I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Patricia Kowal’s reflection on God First for the Monk in the World: God First I had a “bad” knee. It bothered me for months but I thought I just strained a muscle. Yet, my knee progressively got worse and needed medical attention. Long story short, I had multiple tears in the cartilage of the joint and the fragmented pieces were surgically removed. The ordeal sent me packing straight to bed with my leg elevated for weeks. And here’s the miracle:

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Sharon Landis’s reflection on being powerfully ordinary: I write constantly. I cannot stop writing as writing helps me process my life: helps me express my emotions rather than repress, helps me listen to my heart, express my faith, be gentle with my sensitives,  and ask the hard questions. I sometimes dialogue with God through writing, after I’ve listened deeply. I write about everything, even about my dog, garden, grandchildren. Through expressive writing, I assist my soul in catching up to

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Colette Lafia’s reflection on her friend, Brother René: In 2003, at a time in my life when I was experiencing intense loss and grief, from infertility, my sister’s death to cancer, and chronic insomnia, my husband and I made a visit to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, which was the home of Thomas Merton. It was evening when my husband and I arrived in Louisville, Kentucky, so we headed straight to the small guest cottage we had rented near the

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Hilary Lohrman’s reflection on finding the sacred in the ordinary: I am writing on behalf of the ordinary. Nothing special, nothing especially interesting.  Just the simple, daily, ordinary content of life and the discovery that God resides in exactly that. When I was a younger woman, I had spiritual ambitions (though I wouldn’t have described it that way, of course}.  Perhaps to become a priest, or possibly a spiritual director with a large, successful practice.  At the very least, I

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Rachel Regenold’s reflection on the way creatures can become our soul friends and spiritual guides: A Monk with Four Paws Amos is a monk in the world in disguise with a shaggy coat, four paws, and an irrepressible sweetness. In the nearly seven years since he rescued me – though officially I rescued him by adopting him from a golden retriever rescue – he has taught me the most important lessons of my life. Really, they have been lessons that

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Elle Bieling’s reflection on the gift of yin yoga (one of my favorite practices!) and the holiness of the body: ‘Our own theological Church, as we know, has scorned and vilified the body till it has seemed almost a reproach and a shame to have one, yet at the same time has credited it with power to drag the soul to perdition.’ ~ Eliza Farnham (1815-1864) I don’t recall when I first discovered there was a wisdom contained within my

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Karen Erlichman’s reflections on the connection between being a monk in the world and the Jewish practice of Mussar: Being a Mussar Monk In Judaism we don’t have monks. I don’t even know if we have a Hebrew word for monk. We don’t have monastic living; in fact, Jewish theology emphasizes engagement in the world, our human interconnectedness, and our obligation to partner with God in ongoing co-creation. Jews do have many tools and practices that deepen our connection to