The Monks of Mount Athos: A Western Monk's Extraordinary Spiritual Journey on Eastern Holy Ground

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding spiritual memoir
Review: In the 1970s, the trappist father Basil took a long retreat at Mt. Athos. It was the 25th anniversary of his profession among the Cistercians, and he felt a need to take some time to examine his progress and whether or not there was too much activity in his life. This book chronicles the several months he stayed at
Athos, and is also a great look at the monks, themselves, as met and observed by a western monk. Fr. Basil's humility, willingness to put himself last, gentleness in the face of a few rude anticatholic monks is quite moving. And the faith and goodness of the vast majority of monks he met was just so edifying and wonderful. I found this book to be excellent both as from a spiritual standpoint, and as a quick look at some of the differences and between the Eastern and Western church. I hadn't realized how different some of the beliefs are, or how angry some of the East is (perhaps rightly so, in some cases). So I found this book very enlightening. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in Mt. Athos, spiritual seeking, prayer.