Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love

Rating:
Summary: Must read it again
Review: A week ago, I heard a speaker quote from this week. She incorporated much from the book into her presentation. It was an excellent presentation. I told someone about the book and they ordered it for me. Now, I can't get enough of reading it. It has spoken directly to me somehow, like the authors were writing just for me. Eventually I will stop reading the book and try to live it in my real life everyday. That will be challenging. Few people seem interested in living a more accepting life of hospitality. One of the great things about this book is that the authors make it clear that ANYONE can accomplish that goal. It is all about becoming a more open person. Maybe that should be clear with hospitality but it was not clear to me. Hospitality was shrouded for me in all sorts of guilt and shoulds. I should be nicer, should be more open, should be more trusting. I appreciate that this book scrimps on the shoulds and tries to practice the hospitality it preaches. Great book. You gotta get it.

Rating:
Summary: Not very cozy
Review: Have you ever picked up a book because you thought it would be a comforting or unchallenging book? This one has been in my "to-read" list for over a year. Got through it in a few hours after which I immediately read it again. It is not a very cozy book. Challinging to the point of annoying in some parts. I mean annoying in the sense that the authors told stories that made me squirm in my easy chair. Good spiritual writing should ought to do that I guess. Still not cozy even though this little book is worthwhile and memorable. I bet these two even bother some "christian" people in their quietly disruptive manner. Trust me, this is a very good book.

Rating:
Summary: Not very cozy
Review: Have you ever picked up a book because you thought it would be a comforting or unchallenging book? This one has been in my "to-read" list for over a year. Got through it in a few hours after which I immediately read it again. It is not a very cozy book. Challinging to the point of annoying in some parts. I mean annoying in the sense that the authors told stories that made me squirm in my easy chair. Good spiritual writing should ought to do that I guess. Still not cozy even though this little book is worthwhile and memorable. I bet these two even bother some "christian" people in their quietly disruptive manner. Trust me, this is a very good book.

Rating:
Summary: More at Last
Review: I gave away several copies of Benedict's Way, the last book from Homan and Pratt. I was very excited about this book and I'm not disappointed in the authors at all. It can't be an easy thing for two people, obviously such different people, to write in a single voice but they do and there is something about their single voice that is stronger than the dual voices they had in Benedicts Way. This is not exactly a "practical" book, it is about becoming rather than how to do something. The authors are upfront about that so if you are looking for a how-to guide you'll be disappointed. I liked their redefining of hospitality, taking it beyond our narrow understanding of the word. The 9/11 link is present in the book but it isn't something dripping from every line, it is really not a 9/11 book even though it was mentioned somewhere as one of the best books written on 9/11. I hope we hear a lot more from this writing pair. A couple observations. I had a difficult time getting used to the combined voice of a monk and a woman. Not sure why it bothered me at first but it did. By the second chapter I realized that my discomfort was gone. I expected something along the lines of Benedicts Way, and this is a different book. I also had to get past my expectation. However, it is a great read, very moving and profound. The authors do things with words that I've never read before. I like it very much and hope there are more coming.

Rating:
Summary: The phrase is everywhere
Review: I picked up Radical Hospiality because of a sermon I heard in Boston awhile ago while visiting a friend from college. I did not catch the name of the author, authors as it turns out, but I was sure the minister, a woman, was quoting from a book. When I did a internet search it turned out that the phrase Radical Hospitality is used by religious and social groups from churches to conventions, all around the world. What I amazed by is that so few of the people, like the minister, name where they got their quotes or who they are quoting. This is a very fine book. It borders on brilliant actually and I am not the sort to use such a word casually. Why would anyone not want to give these authors the credit they deserve? The book, Radical Hospitality is challenging in a gentle way. I never once felt like the writers were shoving some agenda down my throat. There is just this level of telling their own experience and stories that any half-brain dead person could tell is from their hearts. Don't get me wrong. It is not a personal experience kind of book and it is not a book for anyone who like fluff instead of substance. But, if you are looking for a book about what has gone wrong in how we relate to one another, this is it. And if you love it too, be sure you tell people who you're quoting!

Rating:
Summary: Catholic Press Association Award Winner
Review: In a recent issue of the diocesan newspaper that is published regionally where my sister lives there was an article about the best books of 2002. Radical Hospitality was on the list because it has won an award from Catholic Publishers. Not being exactly sure what that might mean, I ordered it from the local bookstore. I was surprised the Catholic bookstore did not stock the book or many of the other books on the list either. I enjoy reading. As far as books about religion or spirituality, I have not read many even though I do consider this a strong area of my personality. I was surprised by how NOT religious the book is. That's not bad or anything, it just caught me off guard. I expected religious terms and phrases but there is not much of that in this book yet it is definitely about the deeper religious life and a very important aspect of it. I will never think of hospitality in the same way again. Since this has been one of my first experiences with a specifically spiritual book, and it was positive, I will be reading more. Specifically I am going to look for more from Father Homan and Mrs. Pratt. I like their writing. It is warm and intelligent. Some excellent stories I shall never forget. All around, I am grateful it was suggested because this book is a winner in more than way

Rating:
Summary: This book roots the uprooted and uproots the rooted
Review: Just like Benedict himself, always challenging the individual to come to the heart of Christ, in the stranger. I used this book for lectio and the encounter with God and myself was an unbelievable experience. It challenged and reaffirmed my own identity as a lay person, who seeks to live the Benedictine way, to be more hospitable. In many cases this book will either root you more deeply in the heart of Jesus and open your life or uproot one from the rocky soil and plant them in the fertile soil. Either way this book causes the individual to seriously challenge and examine they way we all live our lives as hospitable people. It's not a flighty warm fuzzy book, but you don't get lost in monstastic terminology either. It is really practical in dealing with the lay person and reflecting on how we can live radical hospitality reflected by a monastic. Lonni and Fr. Dan does a great job!! Dominus vobiscum!

Rating:
Summary: Simple and moving
Review: Several years ago Lonni was my instructor at a writer's conference. She was in the process of working on Benedict's Way with Father Homan. We asked her to read some of what they had written to us and she graciously agreed. You could have heard a pin drop in the room when she finished. This is the same sense I have from reading Radical Hospitality. The message is a simple one, make room for another person in your life and try to believe that doing it will make a cosmic difference. As I get older I'm learning that simple concepts are usually the most profound. The word is overused but this is a profound book. I have long enjoyed Mrs. Pratt's writing. Teamed with Father Homan she had gone from excellent to superb. It will be a shame if this book does not get the attention it merits from both readers and those who make books happen. My singular gripe is that the authors do little to focus on the basics of Christian hospitality as opposed to monastic hospitality. Considering their backgrounds though it is not surprising, nor, does it take away from the book.

Rating:
Summary: Simple and moving
Review: Several years ago Lonni was my instructor at a writer's conference. She was in the process of working on Benedict's Way with Father Homan. We asked her to read some of what they had written to us and she graciously agreed. You could have heard a pin drop in the room when she finished. This is the same sense I have from reading Radical Hospitality. The message is a simple one, make room for another person in your life and try to believe that doing it will make a cosmic difference. As I get older I'm learning that simple concepts are usually the most profound. The word is overused but this is a profound book. I have long enjoyed Mrs. Pratt's writing. Teamed with Father Homan she had gone from excellent to superb. It will be a shame if this book does not get the attention it merits from both readers and those who make books happen. My singular gripe is that the authors do little to focus on the basics of Christian hospitality as opposed to monastic hospitality. Considering their backgrounds though it is not surprising, nor, does it take away from the book.

Rating:
Summary: Re-thinking hospitality
Review: The strength of Radical Hospitality is that it never, not once, treats the reader with anything less than respect. In my opinion, this is rare in books about inner spirituality. I like the way the authors avoid preaching. I like the abundance of personal stories which are xcellent stories no less. I like the way the book delves into the deeper meaning of hospitality. It is not a book about place settings or how to cook a bloody good pork roast. If you think of the word hospitality in a traditional sense this book will surprise you because it is actually a book about becoming more open to others and to our lives and to ourselves, all the things that spiritual masters have always said. With all of that said, I will voice one thing that requires some questioning, I think. The collaboration itself seems a little strange to me. When does a monk have time to put his head together with a married woman and write a book? Maybe I don't understand much about monasticism but that seems like an oxymoron to me. Don't monks avoid women--isn't that part of what a monk ought to do? Just asking what seems obvious. Also, Mrs. Collins Pratt has a new book out, written on her own. I have heard some rumblings that it is something less than orthodox. This also concerns me a little. However, to the matter at hand: Radical Hospitality is a fine book that I will read several times. I hope it receives the attention that such fine work merits. God Bless.