A life-giving way : a commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict

Notes: "[By] Esther de Waal".; Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-233).; "I have written this commentary because of the place that the rule of Benedict has come to hold in my life. I first picked it up and read it a number of years ago, and since then this short and simple text has become a source and spring to which I return time and time again. .... one of the things that one become increasingly aware of is that [Benedict] is never deceived by externals but is looking all the time to the interior motive and intention, to the inner disposition of the heart. It is this above all that I have seen as the central thread running through the rule, and that I hope will emerge in the commentary which follows. When I first read the rule I found that it gave me much practical wisdom about how to cope with the demands of daily life and make them a way to God. .... In writing this commentary I have omitted the titles generally given to each chapter, since that would predispose me as to what subject matter I was going to find, and I have disregarded all the usual neat categorizations by which succeeding sections are designated ...". -- Preface.; Contents: Preface -- Note on the Text -- Prologue -- Chapter One .... Chapter Seventy-three -- Select Bibliography -- Notes and References.

Subjects: Benedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino. Regula; Benedictines - Rules; Monasticism and religious orders - Rules; Spiritual life - Christianity