Benedictine Living - by Kate Ritger (Paperback)

About the Book

Reflections on daily Christian living, grouped by themes from the Rule of St. Benedict.

Book Synopsis

Open up your everyday experiences by considering them through a Benedictine lens with this accessible collection of reflections. Meaningful and insightful at any time of the year, this companion offers Benedictine and scriptural wisdom to the timeless themes of our lives. Each reflection is coupled with thoughtful contemplative questions and meaningful and integrative actions for daily life.

The reflections are organized by themes from the Rule of Saint Benedict and include: Awareness of God, Listening, Hospitality, Humility, Moderation, Community for Ordinary People, Community Living, Obedience, Authority, Peace, Prayer, Stability, and Stewardship.

Review Quotes

"Discover a way that the spirit of St. Benedict can come alive while growing green. Using stories, wisdom and personal experience, Kate Ritger gives flesh to this ancient text in a refreshing new way. Like the leaves and fruit of a plant, the Chapters of the Rule of Benedict can nourish a hunger."
Josue Behnen, OSB, Spirituality Center
St. Benedict's Monastery, St Joseph, Minnesota

This little book covers the 14 Christian qualities that give meaning and purpose to the author's life, including humility, community living, hospitality, awareness of God, and peace. She opens each chapter with a Scripture reading, following by an inspiring meditation, and questions to open the heart, mind and soul.
Spirituality & Practice

"Anyone who is interested in a daily approach to Benedictine spirituality that is both accessible to the novice and grounded in the tradition will find Benedictine Living a valuable guide. Kate Ritger seamlessly weaves together Scripture, the Rule of St. Benedict, contemporary monastic authors, and her own experience living as a Benedictine oblate to reveal how the cornerstones of Benedictine living, such as humility, prayer, work, and moderation, can day by day transform a life."
Michael Leonard Hahn, OSB
Saint John's Abbey
Instructor, Department of Theology, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University

"Clarity, insight and personal authenticity permeate these reflections for daily life. In engaging conversation with her readers Kate Ritger describes and explores graced opportunities in the particularities of life in light of values and practices integral to the Rule of Benedict and Benedictine community living. This daybook is a compassionate and encouraging mirror for her readers, one in which they will see more clearly the transforming possibilities for their own lives."
Katherine Howard, OSB
St. Benedict's Monastery, St Joseph, Minnesota

"Kate Ritger reminds readers of the daily process of being mindful. With a keen sense for finding the sacred in the ordinary, Ritger poses a challenge for readers to create a space for Benedictine meditation in their lives. The reflections paint a local picture on a timeless rule lived out in the 21st century and express the truthfulness of a life lived in the spirit of Saint Benedict."
Nickolas Kleespie, OSB
St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota