Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life

I have had a hard time thinking of this book by it's main title: Beyond the Walls. I have been calling it (in my mind) Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life which is, of course, its subtitle.I had hoped for more personal stories of life at the monastery, and then life outside the monastery with the author putting his monastic lessons into practice. While there was a good bit of that, there was also a lot of philosophizing which I often found tedious. I felt as if I had to slog through the theory to get to the next practical application.Nonetheless, the lessons learned were valuable, and I'm glad I own this book.

Wilkes offers us an invitation into monastic spirituality, not for monks this time, but for you and me, for our daily lives, right where we live, in the midst of day-timers, cell-phones and soccer practices. For another book like "Beyond the Walls", look up THE FAMILY CLOISTER: BENEDICTINE WISDOM FOR THE HOME, by David Robinson (New York, NY: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback). Welcome to the cloister without walls!

Mr. Wilkes takes the essentials of monastic life and demonstrates how the practices of the monks he has come to know can be incorporated into his own life as a layman with a family. These essentials, such as prayer, discernment, stability, community, are neatly arranged in individual chapters or essays. This is a beautiful, thought-provoking and spiritual book.

The courage with which Paul shares his struggles and success with monastic wisdom for daily life is refreshing. His candor and vulnerability invite the reader into his life and to an examination of one's own life in light of Paul's reflections. I've been to Mepkin and it was an absolute delight to "see their faces" and "hear their voices" through Paul's wonderful descriptions. This is one to be savored time and again. I strongly recommend it to the spiritual wayfarer looking for solid guidance and a kindred spirit struggling with the Spirit.

Ever since 1954 when I visited my first Trappist monastery, I wanted to be a Monk. I'm not. I'm a married father of eight children. Paul helped me realize that I too can be a Monk. Just live the spirit of the Monk in the world. It's the new monastic way.