Synopses & Reviews
Using the Christian tradition of solitude, silence and contemplation as her foundation, Huston offers one of the best books available on living the simple life.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This book will give solace and guidance to those who, like Paula Huston, have felt the interior call to simplicity, the intense gravitational pull of the God within.”
—Bruno Barnhart, Camaldolese monk and author, Second Simplicity
An Invitation to a Simple, More Peaceful Life
Is leading a simple life possible in a world of chaos and complexity? Driven by this searching question, Paula Huston, a busy forty-something college professor, wife, and mother, embarked on a spiritual journey to find a peaceful, less cluttered kind of life.
The Holy Way: Practices for a Simple Life is the fruit of Huston’s arduous search. Two discoveries sustained her: that she herself could experience simple living just as a nearby community of Catholic monks did and, more important, that she could find the keys to such a life in the lives and writings of the great monastic saints. Drawing on these discoveries, Huston examines a variety of measures that point the way toward the practical, day-to-day simplicity of a life that so many desire.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-344) and index.
Synopsis
Drawing on the powerful histories of the saints and personal experience, author Paula Huston offers practical guidance to pursuing and achieving spiritual simplicity in a chaotic world in The Holy Way.
Synopsis
For many of us, living simply is simply impossible. We just have too much to do. But one of the main reasons we think simple living is impossible is that we are unsure of how to get a simpler life started. Drawing on the powerful histories of the saints and her own personal experience, author Paula Huston shows us how living simply begins with a commitment to spiritual simplicity in our lives.Each chapter in The Holy Way introduces a different spiritual practice, including solitude, purity, and generosity, and explores it through historical perspectives and Huston's compelling personal reflections. From Saint Anthony's chosen life of solitude to Saint Catherine of Siena's strength of conviction, Huston tells stories of courageous faith that exemplify the blessed and transformative power of being alone with God and living simply.
About the Author
Paula Huston, a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, has published fiction and essays for more than twenty years. She was co-editor and essayist for Signatures of Grace: Catholic Writers on the Sacraments. Her life in a rural setting and travels in the Third World provide the background for her book The Holy Way. She is also the author of By Way of Grace: Moving from Faithfulness to Holiness. Visit her Web site at www.PaulaHuston.com.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Part 1: Withdrawing and Taking Stock 1
1. Solitude: The Way of the Hermit 7
2. Silence: The Way of the Cenobite 33
Part II: Cleansing and Finding Strength 59
3. Awareness: The Way of the Ascetic 65
4. Purity: The Way of the Celibate 93
Part III: Discovering a New Community 117
5. Devotion: The Way of the Psalm Singer 123
Part IV: Facing the Demons 147
6. Right Livelihood: The Way of the Laborer 153
7. Confidence: The Way of the Mendicant 183
8. Integrity: The Way of the Reformer 211
Part V: Returning to the World 241
9. Generosity: The Way of the Servant 245
10. Tranquility: The Way of the Contemplative 275
11. Beginning 311
Notes 323
Bibliography 337
Index 345