Cistercian Way

André Louf, OCSO, (1929-2010), served as abbot of the Cistercian Abbey of Mont-des-Cats for thirty-five years until his retirement in 1997. His books in English include The Cistercian Way, Tuning in to Grace, Mercy in Weakness, Grace Can Do More, and The Way of Humility, all published by Cistercian Publications.

• ContentsIntroduction by Dom Celsus Kelly   11Translator's PrefaceChapter 1     MANY PATHS — ONE WAY   19Chapter 2     HISTORY OF THE MONASTIC LIFE   231.  In the beginning – the Word   232.  The Word passed on to others   253.  A developing identity   284.  St Benedict   295.  A rule for today  316.  The reform of Cîteaux  337.  The spread of the Cistercians  358.  From Cîteaux to our day  38Chapter 3   THE FIRST STEPS   451.  "To leave the world"  452.  A day in the monk's life  463.  First steps in community  494.  From image to reality  505.  With God and the brethren  53Chapter 4   FOLLOWING CHRIST   571.  The workshop of prayer  572.  Far from the city  593.  A school of love  614.  He humbled himself. . .  615.  The labour of obedience  646.  An older brother  67Chapter 5   A HEART PURIFIED BY THE WORD OF GOD   711.  Return to your heart  712.  Lection divina  743.  The Word awakens the heart  76Chapter 6   ASCETICIMS – AN EXERCISE IN GRACE   811.  The meaning of asceticism  812.  Death and resurrection  823.  An asceticism of weakness  844.  The monk's asceticism:  88(a) Obedience; (b) Celibacy; (c) Community of Goods; (d) Silence; (e) Watching; (f) Fasting;Chapter 7  LED BY THE SPIRIT   971.  Ruminating on the word  972.  The word becomes prayer  983.  The prayer of a single word  994.  The interior mansion  101Chapter 8   "LABORIOUS LEISURE"   1091.  The prayer of the hours  1092.  ". . .let them have specified periods for the manual labour. . ."  1123.  "in all things –rest"  1134.  Work is healing  1145.  The search for balance  116Chapter 9   THE BATTLE LINE OF BROTHERS   1191.  A lover of the brethren and the place  1202.  The abbot and the seniors  1213.  Community life and solitude  1234.  The apprenticeship of love  1255.  Spiritual friendship  1286.  Everyone has his own gift from God  1297.  Dialogue between brothers  1318.  The paradise of the cloister  132Chapter 10   WITH MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS   1351.  "According to your Word"  1352.  A heart pregnant with the word  1363.  The prophetic word  1384.  Spouse of the Word  140References   143Appendix A  BASIC TEXTS   1471.  The Exordium of Cîteaux  1472.  The Declaration on the Cistercian Life  1493.  The statue on Unity and Pluralism  151Appendix B  Addresses of Cistercian monasteries  153

This at once traditional and contemporary approach to asceticism, not as self-abnegation but as a system of training basic to monastic experience, helps us to comprehend the fundamental continuity of prayer and workThe British Columbia Catholic