M. Basil Pennington

"Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee." —Augustine Much is said in Christian circles about knowing God. But Christians throughout the ages have agreed that there cannot be deep knowledge of God without deep knowledge of the self. Discerning your true self is inextricably related to discerning God's purposes for you. Paradoxically, the more you become like Christ, the more you become authentically yourself. In this profound exploration of Christian identity, psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner illuminates the spirituality of self-discovery. He exposes the false selves that you may hide behind and calls you to discover the true self that emerges from your uniqueness in Christ. Freeing you from illusions about yourself, Benner shows that self-understanding leads to the fulfillment of your God-given destiny and vocation. Rest assured, you need not try to be someone you are not. But you will deepen your experience of God through discovering the gift of being yourself. This expanded edition, one of three titles in The Spiritual Journey trilogy, includes a new epilogue and an experiential guide with questions for individual reflection or group discussion.

Bookwi.se's Favorite Books of the Year "Only God deserves absolute surrender because only God can offer absolutely dependable love." In our self-reliant era, most of us recoil from the concept of surrendering to a power or authority outside ourselves. But surrender need not be seen as threatening, especially when the One to whom we surrender is the epitome of goodness and love. God doesn't want his people to respond to him out of fear or obligation. Rather, he invites us to enter into an authentic relationship of intimacy and devotion. And so God calls us to move beyond mere obedience—by surrendering to love. In this profound book, David G. Benner explores the twin themes of love and surrender as the heart of Christian spirituality. Through careful examination of Scripture and reflection on the Christian tradition, Benner shows how God bids us to trust fully in his perfect love. God is love, and he intends for you to live in his love. Surrender to Love will lead you to an unexpected place, where yieldedness to God frees you to become who he created you to be. This expanded edition, one of three titles in The Spiritual Journey trilogy, includes a new epilogue and an experiential guide with questions for individual reflection or group discussion.

A new edition of the classic that helped launch the Centering Prayer movement. Centering Prayer is a precious part of the ancient spiritual traditions of the West. When Finding Grace at the Center was first published in 1978, people all over the world welcomed this practical guide to a simple and beautiful form of meditative prayer. Reflections and advice on Centering Prayer's possibilities - and its pitfalls - are presented with clarity and simplicity, with a vision of the deeper life of the soul that contemplative prayer can bring about. Now, with a new foreword by Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD, another generation will discover the amazing difference Centering Prayer can make in their lives.

At Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, Georgia, Abbot Basil Pennington gave weekly talks to the monks on the Rule of Saint Benedict. Now, readers and listeners are able to sit and learn from one of the most important spiritual teachers of the last century. The talks have been lovingly transcribed and organized into book form, and they have also been exquisitely preserved on a single compact disk.

A Hindu ashram. A Buddhist meditation center. A Cistercian monastery. Today, thousands of people, hungry to live more balanced and spiritually centered lives, flock to these sources of ancient wisdom. According to M. Basil Pennington, one of the spiritual masters of our age, seekers who visit his monastery want to know the Christian method of transformation. He replies that it is lectio divina—an ancient practice of sacred reading. As Pennington explains, "If each day a word of the Lord can truly come alive for us and can form our mind and heart, we will have that mind of Christ." This Book presents forty Scripture passages from the life of Christ, paired with a compelling meditation by Basil Pennington. By sharing the fruits of his own lectio, Pennington provides an illuminating daily guide to "seeking his mind."

A new edition of the classic that helped launch the Centering Prayer movement. Centering Prayer is a precious part of the ancient spiritual traditions of the West. When Finding Grace at the Center was first published in 1978, people all over the world welcomed this practical guide to a simple and beautiful form of meditative prayer. Reflections and advice on Centering Prayer's possibilities—and its pitfalls—are presented with clarity and simplicity, with a vision of the deeper life of the soul that contemplative prayer can bring about. Now, with a new foreword by Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD, another generation will discover the amazing difference Centering Prayer can make in their lives.

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine. Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible’s most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish artist Phillip Ratner, whose evocative works will lead you into more meaningful contemplation of the inner spirit of the Psalms. Pennington describes how the monastic tradition of regular reflection on the Psalms—a technique St. Benedict called the “work of God,” or Opus Dei—can help you transform your everyday life into a powerful life of prayer. Enriched by Jewish and Christian faith, the drawings and meditations speak to every person wanting both to connect with their most human longings and to forge a vital connection with the Divine.

Pennington provides us with a glimpse of what it would be like to spend a retreat with his friend, Tom, in his hermitage, reading his writings on the spiritual life, praying the hours, caring for the birds on the front porch. The result is a thorough introduction to the profound depth of Merton's unique experience of God. Engaging the World with Merton is a book for each of us to have a retreat with Pennington's friend and mentor as our companion, as we seek the kingdom of God within.

Listen in as the first Western monk to live on Mt. Athos wrestles with historical differences between Christianity's East and West, learns the Orthodox practice of "the prayer of the heart," and explores a monastic republic like no other place on earth.

Connecting his own powerful spirituality with the humanism of de Chardin and the contemplative wisdom of Merton, Pennington deftly uncovers the direct route to happiness and peace our age so desperately seeks. M. Basil Pennington is a Trappist monk at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, and the author of Lectio Divina and Living in the Question. In this brief but illuminating work, Pennington sheds light on the spiritual practice of transformation, which for Christians comes under the auspices of the Holy Spirit. Pennington wants us to love ourselves for God's sake and to take seriously the transformations that the Holy Spirit is working within us.

Lectio divina is ""letting our Divine Friend speak to us through his inspired and inspiring Word,"" according to M. Basil Pennington, the late priest, retreat master, and prominent lecturer in the Centering Prayer movement. This ancient Christian practice requires faith, humility, openness, and fidelity. Father Pennington sets the process of praying the Scriptures in the context of meditation, contemplation, compassion, and action. He calls it ""a way of friendship"" wherein we pay attention to ""the love letters from the Lord."" Lectio, as a satisfying mental and emotional experience, can be enhanced by reading different translations of the Bible, using commentaries, participating in Bible study groups, and using the resources of Scripture-oriented websites.