Monk Habits For Everyday People
Monk Habits For Everyday People (Okholm Dennis L. )
Paperback. 144 pages.
When Dennis Okholm began exploring the roots of contemporary Benedictine monasticism, he quickly found that St. Benedict has as much to offer Protestants as he does Roman Catholics. In Monk Habits for Everyday People, Okholm–a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist–uses his profound experience with Benedictine spirituality to show how it can enrich the lives and prayer practices of Protestants.
Okholm unpacks the Rule of St. Benedict–a practical guide for living the Christian faith and cultivating Christian virtue–by reflecting on aspects of spirituality such as listening, poverty, obedience, humility, hospitality, stability, and balance. His insights are invaluable to contemporary Christians, who, Okholm observes, have become consumers of religion rather than cultivators of a spiritual life. Readers will emerge not only with the desire to use the habits of monks to enhance their discipleship but also with the tools to start them on the journey.
Candid and engaging, Monk Habits for Everyday People is a valuable guide for Protestants seeking an accessible introduction to this classical resource for spiritual growth.
Brother John-Thomas McCune, OSB
on May 12th, 2011
I am thoroughly enjoying your articles. You have really captured the “spirit of the word” of the Rule, and I would like to point out that, while most people think of our Order as a Roman Catholic one, we were founded BEFORE the Schism of 1054; thus, we are truly CATHOLIC , or “Universal”, as the word itself means. I myself am a Western Rite Orthodox Catholic Christian within the “Jurisdiction” of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, and I am a practicing Benedictine Monk. I was given the first name of “John-Thomas” by my Metropolitan Archbishop who witnessed my final vows. He called me “Apocalyptic” and “a Questioner”…iI think he nailed it…
I look forward to “Part III” when I find it. Keep up the good work, and God and He Mother bless you. Please pray for this unworthy Monk.