A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World

by Jeremy Driscoll

From the time of the desert fathers to our own "post-Christian" age, the literature of monastic wisdom has provided inspiration for those of us who lead ordinary lives in the world. Father Jeremy Driscoll, a poet and theologian who is also a Benedictine monk, brings the genre into the twenty-first century with this exquisitely written collection of reflections on life from a monastic perspective. Whether reflecting on the details of the cloistered life, or observing the weirdness of American culture, explaining a fine point of Catholic theology to a child, or meditating on the flight of a seagull over the glittering ocean at sunrise, Fr. Jeremy's voice both enchants and provokes us to further contemplation. The 187 meditations are arranged by short titles in alphabetical order to emphasize that the reader should approach them in random fashion, without preconceived ideas, in order to be open to where they lead the heart and mind.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian

218 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. has been a Benedictine monk of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon since 1973. He was ordained a priest in 1981. In 1983 he earned an S.T.L. in patristics from the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome.

He has been teaching theology in Mount Angel Seminary since then. In 1990 he was awarded an S.T.D. from the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant’Anselmo in Rome, writing his thesis on Evagrius Ponticus and ancient Egyptian monasticism.

He has taught theology at Mount Angel Seminary since 1983, and since 1994 he has also been teaching a semester each year at Sant’Anselmo in Rome. In 2002 he was named as advisor to the Vox Clara Commission for the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican. In 2004 he was named a member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. In 2005 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as consultor to the Congregation for Divine Worship. He is also a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

On March 12, 2016, Abbot Jeremy was elected the 12th Abbot of Mount Angel Abbey.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Here, in short essays, Father Jeremy Driscoll shares the fruits of his own reflections on a range of topics -- from serious theology to literature to keenly observed moments of nature. They are arranged by alphabetical order to be read in random fashion, without preconceived ideas, and the reader will be surprised where they lead the heart and mind."
~~back cover

This book was more seriously Christian than I expected it to be, which of course is my failing rather than the book's. I read more than halfway (126 pages out of 210) but just wasn't connecting with the author's mind or spirituality at all. Again, my lack rather than a fault in the book.

[Mary Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. The segments were rather like poems in that they were thoughtful reflections. Some of the reflections were outstanding - Faith, Risks, Vocation. A good book for daily use. I felt as if I shared some time with this man, as if we were doing some kind of manual work side by side, and these topics came up during the break and left me thinking about them for the day.

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

​You don't have to belong to a church to appreciate this book, or even be religious. We are all spirits and all have a connection to one another and to a Higher Power, whatever your belief about that is. Of course, if you are a spiritual person, you will enjoy this even more. I did.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on Google Play, largely because I recognized the name of the author from some monastic videoes on Mt. Angel Abbey (especially a very good one on the Liturgy of Hours). I was glad I picked it up because there is much that is good in this quiet book.

The premise is that Father Driscoll wrote various reflections and arranged them alphabetically. Some are really terse-his entry for Bluntly is a small gem of insight- to quite lengthy reflections on his life at Mt. Angel and his life teaching half of the year in Rome. They are honest, but gentle, which you'd expect from a Benedictine. They were very good to read reflectively, one or two at a time. Perhaps nothing very theologically earth-shattering, but I'm not sure I'm up for theologically earth-shattering most days. It is enough for me to look for God where I am and this is what this book does.

Like every collection of reflections, some made a connection for me (mostly notably, "Bluntly- To state it bluntly- Jesus Christ puts me in a relationship with God otherwise impossible for me"), some left me a bit cold. I suspect, however, that re-reading in a few months or years would mean I'd see different things.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading books I find in little free libraries and abandoned on porches in boxes, and at first I was excited by the adventure and whimsy of this, but I'm too picky about my reading material to be living my life this way.

The author is a Catholic Benedictine monk, I'm a recovering Catholic, so already I'm not the target audience. I got up to the letter B for Baghdad and felt so dissatisfied with his sloppy justification of suffering in the world that I knew I wouldn't continue. I did skim forward a bit, and found random snippets of small moments, but not much in the way of profundity. In some ways it reminds me of the sleep podcast, Nothing Much Happens: small, uneventful statements of calming observations.

[Gregory Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written. Father Driscoll is a friend of a friend. I simply love his writing.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite a beautiful book. Perhaps its impact is strengthened by my being acquainted with the author who is a fellow Benedictine & a leading scholar in the Benedictine world. Having visited San Anselmo in Rome where he teaches, I can see some of the places he describes so well. Jeremy is quite frank about the struggles of his spiritual journey in a way that a reader can learn from it. There are also many other random reflections on many things that have crossed his life in random fashion, but perhaps this randomness is divine providence. The final chapter on Abbot Bonaventure Zazz is deeply moving, a real crown to the book. Great for reflective reading a few pages at a time.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading this over the past few months, a bit at a time, as part of my spiritual practice. The book consists of essays-- some quite brief, others a page or two-- about certain "church" or "theological" words (using those terms fairly loosely). Some of the essays are quite wonderful, others didn't touch me nearly as much. But I feel the time I've spent with this book has been worthwhile. The final essay alone is worth the time invested.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of thoughts, meditations and insights from about life from a Benedictine perspective.