experience God's presence.”
Extended
list of resources for spiritual formation
The following resources may be useful for your spiritual journey and help
draw you closer to God. The list is expected to grow and change over time as it
reflects resources that Abbey members find helpful for spiritual formation.
Please send your comments and suggestions to
Len Abrams.
-
Benedictine
Pastoral Center, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA 20136; 703-393-2485.
-
Holy Cross Abbey,
Rte 2, Box 3879, Berryville, VA 22611; 540-955-3124.
Weekend retreats from
Friday dinner to Sunday lunch; weekday retreats from Monday 3:00 PM to Friday
9:30 AM, suggested donation of $200-300. Retreats may be silent; individual retreats
are not programmed, but spiritual direction could be arranged.
-
Bon Secours
Spiritual Center
Sisters of Bon Secours, 1525 Marriottsville Rd,
Marriottsville, MD 21104.
Individual retreats may be either programmed or
unstructured, and spiritual direction is available.
-
Association of Benedictine Retreat Centers for
a list of retreat centers in other regions.
-
Also see the Episcopal Church’s
Society of St. John the Evangelist
in Cambridge, MA.
-
National
Cathedral, includes:
-
Shalem
Institute
5430 Grosvenor Ln Ste 100, Bethesda, MD 20814; 301-897-7334.
Spiritual guidance program; extension program for personal spiritual deepening;
weekly meditation, open to the public, Wednesdays noon-1:00 PM; workshops;
meditation room and library.
-
The Friends of St.
Benedict
St. David’s Parish: 5150 Macomb Street NW, Washington, DC 20016; 202-363-8061.
Founded in 1997 to carry on the work of the
Canterbury Cathedral Trust in America in the area of Benedictine spirituality.
-
Virginia
Theological Seminary (VTS)
3737 Seminary Rd, Alexandria, VA 22304; 703-370-6600.
Includes Evening School of Theology
and courses available to part-time special students.
-
Benedictine
cell at Columba’s Episcopal Church
4201 Albemarle St NW,
Washington, DC 20016; 202-363-4119.
Study of Rule of Benedict, first and third
Wednesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 PM.
-
Institute of Carmelite Studies
2131 Lincoln Rd NE, Washington, DC 20002.
-
-
Chittister,
Joan, O.S.B. The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages, 1992.
Modern translation of, and commentary on, the Rule of
Benedict, adapting it to the 21st century. The author views
Benedictine spirituality more as a way of life and an attitude of mind than as a
set of religious prescriptions. “Chittister’s interpretation is one of the best
I have seen. Her commentary is itself a modern reworking of the Rule for
contemporary Christians.” — The Episcopal New Yorker
-
Chittister,
Joan, O.S.B. Twelve Steps to Inner Freedom: Humility Revisited, 2003.
Presents twelve steps in one’s spiritual journey; these
twelve items represent the 12 steps of humility that form the backbone of the
Rule of Benedict.
-
Chittister,
Joan, O.S.B. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict
Today, 1990.
Spiritual guidelines for Everyday Living, based on the Rule
of Benedict and organized by theme, including listening, prayer, community,
obedience, peace, and a balanced life; and with a very good section on lectio
divina.
-
Norris,
Kathleen.
The Cloister Walk, 1996.
Part memoir, part meditation, The Cloister Walk is a
movingly written and thought-provoking record of a married, Protestant woman's
time spent with a community of men at St. John’s Abbey, a traditional
Benedictine monastery in Minnesota (see website below, Section E, #2).
-
Pratt, Lonni
Collins and Daniel Homan.
Benedict’s Way: An Ancient Monk’s Insights for a
Balanced Life, 2000.
“Combines the wisdom of St. Benedict’s Rule with personal
stories and commentary illustrating its applications today.”
-
Ware,
Corinne.
Saint Benedict on the Freeway: A Rule of Life for the 21st
Century, 2001.
Explores ways of enhancing one’s spiritual life, both
individually and in community, through prayer, a rule of life, and other ways of
practicing the presence of God. Draws upon Christian monastic practice,
scripture, and other religious traditions, though not specifically the Rule of
Benedict.
-
-
Arico, Carl
J.
A Taste of Silence: Centering Prayer and the Contemplative Journey,
1999.
Catholic priest Arico provides the devout with a model and
method for the attainment of a deeper spirituality, drawing wisdom not only from
Christian and ancient models but also from Sufism and Thomas Merton. Includes an
appendix on the method of centering prayer.
-
Bourgeault,
Cynthia.
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, 2004.
Described as a guide book for all wish to know the practice
of centering prayer,” is book examines the method, tradition, and psychology of
centering prayer and its role in the Christian life.
-
Foster,
Richard.
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, 1992.
Excellent book on prayer. Explores the three “movements” of
prayer (inward, outward, upward), offering a primer that helps the reader
understand and experience its many forms.
-
Guenther,
Margaret.
The Practice of Prayer, 1998.
A practical book on the essentials of prayer. It addresses
common questions of spiritual life, such as “How do we learn to listen to God in
our prayer?” and “How do we develop a life of prayer in the midst of busy,
active lives?”
-
Keating,
Thomas.
Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation, 1992.
Last book of a trilogy that began with Open Mind, Open
Heart. From the introduction: This is an attempt to provide a road map, as
it were, for the journey that begins when Centering Prayer is seriously
undertaken, and to point to some of the recognizable landmarks on the journey …”
-
Keating,
Thomas.
Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel.
A book on the history of contemplative prayer in the
Christian tradition, and step-by-step guidance in the method of centering
prayer. Father Keating is a founder of the Centering Prayer Movement and of
Contemplative Outreach.
-
-
Ahlgren,
Gillian.
Entering Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, 2005.
A useful companion guide to The Interior
Castle by St. Teresa.
-
Brother
Lawrence.
The Practice of the Presence of God.
A short autobiographical book by one who joyfully found God
to be present with him throughout even the most menial tasks.
-
Julian of
Norwich.
Revelation of Love, edited and translated by John Skinner, 1996.
A poetic and profound account of a soul’s quest for the
divine. Along with The Cloud of Unknowing and Teresa of Avila’s Interior
Castle, this book forms the heart of Western mysticism.
-
Merton, Thomas.
The Seven-Storey Mountain.
The autobiography of
Thomas
Merton, a
Trappist
Monk
and author from the
1940s
to the
1960s.
The title refers to the mountain of
Purgatory
in
Dante's
Divine
Comedy. In
Graham
Greene’s view: "It is a rare pleasure to read an autobiography with a
pattern and meaning valid for us all. The Seven Storey Mountain is a book one
reads with a pencil so as to make it one's own."
-
Teresa of
Avila.
The Interior Castle; new translation and introduction by Mirabai
Starr, 2003.
Based on a vision by St. Teresa in the 16th
century, this book guides the spiritual seeker through seven stages of spiritual
growth.
-
Teresa of
Avila.
The Way of Perfection, edited and “mildly modernized” by Henry Carrigan,
Jr., 2000.
Presents Teresa’s approach to incorporating spirituality into everyday life,
through prayer and contemplation.
-
Wilkinson,
Peggy,
O.C.D.S. Finding the Mystic Within You, 1999.
Distills the wisdom of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of
the Cross to help understand the stages and experiences of the inner journey.
Includes several chapters on contemplative prayer: its nature, how to prepare
for it, and its effects.
-
-
Barks, Coleman.
Essential Rumi.
-
Bernardin,
Joseph Cardinal.
The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections by Joseph Cardinal
Bernardin.
A very personal reflection on the last three years of the
Cardinal's life. During these years he dealt with false accusations of sexual
misconduct and a diagnosis of aggressive pancreatic cancer. This book gives the
reader insight into this gentle, good man's quest for inner peace.
-
Bruegemann,
Walter.
Spirituality of the Psalms, 2002.
Interpretation of the Psalms, reflecting the author’s view
that “The life of faith expressed in the Psalms is focused on the two decisive
moves of faith that are always underway by which we are regularly surprised and
which we regularly resist: out of a settled orientation, into a season of
disorientation, and from a context of disorientation to a new orientation,
surprised by a new gift from God …”
-
Merrill, Nan.
Psalms for Praying.
-
Moore, Kathleen
Dean.
Riverwalking.
-
Russell, A. J.,
ed.
God Calling, 1978.
Inspirational readings for each day of the year, to be read
as though Jesus were speaking as a great friend, bringing messages of counsel,
comfort, and encouragement. They were written anonymously by two women who
claim to have received these messages from Christ Himself. The claim cannot be
proven, but the messages of God’s love and peace ring true.
-
Order of St. Benedict.
The major resource site for all things Benedictine is the web site of the
Order of St. Benedict Confederation (Roman Catholic but with links to Anglican
Benedictines).
-
Saint John’s
Abbey, Collegeville, MN 56321.
Click on link there (or
here) for daily reflection.
-
St. Paul’s Parish, Riverside, Illinois,
with Web pages for their congregation as
a whole, on spiritual
formation, and for the nonresidential
St. Paul’s Benedictine
Community).
-
Benetvision,
a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA,
providing research and resources for contemporary spirituality; Joan Chittister,
Executive Director.
-
Forward
Movement Publications,
an official agency of the national Episcopal Church. Since 1935 it has
produced pamphlets, booklets, and books to encourage and nourish people as they
grow in their lives of prayer and faith. Its quarterly devotional Forward Day
by Day provides daily meditations based on readings from the Bible appointed
by the lectionaries.
-
Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. or (http://www.centeringprayer.com/).
Founded by Thomas Keating to support the contemplative dimension of the Gospel
through the practice of centering prayer.
-
Spirituality
and Practice Website,
Resources for spiritual journeys.
Other
resources for spiritual formation
|
