Some may think that the point of prayer is to get our own way with extra-terrestrial help, or to save us from facing the problems of life, or to provide an escape from 'reality', or to give an emotional uplift that makes you feel food. Some may think that prayer is a way of expanding our consciousness which is achieved by our own discipline and personal effort at self-improvement. These are caricatures of what Christian prayer really is. There may be a strand of truth in some of them, but they miss the real point of prayer.

Part of a collection written over twenty years, Lessons from Saint Benedict contains 26 letters written by Donald Raila, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey. Using the 1500 year old Rule of Benedict and Benedictine spirituality as his foundation, Father Donald offers words of spiritual encouragement and guidance for persevering through the journey of daily life. With the Gospel and Rule of Benedict as guides, Raila says, we can learn to see God's graces in every dimension of our lives, even the most seemingly mundane. Father Donald provides both serious and light-hearted examples from his own life to demonstrate how we can renew and strengthen our spirituality through the daily grind, and perhaps even find joy in the process.

For over a thousand years, Benedictine monks around the world have followed the daily pattern of morning, noon, and evening prayer known as the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office. Gathered from the Benedictine tradition, the prayers included in this book grew up around the celebration of the Divine Office—embellishing it, illuminating it, and echoing it for generations of the faithful. The Saint Benedict Prayer Book also reclaims little-known prayers (Little Offices, Commemorations, and Litanies) from long ago. For anyone seeking a way of prayer rooted in ancient wisdom, this little book offers a sure path.

Translated from Dutch, this book explores the spirituality of the early monastic tradition. It explains the background to the teaching on prayer in the sixth century Rule of Benedict and provides help and insight for today's readers in their own prayer lives.

Fifteen centuries after it was written, the Rule of St. Benedict still provides a deep and practical spirituality that helps lay people cope with everyday problems and challenges.

In the sixth century when Roman Empire was breaking apart and politics, cultural life and even the Church were in disarray — tumultuous times not unlike our own — Benedict of Nursia designed what he termed “a little rule” that showed his monks the way to peace as they learned to prefer Christ above all things. The Rule of Benedict offers timeless and practical tools for living this Christ-centered life today. • Revised and expanded 10th anniversary edition • Practical, down-to-earth writing style; explains the content of the Rule of St. Benedict and how to use the practices in daily life • Contains historical background to the Rule and a new chapter on relationships and community • Includes guide for group use