This article is in response to a request I received from two
people during our recent All-Parish Annual Meeting. After giving a summary of
my Sabbatical, it was asked if I could provide a summary of some of my study
and some books I had read.
The Study
 |
| Fr. James at an off-the-grid clergy retreat near Riggins, Idaho, October 2013 |
My study during sabbatical centered on Christian spiritual community - that is how Christians successfully gather and live the Christian life of "worship, education, service, & spiritual development" together. Throughout
history, when the Church has become irrelevant to the secular world (as it is
becoming today in the U.S.), groups of like-hearted Christians have emerged, gathering together
to form the Church anew by living the Gospel life in a counter-cultural way.
Many of these groups we know as monastic orders, such as Franciscans,
Benedictines, Dominicans, Jesuits, Trappists, Cistercians, Augustinians, etc. Others we know as movements (some of which became denominations), including: Quakers, Brethren of the Common Life, Shakers,
Methodists, The Taize Community, Little Gidding, Northumbria Community, Holden Village, Simple Way,
etc. All of these were (or are) looking to live a more vital, authentic, growing and life-giving, Christianity.
As I approached this topic, two of my questions were,
“What
would this kind of re-formation look like for me,” and
“What would this kind of
re-formation look like at St. Peter’s?”
Four Books I Found
Helpful
Here are some materials that provided me with insight during my sabbatical.
Living Faithfully as a
Prayer Book People by John Westerhoff. This book provides a concrete and concise perspective on Episcopal/Anglican Life. Great principles based upon the
Book of Common Prayer. Few specifics on how we can actually make them work in
our daily life together. This is a good starting point.
Organix: Signs of
Leadership in a Changing Church by Bob Whitsel. Provides concise
information on how leadership (and their communities) are changing in the 21st
Century. Overwriting the word “leadership” with “community” helps apply
concepts to a larger audience. The charts in this book are fabulous. One
example: 20th cent. communities believe that healthy communities
produce healthy people and focus on programs. 21st cent. communities
believe healthy people produce healthy communities and thus focus on discipleship.
This book helped change and articulate my mental perspective.
Day by Day with St.
Francis: 365 Meditations edited by G. Pasquale, OFM Cap. This book excerpts primary and secondary sources on St. Francis’ life including The Saint by Thomas Celano and Little Flowers of St. Francis by Ungolino di Monte Santa Maria. The life,
ministry, and teachings of St. Francis give an excellent view of Gospel reform within an established Church full of religiosity surrounded by a society that pays the
Church little real mind. It is helpful to ask as you read this, "Ho (Suitable for daily devotions) 
The Rule of Benedict:
A Spirituality for the 21st Century by Joan Chittister. This book is the
Rule of St. Benedict interspersed with commentary. It provides a great
perspective on Christian spiritual community in the Benedictine tradition which
is woven throughout our Anglican tradition. This book possessed more specifics.
(Suitable for daily devotions)
So, there you are: four books. None of these alone have fully
answered my questions. Each, though, has deepened my understanding and my
thinking. I commend them to you. I also commend anything written by John
Michael Talbot (Franciscan / Benedictine / General), Esther De Waal
(Benedictine / Celtic), or Joan Chittister (Benedictine / General).
In Christian community with you,
Fr. James+
P.S. Here is a further bibliography of my study,
in case the above did not grab your attention.
FRANCISCAN PERSPECTIVES
Francis and Clare: The Complete Works. The Classic of Western Spirituality Series
The Lessons of St. Francis: How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life, by John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey
CELTIC PERSPECTIVES
A Celtic Model of
Ministry: The Reawakening of Community Spirituality by Jerry C. Doherty
Celtic Daily Prayer:
Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community by the Northumbria
Community.
AUGUSTINIAN PERSPECTIVES
Our Restless Heart:
The Augustinian Tradition by Thomas F. Martin, OSA
The Immitation of
Christ by Thomas A’Kempis (Community of the Brethren who followed St.
Augustine’s Rule)
EVANGELICAL/PROTESTANT PERSPECTIVES
Life Together by
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
OTHER BOOKS
The Life of the
Spirit and the Life of Today by Evelyn Underhill
Orthodoxy by G.
K. Chesterton
