Listen with the Heart: Sacred Moments in Everyday Life

There are moments in life that are either too numbing or too exhilarating, too sad or too exciting for us to absorb. Death and marriage, loss and victory can overwhelm us. There are times that are too emotionally demanding or, on the other hand, simply too common to comprehend: beauty in the midst of tragedy can leave us speechless; the most meaningful of routines can leave us untouched. Throughout the highs, lows, and in-between times we need to be carried beyond the immediacy of the moment to realize the deeper elements that underlie our lives. Listen with the Heart is a profound and personal invitation to savor the sacred in everyday life. Drawing from her formation as a Benedictine sister and her international experience as a writer, speaker, and retreat leader, Sr. Joan Chittister connects the ancient wisdom of monasticism with the modern world. In each chapter she teaches us that rituals—those formal patterns of behavior that mark the crossover moments of time and make them sacred—can jolt the soul and wake us up to life. Through ritual, as Chittister reveals, not only are the moments of life celebrated, mourned, and noted, but also the sacred elements in experience are made real. Meditations on and examples of blessing, light, Lent, fasting, silence, prayer, naming, community, rituals, music, table fellowship, wisdom, the mystery of death, and the power of waiting equip readers to make the most of each and every day. Listen with the Heart is an invitation to all of us to seek the sacred, appreciate the ups, learn from the downs, and make the mundane meaningful again.

This book is a profound, personal invitation to savor the sacred in everyday life.

Joan D. Chittister, O.S.B., is a Benedictine sister, best-selling author, and a well-known international speaker. A theologian, social psychologist, and communication theorist, she has written more than 20 books, taught on all education levels, received nine honorary doctorates, and is an active member of the International Peace Council. A leader in worker's justice, international peace initiatives, women's movements for equality, Sr. Joan is founder and Executive Director of Benetvision: A Resource and Research Center for Contemporary Spirituality, past president of the Conference of American Women Religious, and in 2007, she was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award from The Leadership Conference of Women Religious. She lives in Erie, PA, in a Benedictine community.