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Souls at Rest: An Exploration of the Eucharistic Sabbath
Souls at Rest is a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of Sabbath for contemporary readers; a restful, poetic counterpoint to the velocity and noise of today’s world, and a cure for its primary woes. The ancient, worldwide understanding of cyclical rest is blended with the formal Jewish Sabbath and made intensely new and relevant in the light of the Eucharist. Readers are invited to cultivate interior freedom by designing a contemplative and personal Sabbath practice.
- GenresNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 2, 2016
This is a book I'll be returning to many times. Ostermann writes so well about the almost-totally forgotten idea of Sabbath in the Christian tradition. Drawing on Jewish sources (which makes sense, since its where we get the Sabbath in the first place!), but imbuing them with Catholic Christian theology, she presents an attractive, Eucharist-centered way for us to observe our own Sabbath, and to bring back this practice.
One of the things really jumped out at me was her statement that the Sabbaths" of the year add up to seven and a half weeks! That's a lot of opportunities to restore, rest, and deeply dive into the wonderful ideas she presents in this little book.
One of the things really jumped out at me was her statement that the Sabbaths" of the year add up to seven and a half weeks! That's a lot of opportunities to restore, rest, and deeply dive into the wonderful ideas she presents in this little book.
April 20, 2010
In her debut book, ''Souls at Rest – An Exploration of the Idea of Sabbath,'' author Charlotte Ostermann brings an oasis to the weary-burden soul. Sabbath, the 8th day of the week; is a day of rest and of worship to the Lord.
The book cover shows a sunset over an isolated house near a calm, flowing river, as majestic, terracotta mountains are seen in the background. Also on the cover, beautifully adorned and framed over the gray reddish sky, is the letter “S” for souls at Sabbath. The lower part of the “S” provides a resting place to a woman whose trust in God's safety, healing, and protection are shown as she looks up to heaven, extremely relaxed, as if saying “let His will be done’'.
The concept of Sabbath, practiced by few and misunderstood by many, is the day of rest blessed and consecrated by the Lord after Creation. Our daily lives' busyness constantly robs us from that day of true relaxation, stillness, and quality family time when we can focus our minds, hearts, and souls in the presence of God.
The author divides this provocative idea of the 8th day of rest in four parts. Each part is subdivided by theme-oriented chapters. The book includes a study guide with questions and explanations to guide us into a profound and daring discovery of God and our inner selves. She starts from the foundation and continues building up until we reach our goal; a full understanding of the blessings of practicing Sabbath, Shalom.
This book will challenge readers to analyze their daily lives and encourage them to find that still moment when time stops after they declare the day holy and sacred for the Lord. Sabbath practice goes beyond our regular calendars. It is a day within a day where we will make ourselves anew and strengthen our souls, as we continue our path through life.
I highly recommend this book to those readers looking for a straightforward and easy to follow method to deepen their spiritual growth. It is an excellent tool for spiritual directors looking for mystics with realistic spiritual exercises applicable to our modern days.
The book cover shows a sunset over an isolated house near a calm, flowing river, as majestic, terracotta mountains are seen in the background. Also on the cover, beautifully adorned and framed over the gray reddish sky, is the letter “S” for souls at Sabbath. The lower part of the “S” provides a resting place to a woman whose trust in God's safety, healing, and protection are shown as she looks up to heaven, extremely relaxed, as if saying “let His will be done’'.
The concept of Sabbath, practiced by few and misunderstood by many, is the day of rest blessed and consecrated by the Lord after Creation. Our daily lives' busyness constantly robs us from that day of true relaxation, stillness, and quality family time when we can focus our minds, hearts, and souls in the presence of God.
The author divides this provocative idea of the 8th day of rest in four parts. Each part is subdivided by theme-oriented chapters. The book includes a study guide with questions and explanations to guide us into a profound and daring discovery of God and our inner selves. She starts from the foundation and continues building up until we reach our goal; a full understanding of the blessings of practicing Sabbath, Shalom.
This book will challenge readers to analyze their daily lives and encourage them to find that still moment when time stops after they declare the day holy and sacred for the Lord. Sabbath practice goes beyond our regular calendars. It is a day within a day where we will make ourselves anew and strengthen our souls, as we continue our path through life.
I highly recommend this book to those readers looking for a straightforward and easy to follow method to deepen their spiritual growth. It is an excellent tool for spiritual directors looking for mystics with realistic spiritual exercises applicable to our modern days.
Want to Read
September 30, 2012This is cheating....I wrote it so I love it! I actually have needed to go back and reread this book a couple of times to restore my awareness of how powerful and exciting the gift of Sabbath really is.
May 25, 2019
Charlotte Ostermann has poured her soul into this aptly named book about how Christians are to approach/understand/experience/share/celebrate/honor the Lord’s Day. I found some great food for thought about how I might more creatively let my soul enter into the sabbath rest, even though as a priest Sunday is a particularly hard day on which to “take it easy”.
One stylistic note: The author has a unique way of expressing herself, often dancing between prose and poetry. At times I found this a bit challenging or overwhelming; but her passion and insights kept me going, and it was worth it.
Thank you for contributing to the great conversation, Charlotte!
One stylistic note: The author has a unique way of expressing herself, often dancing between prose and poetry. At times I found this a bit challenging or overwhelming; but her passion and insights kept me going, and it was worth it.
Thank you for contributing to the great conversation, Charlotte!
September 29, 2015
I liked it. It is, however, pretty deep. one could read it many times and get more from it
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews