Stability In his blog Benedictine Monks, Fr. The rule invites the monk to recognize the presence of God in his life, a presence which is neither gained or won or achieved but simply given. Commit to daily, weekly or monthly prayer disciplines. Ancient Tradition. In contemporary society, Christian spirituality is generally defined as a set of beliefs, values, and way of life that reflect the teachings of the Bible, the holy book of Christianity. Little by little, however, the Rule of Benedict became the principal rule, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries and in Italy. It underscores the tenets of Care ethics in conjunction with Benedictine Spirituality. Benedictine prayer has several characteristics that make more for a spirituality of awareness than of consolation. Through this experience, he came to believe that authentic spiritual growth happens only when we life with and among flawed human beings whose faults and failings are only too obvious. In community we struggle through the practice of being in right relationship with people who are stubborndullundisciplinedrestlesscareless scatterbrainedirritatingand tiresome. It is only in our communitiesfamilies or monasteries, neighborhoods, workplaces, churches and organizationsthat we make spiritual progress by learning to love and accept others for who they are, not for who we wish they would be. It requires that a monk listens intently to the voice of God as it is manifested in the Sacred Scriptures and the teachings of his superiors. What are the characteristics of Benedictine spirituality? The Benedictine practice of Moderation in All Things is another that is trending today, under the word balance., Obedience is a concept 21st-century souls dont generally like to consider. From the middle of the 20th century there appeared in Europe, America, Africa, and elsewhere monastic foundations that, drawing their inspiration from ancient sources, tended to return to forms of monastic life that are simpler and more contemplative. Im interested in connecting person-to-person with others who share my values, who want to participate with me in building a meaningful network of relationships that will serve to support us on our spiritual journey. To be empowered by anything less than the God of love is to risk evil zeal in the name of vengeance. Bibliography: Marked for Life: Prayer in the Easter Christ (London 1979). Benedict called this lifelong process conversatiomorum or conversion of life. We always can go deeper in prayer, grow more open to the truth, enrich our understanding of the will of God, and learn what, in this moment at this time, is good, acceptable, and right. I hope this list (compiled in September, 2018) is helpful, perhaps even inspiring. The Benedictine practice of service to others is intimately entwined with the reverence for all creation, and another of the great foundations of Benedictine spirituality. Patience does not relieve us of our natural feelings of aversion, irritation, and indignation, but it controls and rises above these feelings Our Lord felt the natural impulse to avoid suffering, but He set aside and refused to listen to this feeling: Father not my will but Thine be done.Where does this patience show itself? He is author of Ice Break: A Collection of Poems (Aetos Publications, 2019), Enduring Ministry: Toward a Lifetime of Christian Leadership (Liturgical Press, 2017), and The Gospels in Poem and Image (Aetos Publications, 2016-2019). [CDATA[ Hence they are rich compared with many who come to the monastery for help. Sister Joan Chittister is an extraordinarily prolific writer and among the most famous living Benedictines. Im interested in connecting person-to-person with others who share my values, who want to participate with me in building a meaningful network of relationships that will serve to support us on our spiritual journey. If there is anything that everyone of us in the whole world needs more of right now, its peace. Monastic Spirituality. The Nazirite's spiritual disciplines included not drinking wine or eating grapes, not cutting . Strong communities embrace stability and are open to necessary change. Benedictines believe that the Christian life is best lived not through the extremes of any harsh religious asceticism but in the daily context of good, balanced life in community. We prefer concepts like freedom and independence. Benedictines carry on a monastic tradition that stems from the origins of the Christian monastic movement in the late third century. The Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th century AD, still holds great relevance for our lives today. We become obedient only after we know our own will. Co-Director of the Spirituality Center. A monk should be above all a good listener. All these helping ministries place value on the confidentiality of the relationship and may lead to increased personal wellbeing and a more fruitful and productive life. As. It's not a principle that defines what it means to be a Benedictine institution. It appeared little by little wherever the Church took root, a spontaneous manifestation of the Holy Spirit urging Christians to become monks in response to the counsel given by Jesus in the Gospel: "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions , follow me " (Mt 19.21). 21 0 obj
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Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Where it was adopted, it was looked upon as a venerable text but not necessarily requiring observance in all its prescriptions. 1) They know that not one-size-fits-all. The Augustinian identity may be summed up as "The Search for God Together" by means of a Community through which we share our faith and life in a nurturing environment, and out of which is mutually generated our wholehearted service to society, the Church and world. Am I growing in my true identity as a son or daughter of God? Joan Chittister is a Benedictine sister with an ecumenical outreach and vision who has written more than 50 books. Fr. Humility is the ability to recognize one's rightful place in the universe and to see oneself as a mysterious combination of strengths and weaknesses. This means that the monk must be very quiet and still within himself, but also very alert and attentive if the word of God is to resonate properly within his innermost depths so that he is enlightened and nourished by it. Be faithful in demonstration of family and community commitments, for example, by calling parents every week at the same time, checking in regularly on neighbors, affirming and listening to coworkers. By integrating their prayer and work, they manifest Christ's presence in society.". Benedictine Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki, a major force behind the ministries and outreach that shaped the Benedictines of Erie, Pennsylvania, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, died Jan. 6 at . If a monk's life is not grounded in God, he is tempted to put himself in the place of God. Spirituality is the broad concept of a belief in something beyond the self. 2. Life in common is the Benedictine monastic path toward God. More than a billion Muslims share a common set of fundamental beliefs that are described as "Articles of Faith." These articles of faith form the foundation of Islamic belief system. In contrast to monks who fled the world to encounter God in solitude, St. Benedict's Rule was written to guide communities in living elemental aspects of Christianitysuch as shared meals, shared prayer, and shared work. Ive drawn this list of 22 (+ 1 = 23) Benedictine practices (arranged alphabetically) from Stepping into the Oblate way of life, published by St. Benedicts Monastery in 2017, when Laureen Virnig OSB served as Director of Oblates. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. It is a pathway to deeper prayer, good decisions guided by keen discernment, and an active life of service to others. The Ten Hallmarks of Benedictine Education. Co-Director of the Spirituality Center. In a blog hosted by Holy Wisdom Monastery of Madison, Wisconsin, Lynne Smith, OSB writes that in America, middle and upper class people tend to imagine they are living self-sufficiently, believing they are able to pretty much take care of [their] needs. This self-deception is possible only when [w]e take for granted all the people who work behind the scenes to provide the food for the store, to staff and maintain the filling station and all those people involved in the health care system. Interviewed by Krista Tippett for her podcast On Being, Brother David talks about gratitude as the true wellspring of joy. In The Rule of Benedict for Beginners, Wil Derkse reveals how elements from Benedictine spirituality and the Benedictine lifestyle may be . The monk needs time along and needs time in community. New Catholic Encyclopedia. One of the great challenges in the rule is that the monk obey others not only in their strengths but also in their weaknesses, for it is tempting to see others in their weakness as simply burdens rather than as gifts. Spiritual Direction, sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual friendship, is an on-going relationship in which a person, desiring to be attentive to his or her spiritual life, meets with the spiritual director on a regular basis to become more attuned to God's presence and to respond more fully to that presence. They pray the Office together, with no voice standing out above the others. Thus prayer and community, to borrow again from Stewart, are at the heart of the Benedictine school of spirituality. Successful organizational leaders practice self-mastery and teamwork. Benedicts rule calls us to a daily rhythm of listening, obedience, and conversion of life. Learn more at www.samuelrahberg.com. St. Vincent teaches us to see Christ in the poor and suffering, so much so that the poor become our Lords and Masters and we their servants. The rhythm of life leads one to times of being alone and times of being in community. The second characteristic of the monastic vocation is that it demands a life of which a privileged part is given to prayer. The word "Benedictine" is relatively modern; it scarcely existed before the 17th century. What does it mean for us to learn contentment with living simply? Seeing the Face of Christ in the Poor. As time went on we decided that we needed a clear focus on the values. This Benedictine practice is exceedingly difficult for most of us, for most of our lives. One of the primary functions of the various monastic structures is to provide conditions in which the monks can concentrate on learning the art of listening. The Prologue through RB 7 are a foundational primer; RB 8-20 speak of liturgical prayer; RB 20-67 include teachings for the common life; and RB 68-72 offer a theology of monastic life with an emphasis on love (Prayer and Community: The Benedictine Tradition. Or, am I living a lie, allowing myself to be conformed to every whim and temptation of my fallen nature? To complete our personal transformation, we never stop changing. He simply organized a form of cenobitic life in complete conformity with the demands of the monastic vocation, which is but integral Christian life. 0000002192 00000 n
The devotio moderna is an example. Monastic life was punctuated by the rhythms of prayer during the hours of each day. Which value speaks to your heart most strongly at this time and why? The monk's own attitude toward his life then is one of stewardship. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B explains that obedience means, , Fr. If he gets the grandeur of God in place, he is apt to get the rest of monastic life in place too. "Benedictine Spirituality The Rule of St. Benedict (RB) became a foundational text for monasticism in the West, having emerged in the sixth century as the Roman civilization was collapsing. St. Benedicts chapter on humility is one of the longest in the, The Benedictine practice of Liturgical prayer is one of Benedictine spiritualitys most visible, unmistakable hallmarks. It is that same balance that has made it attractive today to those countless lay men and women who are not living vowed lives in a monastery but who are associated with Benedictine monasteries as oblates attempting to live their lives in the secular world according to the spiritual values set out in the rule. This is the key to Benedict's whole spiritual teaching. Benedictine obedience is ultimately directed not to other humans or to ourselves, but through the agency of others and the deepest yearnings of our own hearts, in love, to God. 0000005209 00000 n
"No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead, what he judges better for someone else." - Rule of St. Benedict 72:7 A Raven is Collaborative Collaborative Ravens create a spirit of teamwork. 0000002422 00000 n
Christian monasticism had been in existence for a long time before Benedict wrote his rule. Brendan Rolling, OSB of St Benedicts Abbey of Atchison, Kansas quotes Abbot Martin Veth: To will what God wills and because He wills it, this is the essence of patience. It is one among many schools that speak to contemporary hearts, yet it is particularly unique in its lasting impact on Western Christianity. 9 0 obj
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Directly translated, Lectio Divina means divine reading. Dominican preacher and mystic; b. Strasbourg, c. 1300; d. there, June 16, 1361. Benedict's community might well be called a formation community in which all, including the abbot and other superiors in the community, are in the process of being formed all of their lives into the likeness of Christ by attentive listening to the word of God, and a loving response to that word mediated into the life of the community by Christ's own offer of friendship through the communication of the Holy Spirit. Certainly the rule does not see material privation as an end in itself; it is in no way part of the Benedictine tradition to assess everything economically by materialistic standards or to override aesthetic or other values for the sake of cheapness or squalor, for such a mentality narrows the monk's horizons and even creates those very evils accompanying destitution which all Christians have duty to banish from the earth. 0000001056 00000 n
Romey is the driving force behind "Being Benedictine in the 21st Century: Spiritual Seekers in Conversation," a conference planned for June 2020 at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison. Although well into the middle years of an average life span, I am a rank beginner, a mere toddler in Benedictine practice. Tradition assigns no other end to monastic life than to "seek God" or "to live for God alone," an ideal that can be achieved only by a life of conversion and prayer. This practice is not particular to Benedictines, however. Music students practice their instruments. Music students do their instruments. What we know about St. Benedict himself comes to us mainly through Gregory the Great (ca. What calls us to attention? "Let everyone that comes be received as Christ" is one of the most familiar and oft-quoted phrases of the Rule. It strives to answer questions about the meaning of life, how people are connected to each other, truths about the universe, and other mysteries of human existence. These prayers, which included the saying or chanting of the psalms, can be experienced in our Daily Office. Benedictine monastics make a three-fold commitment to stability, conversion (conversatio), and obedience. On the constitutional level, Benedict's supreme achievement was to provide a succinct and complete directory for the government and the spiritual and material well-being of a monastery. Chittister is an extraordinarily prolific writer and among the most famous living.. Psalms, can be experienced in our daily Office prolific writer and the... To borrow again from Stewart, are at the heart of the Benedictine may... Particularly in the place of God conversatiomorum or conversion of life leads one to times of being alone and of! Being in community a monk should be above all a good listener has characteristics... & # x27 ; s spiritual disciplines included not drinking wine or grapes... If a monk should be above all a good listener, Brother David about! During the hours of each day or monthly prayer disciplines monthly prayer.... A venerable text but not necessarily requiring observance in all its prescriptions are stubborndullundisciplinedrestlesscareless scatterbrainedirritatingand tiresome reveals how from! Prayer in the name of vengeance spirituality of awareness than of consolation a daily rhythm listening. Us to learn contentment with living simply times of being in community 21 0