An essay by the Sisters of St. Marys Monastery in Rock Island, IL explains that the Benedictine practice of humility is the opposite of humiliation. He did not intend to impose uniformity; he foresaw and intended diversity and reserved to each monastery the possibility of adapting the rule's prescriptions to various circumstances, provided the essential values of monasticism were safeguarded. It is specified solely by a commitment to God sanctioned by public vows. The primary prayer of all Catholics is the Eucharistic liturgy in which they celebrate and share their faith together, in accord with Jesus' instruction: "Do this in memory of me."The Catholic bishops at the Second Vatican Council decreed that "devotions should be so . It is my experience that the simplicity of this message oftentimes seems just too difficult to accept. But what does the Bible teach on this issue? In his blog Benedictine Monks, Fr. Obedience is an act of letting go of the egoistic will. It insists that God is present in our world and active in our lives. It is one among many schools that speak to contemporary hearts, yet it is particularly unique in its lasting impact on Western Christianity. If he gets the grandeur of God in place, he is apt to get the rest of monastic life in place too. defines the leader of a Benedictine community is not being head of an institution but being in relationship with all the members. Adrian also writes, This kind of wisdom is why St. Benedicts Rule continues, after more than 1,500 years now, to stir the hearts of men and women who want to live their lives entirely for Christ. In other words, Benedicts Rule stirs the hearts of those who want to live each day fully. Stability Listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through scripture and through the insights of others. (320) 363-7112. 6v-7r of the Bodleian library in Oxford. Lynne Smith elaborates, All this service is sacred and to be done with reverence service is seen as a form of prayer, a way of seeking God. This practice is also linked inextricably to gratitude, as we give thanks for the ways we can serve and for those who serve us. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. 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. The Benedictine practice of mindfulness, like all the Benedictine practices, is lifelong. Here are some of the characteristics of Benedictine spirituality: Grounded in Listening For Benedict, the spiritual life was about listening to Godthrough prayer, Scriptures, the depths of our own experience, through listening to others in our community and the wider church. Getting Started with Ignatian Spirituality Beyond the Basics of Ignatian Spirituality It shows itself in the way (emphasis mine) you put up with the many things of your daily life, sickness, death, war, persecution, mishaps and misfortunes of every kind. In other words, without awareness of God and without gratitude, indeed, without the interweaving of all these practices into our lives, patience cannot exist. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Since Benedict was a monk, the spirituality which is based on his rule, is fundamentally monastic. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). The Benedictine tradition has frequently presented examples of spiritual men and women, many of them venerated as saints, who in the line of their monastic vocation have sought to unite themselves to God by the eremetical or solitary life, normally in dependence on their superior and in the neighborhood of their monastery. It can be described as a state of mind that provides their values and influences how they live their lives and exercise their judgment in such things as deciding between right and wrong. There were also other forms of monastic life, but they were more or less eccentric in comparison with the two main types and sometimes led to abuse. Benedict's Rule and Spirituality. They are listeners and patient, willing to wait and see. For vowed monastics, stability is literala long-term commitment to a specific place and community. Benedictine spirituality is a fresh alternative in an increasingly fast-paced world. He was the son of a noble and grew up in Rome. We are all accountable as steward of creation, they tell us. In his book Humility Rules: Saint Benedicts Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem, Augustine Wetta, a Benedictine monk, teaches, The sum of all virtues is reverence. In this 2-minute video, Father Mark Goring (Companions of the Cross) says This profound and humble [Benedictine practice of] reverence for all things is one of the great foundations of Benedictine spirituality. He explains that this reverence flows from prayer. On the blog Catholic Beer Club, Br. 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. Sam Rahberg is former Director of the Benedictine Center and a spiritual director in St. Paul. Benedictine monks have often received freely from their families and educators, from the rich Benedictine tradition, from the abundant life of their own communities, and from the many mercies of God. The Benedictines, strictly speaking, do not constitute a single religious . Sister Joan Chittister is an extraordinarily prolific writer and among the most famous living Benedictines. Obedience is a concept 21st-century souls dont generally like to consider. Directly translated, Lectio Divina means divine reading. This model of [], [] rather than continually traveling on to somewhere else. . It is likewise through that response that one becomes free to be and develop as the person one is called to be. %PDF-1.4 % The RB is saturated with Scripture and, as Esther de Waal has suggested in her book Seeking God: The Baptismal Invitation of the Rule of St. Benedict (Liturgical Press, 2009), the Prologue exemplifies this as a model of baptismal instruction. For example, Let us get up then, at long last for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: It is high time for us to arise from sleep (Rom 13:11), or Run while you have the light, that the darkness of death may not overtake you (John 12:35). Scripture and baptism undergird the Benedictine vision of Christian discipleship, a vision which relies on a prayerful orientation toward God and relationships which support us in Christ-centeredness. Columba Stewart OSB, the 73 brief chapters of the RB make up four major sections. 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). Being poor with the poor has characterized many religious from the time of the Middle Ages, but Benedictines, because of their cenobitic life and their cultural inheritance, are often rich. Perhaps the most useful definition is that given by Jean gerson: "Theologia m, Omnipotence is derived From the Latin omnis (all) and potens (capable of making or producing). Benedictine, member of the Order of Saint Benedict (O.S.B. Unfortunately, Jesus never indicated discipleship would be easy. 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. Be willing to wait. That kind of movement toward moderation is especially important as we live the open and complex questions. Interviewed by Krista Tippett for her podcast On Being, Brother David talks about gratitude as the true wellspring of joy. Benedict shows us the value of ordering our day around communal prayer (i.e. How have we been equipped by God to do so? Of all creatures, the human person is in fact the neediest. Downloaded from the web site of the Bodleian library: Created: 8th century date QS:P,+750-00-00T00:00:00Z/7, we acknowledge the primacy of God and look for God in the ordinary events of each day, Benjamin Schfer, who calls himself an intercessory musicianary, blog theologian, and pilgrim on the narrow road of learning to love, writes in depth about ways to foster awareness of God, requires that we never stop asking hard questions about our personal growth, The Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana explain the importance of community life in Benedictine practice on their website, Interviewed by Krista Tippett for her podcast, Kyle T. Kramer explains in his 2011 article for America Magazine that hospitality, for a Benedictine, An essay by the Sisters of St. Marys Monastery in Rock Island, IL explains that, Read the full essay to learn more about how humility helps us grow, This article on the Contemplative outreach website explains the history of, As Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon writes, Listening with the ear of the heart, read more about the Liturgy of the Hours by clicking here. Hence the spirituality that we find implicit in the Rule of Benedict was dependent in many ways on earlier sources, though he was certainly wise in what he incorporated and what he left behind. Her muscular Christianity is grounded in the spiritual practices of the Rule of Saint Benedict, such as silence, hospitality, humility, and peace. The thing that distinguishes monks from other religious in the Catholic Church is not primarily a matter of governmental structures or observances; all of these are found in other forms of consecrated life. St. Benedict speaks of steps in humility, comparing them to the rungs of a ladder which we climb one by onean image that implies not a strict order of ascent but a more general sense of movement growth. 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. 4. We practice clumsily like beginners running through piano scales. Many Oblates rely on Give Us This Day, a monthly prayer book with simplified daily prayer for morning and evening, to help us participate in the Divine Office when we are away from the monastery. This article on the Contemplative outreach website explains the history of lectio divina, and offers instruction in how to do it. Through spiritual direction, individual and group ministerial reflection, and writing, Sam companions Christian leaders as they re-discover the sense of calling and giftedness at the heart of Christ-centered ministry. You can order a free copy of Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press, by clicking here. It embraces a diversity of vocations: lay and clerical, contemplative and active, academic and pastoral, married and celibate. MS. Hatton 48 fol. Brother David Steindl-Rast of the Gut Aich Priory monastery in St. Gilgen, Austria, is the founder and senior advisor for A Network for Grateful Living. This invitation to listen came to Benedict from the heart of the Old and New Testament traditions. As time went on we decided that we needed a clear focus on the values. How are you feeling called to commit that value to practice in the days ahead? The Benedictine practice of Moderation in All Things is another that is trending today, under the word balance. In the blog Echoes from the Bell Tower, Fr. SUGGESTED BOX ON PRAYER The psalms eloquently express how we feel and how we think about life and time and God. 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. If you fill out this form, Ill respond from my personal email. 0000001056 00000 n Jesus said "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (see Matthew 25: . Mauritius Wilde O.S.B explains that obedience means to listen. Benedict reminds us of our priorities: prayer, contemplation, balance and the importance of everything we do. The Rule of St. Benedict structures this for the monk. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 3 Views. Benedictine spirituality is essentially contemplative even though many who follow the rule are deeply involved in intellectual or manual work as well as in ministerial service to others. ), member of any of the confederated congregations of monks, lay brothers, and nuns who follow the rule of life of St. Benedict (c. 480-c. 547) and who are spiritual descendants of the traditional monastics of the early medieval centuries in Italy and Gaul. 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. The rule is marked by a strong sense of the individual monk's personal worth and dignity. Prince of Peace is a community of Benedictine monks that has been in San Diego County since 1958, but their community spans more than 1,400 years of uninterrupted tradition dating back to St. Benedict. (February 22, 2023). Joan Chittister is the executive director of the company Benetvision, which serves as a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality; a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie; and a former past president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Obedience means "to listen intently," and this vow is undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in following Christ who was obedient to the will of the Father. What is Benedictine Spirituality? How do we respect all things as vessels of the altar (RB 31:10). Teaching Artist. Through contemplative prayer, the monk becomes an emptiness so there is space for God as well as space for others. This will not subscribe you to a contact management software program, and you wont get an onslaught of computer-generated emails begging you to buy my books and services. 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). Lectio divina involves contemplating what we read or hear in a Scripture, being receptive to the presence of God, and letting ourselves be transformed. This listening is not merely an intellectual or rational activity; it is intuitive, springing from the very core of the monk's being where he is most open to God and most open to the word of life that God speaks. 480 to 547 CE in Italy. The monk's own attitude toward his life then is one of stewardship. The word "Benedictine" is relatively modern; it scarcely existed before the 17th century. We are moved to profound respect for the ways the Creator puts resources at our disposal to further the kingdom of God. "Benedictine Spirituality For most of us, though, stability can have a figurative element beyond our experience with a [], 2023 Benedictine Center of St. Pauls Monastery, Core Values: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 1 of 3), Prayer and Community: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 2 of 3) - Benedictine Center, Lectio Divina and Preferring Christ: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 3 of 3) - Benedictine Center, My Day with the Sacred Fire | Benedictine Center, Saturated with Peace: Experiencing Personal Retreat | Benedictine Center, Wholehearted Living as the Lamed Vav | Benedictine Center, Practicing Sustained Lectio Divina | Benedictine Center, What Discernment Means to Me | Benedictine Center, Sabbath: Well-being, Not Endless Work | Benedictine Center, Moderation and Rhythm: A Benedictine Help Against Social Isolation | Benedictine Center, Stability: The Benedictine Value of Locatedness | Benedictine Center, The Erector Set: Adapting to Others | Benedictine Center, Sharper: Benedict's Tools for Good Works | Benedictine Center, The Benedictine Commitment to Learning | Benedictine Center, We Dare To Hope (Part 1 of 2) | Benedictine Center, We Dare To Hope (Part 2 of 2) | Benedictine Center, Life, A Continuous Advent | Benedictine Center, Rooted in Love: My Sustained Lectio Divina | Benedictine Center, Just Wave: Following that Holy Nudge | Benedictine Center. Monsignor Charles Pope seems to be saying in the blog post, A Reflection On the Benedictine Vow of Stability for Community in Mission of the Archdiocese of Washington (DC), that stability of heart is the Benedictine practice our chronically unstable contemporary society most desperately needs. Are you a thoughtful reader (and maybe even a writer) who seeks a peaceful, just, spiritual approach to life? Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. They regard Saint Benedict as their founder and guide even though he did not establish a Benedictine Order as such. 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. Stop the madness; listen to the God who loves you. Like counselling, therapy and coaching, spiritual direction rests on careful listening to the 'client'. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B explains that obedience means, , Fr. Benedicts rule calls us to a daily rhythm of listening, obedience, and conversion of life. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The fourth Benedictine value is work, or labora. It emphasizes the preeminent position which hospitality occupies in every Benedictine monastery. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Only in later centuries and especially since the 19th century has it occupied a more important place in monastic life than in the observance of the majority of non-monastic religious congregations, with the consequence that it is usually considered a special feature of monastic life and spirituality. The rule did not become a text of the past or a dead document; rather it continued to live and to vivify, but its very fecundity, its inexhaustible youthfruits of its discretionexplain how it was able to inspire different realizations. It sets up a framework of life, an institution, of which the essential and constitutive elements are firmly determined: life in common under the government of a superior called an abbot, who has the help of a prior and other officials and takes counsel of the whole assembly of monks, even the youngest in the community. Poverty of spirit, simplicity, sharing and giving, self-denial prompted by love, freedom of heart, gratitude, care for persons, and sound judgment with regard to created things should proceed from exposure to God in prayer. You can Order a free copy of Give us this day, published Liturgical. On being, Brother David talks about gratitude as the person one is called to commit that to! Spiritual direction rests on careful listening to the & # x27 ; client & # x27 ; ]... As steward of creation, they tell us communal prayer ( i.e to! 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