Gymnasts practice routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. In other words, to be a good Franciscan means to be a good Christian. Benedictine monastics make a three-fold commitment to stability, conversion (conversatio), and obedience. How have we been equipped by God to do so? 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. It is not one of the distinguishing characteristics of early monastic life. From the middle of the 20th century there appeared in Europe, America, Africa, and elsewhere monastic foundations that, drawing their inspiration from ancient sources, tended to return to forms of monastic life that are simpler and more contemplative. 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 . 0000002422 00000 n The ascetic and contemplative orientation of the monastic life was accompanied historically by such cultural activities and manifestations as were compatible with a separation from the secular world, conversion, and a life of personal prayer. (February 22, 2023). 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. Stop the madness; listen to the God who loves you. [], [] Learn more about Benedictine spirituality. 0000001968 00000 n 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. 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. Like counselling, therapy and coaching, spiritual direction rests on careful listening to the 'client'. The abbot, elected for life by his monks, maintains supreme power and in all normal circumstances is accountable to no one. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. Lets make ours a truly humana listening and reverentconnection. FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY Franciscan spirituality motivates a way of following Christ that is based on the gospels. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. BARTH, KARL 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. In this article, I have merely collected and summarized what other, more experienced Benedictines have taught and published. 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). 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. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 0000000820 00000 n Saint Clare of Assisi (16 July 1194 - 11 August 1253, born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara, Clair, Claire, Sinclair, etc.) In a very special way God speaks through the Scriptures, through the liturgy of the hours (opus Dei ), and through personal prayer. 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. 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. Chris Sullivan nexplains in her blog post Work and Prayer in the Style of St. Benedict for Loyala Press. It is humility that takes the monk beyond the myth of his own grandeur to the grandeur of God. 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. 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. New Catholic Encyclopedia. Her muscular Christianity is grounded in the spiritual practices of the Rule of Saint Benedict, such as silence, hospitality, humility, and peace. (61.6). Obedience is an act of letting go of the egoistic will. Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. St. Benedict lived in the 6 th century. Commit to daily, weekly or monthly prayer disciplines. 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. In 1887 Pope Leo XIII, who was enamored of the Benedictines, reestablished the College of Saint Anselm in Rome. // 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 0000001554 00000 n Hence the monk must be poor psychologically because he realizes his dependence on others. 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. For most Oblates. The Benedictines, strictly speaking, do not constitute a single religious . Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. The diffusion of the Rule of Benedict in the West was slow. The second characteristic of the monastic vocation is that it demands a life of which a privileged part is given to prayer. This is the key to Benedict's whole spiritual teaching. She reminds that in the Rule of Benedict, in the economy of monastic life, prayer is work and work is prayer. While [t]ime set aside for prayer can be a great blessing, we can turn all of our daily tasks into prayer when we bring to them the awareness of ourselves in relationship with our ever-present God. There are three primary commitments in the Benedictine way that form the spiritual backbone for the rest of the spiritual practicesobedience, stability, and conversion. Thus prayer and community, to borrow again from Stewart, are at the heart of the Benedictine school of spirituality. 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. 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. It is such a personal thing that it can be considered part of one's identity. This manuscript is a copy of St. Benedicts rule. Father Mandonnet then lists three characteristics that are concerned more especially with the will. What helps us practice setting down our agendas in order to be more fully present? Poet/Writer. Humility is also a dominant theme in Benedictine spirituality; in fact it is closely related to contemplation. In other words, the core of Franciscan spirituality is the universal call to holiness that all women and men receive at baptism. Music students do their instruments. Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy in 480 and died in 543. The whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." 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. Because I couldnt find relevant, simple answers online to the questions, What is Benedictine Spirituality? and What are Benedictine practices? I decided to publish this summary of 23 habits Benedictines seek, through lifelong practice, to cultivate into a lifestyle. We are moved to profound respect for the ways the Creator puts resources at our disposal to further the kingdom of God. Paradoxically, the key to a full life, is to understand that all things are to be done with moderation. (Rule of St. Benedict 48:9). 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. Practice is how people develop the skills to get adept at anything. %PDF-1.4 % Bndictine D.O.M. Characteristics of Benedictine Spirituality. Having the mind of a beginner, being receptive to starting anew, starting fresh, starting overthis, too, is a Benedictine practice. This grows our ability to rest in stability. When a monk is aware of his own littleness, he is not driven to satisfy his own ego more than his true needs. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Anglican spirituality is an ecclesial spirituality because Christian spirituality is all about life in Christ, which necessarily means life in His Body. While there are times allotted for prayer and for work, ultimately there is to be no division between the two. Of all creatures, the human person is in fact the neediest. Since Benedict was a monk, the spirituality which is based on his rule, is fundamentally monastic. . In an article for HuffPost Sister Joan tells us that a Benedictine lifestyle is an an oasis of human peace in a striving, searing, simmering world. This lifestyle disallows war and violence on any level, including the root causes of violenceambition, greed, waste of resources, class distinctions, and the hubris that leads to the oppression of others, that justifies force as the sign of our superiority. This lifestyle makes ample room for what it valuescommunity, prayer, stewardship, equality, stability, conversion, peace all [which] make for communities of love. Without humility, Sr. Joan explains, there can be no peace. ." 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. St. Benedicts chapter on humility is one of the longest in the Rule. 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 . Interviewed by Krista Tippett for her podcast On Being, Brother David talks about gratitude as the true wellspring of joy. Benedictines have taught and published means to be a good Christian talks about gratitude as true. Her blog post work and work is prayer in 1887 Pope Leo XIII, who enamored... Distinguishing characteristics of early monastic life strokes, and community, to borrow again from,. 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