Theophane the Monk
John O’Brien (Illustrations)
Crossroad: 1998
ISBN 0824500857
ISBN 9780824500856
These short snippets remind us to seek the divine in everyday life. They remind us to look outside ourselves, while always trying to improve ourselves. They are fun, funny, humorous and yet probe deeply into both the meaning of human existence, and the means to attain sanctification. I can pick up this book any day and flip to any story and be
I have had my copy of this book for years. When I was married I had 8 six foot high book cases filled with books. Not I have switched to mostly eBooks. And have less than 100 physical books, and only about 30 from that original collection. This is one of them. Below are two sample stores from this book.
The sections in this book are:
I Are You Rich or Are Your Poor?
The Pearl Of Great Price
A Visit from the Buddha
The Great Debate
II How Big Is Your Heart?
Myself
The Best Place To Pray
The House of Perfect Love
What Am I Leaving Out
III Is This What It Means To Be A Real Monk?
The Monk Whose Face Was Red
A Creature of Contraction and Expansion
The Crystal Globe
IV Where is the Answer to the Great Question?
The Original Sound
No Distance
It’s Very Simple
Infinite Respect
Surrounded by God
V Could You Go Deeper?
What Do They Need
Write My Own Bible?
Back to the Depths
VI When?
Now
Next Monday?
VII Who Will Lead Me Into the Heart of God?
Together
The Great Silence
So Small Outside
David’s Flute
VIII Who Needs Me?
Beautiful, Worthwhile, Noble
The Well
IX What Is Your Gift?
The Audacity of Humility
The Woman Who Wanted Greatness
What Do I Need To Know
You’ll Find It Very Handy
X What Color is Your Robe?
The Monk In The Red Robe
The Room of Righteous Indignation
The Problem of Heaviness
XI Still Holding Out?
What Will You Give Me?
The Two Brothers
The Mountain of Indecision
Exceses
The Gun
Boredom
XII The Real Thing?
Christmas at the Monastery
A Brother of St. Francis
Seven Hundred Leagues
On the back of the book M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O. states:
“In the tradition of the masters Father Theophane seeks to put us ion touch with some of the deepest mysteries of life through the medium of story. Like the parables of Jesus these tales repeatedly unfold new levels of meaning if we are willing to sit with them. The use of the story is the rediscovery of our times and the Monk Theophane (an experienced retreat director and a true spiritual father) is a master of the art.”
This is a wonderful little volume that I have on my all-time favourite list. I highly recommend it.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!
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