Lovers of the Place: Monasticism Loose in the Church

by Francis Kline OCSO

The monastery has often been likened to a powerhouse of prayer, providing light and energy for the countless numbers who make up the Body of Christ. This image has inadvertently furthered the view of monasticism as separate from the rest of the Church, apart from the concerns of the world." In Lovers of the Place , Abbot Kline provides a fresh Vision of the monastic life as one form of the Christian vocation which now must struggle to find its place alongside other expressions of Christian life, for he firmly believes that as monasticism renews itself for the Church, it will in turn renew the Church. Abbot Kline shows that monasticism can renew itself in its very essence by giving of itself for the sake of the Church. In looking to the baptized, who discern in the monastic way their own journey, monastics can find new energies for the journey ahead. Having had their own treasury blessedly looted by the baptized, the monastics find themselves loose in a world which has become more and more their place and their home. By exploring this theme of monasticism in the Church and the Church in monasticism, readers will find answers to such questions as How do we belong to the Church? and What can we give to the Church in a more obvious way? Lovers of the Place weaves together allegory, narrative, and poetic intuition, gathering images and insights around an experience of conversion to the monastic way of humility. Through his insight and experience, Abbot Kline invites all the baptized to a participation in the monastic charism now loose in the Church at large. Francis Kline, OCSO, is abbot of Mepkin, a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery near Charleston, South Carolina. He has studied at The Julliard School in New York and at the Pontifical Athenaeum Saint' Anselmo in Rome. "

Genres: Theology, Christian

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book in a monastic talk or two and was kind of enamoured of the title, which I had taken to promise something a bit more about place than it turned out. Not sure I'm especially worried about that because the book turned out to be good, even if sometimes a little confusing for me as a non-monastic.

First, the confusing bit. I found the allegory of the hall at the beginning of the book really hard to follow. Clearly, it was thought out and is really subtle, but, as a non-Catholic, whose understanding of the nuances of Catholic ecclesiology is patchy at best, it was difficult to follow the allegory (I read it three or four times to make sure I was getting it). Now, really that isn't a criticism of the writing because his intended audience, Catholics and monastics, probably would get it better than I would, but the imagery is pretty dense, so I found it really daunting at the beginning. My inherent stubbornness (I can count on one hand the number of new-to-me books that I've given up on) kept me going, but I'm still not sure I get these first two or three chapters very well at all.

However, for me, was the extended discussion on humility which really was exceptionally clear and insightful. These chapters are something that one should take slowly and really meditate on because the insights about how to incorporate Benedicts 12 steps of humility into one's life are really inspiring. This is the part of the book that I'm liable to return to because it has a direct impact on my spirituality.

So, all that said, this is a really good book, even if I had difficulties resonating with the first part of it. The connection between the parts is sometimes a bit tenuous, but the overall material is well worth reading, even for non-monastics like me.

[Christopher Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a different sort of book about monastic life. It starts with an allegory and then leads into a prolonged treatment of St. Benedict’s teaching on humility. This isn't a work for weekend retreatants. The author frankly discusses the challenges of progressing the spiritual life both from the perspective of the one on the journey and the spiritual director.

Abbot Kline has sailed the monastic waters since Vatican II and keenly observes the challenges and the opportunities. “The monastic tradition abides in one place in order to go on a journey to another.” (p. 98)

Not the first book I would hand some interested in growing in humility, but certainly the second or third. Very insightful.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why this has become a classic in monastic spirituality. It is a powerful reflection on the ladder of humility.

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book contains allegory, history, description and prescription. It does not approach it's stated goal head on but rather at a tangent. I found myself speeding through 10 pages only to be stopped at an especially meaningful paragraph, so I'm sure it is a book that one finds new meaning from each time it is re-read; something in those 10 pages is for another reading.

The book is fairly short and largely follows a set of steps of humility from St. Benedict. Or at least the part that made an impression on me did; it's entirely possible the book is about something else and it's in those chunks of pages that didn't make an impression.

If one were to live the humility of a religious in everyday life it would certainly make a power impact on the direction of the culture.