St. Benedict and St. Therese: The Little Rule & the Little Way

by Dwight Longenecker

St. Benedict and St. Therese stand as two of the monumental figures in the history of the Western Church. Their impact on Christian thought cannot be underestimated, yet never before have they been viewed as spiritual father and daughter. From his "little rule" to her "little way, " these two great saints teach us to find ourselves in the ordinary.

Genres: Catholic, Faith, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Biography

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Dwight Longenecker was brought up an Evangelical, studied at the fundamentalist Bob Jones University, and later was ordained an Anglican priest in England. After ten years in the Anglican ministry as a curate, a chaplain at Cambridge, and a country parson, in 1995 Dwight was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. He has published in numerous religious magazines and papers in the UK, Ireland, and the USA, writing on film and theology, apologetics, Biblical commentary and Catholic culture.

Reviews

[booklady]

Have been looking at and wanting to read this forever.... Well okay, not forever, but maybe six months?

[Joseph R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Dwight Longenecker draws an interesting intersection between St. Benedict, the sixth century monk who founded western monasticism, and St. Therese of Lisieux, the 20th century French nun who posthumously took the world by storm with her beloved autobiography. Benedict, by contrast, wrote a rather dry book on how to run a monastery that is the classic guide though not popular reading. How does Longenecker make these apparently diverse tracks intersect? Through the Christian faith that they share and the relationship they both write about--the relationship between a father and a child.

For Benedict, the relationship is seen clearly between the monastery's abbot and the monks who live there. The abbot provides guidance, discipline, and care for those entrusted to him. The monks, for their part, make vows of obedience, stability (they will stay in the monastery for the rest of their lives), and conversion of life (they will seek a closer relationship to God). This relationship mirrors the relationship all we humans have as children to God the Father.

For Therese, the relationship is seen in her home life with her father, M. Martin, and with her obedience in the convent. She explicitly embraces her relation to God as His daughter, performing her tasks and living her life as a gift to God in the little things she does.

Longenecker's book beautifully and fluidly weaves back and forth between the two authors, reinforcing insights through examples in their lives and in the Gospels, as well as from the lives of other saints. The book is fairly easy to read and presents many encouraging thoughts to ponder. Most of all, it shows the reader how easily accessible is the life of holiness presented by St. Benedict and St. Therese. By living the faith in small, everyday, mundane acts we move along the path God has set for us; we live the vocation He has called us to. We become the best sort of children to God our Father.

Sample Quote:

"Ah," we say, "the little way of the Lamb is indeed a beautiful idea, and doubtless it is the way some are called to." But with the Gospel, Therese insists that this is not a way, but the way. To follow the Lamb and become a child is not an option; it is a command. "Unless you turn and become like children, " says the Gospel, "you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." "No grown-ups allowed" reads the sign over the door into paradise. Pearls are tiny, and so are the pearly gates. When Jesus said the way was narrow, perhaps he meant it was too narrow for grown-ups to squeeze through. The grown-ups are camels--hairy, lumpy, over-burdened, bad-tempered brutes--who can never get through that eye of a needle that is the little door of heaven. [pp. 58-59]

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquent, beautiful reminder that God wants us to be no one but ourselves, as small as we are.

I copied down tons of quotes before I gave up and just decided I would reread the book someday. Some goodies:

“The saint has no time for role models. She cannot spend time pretending to be someone else because she realizes it is the work of a lifetime to become oneself.”

“In a world of fugitives, the one who runs away may be the only one who is heading home.”

“In an age of technological ‘miracles,’ Therese is unimpressed. She is a child for an age that despises children and advocate of ‘doing nothing special’ in a generation of human achievement. Therese is a nobody in a world where only ‘somebodies’ matter.” (Dwight Longenecker, St. Benedict and St. Therese: The Little Rule and the Little Way)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book just so-so, even though one of my college classes was taught by the author. Honestly though, without the author's / professor's anecdotes and side stories, I doubt I would have finished the book. The author, however, has a truly engaging personality!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great food for thought

Great side-by-side comparison of two of the best teachers in the church. Well-written, with very good explanations of both teachings.

[Maren Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about simplicity and acceptance in the spiritual life. I read it last Lent and plan on re-reading it soon.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Simplicity and being like a child, who could argue with this?