Trappist: Living in the Land of Desire

Right off I want to comment that the book is well written and shows the proper respect to the community. The photos are outstanding and the quotes appropriate. This beautiful book seeks to express the spirit of monasticism through an examination of one Trappist (Cistercian) monastery, Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina. And it does just that. The book is written in two main sections. In the first part the author takes us on a tour of the Monks at Mepkin. We see their history and the present life within the community. It shows us a glimpse of a vibrant community that is both living the ancient life of monastic practices and have blended it with the world of today in such a way as to take nothing away from the former. As we read the second section of the book we see it focus on the monk himself. What is it that makes up a life of a Trappist monk? His work, prayer, worship, sacred reading; as well as how they blend a life of community, solitude and true Christ like hospitality. This book was not written to explain the monks nor the monastery, but to allow us a glimpse of what it is to see through the eyes of these monks. We have the opportunity to learn while reading this book that that there is a universal call to holiness to be found in each and everyone of us.

TRAPPIST: LIVING IN THE LAND OF DESIRE appears almost to be a coffee table book. It was written as a companion to a PBS special about the monks at Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, but it is more like a spiritual guide to the Trappist way of life. The author, Michael Downey, gives excellent background information about the Trappist order as well as the history and life at Mepkin Abbey itself. We see what life is like at a typical day in the monastery. The day is rather routine (compared to most standards) and changes only on occasion, but it is in the routine that Trappists believe that God can be found. We also meet some of the personalities of Mepkin and we discover that monks are not people who flee from the world, but actually discover the world by setting themselves apart. Downey is able to capture the richness of monastic life in the book as well as how these adherents to the strict rule of St. Benedict as interpreted by the monks of New Citeaux in France and later reformulated at La Trappe also in France, live an ancient lifestyle that is somehow not outdated in today's world. The material in the book is both spiritually enriching and informative. The exquisite photographs also add the beauty of the book and make it a book that can cause a person to pause and think about God's presence in the world.

this is a book for everybody who want a moment of meditation the beautiful pictures take us to moments we never have in our daily life, this book also help to understand more about monastic life,and the cistercian charism of silence, prayer and love.

TRAPPIST: LIVING IN THE LAND OF DESIRE describes in words and pictures the quest of the monk to encounter, know and love Christ in the ordinary and routine activities of his daily life. Michael Mauney's striking photographs complement Michael Downey's thoughtful meditations on monastic life. A must read for anyone seriously interested in the "imitation of Christ" in the ordinary circumstances and activities of daily life.