Pilgrim Road: A Benedictine Journey Through Lent
Albert Holtz
In the view of St. Benedict of Nursia, the Lenten journey is an inner pilgrimage with Christ into the deepest parts of ourselves, to be marked not so much by external observances such as fasting and self-denial as by a deepening of our relationship with God. Benedictine monk Albert Holtz develops that journey theme through meditations written during a fifteen-country pilgrimage during a sabbatical year. At the heart of each reflection is the lesson it teaches about our inner spiritual journey. By applying Benedict's monastic wisdom to the everyday concerns and aspirations of modern Christians, Pilgrim Road helps contemporary spiritual seekers keep Lent as a positive, meaningful, and fruitful experience.
"With deceptively simple clarity and illuminating, loving detail, Father Holtz leads us to the heart of what matters in life. Using the tools of his personal journal of a sabbatical year, the tradition of spiritual awakening found in pilgrimage, by Lenten self-reflection and guided meditation, he brings fellow travelers to the door of Easter's joy. A humble, honest book about discovering ourselves in God's mirror."Carol Bonomo, OSB oblate, author of Humble Pie: St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility

"Albert Holtz's Pilgrim Road is a lovely book from a gifted story teller. In his hands, Lent expands from being merely a penitential time to a rich tapestry of purposes and practices leading the heart closer to God. He weaves back and forth between life incidents and spiritual realities, as for example, low tides in a Spanish port offer a reminder of the painful but opportune low ebbs in human experience; a potential pick-pocket teaches watchfulness about the sly and unwholesome influences in culture; and the painting of a poor village occupied by foreign troops and census takers reveals the truth that even in our time, God's appearance is always surprising, vulnerable, and loving alongside those who suffer. Holtz breathes into his stories that blend of practical challenge and warm-hearted acceptance embodied in the inclusive spirit of St. Benedict." Dr. Norvene Vest, OSB oblate, author of several books on Benedictine spirituality including Preferring Christ

"In an unusual and fresh approach for a book of Lenten daily readings, Pilgrim Road is a creative, moving and thought-provoking travel guide for keeping a holy Lent in the Benedictine tradition. Interspersed with intriguing and interesting background information on monastic history, local lore and personal reflection along with Scripture and quotes from the Rule of St. Benedict, author Albert Holtz, OSB vividly describes his travels through Europe, drawing his readers to search for the deeper meaning and boundless richness of their own travels through life. Fr. Albert's gentle humor and honest self-disclosure will encourage readers to reflect and to realize that, as Christians, life is a pilgrimage where we are always on the road, moving inward toward God at our center and transformation in our lives."Jane Tomaine, author St. Benedict's Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living

Albert Holtz, O.S.B., is a Benedictine monk of Newark Abbey, Newark, New Jersey, working in his monastery's inner-city prep school, where he teaches New Testament. He has served as master of novices for twenty-five years and as a retreat master for Benedictine communities around the United States. He is the author of Downtown Monks and Street Wisdom.

ISBN: 9780819222510
Catalogue code: N/A
Publisher: CONTINUUM - published 01/01/2006
Format: Paperback  

£6.99
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