by Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace
The Rule of Benedict invites extra reading during Lent and it is the custom in our community for the prioress to give each sister a special book to read during that period. As members of Monasteries of the Heart, we are suggesting God Speaks in Many Tongues: Meditate with Joan Chittister on 40 Sacred Texts for your Lenten reading. As you know we are offering the book in print and online (along with 8 videos by Joan), as well as an open discussion on the website.
I like the simplicity and creativity of this book. Each day in Lent there is a short text from a major religious tradition and then a meditation by Joan. She explains in her introduction:
“As I read each sacred text, I chose one phrase or a few lines that revealed a new understanding or raised a new question about God in my life. I recorded my reflection on each text and I invite you to do the same. In using this book together may we listen to another way of praise, hear the message of God in another voice, and discover the sacred in all things. May this little book be an adventure in finding new ways to see God and new ways to God.”…