Overview

This intriguing fictional memoir of Padre Samuel, a Cistercian monk, weaves together his tumultuous life story with reflections on his life in a monastic community. Monks have always been a gloriously strange lot, and the monastic vocation attracts people who are quirky, grumpy, often hilarious, and uniquely sensitive to the alluring mystery of God. As the life of Padre Samuel shows, monks strive, through the rigors of community life and the conquering of the ""old man"" inclined to selfishness, to become saints. This novel unveils portraits of the various characters, both comedic and tragic, of Presentation Abbey as viewed through the eyes of the elderly Padre Samuel. It brings readers into the silence of the cloister and introduces them to a monk who has allowed his suffering to draw him closer to Christ. The novel is a prayerful testimony to the fierce demands and consoling mercies of the monastic life.

Full Product Details

9781621648062

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Every line, every page, of this extraordinary book breathes authenticity, along with the author's profound understanding of the vagaries of human growth--for monks and laypeople alike, in weakness and strength, in times of discouragement and times of hope. There is wisdom here, both articulated and shining between the lines. The writing is gripping, flawless, seemingly effortless. The form of the novel, the monastic day, is a perfect framework for the central character, Padre Samuel, to reflect on his long life as he approaches the brink of eternity. A superb achievement!"" --Michael D. O'Brien, Author, Father Elijah: An Apocalypse ""This cleverly structured novel invites us into the cloister with humble frankness, capturing the triumphs and foibles of monastic life. Through the affable Padre Samuel, we see living proof that God does not call the perfect but perfects the called. I finished this delightful novel feeling both edified and inspired--as will every reader who picks it up."" --Fr. Michael Brisson, L.C., Author, Death in Black and White ""A gently comedic, sharply witty, deeply contemplative spiritual odyssey. When it comes to depicting the monastic life, Father Esposito gets it exactly right. He knows the rhythm and the silence of the cloister, but he also knows--and candidly reveals--the petty annoyances and tragic betrayals that occur there. Blue Miles is the most realistic and moving depiction of monasticism that I have ever read."" --Fr.Augustine Wetta, O.S.B., Author, The Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld ""Scholars and critics have started to wonder whether we're entering into a new Catholic literary Renaissance. Father Esposito's novel is exactly the sort of thing they're thinking of!"" --Jason M. Baxter, PhD, Director, Center for Beauty and Culture, Benedictine College; author, The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind ""Among those who've best captured how imperfect humanity is made holy--Graham Greene, Georges Bernanos--we must now include Father Thomas Esposito. Padre Samuel is an elderly monk whose scars and weaknesses are held together by the rhythms of the monastery, of prayer and common life. He is healed by the slow work of grace, what Saint John Paul II called the 'mysterious oneness in time'. A mystical novel, yet utterly human and ordinary, this is a work of fiction that tells a truth, and that's how genuine holiness is still possible."" --Fr. Joshua J. Whitfield, Author, The Crisis of Bad Preaching: Redeeming the Heart and Way of the Catholic Preacher ""A realistic and unromanticized view of modern monastic life. However, it is the very orderliness of Padre Samuel's life, with its attendant sins and struggles, that makes his story so compelling and so relatable. In Padre Samuel and his companions along the way, we are reminded that God's grace often shows up in the midst of our own brokenness and struggles, especially through the love of friends and the prayers of the Church."" --Elisabeth R. Kincaid, PhD, Director, Institute for Faith and Learning, Baylor University

Author Information

Fr. Thomas Esposito, O.Cist., is a priest and monk of Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, where he serves as junior master and subprior. He is an associate professor of theology at the University of Dallas and also teaches theology at Cistercian Preparatory School.

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