Practice is how people develop the skills to become adept at anything. startxref Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality. "Benedictine Spirituality Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. 3 Views. Be willing to wait. 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. FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY Franciscan spirituality motivates a way of following Christ that is based on the gospels. In no way am I qualified to be a teacher of the Benedictine way of life. 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. Music students practice their instruments. 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. published by Liturgical Press, by clicking here. 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! %PDF-1.4 % 0000001554 00000 n He neither innovated nor broke with tradition. In a podcast at DiscerningHearts.com from the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory, Fr. 0000002192 00000 n Francis consulted her, especially when he was discerning between becoming a hermit and being an itinerant preacher. Adrian Burke, OSB writes, Benedict insists in his Rule that we must balance our lives with prayerand work, with readingand recreation, with restand activity. Benedictines attempt to incorporate all of these important aspects into every day. Benedictine detachment does not imply a disparagement of good things, nor a fear of their power, but rather a just appreciation of all things as gifts of God. When a monk is aware of his own littleness, he is not driven to satisfy his own ego more than his true needs. 21 0 obj <>stream Fr. The School of Benedictine Spirituality is willing to help people enhance their spirituality, which is claimed to be a search for the sacred that is seen as "a blend of humanistic psychology with mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions aimed at personal well-being and personal development" ( Benedictine spirituality, 2013, par . The whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." Read the full essay to learn more about how humility helps us grow in the love of God and deepens our bonds with each other. New Catholic Encyclopedia. (February 22, 2023). defines the leader of a Benedictine community is not being head of an institution but being in relationship with all the members. Therefore in Benedictine spirituality, mutual obedience is a habit to be shown by all to one another. It embraces a diversity of vocations: lay and clerical, contemplative and active, academic and pastoral, married and celibate. The Ten Hallmarks of Benedictine Education. Just as all these people practice to become more proficient, spiritual seekers practice in order to become better at living a spiritual life. New Catholic Encyclopedia. While there are times allotted for prayer and for work, ultimately there is to be no division between the two. Being in right relationship is wholly other than being in the right relationship. It isnt about finding the right person for me; its about being the right person to others in the way I show respect to them, in the way I accept their humanityeven their weaknesses and irritating personality traits. 0000004832 00000 n Fr. Monastic Spirituality. But the monk's development, like that of all human beings, requires both material resources and the help of other people. j. chittister, The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (New York 1992). Listen to your body, to the negative and irritating things like our fatigues and headaches and muscle aches, revealing to us the lack of balance and health in our lives.. thats most of the time. My work with the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (MID) has . Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Benedictine, member of the Order of Saint Benedict (O.S.B. Digital nun, writing for ibenedictines.org tells us,The practice of mindfulness, which for a Christian must always be the practice of mindfulness of the presence of God, is not something we learn in a few hours or even a few years. As for details, Benedict left much to the discernment and initiative of the superior. We are women and men for and with others, hearing both the cry of the . Benedictines read a portion of the Rule of Benedict every day. 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. How have we been equipped by God to do so? (320) 363-7112. Some of the key characteristics of Benedictine spirituality include: Liturgy of the Hours; Lectio Divina (prayerful reading of Scripture) Eucharist; Benedictine Spirituality includes the willingness to: Seek God; Use the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict as a guide; Listen to one another . is an herbal liqueur produced in France. As. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. 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. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. 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 . The church and her sacramental system are essential to the Christian life of grace. Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. But Benedict also reminds the monk that there is a wicked zeal which leads to death. The event will bring together sisters, monks, oblates, and Benedictine staff, as well as nonreligiously affiliated Millennials interested in contemplative . There is a temptation to complicate it, to . The abbot, elected for life by his monks, maintains supreme power and in all normal circumstances is accountable to no one. Bibliography: Marked for Life: Prayer in the Easter Christ (London 1979). 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 . Simplicity of life and a sense of stewardship are also characteristics of Benedictine spirituality. Benedictine simplicity of life is understood properly with the reality of Christ and his mission in mind. Benedictine spirituality offers an important voice in our world today, a voice which informs our praying, living and discerning. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality, "Benedictine Spirituality Although well into the middle years of an average life span, I am a rank beginner, a mere toddler in Benedictine practice. 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. 540-604 CE), who praised Benedict for his discretion and moderation. It is the balanced spirituality that one finds in the Rule of Benedict that has made it attractive to many men and women throughout the ages. To be empowered by anything less than the God of love is to risk evil zeal in the name of vengeance. Here are some of the characteristics of Benedictine spirituality: 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. Learn more at www.samuelrahberg.com. 480 to 547 CE in Italy. No one thingprayer, work, rest, studywas to be done in the extreme. Encyclopedia.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. "Let everyone that comes be received as Christ" is one of the most familiar and oft-quoted phrases of the Rule. Instead, holiness of life was to be found through the right balance of these elements in life. They are listeners and patient, willing to wait and see. Father Mandonnet then lists three characteristics that are concerned more especially with the will. Continue to Prayer and Community: Benedictine Spirituality (Part 2). Among the many available lists of core Benedictine values, I find that of Saint Johns Abbey to be one of the most helpful. 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). You can order a free copy of Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press, by clicking here. Just because these spiritualities are different does not mean they are contradictory. 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). 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. It is not one of the distinguishing characteristics of early monastic life. Silence in Benedictine practice is knit together with listening and with prayer. What practise spiritual practices do? xref It is my experience that the simplicity of this message oftentimes seems just too difficult to accept. We prefer concepts like freedom and independence. BARTH, KARL 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. The Benedictines, strictly speaking, do not constitute a single religious . New Catholic Encyclopedia. We are moved to profound respect for the ways the Creator puts resources at our disposal to further the kingdom of God. [CDATA[ Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Recommended titles: Michael Casey, A Guide to Living in the Truth, 2001; Anselm Grn, Benedict of Nursia: His Message for Today, 2006. Of all creatures, the human person is in fact the neediest. 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. The monk's own attitude toward his life then is one of stewardship. Strong communities embrace stability and are open to necessary change. 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. Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality for everyday life. 0000002422 00000 n . praying the Divine Office) as well as regular silent . 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