The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work" (Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality)

by Kathleen Norris

Paperback, 1998

Status

Checked out

Description

"In this insightful and deeply personal work, Kathleen Norris, an award-winning poet and author of both Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and The Cloister Walk, draws on her life experiences, her poetry and her love of the Benedictine tradition to discuss the mysterious way that the daily or "quotidian" can open us to the transforming presence of God." "This volume is the text of the 1998 Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality, sponsored by the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Publication

Paulist Press (1998), Edition: First Thus Used, 89 pages

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Rating

½ (56 ratings; 3.8)

User reviews

LibraryThing member lycomayflower
A brief exploration of how daily work (that is, the tasks that must be done over and over, the dishes, the laundry: the drudgery) can be an important way of accessing spirituality. Interesting, and probably worth/requiring a second read.
LibraryThing member KimMeyer
As a nonreligious person, I'm likely not the target audience for this little book. I've greatly enjoyed other books with religious themes though and I was drawn in by the idea of this one. However, it's just not for me. I'm not faulting it for its religiosity. What I was not fond of was the flowery
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language, meandering thoughts, and frequent critical analysis of the author's own poetry within the text.
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LibraryThing member saintbedefg
After many years ignoring church, the author attended an elaborated wedding and was amazed to see the overdressed, bulky-robed priest "puttering about" the altar, cleaning up, and washing the dishes after communion. A connection was made. She was a stranger, a housewife, used to a demeaning,
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second-class definition of "women's work" The priest's bit of "housework" welcomed her. When she was fifteen years old, she realized she was not cut out to be a mother and eventually found an ancient, deep, cultural stigma surround that as well. A very personal little book, recommended for both genders. NOV 2005
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LibraryThing member trinker
The drudgery of life is holy. Before enlightenment; wash dishes, do laundry. After enlightenment; wash dishes, do laundry. To gain enlightenment; wash dishes, do laundry.
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