How to Live: What the rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community

By Judith Valente

The Rule of St. Benedict (the rule) arose in an era when a great civilization was threatened by violence, economic forces that favored the wealthy, political leaders that lacked the trust of the public, and rampant xenophobia. The events that occurred in sixth-century Rome were much those like on the nightly news.

Benedict was not a priest or religious official. He was just a young man disillusioned by a corrupt society that lacked compassion. He had a vision of a society in which human values reigned supreme; a vision of compassion, harmony, and hope.

This is a book about living—not just surviving. It is a book about how to live a balanced, meaningful, and conscious life rooted in the ancient and time-tested wisdom of the rule.

Valente's book reflects her training as a journalist. The narrative is engaging, conversational, and filled with anecdotes. It reflects the sensibility of someone who has struggled with balancing work and family with finding true meaning and happiness that is not dependent on externals.
In 21 chapters, she explores the key elements of the rule and clearly demonstrates how incorporating this ancient wisdom can change the quality and texture of our lives. Included here are discussions of humility, waking up, silence, simplicity, trust, prayer, forgiveness, building consensus, listening, and living with awe. These fresh and profound explorations are inspiring, thoughtful, and motivational.

This book is aimed at beginner and mature spiritual seekers alike. It should also appeal to non-traditionally spiritual people—the so-called “nones” (people who list “none of the above” as their formal religion), who are seeking a saner way to live in an increasingly violent, divided, and confusing world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780008308292

Judith Valente

Judith Valente covers the religion beat for PBS-TV's national program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Her reports have also appeared on The News Hour on PBS and on Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio. She has worked as a news producer for WTTW/Chicago and is a former staff writer of The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, where in 1992, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in in the feature writing category. She has won nine broadcast awards and was twice nominated for an Emmy. Valente is a speaker, retreat leader, and the author of two collections of poetry. In 2004, she won the Aldrich Poetry Prize, which was judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver. She is co-editor of the anthology Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul. She has been a frequent guest on WTTW's weekly program 30 Good Minutes to talk about monastic wisdom for the modern world. She recently became a Benedictine Oblate. Valente and her husband Judge Charles Reynard live in Chicago and Normal, IL.