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Strangers to the City: Reflections on the Beliefs and Values of the Rule of St. Benedict
Michael Casey, a monk and scholar who has been publishing his wise teachings on the Rule of St. Benedict for decades, turns to the particular Benedictine values that he considers most urgent for Christians to incorporate into their lives today.
Eloquent and incisive, Casey invites readers to accept that gospel living - seen in the light of the Rule - involves accepting the challenge of being different from the secular culture around us. He encourages readers to set clear goals and objectives, to be honest about the practical ways in which priorities may have to change to meet these goals, and to have the courage to implement these changes both daily and for the future.
Casey presents thoughtful reflections on the beliefs and values of asceticism, silence, leisure, reading, chastity, and poverty - putting these traditional Benedictine values into the context of modern life and the spiritual aspirations of people today. Strangers to the City is a book for all who are interested in learning more about the dynamics of spiritual growth from the monastic experience.
Eloquent and incisive, Casey invites readers to accept that gospel living - seen in the light of the Rule - involves accepting the challenge of being different from the secular culture around us. He encourages readers to set clear goals and objectives, to be honest about the practical ways in which priorities may have to change to meet these goals, and to have the courage to implement these changes both daily and for the future.
Casey presents thoughtful reflections on the beliefs and values of asceticism, silence, leisure, reading, chastity, and poverty - putting these traditional Benedictine values into the context of modern life and the spiritual aspirations of people today. Strangers to the City is a book for all who are interested in learning more about the dynamics of spiritual growth from the monastic experience.
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
48 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 8, 2017
If it were not for what I see as false advertising, this book would be four stars. There is much that is good in here. The chapter on Reading is worth five stars alone.
But here's the thing: it is marketed as being for regular people. The book description says Casey puts "these traditional Benedictine values into the context of modern life and the spiritual aspirations of people today." Except he doesn't. He writes as if his audience is other monks and nuns. Most (I want to say all but it only takes one exception to prove it is not all) of the time when he addresses the reader, he is pretty explicit: he is writing for monastic communities, for celibate people. He doesn't even make an attempt to pretend to want to relate to the average reader. All his illustrations come from monastic communities.
Based on the description, I thought I would be reading a book that took the principles of Benedict's Rule and translated them to teachings for regular people today. In other words, I was hoping to find a book I could recommend to people. To be clear, I am not faulting him for writing to monks and nuns. I've read many Christians of the past who were monks and nuns and wrote to other monks and nuns, including Benedict himself. I like history and I figure I can find some good lessons that transcend time there. But I don't think many other people that I sit next to in church each Sunday want to read those works, and I wouldn't recommend them (unless someone said they really wanted to read such things). So write to monks and nuns all you want, just don't advertise it as for everyone else.
One example of how bothersome this is comes near the end when Casey writes, "An effective community needs every single member to be operating at the peak of their present potential - at least, most of the time." Yes! Challenging and true and wonderful. Applicable to all Christians. But later in the same paragraph he writes, "We have all been acquainted with monks and nuns who..." No "we" haven't. We've been acquainted with parents who wonder how to keep spiritual practice in a schedule that includes getting kids to school and practice. We've been acquainted with engineers and construction workers and nurses who love Jesus. We've been acquainted with skeptics who think Christian faith is old fashioned and irrelevant. But we all haven't been acquainted with nuns.
Its a shame because there is a lot of good here. And it probably wouldn't take much editing for this to become a book that took Benedict's teaching and applied it to the daily lives of all Christians. But, and maybe I'm just in a bad mood this week, the constant writing addressing monks and nuns got distracting and irritating.
In the introduction he does say he is going to reflect on monastic means to holiness and hopes to do so in such a way that the reader can apply to his own circumstances. I suppose some readers could do that. Like I said, I've done it with other writings so maybe I am having a bad week. Or maybe I have more sympathy for people who wrote to other monks and nuns in the 5th century or 12th but not the 21st. I mean, people like Eugene Peterson, Barbara Brown Taylor, Frederick Buechner, Richard Rohr and many others are full time ministers but write books that regular people will read. There books are not fluff either, they just make an effort to meet the average reader halfway.
Its not Mr. Casey's fault that the book was marketed in the way it was. I won't blame him that I read the description on Amazon when the book was on sale and thought it might be good for me and others. But this review includes the whole book and for all the good points in there (and there were actually a lot of them) there are not enough to recommend this book to others. That is, unless you are a monk or a nun. Then definitely read this.
But here's the thing: it is marketed as being for regular people. The book description says Casey puts "these traditional Benedictine values into the context of modern life and the spiritual aspirations of people today." Except he doesn't. He writes as if his audience is other monks and nuns. Most (I want to say all but it only takes one exception to prove it is not all) of the time when he addresses the reader, he is pretty explicit: he is writing for monastic communities, for celibate people. He doesn't even make an attempt to pretend to want to relate to the average reader. All his illustrations come from monastic communities.
Based on the description, I thought I would be reading a book that took the principles of Benedict's Rule and translated them to teachings for regular people today. In other words, I was hoping to find a book I could recommend to people. To be clear, I am not faulting him for writing to monks and nuns. I've read many Christians of the past who were monks and nuns and wrote to other monks and nuns, including Benedict himself. I like history and I figure I can find some good lessons that transcend time there. But I don't think many other people that I sit next to in church each Sunday want to read those works, and I wouldn't recommend them (unless someone said they really wanted to read such things). So write to monks and nuns all you want, just don't advertise it as for everyone else.
One example of how bothersome this is comes near the end when Casey writes, "An effective community needs every single member to be operating at the peak of their present potential - at least, most of the time." Yes! Challenging and true and wonderful. Applicable to all Christians. But later in the same paragraph he writes, "We have all been acquainted with monks and nuns who..." No "we" haven't. We've been acquainted with parents who wonder how to keep spiritual practice in a schedule that includes getting kids to school and practice. We've been acquainted with engineers and construction workers and nurses who love Jesus. We've been acquainted with skeptics who think Christian faith is old fashioned and irrelevant. But we all haven't been acquainted with nuns.
Its a shame because there is a lot of good here. And it probably wouldn't take much editing for this to become a book that took Benedict's teaching and applied it to the daily lives of all Christians. But, and maybe I'm just in a bad mood this week, the constant writing addressing monks and nuns got distracting and irritating.
In the introduction he does say he is going to reflect on monastic means to holiness and hopes to do so in such a way that the reader can apply to his own circumstances. I suppose some readers could do that. Like I said, I've done it with other writings so maybe I am having a bad week. Or maybe I have more sympathy for people who wrote to other monks and nuns in the 5th century or 12th but not the 21st. I mean, people like Eugene Peterson, Barbara Brown Taylor, Frederick Buechner, Richard Rohr and many others are full time ministers but write books that regular people will read. There books are not fluff either, they just make an effort to meet the average reader halfway.
Its not Mr. Casey's fault that the book was marketed in the way it was. I won't blame him that I read the description on Amazon when the book was on sale and thought it might be good for me and others. But this review includes the whole book and for all the good points in there (and there were actually a lot of them) there are not enough to recommend this book to others. That is, unless you are a monk or a nun. Then definitely read this.
Read
September 10, 2013Very practical, very philosophical, very precise handbook for living out dynamic terms of Benedict's Rule. Casey makes categorical demands: if you are looking for X, here is what works and here is what does not work. "There are no part-time monks." Chapter headings include: simplicity, chastity, holiness, poverty, community, etc.
May 19, 2019
Australian monk Michael Casey offers his analysis and comments on St. Benedict and his rules. While thought provoking, I had to read with a frequently used dictionary by my side. This work appears to be intended for an academic or theological audience.
June 5, 2021
Great intro to Benedictine spirituality. Chapters on:
Asceticism
Leisure
Reading
Chastity
Dispossession (poverty. Fragility of life
Obedience
And more
Asceticism
Leisure
Reading
Chastity
Dispossession (poverty. Fragility of life
Obedience
And more
March 4, 2017
WONDERFUL book!!!
December 14, 2023
This is another of my Benedictine books which I've been reading the last few years. I took this one slow, reading a few paragraphs, stopping, reflecting, sometimes reading a bit more. Really the book rewards that kind of reading because it was clearly written out of lectio divina, which is a similar type of reading style.
The book itself is, of course, reflections on aspects of the Rule of St. Benedict, so the context is, of course, monastic. And, as I am not called to be monastic, but rather a husband and father, you'd think the connections would be difficult to apply to my life. And some are, to be sure. However, like many books on Benedictine values, so much of what this book talks about is common to all vowed lives- balancing stability, accountability and on going conversion to our own lives in the here and now. And Casey has a lot to offer in considering those common elements of the spiritual life.
For those who find a value in Benedictine values, this book is well worth reading. It is clear. It is thoughtful. And it inspires reflection on one's own life, whether one is a monk or not.
The book itself is, of course, reflections on aspects of the Rule of St. Benedict, so the context is, of course, monastic. And, as I am not called to be monastic, but rather a husband and father, you'd think the connections would be difficult to apply to my life. And some are, to be sure. However, like many books on Benedictine values, so much of what this book talks about is common to all vowed lives- balancing stability, accountability and on going conversion to our own lives in the here and now. And Casey has a lot to offer in considering those common elements of the spiritual life.
For those who find a value in Benedictine values, this book is well worth reading. It is clear. It is thoughtful. And it inspires reflection on one's own life, whether one is a monk or not.
June 6, 2017
Great read. This post-Merton monastic work I find crisp, informed, profound, whereas several others I've come across seem indebted to Merton, if not regularly quoting and epigraphing Fr. Louis right off the bat. So this is good, because while the one time I picked up Merton in the past two years or so it seemed to hit its highest point for me when it was brand new or being prepared/anthologized. I still believe some of Merton's books are indispensable for anyone whose idea of claiming rites to any religion is merely showing up in public a couple of times per year and otherwise finding intellectual stimulation in Hallmark stores. This book, then, is a gem for anyone interested on St. Benedict, his Rule, today's monastic world (If not flourishing existent whilst a little less penitential), and the insane challenge of gospel living in the most secular world in recorded history. Further wild, entertaining recreational activities like silence, celibacy, poverty (Hair shirt is optional). So yeah, throw your computer in the garbage, go begging for alms in a potato sack, and give Casey's great volume a look; pray, hope, and don't worry.
April 27, 2020
I had bought this book some time ago and started it then set it aside in my busy life. Recently I picked it up again and have discovered a treasure. I have been joyfully married for 47 years, and a mother of four. In 2016 I became a Benedictine Oblate to St. Andrew’s Abbey in the desert hills of Antelope Valley after a year of inquiry followed by a year as a novice. Although this book is written as to Benedictine monks and nuns, it is very much applicable to an Oblate’s life. As an Oblate, we try to live the Rule of St. Benedict to the extent that our present station in life affords us. When I first read the rule I didn’t see how it in anyway applied to my life; but now I see what was there all the time. It is the same with Strangers to the City. When I was ready to see, it opened up a wealth of wisdom that can be applied to my life now. If one is serious about following this path, this book is essential.
July 5, 2022
I began reading this on retreat at the White House Jesuit retreat center during Holy Week of 2021. I quickly bought my own copy anf have been reading it slowly ever since. It is sub-titled " Reflections on the Beliefs and Values of the Rule of St. Benedict". It is written, it seems, for those considering or leading a monastic life, yet much of what Fr. Casey write can be fruitfully applied by those "in the world".
I could fill this review with pertinent quotes, but one will have to do. In the chapter titled Asceticism
he writes, "If the great enemy to spiritual growth is self-will, then the mot effective means of progress is to curtail its exercise." Short and to the point.
I have read several of Michael Casey's works and found them all helpful. I recommend this book highly.
I could fill this review with pertinent quotes, but one will have to do. In the chapter titled Asceticism
he writes, "If the great enemy to spiritual growth is self-will, then the mot effective means of progress is to curtail its exercise." Short and to the point.
I have read several of Michael Casey's works and found them all helpful. I recommend this book highly.
January 5, 2025
Excellent. This is the best book I've read that explains the why behind and the goals of monasticism. The author is a monk in the Cistercian tradition, which has parallels to the Benedictine tradition I am more familiar with.
February 13, 2018
Excellent book. It's definitely targeted to those in the religious life, but there were so many gems of insight that I found it very useful for me as a layperson (and a Benedictine Oblate).
November 11, 2019
Excellent material for contemplative Christian living
February 26, 2017
A very compelling analysis of a monastery life based on the rule of St. Benedict. Many of the concepts are directly translatable to the life of a layman, particularly the focus on contemplation.
October 23, 2014
Michael Casey is one of my favorite writers on the Benedictine way of life. This is small compendium of wise spiritual living, both for monks & nuns as well as the "ordinary" person in the world. I particularly appreciated the chapters on contemplation & perseverance/stability. The book is practical & helpful if you're interested in deepening your spiritual life.
July 3, 2010
Reflections and guidance on how to be in the world but not of the world. Nice discussion of aescetism, for starters. Now I'm learning how important leisure is. Ah yes, this could be a good book, says the little worker ant.
June 8, 2014
Best book describing monastic life according to the Rule of St Benedict one could read. More monks should read it! I'd put it on the refectory reading list at least every other year. Finding it very helpful.
August 30, 2015
without having read the rule of Saint Bennedict myself I found this summary of it a but over my head at times. still it is clear that Casey knows his subject and for that reason I benefited from reading this book and applying it's insights to my own walk with God.
February 8, 2008
There are some good nuggets in this book, but as the book progressed I started getting bored by it. If anything, it recommitted me to develop and stick to a rule of life.
October 30, 2014
Excellent look into monasticism and the rule of St. Benedict as it is practiced today. Beautiful reflection on the appeals and necessity for monasticism.
March 7, 2015
Michael Casey is not a great writer, but nevertheless, his works provide a valuable perspective on the monastic life. I'd rather just read the Rule, though, to be honest.
August 16, 2015
An excellent discussion of St. Benedict's rule. Very accessible.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews