The tracks of playful rabbits.Joan Chittister, as some of you may already know, is a world famous author, speaker, activist, and thinker, who happens to reside at Mount St. Benedict -- a few miles to the east of the house in which I sit.
I thought about her today because of my post on Friday, in which I stated that being car free in this culture is akin to being a monk, meaning, of course, that it is a way that my partner and I experience life very differently from the average American -- and intentionally so. It is a way that we step outside of "normal," and it is a life style that forces us to think differently about our daily, mundane actions.
I thought hearing from a monastic today would be fitting, and one thing I find striking is that no matter what tradition a monk comes from, they all sound very much alike. Many of Chittister's quotes remind me of the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh or the Buddha.
All the quotes here are from an older book of hers that is still my favorite, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today.
To go to the monastery, popular mythology has it, is to leave the world, not to get even more deeply involved with it. But it may be only from a distance that we see best. It may be those who do not have money who best know that money is not essential to the good life...It may be those who are powerless by choice who can best demonstrate the power that comes from not having power...
And consciousness of God is perpetual prayer.
Awareness of the sacred in life is what holds our world together and the lack of awareness and sacred care is what is tearing it apart. We have covered the earth with concrete and wonder why children have little respect for the land.
Benedictine spirituality asks us to spend our time well and to be careful that our wants are not confused with our needs and to treat the world and everything in it as sacred.
Benedictine spirituality requires all of us to go through life taking back one inch of the planet at a time until the Garden of Eden grows green again.
4 comments:
I love Joan Chittister, love her writings, love her approach, love her intelligence and warmth. Did I mention I love Joan Chittister??
If you haven't heard it, an interview she did earlier this year with Krista Tippett on Speaking of Faith is well worth listening to. I think you can probably still download it from the SOF website (just google it).
One of the things she said which struck me was when Krista asked Joan something about whether she was sad/worried about the fall in the number of monastic vocations.
I can't recall the exact response, but it was something along the lines of "that's a very capitalist phrasing of the question - quantity over quality".
Thanks for this lovely collection of quotes.
These are beautiful quotes
I'd never heard of Joan Chittister before
Thanks Christine, I'm off to the library to find one of her books
(PS I loved the comparison of being carless to being a monk)
Chittister was the cover and feature story in the December 2008 issue of Erie Life Magazine.
The issue attempted to inform on all faiths in the Erie Community, and can be found at the Library, Borders, etc.
The issue can be viewed online here:
http://www.erielifemagazine.com/issues/2008-december/
Go to Google and type
Erie Life Magazine
EBlogger is pitiful at links. I tried it twice and typed the whole thing myself after cut/paste.
No luck.
http://www.erielifemagazine.com/
issues/2008-december/sr-joan-chittister.php
Post a Comment