This article was written by a current Junior of Christ in the Desert.
Why I am Benedictine:
I was talking with a friend of mine on MSN Messenger a couple years ago now. we were talking in general terms about vocations to religious life. I had mentioned to her that Benedictine spirituality and life fits me like a glove. She asked me how that was. I said that that was a bigger question that could be answered in an IM. Which it is!
The best way to answer why I am a Benedictine would be to go through selected soundbytes from the Rule and show how I have applied them to my life. I will start with the Prologue.
The opening word of the Prologue is "Obsculta", which is translated "Listen carefully". Listening has always been a strong point of mine.
I used to be a tutor while I was at the University of Saskatchewan. One of my students had initially come to me almost in tears. She simply couldn't settle herself down to write the essay. A previous professor, a lady in the History department, had utterly destroyed her self-confidence. She had attacked her for her writing abilities, her ideas and even for the way she did her hair. hairstyles aren't relevant to scholarly abilities, but when you have academic tenure you have the ironclad job security. She did have good ideas, but she just could not put them down on paper. I listened to her. I clarified her ideas. She listened to me.
Two years later, she was one of the top students in the Department of Education that year. She just needed a little polish. This is what happens when you listen carefully to people. They respond. They do well. They learn. And you learn too.
Yet listening is so rare. Let me contrast that with another experience I had. There was once when I was upset about something. I have no idea what it was. An aquaintance asked me what the problem was. so I told him. He waited until I was finished talking and said "now, what's the real reason?" I was dumbfounded. Eventually I said "I just told you the real reason." He said, with supreme confidence, "people don't tell you the real reason the first time you ask, so what is the real reason. I want to deal with the real reason." I just walked away in frustration.
I was in the Tech Support field for more years than I have any intention of admitting to. I've been doing amateur counselling and spiritual direction for several more years. Yes they do tell you the real reason the first time you ask. They may not be able to articulate it very well, but, they will tell you the problem the first time. The catch is, however, that you have to LISTEN to them, not just wait for them to stop talking and then continue on with your own preconceived notions!
So what is one reason I am Benedictine and that benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove? Because it holds me to a standard that I already hold dear: listening. Listening to people as if they are the most important person in the world to you at that moment. Listening to people as if they were Christ himself. Listening to people the way you would like to be listened to.
Part 2:
An Abbot who is worthy to be over a monastery
should always remember what he is called,
and live up to the name of Superior.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 2
All Christians are called to walk a life that is worthy of their calling, in other words, to practice what they preach. St. Benedict makes this explicit, especially for those in leadership positions. But, Benny makes clear that all monks are called to walk their talk (to use a modern phrasing of it). It is all the more important for the Abbot to follow this as he holds the place of Christ for the community.
I will never be Abbot. I am, however, a Benedictine Postulant. I have also provided some spiritual guidance, or at least spiritual clarification. That, in a way, is a form of leadership. So I am called to more actively follow what I teach.
I have always thought that actions speak louder than words. I try to back up what I say with what I do. This is exactly what the Rule calls me to do, just as the Bible itself calls me to do. this, then, is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove. Like listening, it is calling me to a higher perfection in an area I already hold dear.
Part 3:
Let the Abbot always bear in mind
that at the dread Judgment of God
there will be an examination of these two matters:
his teaching and the obedience of his disciples.
And let the Abbot be sure
that any lack of profit
the master of the house may find in the sheep
will be laid to the blame of the shepherd.
On the other hand,
if the shepherd has bestowed all his pastoral diligence
on a restless, unruly flock
and tried every remedy for their unhealthy behavior,
then he will be acquitted at the Lord's Judgment
and may say to the Lord with the Prophet:
"I have not concealed Your justice within my heart;
Your truth and Your salvation I have declared" (Ps. 39:11).
"But they have despised and rejected me" (Is. 1:2; Ezech. 20:27).
And then finally let death itself, irresistible,
punish those disobedient sheep under his charge.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 2
This is the "downside" to providing spiritual direction, as I wish to do. If they mess things up as a result of my guidance, I get to take responsibility. Unless, of course, I tried everything I could and they mess up anyway. Now, mind you, as a friend-and-guide, I have much less influence over my "nieces and nephews" than an abbot would have. Still, this is something I took seriously when I was a "starets", or spiritual Advisor. This excerpt calls me to that seriousness.
Part 4:
However, just as it is proper
for the disciples to obey their master,
so also it is his function
to dispose all things with prudence and justice.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 3
This is just one excerpt from this chapter. I could easily quote the whole chapter. This particular chapter deals with decisionmaking within the abbey. If it is a serious matter, then the abbot is to call the whole community together and seek the input of all members. Each member is encouraged to make their input humbly and simply, without making a fuss about it. If the decision is only of minor importance, then the Abbot need only call upon his senior advisors. The abbot is expected to listen to the advice of all members. From his experience, he finds that the younger members often have the best ideas. nevertheless, once the Abbot makes his decision, the Abbot makes his decision.
But there is a balance here. The Abbot submits the problem to the community, and the community submits its ideas. The Abbot is expected to receive these suggestions with humility. After all, the voice of the newest member might just be the one with God's solution. The Abbot then considers the suggestions and makes his decision. The community is then bound by that decision.
The principle here is mutual submission. It's not a question of power or who makes the final decision. Yes, the Abbot is the one who makes the final decision, but, if thats what you look at then you miss one of the most important aspects of Benedictine life: its mutuality. This is only one aspect of that mutuality, but, that mutuality is one of the things that attracts me to the benedictine way.
So far, I have had no problems with submitting my ideas to Abbot Philip when he comes to me with a problem, and living with the decision. Then again, it was a problem with the Holy Website and he gave me the green light to do what I needed to do to fix the problem. Not exactly a fair test! What will happen if I think the decision is a very bad one? Will I submit to his judgement without complaint? I would like to think so. But, that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, that can be where spiritual growth can occur. Nevertheless also, that is the expectation of the Rule. That is a requirement I am prepared to accept.
Part 5:
In all things, therefore, let all follow the Rule as guide, and let no one be so rash as to deviate from it.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 3.
If you aren't going to follow the Rule as your guide, then what's the point of being Benedictine? This is especially true in a monastic context. If the monks all follow their own heart's fancy then they are really a bunch of batchelors living in an apartment building and calling it a monastery. They aren't monks.
That too then is another reason why I am Benedictine. It holds me to standards I embrace willingly.
Part 6:
These, then, are the tools of the spiritual craft.
If we employ them unceasingly day and night,
and return them on the Day of Judgment,
our compensation from the Lord
will be that wage He has promised:
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 4.
What he calls the "tools of the spiritual craft" are 72 "Instruments of Good Works". It is a solidly biblical list of good works. All 72 of these works are to be exercised all the time. It is a tall order, and one that can only even begin to be fulfilled through the grace of God. And that's the point.
I like to think of redemption as a process of infusion. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we are required to actually be clean, not just declared to be clean. It is a day-by-day process, and sometimes its "one step forward, two steps back".
It's not a matter of my trying to "earn my salvation". These tools come from God in the first place, and I am expected to return them all. No credit to myself there. The ability to use even one of these "instruments", let alone all 72, comes from the grace of God as well.
I am a long way from perfect; a long way from sainthood. But, that is my calling. That is the calling of all christians, Benedictine or not. The Instruments of Good Works does, however, give me a biblical set of practices that can aid that process of redemptive infusion.
Part 7
The first degree of humility is obedience without delay.
This is the virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who, because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell, and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any delay in executing it.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 5
This points to motivation. The point to following the Rule is the love of God; it is for seeking God. This should be the primary motivation for all of life, if you are Christian, let alone a Catholic Christian pursuing a religious vocation. I would like to think that it would be intuitively obvious. Trust me; it isnt.
Part 8
Having climbed all these steps of humility, therefore,
the monk will presently come to that perfect love of God
which casts out fear. And all those precepts which formerly he had not observed without fear, he will now begin to keep by reason of that love, without any effort,
as though naturally and by habit.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 7.
The 7th Chapter of the Rule is the 12-step Ladder of Humility: to keep the fear of God before your eyes at all times, to not love your own will and own desires, to submit to one's superior, to practice patience, to not hide your failings from your superior, contentment, to be teachable, to stay within the Rule (and the rules of the monastery), silence or at least discretion, to not be a bubblehead, to speak and be gentle, and to be so infused with humility that it is obvious to all without being showy. This excerpt shows us why this ladder is to be climbed: to have a perfect love of God. By climbing that ladder, then that perfect love of God will make humility natural and not forced.
Sure its a high standard. But it is also a practical guide to achieving that standard. Once again, I have to stress my awareness that it is not by my will that this will be accomplished, if it indeed is accomplished before my death. It is only by the grace of God. So the Benedictine way of life helps me to remember to rely on that grace.
Part 9
When we wish to suggest our wants to persons of high station, we do not presume to do so except with humility and reverence. How much the more, then, are complete humility and pure devotion necessary in supplication of the Lord who is God of the universe! And let us be assured that it is not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard (Matt 6:7), but in purity of heart and in tears of compunction. Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of divine grace.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 20
Prayer can be more than just "gimme gimmie gimmie". But we do have legitimate needs. There is no doubt that we can present them to God even though God already knows what they are. The question then becomes how to present them to God.
one thing I don't remember fondly about my fundamentalist days is the unspoken assumption that the degree of your devotion and holiness was determined by how loudly you sing and pray in public worship. And if you "speak in tongues", no-one can question your salvation.
I've always thought that missed the point somehow. True, God isn't nervous but He isn't deaf either. And, as St. Benedict points out, you wouldnt get very far if you screamed your requests at an MP or Senator. Why should God get less respect?
One of the ways we can show that respect is through repentance and purity of heart, according to St. Benedict. Decibel level doesn't enter into it! I had similar ideas as a "tweenage" fundamentalist. So this is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove. I have been practicing this particular aspect of it for years!
Part 10
As cellarer of the monastery let there be chosen from the community one who is wise, of mature character, sober,
not a great eater, not haughty, not excitable, not offensive, not slow, not wasteful, but a God-fearing man
who may be like a father to the whole community.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 31
A Cellarer is the Business Manager of a monastery. Look, however, at the qualifications that St. Benedict lays down for being a cellarer. He expects the Cellarer to be wise, mature, moderate, humble, and equinanimous. I have almost as slim a chance of being cellarer as I have of being abbot. Nevertheless, why should the standards St. Benedict sets for the Cellarer's character not apply also to anyone else? These are the standards I try to live up to. Well, some of them anyway. Yes, they are high. No, I don't always live up to them. But I certainly want to. So that is another reason I am Benedictine: the standards it sets for me.
Part 11
Above all things let him have humility; and if he has nothing else to give let him give a good word in answer
for it is written, "A good word is above the best gift" (Eccles. 18:17).
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 31
Humility is something I struggle with. I have a hard time telling it apart from low self esteem. I have struggled with low self-esteem for years.
Eventually I realised that humility is grounded in self-honesty. Humility realises that its good qualities are the result of God's grace whereas its failures and bad qualities are entirely its own. Low self-esteem, like high self-esteem, is grounded in self-deception. It views itself as something special: either too inferior or too superior to be a normal human. It is a hard reality to realise, and one I am still grappling with.
the Rule calls me to be humble. It has a long and eloquent chapter on humility. I am beginning to wonder if the greatest gift other than salvation itself isn't power or the "gifts of the spirit", or "signs and wonders" at all: it's humility. This is a hard concept for me to grasp, yet it is a concept I am called not only to grasp but to follow. Since the Benedictine way of life is the path I have chosen, understanding and implementing humility is a challenge I choose to grapple with.
Part 12
Let him take the greatest care of the sick, of children, of guests and of the poor, knowing without doubt
that he will have to render an account for all these
on the Day of Judgment. Let him regard all the utensils of the monastery and its whole property as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. Let him not think that he may neglect anything. He should be neither a miser nor a prodigal and squanderer of the monastery's substance, but should do all things with measure and in accordance with the Abbot's instructions.
Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 31
This is another excerpt from the chapter on the role of the Cellarer, or business manager / facilities manager. It talks about how the physical plant and all the property belonging to the monastery is to be treated. It is to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Every item is to be treated equally and shepherded carefully. Even so, moderation and balance is also expected in the use of those possessions under his care.
But the greatest level of concern is to be given to the sick, to children, to guests, and to the poor. People before posessions, and vulnerable people first. This resonates (for lack of a better word) with my own personal standards. I do try to take care of my possessions. Most of the time, I even succeed! I must admit that I am not very good at caring for the sick. I do what I can but I don't always know what to say or do. Same with caring for the poor. I'm ok with kids. I am too much of a softie to be a parent. I treat them respectfully and appropriately, and I don't denigrate them or their contributions or opinions because their age is less than some arbitrary figure. Showing hospitality has always been a "no brainer" for me. I like to prepare meals for people. By staying in the background and fussing over details, I can create a relaxed, hospitable atmosphere.
The Rule calls me to further perfection in all of these areas. Yes, the fact that I already followed so much of it makes it easier. That certainly goes to show how it fits me like a glove, though. So what if I'm not Cellarer and probably never will be? It still fits me like a glove and still calls me to higher perfection.
Part 13
Before all things and above all things, care must be taken of the sick, so that they will be served as if they were Christ in person; for He Himself said, "I was sick, and you visited Me" (Matt 25:36), and, "What you did for one of these least ones, you did for Me" (Matt. 25:40).
But let the sick on their part consider that they are being served for the honor of God, and let them not annoy their brothers who are serving them by their unnecessary demands. Yet they should be patiently borne with, because from such as these is gained a more abundant reward. Therefore the Abbot shall take the greatest care that they suffer no neglect.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 36
Here again we find balance and mutuality. The sick are to be taken care of before and above all things, but that doesn't give them license to make unreasonable demands. Here also is another indication of where we can expect to find Jesus: in the sick. We serve Christ by serving each other. We find Christ in each other. That is part of the Benedictine challenge. It is a hard challenge for me to face, as it also means that I have to find Jesus in the face of my enemies. But, this is the banner under which I choose to fight.
Part 14
If a pilgrim monastic coming from a distant region wants to live as a guest of the monastery, let him be received for as long a time as he desires, provided he is content with the customs of the place as he finds them and does not disturb the monastery by superfluous demands, but is simply content with what he finds. If, however, he censures or points out anything reasonably and with the humility of charity, let the Abbot consider prudently
whether perhaps it was for that very purpose that the Lord sent him. If afterwards he should want to bind himself to stability, his wish should not be denied him, especially since there has been opportunity during his stay as a guest to discover his character. But if as a guest he was found exacting or prone to vice, not only should he be denied membership in the community, but he should even be politely requested to leave, lest others be corrupted by his evil life.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 61
This is part of a series of chapters about hospitality and the reception of guests. It starts by reminding us that a guest is to be received as Jesus would be received. Again, the relevant line of Matthew 25 is cited. Since I am not a guestmaster in a monastery, I like to think of any guests I might have as "wandering monastics".
There are some general principles that St. Benedict has for the reception of guests. First and foremost, they are go be received as one would receive Jesus himself. There is something very "incarnational" about that. We meet and receive Jesus every day. In guests, yes, but also in the poor, in the sick, in each other, and in the Abbot.
Guests are expected to act humbly and respect the customs of the monastery they find themselves in. They can make criticisms as long as they do so humbly. The abbot is expected to mull over these criticisms. After all, that may be the very reason why they were sent there in the first place. If, however, guests and visiting monastics prove to be exacting, prone to vice, or just generally a pain in the ... gluteus maximus, they can be politely asked to leave.
Hospitality is something that is offered, not something that is demanded. St. Benedict's attitude contrasts very sharply with that of a former roommate. He once came up to me with an amused smile and told me how someone else in the building had refused to be "neighborly". I found out later that he asked one of the ladies in the building do his laundry for him and she had said no. If a complete stranger came up to me and asked me to do his laundry for him, I would probably refuse the request as well. The chutzpah of such a request is almost mindboggling!
also, the offering of hospitality is a virtue, not a vice. I once had a few people over for pizza and some softdrinks. When the aforementioned roommate found out about it a couple days later, he decided I couldn't possibly be christian. After all I "had a party". St. Benedict, however, would say the exact opposite. It's safe to say that he would have been just as ... amused by that judgement as I was!
All three of the monasteries I have visited have asked both guests and prospective monks to leave. I also have asked guests to leave. There is nothing necessarily unbenedictine or unchristian about that, as long as the reasons for the expulsion fall into the categories St. Benedict outlines.
Why I am Benedictine, Part 15
Once he has been constituted, let the Abbot always bear in mind what a burden he has undertaken and to whom he will have to give an account of his stewardship, and let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brothers
than to preside over them. he must therefore be learned in the divine law, that he may have a treasure of knowledge
from which to bring forth new things and old. he must be chaste, sober and merciful. Let him exalt mercy above judgment, that he himself may obtain mercy.
he should hate vices; he should love the brotherhood.
In administering correction he should act prudently and not go to excess, lest in seeking too eagerly to scrape off the rust he break the vessel. Let him keep his own frailty ever before his eyes and remember that the bruised reed must not be broken. By this we do not mean that he should allow vices to grow; on the contrary, as we have already said, he should eradicate them prudently and with charity, in the way which may seem best in each case.
Let him study rather to be loved than to be feared.
Let him not be excitable and worried, nor exacting and headstrong, nor jealous and over-suspicious; for then he is never at rest. In his commands let him be prudent and considerate; and whether the work which he enjoins
concerns God or the world, let him be discreet and moderate, bearing in mind the discretion of holy Jacob, who said, "If I cause my flocks to be overdriven,
they will all die in one day." Taking this, then, and other examples of discretion, the mother of virtues,
let him so temper all things that the strong may have something to strive after, and the weak may not fall back in dismay.
And especially let him keep this Rule in all its details,
so that after a good ministry he may hear from the Lord what the good servant heard who gave the fellow-servants wheat in due season: "Indeed, I tell you, he will set that one over all his goods" (Matt. 24:27).
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 64.
I am called to follow the Rule of St. Benedict. That much is certain. But, there is nothing in what St. Benedict says the Abbot's qualities should be that cannot also apply to any christian. we will all have to give an account for our stewardship of our gifts. I cannot think of a single sentence in this chapter that cannot be a suitable set of standards for any christian. So, it fits me like a glove because it can fil all Christians like a glove.
Part 16
That Prior, however, shall perform respectfully the duties enjoined on him by his Abbot and do nothing against the Abbot's will or direction; for the more he is raised above the rest, the more carefully should he observe the precepts of the Rule.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 65
The principle here is that to whom much is given, much will be required. I will never be Abbot or Prior. Nevertheless, I am both Christian and Benedictine. I am not sure if it "raises me above the rest". I am sure that it implies a certain standard of behaviour that is higher than for non benedictine non christians.
Let me illustrate. Because of my freakish physical appearance, I have had to put up with a lot of punks. The most obnoxious punk I ever had to deal with was not the most obnoxious for the amount of stupidity I had to put up with from him but from where that stupidity took place and what kind of person he purported to be.
In my first encounter with him, he made fun of what I looked like and the clothes I was wearing. I ignored him for a while then said "knock it off!" He flexed his muscles at me and said "make me!" In my second encounter with him, he deliberately tripped me. When I asked him why he did that, he just turned his back on me. In my third encounter with him, he came into my dorm room and started grabbing and pinching me. I ordered him out the room repeatedly but he kept grabbing and pinching me. So I tried to bodily throw him out. He assumed a spreadeagle position. So I punched him repeatedly in the stomache. Again without a word, he turned his back on me and walked out of the room.
Taken at face value, that isn't much. I have put up with much worse over much longer periods of time. There are two things that made him the most obnoxious punk. First, this took place at an evangelical Christian university. Second, the culprit lead a Bible Study in his dorm. This isn't the sort of behaviour that one ordinarily expects from Born Again Christians who lead Bible studies.
That expectation is perfectly valid, perfectly Benedictine and perfectly biblical. It is what motivates me to higher Christian perfection. Thus, it is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me so well.
I am a long way from perfection. I am still very sinful. Saying so is politically incorrect, but it is true. But, I have a very great Redeemer and calling. It is that I try to honour as well. This passage from the Rule is one of the things that encourage me to keep struggling onwards.
Why I am Benedictine:
I was talking with a friend of mine on MSN Messenger a couple years ago now. we were talking in general terms about vocations to religious life. I had mentioned to her that Benedictine spirituality and life fits me like a glove. She asked me how that was. I said that that was a bigger question that could be answered in an IM. Which it is!
The best way to answer why I am a Benedictine would be to go through selected soundbytes from the Rule and show how I have applied them to my life. I will start with the Prologue.
The opening word of the Prologue is "Obsculta", which is translated "Listen carefully". Listening has always been a strong point of mine.
I used to be a tutor while I was at the University of Saskatchewan. One of my students had initially come to me almost in tears. She simply couldn't settle herself down to write the essay. A previous professor, a lady in the History department, had utterly destroyed her self-confidence. She had attacked her for her writing abilities, her ideas and even for the way she did her hair. hairstyles aren't relevant to scholarly abilities, but when you have academic tenure you have the ironclad job security. She did have good ideas, but she just could not put them down on paper. I listened to her. I clarified her ideas. She listened to me.
Two years later, she was one of the top students in the Department of Education that year. She just needed a little polish. This is what happens when you listen carefully to people. They respond. They do well. They learn. And you learn too.
Yet listening is so rare. Let me contrast that with another experience I had. There was once when I was upset about something. I have no idea what it was. An aquaintance asked me what the problem was. so I told him. He waited until I was finished talking and said "now, what's the real reason?" I was dumbfounded. Eventually I said "I just told you the real reason." He said, with supreme confidence, "people don't tell you the real reason the first time you ask, so what is the real reason. I want to deal with the real reason." I just walked away in frustration.
I was in the Tech Support field for more years than I have any intention of admitting to. I've been doing amateur counselling and spiritual direction for several more years. Yes they do tell you the real reason the first time you ask. They may not be able to articulate it very well, but, they will tell you the problem the first time. The catch is, however, that you have to LISTEN to them, not just wait for them to stop talking and then continue on with your own preconceived notions!
So what is one reason I am Benedictine and that benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove? Because it holds me to a standard that I already hold dear: listening. Listening to people as if they are the most important person in the world to you at that moment. Listening to people as if they were Christ himself. Listening to people the way you would like to be listened to.
Part 2:
An Abbot who is worthy to be over a monastery
should always remember what he is called,
and live up to the name of Superior.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 2
All Christians are called to walk a life that is worthy of their calling, in other words, to practice what they preach. St. Benedict makes this explicit, especially for those in leadership positions. But, Benny makes clear that all monks are called to walk their talk (to use a modern phrasing of it). It is all the more important for the Abbot to follow this as he holds the place of Christ for the community.
I will never be Abbot. I am, however, a Benedictine Postulant. I have also provided some spiritual guidance, or at least spiritual clarification. That, in a way, is a form of leadership. So I am called to more actively follow what I teach.
I have always thought that actions speak louder than words. I try to back up what I say with what I do. This is exactly what the Rule calls me to do, just as the Bible itself calls me to do. this, then, is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove. Like listening, it is calling me to a higher perfection in an area I already hold dear.
Part 3:
Let the Abbot always bear in mind
that at the dread Judgment of God
there will be an examination of these two matters:
his teaching and the obedience of his disciples.
And let the Abbot be sure
that any lack of profit
the master of the house may find in the sheep
will be laid to the blame of the shepherd.
On the other hand,
if the shepherd has bestowed all his pastoral diligence
on a restless, unruly flock
and tried every remedy for their unhealthy behavior,
then he will be acquitted at the Lord's Judgment
and may say to the Lord with the Prophet:
"I have not concealed Your justice within my heart;
Your truth and Your salvation I have declared" (Ps. 39:11).
"But they have despised and rejected me" (Is. 1:2; Ezech. 20:27).
And then finally let death itself, irresistible,
punish those disobedient sheep under his charge.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 2
This is the "downside" to providing spiritual direction, as I wish to do. If they mess things up as a result of my guidance, I get to take responsibility. Unless, of course, I tried everything I could and they mess up anyway. Now, mind you, as a friend-and-guide, I have much less influence over my "nieces and nephews" than an abbot would have. Still, this is something I took seriously when I was a "starets", or spiritual Advisor. This excerpt calls me to that seriousness.
Part 4:
However, just as it is proper
for the disciples to obey their master,
so also it is his function
to dispose all things with prudence and justice.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 3
This is just one excerpt from this chapter. I could easily quote the whole chapter. This particular chapter deals with decisionmaking within the abbey. If it is a serious matter, then the abbot is to call the whole community together and seek the input of all members. Each member is encouraged to make their input humbly and simply, without making a fuss about it. If the decision is only of minor importance, then the Abbot need only call upon his senior advisors. The abbot is expected to listen to the advice of all members. From his experience, he finds that the younger members often have the best ideas. nevertheless, once the Abbot makes his decision, the Abbot makes his decision.
But there is a balance here. The Abbot submits the problem to the community, and the community submits its ideas. The Abbot is expected to receive these suggestions with humility. After all, the voice of the newest member might just be the one with God's solution. The Abbot then considers the suggestions and makes his decision. The community is then bound by that decision.
The principle here is mutual submission. It's not a question of power or who makes the final decision. Yes, the Abbot is the one who makes the final decision, but, if thats what you look at then you miss one of the most important aspects of Benedictine life: its mutuality. This is only one aspect of that mutuality, but, that mutuality is one of the things that attracts me to the benedictine way.
So far, I have had no problems with submitting my ideas to Abbot Philip when he comes to me with a problem, and living with the decision. Then again, it was a problem with the Holy Website and he gave me the green light to do what I needed to do to fix the problem. Not exactly a fair test! What will happen if I think the decision is a very bad one? Will I submit to his judgement without complaint? I would like to think so. But, that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, that can be where spiritual growth can occur. Nevertheless also, that is the expectation of the Rule. That is a requirement I am prepared to accept.
Part 5:
In all things, therefore, let all follow the Rule as guide, and let no one be so rash as to deviate from it.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 3.
If you aren't going to follow the Rule as your guide, then what's the point of being Benedictine? This is especially true in a monastic context. If the monks all follow their own heart's fancy then they are really a bunch of batchelors living in an apartment building and calling it a monastery. They aren't monks.
That too then is another reason why I am Benedictine. It holds me to standards I embrace willingly.
Part 6:
These, then, are the tools of the spiritual craft.
If we employ them unceasingly day and night,
and return them on the Day of Judgment,
our compensation from the Lord
will be that wage He has promised:
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 4.
What he calls the "tools of the spiritual craft" are 72 "Instruments of Good Works". It is a solidly biblical list of good works. All 72 of these works are to be exercised all the time. It is a tall order, and one that can only even begin to be fulfilled through the grace of God. And that's the point.
I like to think of redemption as a process of infusion. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we are required to actually be clean, not just declared to be clean. It is a day-by-day process, and sometimes its "one step forward, two steps back".
It's not a matter of my trying to "earn my salvation". These tools come from God in the first place, and I am expected to return them all. No credit to myself there. The ability to use even one of these "instruments", let alone all 72, comes from the grace of God as well.
I am a long way from perfect; a long way from sainthood. But, that is my calling. That is the calling of all christians, Benedictine or not. The Instruments of Good Works does, however, give me a biblical set of practices that can aid that process of redemptive infusion.
Part 7
The first degree of humility is obedience without delay.
This is the virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who, because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell, and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any delay in executing it.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 5
This points to motivation. The point to following the Rule is the love of God; it is for seeking God. This should be the primary motivation for all of life, if you are Christian, let alone a Catholic Christian pursuing a religious vocation. I would like to think that it would be intuitively obvious. Trust me; it isnt.
Part 8
Having climbed all these steps of humility, therefore,
the monk will presently come to that perfect love of God
which casts out fear. And all those precepts which formerly he had not observed without fear, he will now begin to keep by reason of that love, without any effort,
as though naturally and by habit.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 7.
The 7th Chapter of the Rule is the 12-step Ladder of Humility: to keep the fear of God before your eyes at all times, to not love your own will and own desires, to submit to one's superior, to practice patience, to not hide your failings from your superior, contentment, to be teachable, to stay within the Rule (and the rules of the monastery), silence or at least discretion, to not be a bubblehead, to speak and be gentle, and to be so infused with humility that it is obvious to all without being showy. This excerpt shows us why this ladder is to be climbed: to have a perfect love of God. By climbing that ladder, then that perfect love of God will make humility natural and not forced.
Sure its a high standard. But it is also a practical guide to achieving that standard. Once again, I have to stress my awareness that it is not by my will that this will be accomplished, if it indeed is accomplished before my death. It is only by the grace of God. So the Benedictine way of life helps me to remember to rely on that grace.
Part 9
When we wish to suggest our wants to persons of high station, we do not presume to do so except with humility and reverence. How much the more, then, are complete humility and pure devotion necessary in supplication of the Lord who is God of the universe! And let us be assured that it is not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard (Matt 6:7), but in purity of heart and in tears of compunction. Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of divine grace.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 20
Prayer can be more than just "gimme gimmie gimmie". But we do have legitimate needs. There is no doubt that we can present them to God even though God already knows what they are. The question then becomes how to present them to God.
one thing I don't remember fondly about my fundamentalist days is the unspoken assumption that the degree of your devotion and holiness was determined by how loudly you sing and pray in public worship. And if you "speak in tongues", no-one can question your salvation.
I've always thought that missed the point somehow. True, God isn't nervous but He isn't deaf either. And, as St. Benedict points out, you wouldnt get very far if you screamed your requests at an MP or Senator. Why should God get less respect?
One of the ways we can show that respect is through repentance and purity of heart, according to St. Benedict. Decibel level doesn't enter into it! I had similar ideas as a "tweenage" fundamentalist. So this is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me like a glove. I have been practicing this particular aspect of it for years!
Part 10
As cellarer of the monastery let there be chosen from the community one who is wise, of mature character, sober,
not a great eater, not haughty, not excitable, not offensive, not slow, not wasteful, but a God-fearing man
who may be like a father to the whole community.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 31
A Cellarer is the Business Manager of a monastery. Look, however, at the qualifications that St. Benedict lays down for being a cellarer. He expects the Cellarer to be wise, mature, moderate, humble, and equinanimous. I have almost as slim a chance of being cellarer as I have of being abbot. Nevertheless, why should the standards St. Benedict sets for the Cellarer's character not apply also to anyone else? These are the standards I try to live up to. Well, some of them anyway. Yes, they are high. No, I don't always live up to them. But I certainly want to. So that is another reason I am Benedictine: the standards it sets for me.
Part 11
Above all things let him have humility; and if he has nothing else to give let him give a good word in answer
for it is written, "A good word is above the best gift" (Eccles. 18:17).
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 31
Humility is something I struggle with. I have a hard time telling it apart from low self esteem. I have struggled with low self-esteem for years.
Eventually I realised that humility is grounded in self-honesty. Humility realises that its good qualities are the result of God's grace whereas its failures and bad qualities are entirely its own. Low self-esteem, like high self-esteem, is grounded in self-deception. It views itself as something special: either too inferior or too superior to be a normal human. It is a hard reality to realise, and one I am still grappling with.
the Rule calls me to be humble. It has a long and eloquent chapter on humility. I am beginning to wonder if the greatest gift other than salvation itself isn't power or the "gifts of the spirit", or "signs and wonders" at all: it's humility. This is a hard concept for me to grasp, yet it is a concept I am called not only to grasp but to follow. Since the Benedictine way of life is the path I have chosen, understanding and implementing humility is a challenge I choose to grapple with.
Part 12
Let him take the greatest care of the sick, of children, of guests and of the poor, knowing without doubt
that he will have to render an account for all these
on the Day of Judgment. Let him regard all the utensils of the monastery and its whole property as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. Let him not think that he may neglect anything. He should be neither a miser nor a prodigal and squanderer of the monastery's substance, but should do all things with measure and in accordance with the Abbot's instructions.
Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 31
This is another excerpt from the chapter on the role of the Cellarer, or business manager / facilities manager. It talks about how the physical plant and all the property belonging to the monastery is to be treated. It is to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Every item is to be treated equally and shepherded carefully. Even so, moderation and balance is also expected in the use of those possessions under his care.
But the greatest level of concern is to be given to the sick, to children, to guests, and to the poor. People before posessions, and vulnerable people first. This resonates (for lack of a better word) with my own personal standards. I do try to take care of my possessions. Most of the time, I even succeed! I must admit that I am not very good at caring for the sick. I do what I can but I don't always know what to say or do. Same with caring for the poor. I'm ok with kids. I am too much of a softie to be a parent. I treat them respectfully and appropriately, and I don't denigrate them or their contributions or opinions because their age is less than some arbitrary figure. Showing hospitality has always been a "no brainer" for me. I like to prepare meals for people. By staying in the background and fussing over details, I can create a relaxed, hospitable atmosphere.
The Rule calls me to further perfection in all of these areas. Yes, the fact that I already followed so much of it makes it easier. That certainly goes to show how it fits me like a glove, though. So what if I'm not Cellarer and probably never will be? It still fits me like a glove and still calls me to higher perfection.
Part 13
Before all things and above all things, care must be taken of the sick, so that they will be served as if they were Christ in person; for He Himself said, "I was sick, and you visited Me" (Matt 25:36), and, "What you did for one of these least ones, you did for Me" (Matt. 25:40).
But let the sick on their part consider that they are being served for the honor of God, and let them not annoy their brothers who are serving them by their unnecessary demands. Yet they should be patiently borne with, because from such as these is gained a more abundant reward. Therefore the Abbot shall take the greatest care that they suffer no neglect.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 36
Here again we find balance and mutuality. The sick are to be taken care of before and above all things, but that doesn't give them license to make unreasonable demands. Here also is another indication of where we can expect to find Jesus: in the sick. We serve Christ by serving each other. We find Christ in each other. That is part of the Benedictine challenge. It is a hard challenge for me to face, as it also means that I have to find Jesus in the face of my enemies. But, this is the banner under which I choose to fight.
Part 14
If a pilgrim monastic coming from a distant region wants to live as a guest of the monastery, let him be received for as long a time as he desires, provided he is content with the customs of the place as he finds them and does not disturb the monastery by superfluous demands, but is simply content with what he finds. If, however, he censures or points out anything reasonably and with the humility of charity, let the Abbot consider prudently
whether perhaps it was for that very purpose that the Lord sent him. If afterwards he should want to bind himself to stability, his wish should not be denied him, especially since there has been opportunity during his stay as a guest to discover his character. But if as a guest he was found exacting or prone to vice, not only should he be denied membership in the community, but he should even be politely requested to leave, lest others be corrupted by his evil life.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 61
This is part of a series of chapters about hospitality and the reception of guests. It starts by reminding us that a guest is to be received as Jesus would be received. Again, the relevant line of Matthew 25 is cited. Since I am not a guestmaster in a monastery, I like to think of any guests I might have as "wandering monastics".
There are some general principles that St. Benedict has for the reception of guests. First and foremost, they are go be received as one would receive Jesus himself. There is something very "incarnational" about that. We meet and receive Jesus every day. In guests, yes, but also in the poor, in the sick, in each other, and in the Abbot.
Guests are expected to act humbly and respect the customs of the monastery they find themselves in. They can make criticisms as long as they do so humbly. The abbot is expected to mull over these criticisms. After all, that may be the very reason why they were sent there in the first place. If, however, guests and visiting monastics prove to be exacting, prone to vice, or just generally a pain in the ... gluteus maximus, they can be politely asked to leave.
Hospitality is something that is offered, not something that is demanded. St. Benedict's attitude contrasts very sharply with that of a former roommate. He once came up to me with an amused smile and told me how someone else in the building had refused to be "neighborly". I found out later that he asked one of the ladies in the building do his laundry for him and she had said no. If a complete stranger came up to me and asked me to do his laundry for him, I would probably refuse the request as well. The chutzpah of such a request is almost mindboggling!
also, the offering of hospitality is a virtue, not a vice. I once had a few people over for pizza and some softdrinks. When the aforementioned roommate found out about it a couple days later, he decided I couldn't possibly be christian. After all I "had a party". St. Benedict, however, would say the exact opposite. It's safe to say that he would have been just as ... amused by that judgement as I was!
All three of the monasteries I have visited have asked both guests and prospective monks to leave. I also have asked guests to leave. There is nothing necessarily unbenedictine or unchristian about that, as long as the reasons for the expulsion fall into the categories St. Benedict outlines.
Why I am Benedictine, Part 15
Once he has been constituted, let the Abbot always bear in mind what a burden he has undertaken and to whom he will have to give an account of his stewardship, and let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brothers
than to preside over them. he must therefore be learned in the divine law, that he may have a treasure of knowledge
from which to bring forth new things and old. he must be chaste, sober and merciful. Let him exalt mercy above judgment, that he himself may obtain mercy.
he should hate vices; he should love the brotherhood.
In administering correction he should act prudently and not go to excess, lest in seeking too eagerly to scrape off the rust he break the vessel. Let him keep his own frailty ever before his eyes and remember that the bruised reed must not be broken. By this we do not mean that he should allow vices to grow; on the contrary, as we have already said, he should eradicate them prudently and with charity, in the way which may seem best in each case.
Let him study rather to be loved than to be feared.
Let him not be excitable and worried, nor exacting and headstrong, nor jealous and over-suspicious; for then he is never at rest. In his commands let him be prudent and considerate; and whether the work which he enjoins
concerns God or the world, let him be discreet and moderate, bearing in mind the discretion of holy Jacob, who said, "If I cause my flocks to be overdriven,
they will all die in one day." Taking this, then, and other examples of discretion, the mother of virtues,
let him so temper all things that the strong may have something to strive after, and the weak may not fall back in dismay.
And especially let him keep this Rule in all its details,
so that after a good ministry he may hear from the Lord what the good servant heard who gave the fellow-servants wheat in due season: "Indeed, I tell you, he will set that one over all his goods" (Matt. 24:27).
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 64.
I am called to follow the Rule of St. Benedict. That much is certain. But, there is nothing in what St. Benedict says the Abbot's qualities should be that cannot also apply to any christian. we will all have to give an account for our stewardship of our gifts. I cannot think of a single sentence in this chapter that cannot be a suitable set of standards for any christian. So, it fits me like a glove because it can fil all Christians like a glove.
Part 16
That Prior, however, shall perform respectfully the duties enjoined on him by his Abbot and do nothing against the Abbot's will or direction; for the more he is raised above the rest, the more carefully should he observe the precepts of the Rule.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 65
The principle here is that to whom much is given, much will be required. I will never be Abbot or Prior. Nevertheless, I am both Christian and Benedictine. I am not sure if it "raises me above the rest". I am sure that it implies a certain standard of behaviour that is higher than for non benedictine non christians.
Let me illustrate. Because of my freakish physical appearance, I have had to put up with a lot of punks. The most obnoxious punk I ever had to deal with was not the most obnoxious for the amount of stupidity I had to put up with from him but from where that stupidity took place and what kind of person he purported to be.
In my first encounter with him, he made fun of what I looked like and the clothes I was wearing. I ignored him for a while then said "knock it off!" He flexed his muscles at me and said "make me!" In my second encounter with him, he deliberately tripped me. When I asked him why he did that, he just turned his back on me. In my third encounter with him, he came into my dorm room and started grabbing and pinching me. I ordered him out the room repeatedly but he kept grabbing and pinching me. So I tried to bodily throw him out. He assumed a spreadeagle position. So I punched him repeatedly in the stomache. Again without a word, he turned his back on me and walked out of the room.
Taken at face value, that isn't much. I have put up with much worse over much longer periods of time. There are two things that made him the most obnoxious punk. First, this took place at an evangelical Christian university. Second, the culprit lead a Bible Study in his dorm. This isn't the sort of behaviour that one ordinarily expects from Born Again Christians who lead Bible studies.
That expectation is perfectly valid, perfectly Benedictine and perfectly biblical. It is what motivates me to higher Christian perfection. Thus, it is another reason why Benedictine spirituality fits me so well.
I am a long way from perfection. I am still very sinful. Saying so is politically incorrect, but it is true. But, I have a very great Redeemer and calling. It is that I try to honour as well. This passage from the Rule is one of the things that encourage me to keep struggling onwards.