Anselm Gr?n

A personal, surprising, and heart-warming book wherein two spiritual masters of our time advance the central questions of life and faith.“Brother David Steindl-Rast and Father Anselm Grün are figures of hope, people who by the power of their example can offer an orientation in a world that has become too complex to comprehend. The spirituality they radiate is an everyday thing that is nevertheless both profound and vivid. . . . “Our conversations, on which this book is based, could be read as a ‘crash course’ in Christian spirituality. This book will be an inspiration and an aid to spiritual life for many people of our time, whether they are believers or not.”Johannes KaupFrom the Introduction

Anselm Grün, OSB, famed Benedictine author and cellarer—supplies manager—of his monastery at Münsterschwarzach, offers brief reflections on aspects of the Rule of Benedict. He sketches the life of Benedict and reflects on how Benedict’s instructions enable one to live constantly in the presence of God. Even the most mundane objects are signs of the presence of God. It is not merely that we focus our attention on God, but that we're aware that God always focuses attention on us, loving and encouraging us in all things. For example: he calls the cellarer to regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar.Grün also ponders how work is an aid to prayer and how the Benedictine vow of stability is essential to building community. Silence and the solitude that characterize the monastic are conditions for the possibility of genuine community.Each chapter concludes with a brief reflection on the state of contemporary society and how the aspect of the Rule of Benedict treated in the chapter applies to the needs of today.