The Privilege of Love: Camaldolese Benedictine Spirituality

by Michael Downey (Introduction), Peter-Damian Belisle O.S.B. Cam. (Editor)

Unique in the Church, the Camaldolese life is ordered to a three-fold solitude, community, and witness. Men and women as hermits live by a monastic rule, committed to both solitude and community life. The discipline of solitude combined with the second good, the rigors of community living are intended to widen the heart in service of the third bearing witness to the abundance of God's love as the self, others, and every living creature are brought into fuller communion in the one Love. The essays in The Privilege of Love convey the richness and the depth of the Camaldolese Benedictine spirit. Their diversity of expression is itself a manifestation of the magnitude of God's bonding Love. This bonding is the Spirit's own gift, weaving together the many voices found in these pages - voices of women and men, of monk, hermit, and layperson. The voices speak of historical roots, of the riches found in solitude and the grit of community life, of the psychological strength required in any pursuit of God, of the vulnerability of the human heart which is the home for wisdom's Word, and of the privilege of being in love with Love itself. Essays and contributors under Part A Vision in Context are Overview of Camaldolese History and Spirituality," by Peter-Damian Belisle, OSB Cam. Essays and contributors under Part Sustaining the Spirit are *An Image of the Praying Camaldolese Liturgical Spirituality, - by Cyprian Consiglio; *Lectio Divina and Monastic Theology in Camaldolese Life, - by Alessandro Barban; *Monastic The Western Tradition, - by Bruno Barnhart. Essays and contributors in Part Configurations of a Charism are *The Threefold Romualdian Charism and Monastic Tradition, - by Joseph Wong; * The Privilege of Love, - by Robert Hale; *Psychological Investigations and Implications for Living Together Alone, - by Bede Healey; *Golden Solitude, - by Peter-Damian Belisle, OSB Cam; *A Wild Bird, with God in the The Hermit in Community, - by Sr. Donald Corcoran; *The Camaldolese in Ecumenical and Interfaith Themes in the History of the Camaldolese Benedictines, - by Thomas Matus and Robert Hale; *The Camaldolese Oblate History, Tradition, Charism, - by Jeffry Spencer and Michal Fish; *Concluding Remarks - ; *Camaldoli's Recent Journey and Its Prospects, - by Emanuele Bargellini; Peter-Damian Belisle, OSB Cam., Translator. *The Bibliography for the Study of Camaldolese History and Spirituality, - provides, for the first time anywhere, a comprehensive list of Romualdian/Camaldolese source material. "

238 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up, largely because I've been watching talks from the New Camaldoli Hermitage over Youtube over the last few years and this book kept getting referred to as the starting point of Camaldolese spirituality. And, since I really found that spirituality helpful for me, I thought this was worth getting.

This is, of course, a collection of essays on Camaldolese history, practice and theology by several authors, ranging from monks from the various communities to oblates and friends. All in English, they draw on the thousand year history of the Camaldolese communities, which, even among the rather de-centralized Benedictines, seem unusually diverse in approach. I found the essays helpful in understanding some of the confusing elements of Camaldolese monasticism and really enjoyed learning about them.

Like any collection, the essays are a wide range of styles and approaches. Some are pretty broad and give good background and context, others are much more specialized. But the volume is worth reading for those interested in Benedictine monasticism and the Camaldolese in particular.

[Matt Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume provides an overview of the history and spirituality of the Camaldolese charism within Benedictine spirituality. Each chapter is a separate essay written by a different individual (or in a few cases, two authors). As with any collection, the essays can vary in quality.

Designed to orient individuals to various aspects of the Camaldolese charism, this book is not designed to function as "monastic wisdom" literature the same that something like Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation does. Instead, it aims to be much more didactic. The Privilege of Love is often used as a resource for individuals who are exploring the possibility of becoming oblates (lay associates) of one of the Camaldolese monasteries in the US.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 3 out of 5]

More informative than inspirational, the topics surveyed here ably gets one acquainted with Camaldolese spirituality but the content lacks the sparkle and insight that monastic wisdom seeks to foster. The Camaldolese story is told here more like a teacher and historian than like a monk. This may well be the intention of the authors, but it left me wanting to next turn to the writings of St. Peter Damian himself or of someone like Thomas Merton to hear what Camaldolese solitude can really communicate.

[Martin Francis]

nice