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Community One-Read for Easter
For the season of Easter, we will read The Rule of St. Benedict along with How To Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community. The Rule of St. Benedict written in 530 AD by St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict sought to establish an organized set of guidelines for monks to walk the "middle path" between the needs of the institution of the monastery and the the needs of the individual's own spiritual life. The Rule has continued to not only be an influential force for monasteries but for lay people as well. In How to Live, Judith Valente explores the key elements of the rule and clearly demonstrates how incorporating this ancient wisdom can change the quality and texture of our lives offering a way forward from the divisions gripping our country. These fresh and profound explorations are inspiring and thoughtful, and will motivate readers to live a meaningful life.
As we read through these texts, we will each begin to craft our own rule for life in order to further enrich our spiritual lives.
Bible Study meets every Wednesday at 7pm on Zoom, link here
Reading Schedule:
April 30: Chapters 1-4
May 7: Chapters 5-8
May 14: Chapters 9-12
May 21: Chapters 13-16
May 28: Chapters 17-22
*Just to note that reading the chapters are not required! We find that no matter if you read every chapter, some of it, or none of it, we get fruitful discussions every time!
You can order the Judith Valente book here
Rev. Dana has copies of the little red book, see her to get one.
Check out the Society of Saint John the Evangelist's Rule of Life here!
Resources:
Jon Batiste reading The Guest House by Rumi
SSJE is a Benedictine community in Massachusetts, check their website here for their resources on Benedictine life
Interested in receiving a daily text reflection about the Rule of Life from SSJE? Sign up here
Here are some helpful resources in creating your own Rule of Life!
GrowRule_Workbook.pdfLiving-Intentionally_RulleofLife.pdf
Previous Community One Reads
Community One-Read for Lent
For the season of Lent, we will be reading How We Learn to be Brave by Bishop Marianne Budde. If you are wondering if it is the same Bishop who asked Trump to show mercy, you are right! But for Bishop Budde, this moment was the culmination of a lifetime spent thinking about those pivot points when we’re called on to push past our fears and act with strength. With How We Learn to Be Brave, she teaches us that being brave is not a singular occurrence; it’s a journey that we can choose to undertake every day.
Here, Bishop Budde explores the full range of decisive moments, from the most visible and dramatic (the decision to go), to the internal and personal (the decision to stay), to brave choices made with an eye toward the future (the decision to start), those born of suffering (the decision to accept that which we did not choose), and those that come unexpectedly (the decision to step up to the plate). Drawing on examples ranging from Harry Potter to the Gospel According to Luke, she seamlessly weaves together personal experiences with stories from scripture, history, and pop culture to underscore both the universality of these moments and the particular call each one of us must heed when they arrive.
The book can be found here
You can also preview the book with the intro below!
We will begin discussing this book on Wednesday, March 12 at 7 pm on Zoom, link here.
Any questions? Email our Minister for Community Life, Michele, at admin@trinityat22nd.org
How We Learn to Be Brave Intro.pdf
Community One-Read for Epiphany
Our Community OneRead for the Season of Epiphany is Cherished Belonging by Gregory Boyle. At a time when society is more fractured than ever before, beloved Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle invites us to see the world through a new lens of connection and build the loving community that we long to live in—a perfect message for readers of Anne Lamott, Mary Oliver, and Richard Rohr.
Cherished Belonging invites us to nurture the connections that are all around us and live with radical kindness. Boyle believes that “the answer to every question is, indeed, compassion.” Through colorful and profound stories brimming with wisdom, humor, and inspiration, we understand that love is the light inside everything. The book can be found on Amazon here
Community One Read for Advent
Our One Read book for Advent is God Speaks through Wombs by Drew Jackson. In God Speaks through Wombs, Drew explores the first eight chapters of Luke’s Gospel in a new poetic register. Here the gospel is the “fresh words / that speak of / things impossible.” From the Magnificat (“That Girls Can Sing!… She has a voice / that can shatter shackles”) to the baptism of Christ (“I stepped in, / committing insurrection”), this collection helps us hear the hum of deliverance against all hope — that's been in the Gospel all along. We have a limited number in the office if you would like to borrow, it can also be found on Amazon for $7 here.
October/November One-Read: Inspired by Rachel Held Evans
In preparation for Advent, we will be reading Inspired. In Inspired, Evans takes us on a journey through the Bible, specifically the stories that most bothered us and faces them head on. Through literary analysis and biblical scholarship, Evans brings us out the other side coming to love the Bible while still recognizing the complexities that are within it. If you don't like the Bible or get bothered by it, but still want to find a different approach, then this book is for YOU!
Testimonials:
"What I love about Inspired is its balance of research and memoir-style storytelling, authentic appreciation and valid critique. Evans clearly spent a lot of time seeking out voices that both cherish and find room for questioning within the scriptures. She is careful to remind the reader that the Bible is important and worth taking another look at in spite of its inconsistencies, historical inaccuracies, and problematic narratives."
"She wants the reader – and the wider church – to appreciate the grand narrative of God’s love and to truly understand why each story is told the way it is. And importantly, she doesn’t shy away from the glaring ethical issues certain narratives and teachings illuminate. She allows for discomfort, which to my mind is the best if not only way to authentically engage with the scriptures."
The book can be found here
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