Before he died in 2005, Pennington, a Cistercian monk and abbot, had talked of
writing a commentary on the sixth-century guide for monastic life known as the
Rule of Benedict. Though Pennington never achieved his goal, his secretary saw
that the abbot's talks to monks at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in
Conyers, Ga., formed a partial commentary on the rule. He subsequently
transcribed and posted the talks on the community's Web site, leading to this
publication in book form. Those who take up this collection of reflections
will need to consider that they were designed not for readers but for
listeners, and read them as if they were being spoken. Readers who can thus
"hear" the talks, which also are available on CD, will discover in them the
rule's enduring wisdom. Although these talks are directed at monks, their
content is readily applicable outside monasteries, especially in the areas of
prayer and living in harmony with others. Pennington, for example, observes
that even when Benedict is describing the four different types of monks, he
is merely identifying human tendencies found in all people, such as
instability, singularity and self-will. This is recommended reading for
disciples of Benedict and newcomers to the Rule. (Sept.) Copyright 2007 Reed
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