6 characteristics of benedictine spirituality

Demonstrate good will, humility, trust, accountability, justice, faithfulness, obedience, peace, and discipleship. Benedictine spirituality is a way of life that helps a person to seek God and his will daily. Balance is less about achieving perfect equilibrium than it is a pendulum which continuously swings back toward a central point. 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). The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. 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). 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. MS. Hatton 48 fol. The whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." Encyclopedia.com. 0000001056 00000 n Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Mindfulness is a trending word these days yogis, psychologists, educators, physicians, and practically everyone else is talking about the importance of quieting our busy minds in order to become more aware of the present moment. St. Benedicts chapter on humility is one of the longest in the Rule. In the 7th and 8th centuries it was often combined with other rules, especially that of St. Columban (d. 615). The Rule of St. Benedict structures this for the monk. The Cistercian Order reinforced the eremetical character of the cenobitical life itself. Humility enables the monk to stand in awe before the world and to receive the gifts of God and others. The devotio moderna is an example. Music students practice their instruments. 3 Views. The root of the word obedience means "to hear" and is about making a commitment to listen for God's voice in the world and respond when you hear the call. Prayer is the foundation to the monastic life and calling, and can be a constant part of the life of non-monastics as well. Much research has been devoted to this topic, ranging from practical to academic. It evokes the name of St. Benedict, who lived in the 6th century, together with all those who have been inspired by the Rule of Benedict and associate themselves with the Benedictine spiritual tradition. %%EOF It emphasizes the preeminent position which hospitality occupies in every Benedictine monastery. Benedictine spirituality is rooted in the cultivation of good habits. 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. 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. Awareness of God In Benedictine practice we acknowledge the primacy of God and look for God in the ordinary events of each day. 0000002192 00000 n The Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th century AD, still holds great relevance for our lives today. 21 0 obj <>stream It is a pathway to deeper prayer, good decisions guided by keen discernment, and an active life of service to others. We each hunger to make a meaningful contribution to our world. Lets make ours a truly humana listening and reverentconnection. There is a temptation to complicate it, to . In a very special way God speaks through the Scriptures, through the liturgy of the hours (opus Dei ), and through personal prayer. He was born on March 2, 480 AD, in Norcia, Italy. Using philosophical and theological lens, this paper attempts to 1) present the Benedictine Leadership vis--vis Care ethics 2) proffer that charity or care is the driving force of a transformational leader and, 3) purport that a caring leader, directly or . It is only in a secondary sense that Benedict himself, speaking through the rule, and the abbot of the community are masters. [CDATA[ 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). Spirituality offers a worldview that suggests there is more to life than just what people . 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. The Benedictine practice of mindfulness, like all the Benedictine practices, is lifelong. Instead, holiness of life was to be found through the right balance of these elements in life. Benedictines are called to strive for silence and have a love for silence. k. vermeiren, Praying with Benedict: Prayer in the Rule of St. Benedict (Kalamazoo 1999). 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. What does it mean for us to learn contentment with living simply? Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 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. Obedience is an act of letting go of the egoistic will. Ive drawn this list of 22 (+ 1 = 23) Benedictine practices (arranged alphabetically) from, Being in right relationship is wholly other than being in, Brother David Steindl-Rast of the Gut Aich Priory monastery in St. Gilgen, Austria, is the founder and senior advisor for. 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. At the heart of his contemplative tradition are values which are directly opposed to blindness, materialism, and greed. But what does the Bible teach on this issue? It is a matter of self-respect and purpose which we see clearly in the changing nature of retirement. This manuscript is a copy of St. Benedicts rule. That kind of movement toward moderation is especially important as we live the open and complex questions. We prefer concepts like freedom and independence. 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. What gives the Rule of Benedict its exceptional quality has commonly been called its "discretion," in the double sense of the word: discernment and moderation. Do you yearn for a good life, and do you desire to see good days? If you fill out this form, Ill respond from my personal email. The Rule revolves around five practices: Prayer, Work, Study, Hospitality and Renewal. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 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. Even the Cistercians, who in the 12th century had intended to return to a faithful observance of the rule itself, added numerous statutes. 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. 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. A crucial confessor and teacher for Ignatius very early in his spiritual journey was a French monk, Fr. SUGGESTED BOX ON PRAYER The psalms eloquently express how we feel and how we think about life and time and God. Their prayer discipline is based on the rhythms of the universe. Benedictine reverence for all creation applies to nature and all creatures, to the objects we use and make, and to all peoplepilgrims, the broken and downtrodden, to every single human, including ourselves. In no way am I qualified to be a teacher of the Benedictine way of life. Listen here: Among the many available lists of core Benedictine values, I find that of Saint Johns Abbey to be one of the most helpful. 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. 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. Benedictine spirituality offers an important voice in our world today, a voice which informs our praying, living and discerning. Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia lived from ca. Benedictine spirituality is a way of life that helps a person to seek God and his will daily. Benedict reminds us of our priorities: prayer, contemplation, balance and the importance of everything we do. Benedictine spirituality helps us to: Focus our eyes on God and His Word Be a people of humility Live and pray in community, rather than being too individualistic Maintain prayerful discipline in our lives 1. Closely related to both listening and humility is the virtue of obedience. However, the date of retrieval is often important. New Catholic Encyclopedia. He wrote a Rule for his monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy and he foresaw . Benedictine, member of the Order of Saint Benedict (O.S.B. Columba Stewart OSB, the 73 brief chapters of the RB make up four major sections. The Nazirite's spiritual disciplines included not drinking wine or eating grapes, not cutting . Furthermore, he avoids anything that would be excessive or beyond the capacity of the average monk. Augustinian Spirituality does not take us out of the world (into the . 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. Sister Joan Chittister is an extraordinarily prolific writer and among the most famous living Benedictines. He does not harbor illusions of grandeur but senses that all of his life is simply gift. The wisdom of Native Americans has often been quoted as a way of thinking about the long term implications of our present actions: What is the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation? We are called to consider ourselves part of Gods larger and longer story, living a legacy which was a gift to us and inspiring others who will follow. 6 Characteristics Of Benedictine Spirituality . 0000002499 00000 n But the monk's development, like that of all human beings, requires both material resources and the help of other people. 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 is one among many schools that speak to contemporary hearts, yet it is particularly unique in its lasting impact on Western Christianity. 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. Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. Benedictine spirituality took shape long before the split between Eastern and Western branches of the church in the 11 th century and the further divisions that resulted from the Reformation in the 16 th century. In The Rule of Benedict for Beginners, Wil Derkse reveals how elements from Benedictine spirituality and the Benedictine lifestyle may be . 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. In Benedict's rule, humility is not the same as humiliations, for humiliations degrade the person. 0000001968 00000 n He realizes that attachment to oneself and one's talents or goods brings anxiety, a bondage that ties the human spirit down to the earth and allows no enlargement of either one's horizons or one's heart. It is a lifetimes work, and it is not to be rushed or short-circuited in any way. Click here to read hints on how to enjoy this lifelong practice. Emerging out of the high middles ages, it emphasizes the humanity of Jesus Christ as the mystery of God's presence in human flesh. 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. Not only does the Benedictine lifestyle fit well within the walls of the monastery, its interpretation of life is also suitable to other forms of society. Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy in 480 and died in 543. The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (Latin: Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedict.They are also sometimes called the Black Monks, in reference to the colour of their religious habits.They were founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century monk who laid the foundations of . It is a spirituality that transcends ecclesiastical divides because it is rooted in religious sources that antedate the sometimes . 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. e. de waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict (Collegeville 1984). 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. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. They are listeners and patient, willing to wait and see. 1. 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). The Ten Hallmarks of Benedictine Education. Its recipe comes from a 16th-century monk and includes a secret blend of 27 herbs and spices in a neutral spirit that's sweetened with honey. ." Benedictine Center is affiliated and operated in partnership with St. Pauls Monastery. Which value speaks to your heart most strongly at this time and why? Gymnasts practice routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. to the Rule is a good way to summarize the goal of Benedictine spirituality and prayer. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality. Humility demands that the monk take God seriously, that he take others seriously, but that he never take himself too seriously. This practice is not particular to Benedictines, however. The rhythm of life leads one to times of being alone and times of being in community. "Benedictine Spirituality Commit to daily, weekly or monthly prayer disciplines. The resulting collection of ten core values - love, prayer, stability, conversatio, obedience, discipline . Thus when St. Benedict appeared, monasticism was already solidly implanted in Egypt, Syria, Palestinethe whole East and in Ireland, Gaul, Italy, Spain, and Africa in the West. 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. Be willing to wait. RB 73, the final chapter, is more or less a bibliography for all that precedes it. 6v-7r of the Bodleian library in Oxford. I hope this list (compiled in September, 2018) is helpful, perhaps even inspiring. 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. Hospitality People are seen as an integrated whole: Body, Mind, and Spirit. j. chittister, The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (New York 1992). window.__mirage2 = {petok:"Mjbegi0csMdpEDVeqSUEXsusxBikAj9UyKZw_VuRiag-86400-0"}; Many Oblates rely on. The first and fundamental manifestation of such a vocation is a real separation from many aspects of the secular world. Of everything we do this form, Ill respond from my personal email augustinian spirituality does not illusions... Suggests there is more or less a bibliography for all creation part the... Teacher of the cenobitical life itself does the Bible teach on this issue, is more or less bibliography! 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