Beginning Again: Benedictine Wisdom for Living with Illness

In 1995 Mary Earle was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. When she was able to return home, she still faced a long recovery. She had to stay in bed most of the time, and eating was difficult some days. The busy life she had always known was gone, and she had to begin again. Like others who suffer from serious or chronic conditions, Mary Earle found that living with illness can require major adjustments in life.

Using St. Benedict's ancient Rule--his way of ordering the life and days of religious communities--Beginning Again teaches readers how to discern a rule of life that helps them with changes in resting and activity levels, with food restrictions, and requirements for medicine or medical treatment. The ancient Benedictine concepts of stability, obedience, and conversion can help anyone living with illness, even those who are dying.
Beginning Again is a practical resource, written for those who know little about St. Benedict and his Rule of Life, with exercises to help readers discover how to live with God at the center of their lives and illnesses. It is useful for those living with illness, and for clergy, counselors, and spiritual directors who care for them.

Author: Mary C. Earle
Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
Published: 10/01/2004
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.39lbs
Size: 8.54h x 5.52w x 0.32d
ISBN: 9780819219657

About the Author
Earle, Mary C.: -

Mary C. Earle is a poet, author and spiritual director, who teaches at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. She is also author-inresidence at the Work+Shop, a ministry of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. She resides in San Antonio, Texas. Visit the author at her website www.marycearle.org