Description
Fifteen years ago I went on a retreat at Worth Abbey. I found there a spirituality that was unlike anything I had experienced before. I found silence and a unique sense of peace.
Since then I have visited many other monasteries and at each one I have found that same sense of stillness. When I returned home, however, that peace could soon be crowded out by the busyness of life, so I began to look for opportunities to bring monastic spiritual practices into my everyday.
Through years of trying different practices, adapting them, and then more recently through my training as a spiritual director, there have been some key practices that have emerged, including:
- Creating a rule of life
- The Ignatian prayer of examen
- Bible reading and Lectio Divina
- Observing the liturgical year
- Regular journaling
As I explored these practices it became clear that having a single place to explore and reflect on them would be helpful, and so four years ago I created the first ‘Ora et Labora’ liturgical journal, based on the Benedictine tradition of prayer and work. From that first edition to this year’s, the aim has always been the same; to share ancient practices to help you find that monastic sense of peace.
We do not charge the monasteries, convents or retreat houses for promoting the retreats they offer, so proceeds from the sales of Ora et Labora help defray our costs. Your purchase provides not only a journal for your spiritual year, it is also a gift to Britain’s monastic life.
I hope you consider making the Ora et Labora journal part of your spiritual journey this coming liturgical year.
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