Taking stock of the present moment and the challenges of the future, a host of leading spiritual writers reflect on the most pressing spiritual questions of our time. Whether the focus is on nurturing consciousness, building community, or transforming global structures, the answers provide a road map for personal, ecclesial, and social change.

Compiled in honor of Benedictine writer Joan Chittister, the volume concludes with a moving autobiographical reflection by Chittister herself, "The Power of Questions to Propel".

Joan Chittister quenches our thirst for living waters through 365 reflections on Scriptural passages -- one for each day of the year.

She begins each month with a personal story that relates to a passage from the Bible, and continues with a meditation for each day that reflects the chosen theme.

Fifty-two readings on living in intentional Christian community to spark group discussion. Gold Medal Winner, 2017 Illumination Book Awards, Christian Living Silver Medal Winner, 2017 Benjamin Franklin Award in Religion, Independent Book Publishers Association Why, in an age of connectivity, are our lives more isolated and fragmented than ever? And what can be done about it? The answer lies in the hands of God’s people. Increasingly, today’s Christians want to be the church, to follow Christ together in daily life. From every corner of society, they are daring to step away from the status quo and respond to Christ’s call to share their lives more fully with one another and with others. As they take the plunge, they are discovering the rich, meaningful life that Jesus has in mind for all people, and pointing the church back to its original calling: to be a gathered, united community that demonstrates the transforming love of God. Of course, such a life together with others isn’t easy. The selections in this volume are, by and large, written by practitioners—people who have pioneered life in intentional community and have discovered in the nitty-gritty of daily life what it takes to establish, nurture, and sustain a Christian community over the long haul. Whether you have just begun thinking about communal living, are already embarking on sharing life with others, or have been part of a community for many years, the pieces in this collection will encourage, challenge, and strengthen you. The book’s fifty-two chapters can be read one a week to ignite meaningful group discussion. Contributors include: John F. Alexander, Eberhard Arnold, J. Heinrich Arnold, Johann Christoph Arnold, Alden Bass, Benedict of Nursia, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Leonardo Boff, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan Chittister, Stephen B. Clark, Andy Crouch, Dorothy Day, Anthony de Mello, Elizabeth Dede, Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Jenny Duckworth, Friedrich Foerster, Richard J. Foster, Jodi Garbison, Arthur G. Gish, Helmut Gollwitzer, Adele J Gonzalez, Stanley Hauerwas, Joseph H. Hellerman, Roy Hession, David Janzen, Rufus Jones, Emmanuel Katongole, Arthur Katz, Søren Kierkegaard, C. Norman Kraus, C.S. Lewis, Gerhard Lohfink, Ed Loring, Chiara Lubich, George MacDonald, Thomas Merton, Hal Miller, José P. Miranda, Jürgen Moltmann, Charles E. Moore, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Elizabeth O’Connor, John M. Perkins, Eugene H.Peterson, Christine D. Pohl, Chris Rice, Basilea Schlink, Howard A. Snyder, Mother Teresa, Thomas à Kempis, Elton Trueblood, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Everyone goes through times of pain and sorrow, depression and darkness, stress and suffering. It is in the necessary struggles of life, however, that we stretch our souls and gain new insights enabling us to go on.

Building on the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God and on the story of her own battle with life-changing disappointment, Sister Joan Chittister deftly explores the landscape of suffering and hope, considering along the way such wide-ranging topics as consumerism, technology, grief, the role of women in the Catholic Church, and the events of September 11, 2001. We struggle, she says, against change, isolation, darkness, fear, powerlessness, vulnerability, exhaustion, and scarring; and while these struggles sometimes seem insurmountable, we can emerge from them with the gifts of conversion, detachment, faith, courage, surrender, limitations, endurance, transformation, and (perhaps most important) hope. Each of these struggles and gifts is discussed in a chapter of its own.

Meant to help readers cope with their own suffering and disappointment, "Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope" is, in Chittister's words, "an anatomy of struggle and an account of the way hope grows in us, despite our moments of darkness, regardless of our regular bouts of depression. It is an invitation to look again at the struggles of life in order that we might remember how to recognize new life in our souls the next time our hearts turn again to clay."

Neither a self-help manual nor a book offering pat answers, but supremely practical and relevant, Chittister's "Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope" will richly reward those readers seeking solace in the empathic, wise, andaccessible meditations of a fellow struggler.

Not only accepting but also celebrating getting old, this inspirational and illuminating book looks at the many facets of the aging process, from purposes and challenges to struggles and surprises. Central throughout is a call to cherish the blessing of aging as a natural part of life that is active, productive, and deeply rewarding. Perhaps the most important dimension revealed lies in the awareness that there is a purpose to aging and intention built into every stage of life. Chittister reflects on many key issues, including the temptation towards isolation, the need to stay involved, the importance of health and well-being, what happens when old relationships end or shift, the fear of tomorrow, and the mystery of forever. Readers are encouraged to surmount their fears of getting older and find beauty in aging well.

Joan Chittister's powerful spiritual guide builds on the ancient Rule of Benedict to show us how to live this life, our daily life, well. 'The monastic archetype is embedded in every soul - because in our true centre we are all "truly seeking God" Joan Chittister understands and communicates this to her contemporaries with rare insight and power' Laurence Freeman, author of The Selfless Self ' . . . the allure of this book is its promise that "the monastery of the heart" is where we learn to live our lives "from the inside out" in a contemporary world that is spiritually bereft and bewildering' Ephrem Hollermann, author of The Reshaping of a Tradition 'This marvel of a book sings in the heart and makes the mind quiet with reverence, even as it instructs both of them with a holy gladness' Phyllis Tickle, compiler of The Divine Hours.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams often says that, no matter what, the proper stance of the Christian in the world is one of gratitude. In this book, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, and Archbishop Rowan Williams offer us a sweeping set of things and circumstances to be grateful for 'things for which we can sing alleluia," "praise and thanks be to God."

Some are things we naturally feel grateful for: God, peace, wealth, life, faith, and unity. But when these are set alongside other things we would never think to sing alleluia about 'death, divisions, sufferings, and even sinners 'we begin to see, as Joan Chittister says in her introduction, that "Life itself is an exercise in learning to sing 'alleluia ' here in order to recognize the face of God hidden in the recesses of time. To deal with the meaning of 'alleluia ' in life means to deal with moments that do not feel like 'alleluia moments' at al."

In this series of reflections it becomes clear that singing "alleluia" is not a way to escape reality but receptivity to another kind of reality beyond the immediate and the delusional, of helping us understand what is now and what is to come.

Wise and enduring spiritual guidelines for everyday living -- as relevant today as when The Rule was originally conceived by St. Benedict in fifth century Rome.

Every age has answered the questions and challenges of spiritual living in its own particular ways through its languages, arts, and lifestyles, giving seekers various concepts for guidance. In this original manifesto, bestselling author Joan Chittister delivers a roadmap based on the ancient Rule of Benedict that stands as a practical model upon which to build a satisfying life, despite the seemingly limitless (and at times meaningless) supply of options in the modern world. By giving spiritual seekers--individuals, couples, families, and small groups--a new opportunity to live a better life from the very center of their world without ever having to withdraw from it, Chittister's new approach redefines Benedictine living for modern day seekers while remaining firmly rooted in its monastic values.

A journey of the soul through the map of Christian time.

The liturgical year, beginning on the first Sunday of Advent and carrying through the following November, is the year that sets out to attune the life of the Christian to the life of Jesus, the Christ.

What may at first seem to be simply an arbitrary arrangement of ancient holy days, or liturgical seasons, this book explains their essential relationship to one another and their ongoing meaning to us today. It is an excursion into life from the Christian perspective, from the viewpoint of those who set out not only to follow Jesus but to live and think as Jesus did.

And it proposes to help us to year after year immerse ourselves into the sense and substance of the Christian life until, eventually, we become what we say we are--followers of Jesus all the way to the heart of God. It is an adventure in human growth; it is an exercise in spiritual ripening.

A volume in the eight book classic series, "The Ancient Practices, " with a foreword by Phyllis Tickle, General Editor.

The biblical story of Ruth is a woman's story about a woman's life. Though written thousands of years ago, it is nonetheless perennial. It calls us to reflect in every generation on what it means to be a whole woman, a spiritual woman. In "The Story of Ruth", Joan Chittister and John August Swanson reclaim this powerful biblical story as a model for contemporary women seeking a fully spiritual life. Through complementary texts and illustrations, Chittister and Swanson explore a series of twelve defining moments in every woman's life - moments of loss, change, transformation, aging, independence, respect, recognition, insight, empowerment, self-definition, invisibility, and fulfillment. Each chapter and each piece of artwork together illuminate the faithful life of Ruth in relation to these formative moments and lend insights into what it means to be a woman of God today. A lovely combination of art and text, "The Story of Ruth" provides valuable help for women seeking to live wholly in a world still struggling with issues of faith and gender.

The God that we were brought up on is not big enough to be God. To be both religious and spiritual, modernity must be able to absorb the notion of a cosmic and evolving God. This notion redefines the place and purpose of humanity itself. The old notions of who is in charge, who is superior and whose theology is paramount is in a state of flux. Unless, or until, this new vision comes into play, directs our hearts, guides our business, underlies our technology, the world itself is not ready to understand or survive the horizon of Newness on which it stands.

Looking deeply into biblical stories of female friendships in order to extract greater truths, this compelling work explores the sacred dimension of friendship through the lenses of faith, tradition, and scripture, revealing the often overlooked voices and experiences of women in the Old and New Testaments. Recovering and reclaiming the witness and wisdom of such women as Lydia, Prisca, Phoebe, Martha, Deborah, Esther, Rachel, Ruth, Veronica, Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary Magdalene, and drawing a highly inspiring message from each of these women's lives, the book embraces friendship as it is embodied by women, between God and all of creation, and between all human beings.

In this little dictionary of monastic wisdom, Joan Chittister offers an A-Z of how to 'be in the workd, but not of the world.' In her inimitable style, she eschews the quick fix in favor of a solid spiritual direction that has stood the test of time.

Each chapter is devoted to a letter that illuminates a spiritual quality to be cultivated, from Awareness to Zeal, Community to Interiority, Enlightenment to Yearning--and many more. Every illumination opens with a story from the desert mystics, then seques into a practical application of that value to our tumultuous times.

Activist, nun and spiritual guide Joan Chittister invites us to create a monastery within ourselves: to cultivate wisdom and resilience, so we can live more easily and give of ourselves more fully, no matter our circumstances. 'In every beating heart is a silent undercurrent that calls each of us to a place unknown, to the vision of a wiser life, to become what we feel we must be - but cannot name.' So begins Sister Joan Chittister's words on monasticism, offering a way of living and seeing life that brings deep human satisfaction. Amid the recent global disruptions, Sister Joan calls readers to cultivate the spiritual seeker within all of us, however that may look across our diverse journeys. The Monastic Heart carries the weight and wisdom of the Benedictine spiritual tradition into the twenty-first century. Sister Joan draws deeply from Saint Benedict, a young man who sought moral integrity in the face of an empire in the sixth century, not by conquering or overpowering the empire, but by simply living an ordinary life extraordinarily well. This same monastic mindset can help us grow in wisdom, equanimity and strength of soul as we seek restoration and renewal both at home and in the world. At a time when people around the world are bearing witness to human frailty - and, simultaneously, the endurance of the human spirit - The Monastic Heart invites readers to embrace a new beginning of faith. Without stepping foot in a monastery, we can become, like those before us, a deeper, freer self, a richer soul - and, as a result, a true monastic. 'Essential reading for anyone wishing to find the compass of their heart and the wellspring from which to live fully.' Gregory Boyle, New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart

"Very little in this world stays fresh and life-giving for 1,500 years. But when that happens we should ask ourselves why and what that had to do with us."

In this book, "The Radical Christian Life: A Year with Saint Benedict," Joan Chittister encourages us to look at that question. In an introductory essay she examines how the insights and values of the sixth-century Visionary Saint Benedict can illuminate today's search for a meaningful life. Then she leads us through the year, reflecting on twelve stories from Benedict's life, anecdotes that give us glimpses into his soul. More than that, she draws from these stories daily thoughts for the development of our own spiritual lives in this day and age.

"Joan Chittister, OSB, is a Benedictine sister and international lecturer who has been a leading voice in spirituality for more than thirty years. She has authored over forty books, most recently "Uncommon Gratitude" and "The Monastery of the Heart," part of a program she is helping to develop to enable lay groups to live Benedictine spirituality in a contemporary way."