St
Benedict and St Thérèse — The
Little Rule and the Little Way
This
is one of two books I have written on Benedictine spirituality.
C.S.Lewis observed, ‘‘How monotonously alike all the
great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously
different are the saints.’ Fewer saints could be more
different than Thérèse of Lisieux and Benedict of Nursia.
One was a teenage girl in nineteenth century France;
the other the sixth century founder of Western monasticism.
Benedict lived to a ripe old age and was honoured by
popes and monarchs; Thérèse died young in the obscurity
of her provincial convent.
Despite
their differences, the lives and writings of Benedict
and Thérèse complement one another beautifully. As
the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old
is made manifest in the New, so Thérèse’s ‘little way’ is
hidden in the ‘little Rule’ of Benedict. Likewise,
the old monk’s wisdom is made explicit in the young
girl’s teaching. Benedict is like a grandfather in
the family of faith, while Thérèse is a little child.
He represents the wisdom of age; while she stands for
the wisdom of innocence This book reflects on the lives
and teachings of these two saints. It compares them
to a father and daughter in the family of faith and
points the way for their wisdom to change our lives.
‘
St Benedict and St Thérèse is a wonderful book and will
be of profit to a wide readership. The insights are theologically
sound, spiritually illuminating, and expressed with such
down-to earth simplicity and delightful humour that,
without even noticing, readers will be disarmed and drawn
into
great mysteries.’
- John
Saward – Author
of The Way of the Lamb and
Senior Professor at The International Theological Institute In Gaming,
Austria.
St Benedict & St
Therese will appeal to a variety of readers. It offers an insightful analysis
and comparison of the spirituality of Benedict “The Little Rule” and Therese “The
Little Way.” On another level, it is offers a practical application of
their principles for our own spiritual direction.
To add pleasure to
delight, it presents both of these in a VERY well-written, sometimes Chestertonian
style. Longenecker often surprises you by reaching past the usual spiritual
platitudes for the deeper truths. His manner is sometimes humorous, but
never trite. His style is often breezy, but never without weight.
-Robert
Trexler, -- Chairman
the New York C.S.Lewis Society
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