6 characteristics of benedictine spirituality

Sister Joan Chittister is an extraordinarily prolific writer and among the most famous living Benedictines. Gymnasts practice routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. Belief in One God: The most important teaching of Islam is that only God is to be served and worshipped. 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. Benedictine spirituality is a way of life that helps a person to seek God and his will daily. We are all accountable as steward of creation, they tell us. God speaks to the monk through Christ, but the monk is called to see Christ not only in the superior but also in the guests, in the sick, in the young, and in the old. The diffusion of the Rule of Benedict in the West was slow. In Benedict's rule, humility is not the same as humiliations, for humiliations degrade the person. Living the Benedictine spirituality, as a monk, an . 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. It insists that God is present in our world and active in our lives. It acted and penetrated not as a legislative text imposed from without by authority but rather as a leaven by virtue of its intrinsic power. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. What is Benedictine Spirituality? trailer 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. 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. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality. <<8F8BC2AF36339D4C919A3718E673BE78>]>> But Benedict also reminds the monk that there is a wicked zeal which leads to death. This is not simply a change in my opinion or even in my ideological stance, but a much deeper change in my attitude, a real change in my way of being and doing. Listening is integral to the practice of conversatio, indeed to all the practices, which, as Laureen Virnig OSB teaches to Oblates in formation, are inseparable woven together to make of our spirituality a living tapestry. Benedict called this lifelong process conversatiomorum or conversion of life. 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. ." 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. 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. It was not founded by a particular saint. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. We become obedient only after we know our own will. It may be an old liqueur but it has a well-deserved place in the modern bar. A monk should be above all a good listener. SUGGESTED BOX ON PRAYER The psalms eloquently express how we feel and how we think about life and time and God. Characteristics of Benedictine Spirituality. What helps us practice setting down our agendas in order to be more fully present? Co-Director of the Spirituality Center. Acts 18:18). %PDF-1.4 % The Benedictine practice of Liturgical prayer is one of Benedictine spiritualitys most visible, unmistakable hallmarks. Benedictine prayer has several characteristics that make more for a spirituality of awareness than of consolation. The Cistercian Order reinforced the eremetical character of the cenobitical life itself. But the monk's development, like that of all human beings, requires both material resources and the help of other people. In The Rule of Benedict for Beginners, Wil Derkse reveals how elements from Benedictine spirituality and the Benedictine lifestyle may be . 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. Music students practice their instruments. Consequently he accepts the services and ideas of others, the gifts of life, and community. Reading the transcript or listening to the podcast is worthwhile. In this article, 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. In his spare time, you will find Sam tending his familys small tree farm or fly fishing for trout in Southeast Minnesota. Successful organizational leaders practice self-mastery and teamwork. 9 0 obj <> endobj 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. As a Benedictine practice, obedience is intimately linked to being in right relationship, conversatio, humility, and listening. To be empowered by anything less than the God of love is to risk evil zeal in the name of vengeance. One of the sure signs of monastic maturity is the honest acceptance of one's need for other people in community. praying the Divine Office) as well as regular silent . [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]. You can read more about the Liturgy of the Hours by clicking here, but the best way to learn about Liturgical prayer is to find a monastery and experience it. Practice is how people develop the skills to get adept at anything. Benedictines are called to strive for silence and have a love for silence. 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. ." 1. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. If a monk's life is not grounded in God, he is tempted to put himself in the place of God. [] Review Benedictine Spirituality (Part 1 of 3) [], [] Review Core Values: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 1 of 3) [], [] Learn more about core Benedictine values. Simplicity of life and a sense of stewardship are also characteristics of Benedictine spirituality. Its principal source is the Word of God and its model is Christ. All monks are by definition "solitaries," for this is the original meaning of their name, which comes from the Greek word monachos, derived from monos, to which corresponds the Latin solus (alone). 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 . Encyclopedia.com. This grows our ability to rest in stability. Teaching Artist. Benedictine Spirituality It may seem odd that some of the best guidelines for achieving balance in our world today, where stress has become the norm, come from a sixth-century Italian monk who at one point chose to live by himself in a cave. 0 At the heart of his contemplative tradition are values which are directly opposed to blindness, materialism, and greed. Therefore in Benedictine spirituality, mutual obedience is a habit to be shown by all to one another. They regard Saint Benedict as their founder and guide even though he did not establish a Benedictine Order as such. It is rather the fact that monastic existence is a form of religious life having not secondary or ministerial purpose. He writes: "The will develops its own gifts, seeking to perfect them in the order of nature and of grace so as to bring the faithful soul to spiritual maturity. The monk's listening is to be modeled after the prayer of Jesus who spent long hours listening and attentive in the presence of his heavenly Father. What are Benedictine Practices? Recommended titles: Michael Casey, A Guide to Living in the Truth, 2001; Anselm Grn, Benedict of Nursia: His Message for Today, 2006. ), 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 no way am I qualified to be a teacher of the Benedictine way of life. The Rule of St. Benedict has often been referred to as a compendium of the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ. backgrounds including non-Catholic ones find deep spirituality in the Divine Office and the other Benedictine practices in the Rule such as the emphasis on work and lectio divina (slow prayerful reading), is difficult to state briefly. How do we respect all things as vessels of the altar (RB 31:10). 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. As. Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia lived from ca. The resulting collection of ten core values - love, prayer, stability, conversatio, obedience, discipline . Co-Director of the Spirituality Center. Cultural Producer. If you fill out this form, Ill respond from my personal email. 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. 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. 480 to 547 CE in Italy. 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. [CDATA[ Benedicts wisdom and commentary has provided the foundation for Benedictine communities throughout the centuries, and continues to influence many of us in the community of St. Pauls. If there is anything that everyone of us in the whole world needs more of right now, its peace. Impact. This discussion shows that its impossible to isolate any Benedictine practice as independent of the others. But it also requires that he let go of false expectations concerning others. 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). How have we been equipped by God to do so? 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. Augustinian Spirituality does not take us out of the world (into the . (320) 363-7112. BARTH, KARL (18861968), Swiss Reformed theologian, described by Pope Pius XII as the greatest theologian since Thomas Aquina, A term used to cover a literally bewildering variety of states of mind. Out of these . Gymnasts do routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. This practice is not particular to Benedictines, however. 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. For the readers convenience, I will include only six of them here along with a simple explanation. Personal or private prayer is traditionally exercised under the form of meditative reading of Holy Scripture and of authors who explain and reflect on it, according to the three phases designated by the words "reading" (lectio ), meditation (meditatio ), and "prayer" (oratio or contemplatio ). However, it may involve the following characteristics: Antiquity of 3,000 and 1,500 years. 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. 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. For most Oblates. Stability He wrote a Rule for his monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy and he foresaw . Prayer is essential to a Benedictine lifestyle. How are we being invited to swing back toward Christ-centeredness? Nazirites (Numbers 6:1-21): Nazirites were of two types: those who were dedicated from birth to be a Nazirite (e.g. Encyclopedia.com. People are seen as an integrated whole: Body, Mind, and Spirit. Hence the monk must be poor psychologically because he realizes his dependence on others. 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 whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." Stewardship of resources, as a Benedictine practice, flows out of the commitment to stability, explain the monks and oblates of Saint Meinrad Archabbley, in this post on Environmental Stewardship on the blog Echoes from the Bell Tower. The first word of the Rule of Benedict is Listen. The Benedictine practice of listening is the heart of Benedictine spirituality, for not only are we instructed to listen constantly to one another in community, to leaders, to guests, to the sick, to our inner selves, and most of all, to God, we must also attend to [what we hear] with the ear of the heart. As Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon writes, Listening with the ear of the heart can be a scary experience because it can call me to radical change, to a transformation of my limited human perspective. Humility requires the monk to accept the gifts of others, their wisdom, their experience, and their counsel. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. 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. You will likely recognize the timeless quality of the values which has caused them to endure for centuries and continue speaking to the many layers of our human experience (personal, familial, communal and societal). Benedictine monks and nuns made a commitment to living in a specific location, within a specific community, as the context for their spiritual growth and development. Strong communities embrace stability and are open to necessary change. 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. Just because these spiritualities are different does not mean they are contradictory. But if they are rich communally, they must be rich for the many people who are poor not only materially but also intellectually, culturally, spiritually, and humanly. Successful organizational leaders practice self-mastery and teamwork. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Poet/Writer. a. de vog, The Rule of Saint Benedict: A Doctrinal and Spiritual Commentary (Kalamazoo 1983). The years 1987 and 1990 saw the publication of two unprecedented and immediately popular reference works, The New Dictionary of Theology and The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship.The present work, The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality, edited by Michael Downey, is intended as a companion to these, with a parallel aim and purpose.The NDCS is a collaborative attempt to take stock of . Just as all these people practice to become more proficient, spiritual seekers practice in order to become better at living a spiritual life. If he persists in this state, atheism truly becomes a way of life. He is called to live in the rhythm of alternating between receiving and giving, accepting the gifts of God and others, while sharing generously jut as others share generously with him. In his blog Benedictine Monks, Fr. Saint Gregory has written that Saint Benedict, in entering his solitude, had no other desire than "to please God alone", "soli Deo placere desiderans." These simple words, better than any others, explain the monastic vocation. 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. 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. Before writing his Rule, Benedict lived for years as a hermit. It encourages a life balance between corporate worship, spiritual reading and work in the context of community. //

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