Before writing his Rule, Benedict lived for years as a hermit. Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. Belief in One God: The most important teaching of Islam is that only God is to be served and worshipped. // endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/ExtGState<>>> endobj 13 0 obj <> endobj 14 0 obj <> endobj 15 0 obj <> endobj 16 0 obj <> endobj 17 0 obj <> endobj 18 0 obj <>stream For Benedict, prayer had a particular structure and process. Acts 18:18). Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Which value speaks to your heart most strongly at this time and why? 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. People are seen as an integrated whole: Body, Mind, and Spirit. The fourth Benedictine value is work, or labora. Silence in Benedictine practice is knit together with listening and with prayer. In the 7th and 8th centuries it was often combined with other rules, especially that of St. Columban (d. 615). 0 Benedictine spirituality is practical and profound. He wrote a Rule for his monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy and he foresaw . How are we being invited to swing back toward Christ-centeredness? These three characteristics refer especially to intellectual activity. 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. It is a comprehensive rule of life for the whole church and all her members. Unfortunately, Jesus never indicated discipleship would be easy. This Benedictine practice is exceedingly difficult for most of us, for most of our lives. Like counselling, therapy and coaching, spiritual direction rests on careful listening to the 'client'. Stewardship of resources, as a Benedictine practice, flows out of the commitment to stability, explain. Practice is how people develop the skills to become adept at anything. Music students do their instruments. More than a founder in the juridical sense of the word, its author had been an educator, or better, a spiritual father, and he aimed at forming consciences capable of spiritual liberty. This religious practice refers to St. Benedict and his spiritual practice. Benedictine Center is affiliated and operated in partnership with St. Pauls Monastery. Furthermore, he avoids anything that would be excessive or beyond the capacity of the average monk. Continue to Prayer and Community: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 2). The Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana explain the importance of community life in Benedictine practice on their website. 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. Out of these . https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality, "Benedictine Spirituality Ignacio Gonzalez, OSB writes that the Benedictine practice of Conversatio requires that we never stop asking hard questions about our personal growth. Benedict called this lifelong process conversatiomorum or conversion of life. In other words, the core of Franciscan spirituality is the universal call to holiness that all women and men receive at baptism. ." Core Islamic Beliefs: Six Articles of Faith. The discipline of slowing down to pay attention renews our orientation toward receiving the presence of Christ. Francis consulted her, especially when he was discerning between becoming a hermit and being an itinerant preacher. The whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." 1. We are women and men for and with others, hearing both the cry of the . Benedictine spirituality offers an important voice in our world today, a voice which informs our praying, living and discerning. In monastic life public prayer is only one observance among those which help the monk seek God. An atheist is a man who lives without God. Her muscular Christianity is grounded in the spiritual practices of the Rule of Saint Benedict, such as silence, hospitality, humility, and peace. 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. 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. In this, affective piety and the contemplative study of the mysteries of God were no longer so strictly united as in the preceding centuries, in which the patristic tradition had been preserved. St. Benedict lived in the 6 th century. Although well into the middle years of an average life span, I am a rank beginner, a mere toddler in Benedictine practice. It is humility that makes us happy with what we have, willing to have less, kind to all, simple in our bearing, and serene within ourselves. It only takes 2-3 minutes to read her article. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. Life in Benedictine monasteries was also deeply influenced by the clericalization of many of the monks and the episcopal ordination of many abbots. Benedictines say mindfulness is as much as a Christian and biblical concept as it is a Buddhist one. A monk should be above all a good listener. In 1887 Pope Leo XIII, who was enamored of the Benedictines, reestablished the College of Saint Anselm in Rome. But, we keep practicing, because we hope that eventually, with faithful practice, that our way of being present to others will be as rich and meaningful as Chopins Nocturns are mysteriously rich with meaning when played by the virtuoso Arthur Rubinstein near the end of his life. They are all intertwined. Only after we have come to understand our desires are we capable of relinquishing them in service of others. Obedience is a concept 21st-century souls dont generally like to consider. Spirituality offers a worldview that suggests there is more to life than just what people . Vincentian spirituality is centered around this concept. Closely related to both listening and humility is the virtue of obedience. "Let everyone that comes be received as Christ" is one of the most familiar and oft-quoted phrases of the Rule. 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. Instead of being possessive and manipulative, he is called to grow in detachment which manifests itself in the constructive and creative use of things. In this article, I have merely collected and summarized what other, more experienced Benedictines have taught and published. 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. Humility enables the monk to stand in awe before the world and to receive the gifts of God and others. 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 . 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. Harry Hagan, OSB My part in this little show began as a description of the novitiate and how it brings new people from exclusion to inclusion, from fascination to identification, and from dependence to belonging. New Catholic Encyclopedia. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Benedict shows us the value of ordering our day around communal prayer (i.e. 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. When I consider Benedictine hospitality, I like to extend this notion to the dialogues we initiate with those of other religious and spiritual backgrounds, especially with non-Christians. 3 Views. Every four months, we begin again at the beginningso we read the Rulethree times every year. Benedict's treatment of obedience must be understood in light of his understanding of authority. If you fill out this form, Ill respond from my personal email. The ideal of this pattern of conversion is meant to be incarnated in a special way for the community in the abbot, who is expected to be a symbolic center exercising a centripetal force that draws individuals into a truly Christian community of life for God and others in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. praying the Divine Office) as well as regular silent . xb```f``x(80 . 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. This emphasis on silence is so that we can learn to listen to God more acutelyThis kind of sensitivity and awareness makes it easier to pray at all times. This article explains that silence is healthy for community life and fosters the learning of reverence for all creation. The website of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas tells us, Modern monks like to point out that first word in the Rule is to Listen,which cant be done while talking! MS. Hatton 48 fol. Hence, conversion to Christ and response to his love through the power of the Holy Spirit are the goals of obedience. 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. 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. It underscores the tenets of Care ethics in conjunction with Benedictine Spirituality. It is one among many schools that speak to contemporary hearts, yet it is particularly unique in its lasting impact on Western Christianity. He is called to witness in a materialistic world to the dependence of all men and women on God, and to their need and destiny for a happiness that lies beyond material fulfillment. It encourages a life balance between corporate worship, spiritual reading and work in the context of community. "Benedictine Spirituality Impact. 480 to 547 CE in Italy. Its principal source is the Word of God and its model is Christ. The Rule of Benedict has resonated through more than 1400 years and today is followed around the world by thousands of monastics and oblates (people associated with monasteries who live and work outside the monastery). 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. 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. Gymnasts practice routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. We are no more self-sufficient than the poor whose dependence on the service of others cant be hidden. The Rule of Benedict teaches that Monastics should serve one another (35:1). Contact. In chapter 72 of the rule, Benedict encourages his monks to be zealous, "supporting with the greatest patience one another's weaknesses of body and behavior, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another. 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. Lets make ours a truly humana listening and reverentconnection. Therefore in Benedictine spirituality, mutual obedience is a habit to be shown by all to one another. [contact-form][contact-field label=Name type=name required=1 /][contact-field label=Email type=email required=1 /][contact-field label=Website type=url /][contact-field label=Comment type=textarea required=1 /][/contact-form], Downloaded from the web site of the Bodleian library: [1]. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. As Joan Chittister puts it, Benedictine practices build a spirituality that will enable us to go on beyond disappointment, beyond boredom, beyond criticism, beyond loss. Benediction spirituality is for the long haul.. Music students practice their instruments. Directly translated, Lectio Divina means divine reading. (February 22, 2023). He neither innovated nor broke with tradition. It is my experience that the simplicity of this message oftentimes seems just too difficult to accept. Benedictine Abbeys and Priories in the U.S. Benedictine University: Narrative Description, https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 21 0 obj <>stream 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. When a monk is aware of his own littleness, he is not driven to satisfy his own ego more than his true needs. Saint Clare of Assisi (16 July 1194 - 11 August 1253, born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara, Clair, Claire, Sinclair, etc.) On a personal level the rule calls the monk to live a life marked by frugality, simplicity, and gratitude for the many gifts of God. The concept that we are not above nature but are part of it, stems from the practice of humility, of knowing who we are, how we are, and to whom we belong. Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy in 480 and died in 543. This little rule for beginners serves to develop a spirituality made up of practices, which Benedictines incorporate into their relationship with God and their interactions with the people with whom they live and work. Spirituality is the broad concept of a belief in something beyond the self. 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. Father Mandonnet then lists three characteristics that are concerned more especially with the will. As. Benedictine As Sister Julie explains on the blog A Nuns Life, The Liturgy of the Hours is made up of specific prayers said at various time (hours) during the day and night. We stumble through being in right relationship. to the Rule is a good way to summarize the goal of Benedictine spirituality and prayer. Divine omnipotence is a divine operative attribute, an, TAULER, JOHANNES In a podcast at DiscerningHearts.com from the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory, Fr. Brendan Rolling, OSB of St Benedicts Abbey of Atchison, Kansas, Sister Joan tells us that a Benedictine lifestyle is an an oasis of human peace. Benedictine Spirituality - also known as Monastic Spirituality. Benedictine simplicity of life is understood properly with the reality of Christ and his mission in mind. 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. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B explains that obedience means to listen. Through contemplative prayer, the monk becomes an emptiness so there is space for God as well as space for others. 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. Co-Director of the Spirituality Center. Orbis, 20-21). 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