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In this edition, the communities of sisters have been arranged according to their general apostolic work, viz., contemplative, domestic, foreign and home missions, nursing, retreat and social work, teaching, and writing and publications.

Christian persons today might seek spiritual development and ponder the benefit of mindfulness exercises but also maintain concerns if they perceive such exercises to originate from other religious traditions. Such persons may not be aware of a long tradition of meditation practice in Christianity that promotes personal growth. This spiritual tradition receives a careful formulation by Christian mo- nastic authors in the twelfth century. One such teaching on meditation is found in the treatise De consideratione written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) to Pope Eugene III (d. 1153). In textual passages where St. Bernard exhibits a clear concern for the mental health of the Pope (due to numerous ongoing ecclesial, political, and military problems), St. Bernard reminds Eugene III of his original monastic vocation and the meditation exercises associated with that vocation. The advice that St. Bernard gives to Eugene III can be received today in a way that provides a structure for Christian meditation practice which is relevant for personal develop- ment, spiritual direction, and civil psychotherapy that integrates a client’s spirituality into the course of treatment. St. Bernard thus might be interpreted as a teacher of a kind of Christian mindfulness that can benefit both a person’s mental health as well as a person’s relationship with God. Meditation as Spiritual Therapy examines the historical context of Bernard’s work, his purpose for writing it, as well as the numerous Christian sources he drew upon to formulate his teaching. Bernard’s teaching on the course of meditation itself is explored in depth and in dialogue with his other treatises, letters, and sermons. Lastly, a contemporary summary of Bernard’s teaching is provided with reflections concerning the relationship of this teaching to contemporary spiritual direction and spiritually integrated civil psychotherapy.

This book tells the fascinating story of Robert of Arbrissel (ca. 1045-1116). Robert was a parish priest, longtime student, reformer, hermit, wandering preacher, and, most famously, founder of the abbey of Fontevraud

The Monastic in Each of Us offers eight chapters on early-monastic themes relevant for spiritual seekers today. In August 2024, at the invitation of Abbot James Wiseman, the author gave seven retreat talks for the brothers at St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C., on early-monastic spirituality and its relevance for us today. The revised talks here, with an additional chapter, offer more accessible discussions both for a general non-monastic audience and monastic readers. Chapter 1, “The Desert Fathers and Mothers and the Ascetic Tradition,” offers an introduction to the early monastics and their teachings on asceticism and spirituality. Chapters 2 and 3 cover “Ego and Humility & The Path to Transformation” and “Some Monastic and Universal Virtues.” Chapter 4, “A Fire That Burns Without Consuming,” offers an imagined conversation with Mary Margaret Funk, O.S.B, author of Thoughts Matter: Discovering the Spiritual Tradition, on the importance of early-monastic spirituality for today. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss some major themes: asceticism, sin, the passions, thoughts, and the importance of community. Chapter 7 focuses on Poemen, an early monastic, and the theme of judging to discernment to compassion. The concerns these chapters look at, and the practices given and hope offered are human and still speak to us today. The final chapter offers brief discussions of what the early monastics call the eight “principal thoughts”: gluttony/greed, sexual immorality, love of money, gloominess, anger, acedia, self-importance, and excessive pride. Thoughts, and their discernment, are key in early monasticism, and can be for us. As John Chryssavgis stresses, “our thoughts” can “inhibit us in our relationships with others and with God. Disclosing our thoughts to a ‘physician’ is a step in the direction of trust and community. It is less a way of dealing with the past, than of directing our future.”