Karen E. Sloan

Flirting with Monasticism is Karen E Sloan's journey with Dominican friars through a year of novitiate. The Dominican part of her pilgrimage began when she found she had a crush on a young man who was entering the novitiate. Thus began a year of questions and searching for her as well as worshipping with a different group of Dominicans in the priory in her neighbourhood. Over the year, Sloan journeyed into the monastic world as far as a Protestant woman really can, learning much about the Dominicans and Dominic, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and encountering God in rich, deep, powerful ways.

Christianity is about a life with God, about relationship, and the monks know it.

As a taste of what you find within, here are the chapter titles: "Finding God on Ancient and Not-So-Ancient Paths", "Vestition: Receiving the Habit," "The Liturgy of the Hours: Praying the Divine Office," "In the Presence of Christ: Participating in Adoration & the Eucharist," "Encountering Mary: Saying the Rosary," "Community: Living Together Constantly," "The Communion of Saints: Living in a Visual History," "First Profession of Vows: Making Commitments," "Epilogue: It's Not a Program."

Those chapter titles, now that I look at them, sound very Catholic. However, Sloan is very up-front about her evangelical character as a Presbyterian pastor. Thus, for those of us not in agreement with Rome's doctrines about Eucharist, Mary, and the Saints, and for those of us not comfortable joining in on practices such as Eucharistic Adoration or the Rosary, don't worry! She finds lessons from these aspects of Catholic spirituality for the evangelical Protestant, many of them found in the meaning behind these actions and the contemplative nature of monastic life.

The biggest thing that runs through this book is the Liturgy of the Hours, which she prayed with the monks at the local priory twice a day for Morning and Evening Prayer. Regular prayer has potency and the cycle of scriptures and Psalms is good for our souls. We are bound together as we worship the one, holy Triune God. This has inspired me to start reciting at least one office (Morning, Evening, or Compline) every day.

The book concludes with two appendices. One is an interview with a nun, the other is the Rule of St. Augustine. If you're prone to skip appendices, don't skip these! They're worth reading.… (mais)