Every century, every culture has sought the spiritual dimensions of life in particular ways, through teachings and lifestyles it could embrace. Across the ages, for some women and men the longing to unite with the Divine took the form of an existence in solitude and prayer. For others, it lay in communal life and worship. For many, it was an attempt to withdraw from the secular world in order to be better attuned to the sacred.

But for one seeker in sixth-century Italy, for Benedict of Nursia, the spiritual life lay in simply living this life, our daily life, well. All of it. Every simple, single action of it. Benedict turned the ordinary into an experience of the extraordinary, a union with the sacred in the here and now. Benedict’s Rule—his guide for communal living—and Benedictine spirituality are his enduring legacy.

The Monastery of the Heart is Joan Chittister’s beautiful, practical guide for those who are looking for the rhythm of a better life in this time of social upheavals and global transformations. Anchored in Benedict’s ancient Rule, rooted in its values, The Monastery of the Heart offers a fresh approach to spiritual living in the very center of our own world—without ever withdrawing from it. Written for seekers of any faith or none—for individuals, couples, families, and small groups—it is a gentle invitation to embrace the sacred in the everyday.