Living The Vows

A Sot Zen priest and Dharma successor of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi explores eight of Zen's most essential and universal liturgical texts and explains how the chants in these works support meditation and promote a life of freedom and compassion.

As novice master of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Thomas Merton presented weekly conferences to familiarize his charges with the meaning and purpose of the vows they aspired to undertake. In this setting, he offered a thorough exposition of the theological, canonical, and above all spiritual dimensions of the vows. Merton set the vows firmly in the context of the anthropological, moral, soteriological, and ecclesial dimensions of human, Christian, and monastic life. He addressed such classical themes of Christian morality as the nature of the human person and his acts; the importance of justice in relation to the Passion of Christ, to friendship and to love; and self-surrender as the key to grace, prayer and the vowed life. Merton's words on these topics clearly spring from a committed heart and often flow with the soaring intensity of style that we have come to expect in his more enthusiastic prose. The texts of these conferences represent the longest and most systematically organized of any of numerous series of conferences that Merton presented during the decade of his mastership. They may be the most directly pastoral work Merton ever wrote.

Bonnie Thurston reflects on the Beatitudes and their focus on the kingdom of heaven. She hows how the Sermon on the Mount deepens understanding of the spiritual virtues that religious vows are intended to nurture. She also reveals how the values embodied in the vows are central to all Christian living.

A guide to living your life based on the principles found within you—not ones imposed on you by others—from the author of Writing Down Your Soul. If you long to know your soul’s purpose, Soul Vows is an ideal place to begin. Your soul vows describe how you choose to walk this earth, in every moment of every day. They are how you receive and spread grace. As you live your soul vows, you become a fertile container in which your purpose can take root and prosper. With her characteristic blend of personal story, love of paradox, expansive inquiry into the heart of diverse spiritual wisdom and traditions, and confidence in the power of deep soul writing to elicit personal divine love and guidance, Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul, leads us through a groundbreaking application of the ancient chakra system to discover our own unique soul vows. Your soul vows are your personal path to living as your full, spiritual self with authenticity, integrity, wholeness, and the vibrant presence of the Divine spirit. Your soul vows are custom-designed to help you to know yourself and live yourself; no two paths look the same. Soul vows are a living construct of a whole and holy divine in you. In this book, Janet will take you on a journey to: Honor your longing to be One Gather yourself into wholeness Declare and celebrate your soul vows and so much more If you were enlightened by spiritual books like Change Me Prayers, Everything Is Here to Help You, or What's in the Way Is the Way, you'll find your true self with Soul Vows.

“Between Heaven and Mirth will make any reader smile. . . . Father Martin reminds us that happiness is the good God’s own goal for us.” —Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York From The Colbert Report’s “official chaplain” James Martin, SJ, author of the New York Times bestselling The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, comes a revolutionary look at how joy, humor, and laughter can change our lives and save our spirits. A Jesuit priest with a busy media ministry, Martin understands the intersections between spirituality and daily life. In Between Heaven and Mirth, he uses scriptural passages, the lives of the saints, the spiritual teachings of other traditions, and his own personal reflections to show us why joy is the inevitable result of faith, because a healthy spirituality and a healthy sense of humor go hand-in-hand with God's great plan for humankind.

This work speaks of the challenges of religious life today where the essentials of Christian living and union with God are sought with "a different touch." Reflecting on the history of religious life since the nineteenth century, Sister Judith comments on how each of the traditional vows shape the ongoing adult development of the religious, and she relates these vows to current cultural and sociopolitical issues. A Different Touch is addressed both to those in religious formation and to congregations that are engaged in theological renewal.

This book is a part of the Self Vows program. The wonderful thing about this program is that even if you can’t complete the program face to face , private sessions or the retreats- you’ll still experience life changing results. Enjoy the book that echoes my face to face sessions and stories from others that have taken the self vows and some who didn’t. If you need to learn how to have and support everything about yourself or others, if you need to learn how to stop looking in the rear view mirror and move forward, if you want to learn how to commit to yourself and others or how to have a healthy relationship with finances while working through and forgiving unhealthy financial choices- you must continue reading. If you have a desire for a love that connects to daily evolution, happiness, and freedom, commit to this book of love. Finally, you will learn and accept that you will never leave you. When you commit to self in that way, you will find it much easier to commit to another. I give you ultimate transparency in this book. My desire is to connect to you through my journey, the journeys of others, and well-thought-out questions that will penetrate deep within if you allow them to. I commit to taking this journey with you. Every time you open this book, it symbolizes me showing up to guide you through a path that can be a most difficult one. On the other hand, it will be the most amazing journey you will ever experience. You are the most important priority because without your peace of mind, everything else is meaningless. I have faith in you that, after reading this book, you will commit to the self vows as a daily inner compass as it relates to you being healthy, happy, healed, and consistently authentic. Don’t you think it’s time to change your life and reset all that doesn’t serve you? You can do it.