6 characteristics of benedictine spirituality

Be faithful in demonstration of family and community commitments, for example, by calling parents every week at the same time, checking in regularly on neighbors, affirming and listening to coworkers. Lectio divina involves contemplating what we read or hear in a Scripture, being receptive to the presence of God, and letting ourselves be transformed. One of the primary characteristics of a spiritual person is openness. This manuscript is a copy of St. Benedicts rule. The devotio moderna is an example. BARTH, KARL The Benedictine motto, "Prayer and Work," highlights this simplicity of obedience to our daily duties. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is radical. Benedict reminds us of our priorities: prayer, contemplation, balance and the importance of everything we do. Lets make ours a truly humana listening and reverentconnection. Encyclopedia.com. While everyone has their values and principles, the spiritual person knows that one-size does not fit all. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B explains that obedience means to listen. Which value speaks to your heart most strongly at this time and why? Unfortunately, Jesus never indicated discipleship would be easy. Even the Cistercians, who in the 12th century had intended to return to a faithful observance of the rule itself, added numerous statutes. 9 13 Humility requires the monk to accept the gifts of others, their wisdom, their experience, and their counsel. The years 1987 and 1990 saw the publication of two unprecedented and immediately popular reference works, The New Dictionary of Theology and The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship.The present work, The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality, edited by Michael Downey, is intended as a companion to these, with a parallel aim and purpose.The NDCS is a collaborative attempt to take stock of . Yes, work, too, is a basic tenet of Benedictine Spirituality. In monastic life public prayer is only one observance among those which help the monk seek 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. Cultural Producer. Prayer is essential to a Benedictine lifestyle. Gymnasts practice routines, yoga students practice poses, swimmers practice strokes, and tennis players practice their serves. In the 7th and 8th centuries it was often combined with other rules, especially that of St. Columban (d. 615). 4qAB0Lfb+ ``v@ BK j While there are times allotted for prayer and for work, ultimately there is to be no division between the two. 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). Simplicity of life and a sense of stewardship are also characteristics of Benedictine spirituality. The Cistercian Order reinforced the eremetical character of the cenobitical life itself. He was born on March 2, 480 AD, in Norcia, Italy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoTQF_Z_3lQ. 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. Just as all these people practice to become more proficient, spiritual seekers practice in order to become better at living a spiritual life. Stewardship of resources, as a Benedictine practice, flows out of the commitment to stability, explain the monks and oblates of Saint Meinrad Archabbley, in this post on Environmental Stewardship on the blog Echoes from the Bell Tower. For most Oblates. podcast at DiscerningHearts.com from the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory, Fr. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benedictine-spirituality. "Benedictine Spirituality He is author of Ice Break: A Collection of Poems (Aetos Publications, 2019), Enduring Ministry: Toward a Lifetime of Christian Leadership (Liturgical Press, 2017), and The Gospels in Poem and Image (Aetos Publications, 2016-2019). While submission is an act of youth, true obedience can only come as a response of maturity. Much research has been devoted to this topic, ranging from practical to academic. Only a year ago, after a year of formation, I became an Oblate of Saint Benedicts Monastery in St. Joseph, MInnesota. You can order a free copy of Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press, by clicking here. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. Little by little, however, the Rule of Benedict became the principal rule, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries and in Italy. On the constitutional level, Benedict's supreme achievement was to provide a succinct and complete directory for the government and the spiritual and material well-being of a monastery. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Hence the monk must be poor psychologically because he realizes his dependence on others. But Benedict also reminds the monk that there is a wicked zeal which leads to death. Garcia Jimenez de Cisneros in . We stumble through being in right relationship. 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. This is the key to Benedict's whole spiritual teaching. The event will bring together sisters, monks, oblates, and Benedictine staff, as well as nonreligiously affiliated Millennials interested in contemplative . As Sister Julie explains on the blog A Nuns Life, The Liturgy of the Hours is made up of specific prayers said at various time (hours) during the day and night. Samson and possibly John the Baptist) and those who undertake the vow for a limited time (Paul may have done this, cf. In no way am I qualified to be a teacher of the Benedictine way of life. New Catholic Encyclopedia. The Ten Hallmarks of Benedictine Education. ), member of any of the confederated congregations of monks, lay brothers, and nuns who follow the rule of life of St. Benedict (c. 480-c. 547) and who are spiritual descendants of the traditional monastics of the early medieval centuries in Italy and Gaul. The first word of the Rule of Benedict is Listen. The Benedictine practice of listening is the heart of Benedictine spirituality, for not only are we instructed to listen constantly to one another in community, to leaders, to guests, to the sick, to our inner selves, and most of all, to God, we must also attend to [what we hear] with the ear of the heart. As Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon writes, Listening with the ear of the heart can be a scary experience because it can call me to radical change, to a transformation of my limited human perspective. Joan Chittister is a Benedictine sister with an ecumenical outreach and vision who has written more than 50 books. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"Mjbegi0csMdpEDVeqSUEXsusxBikAj9UyKZw_VuRiag-86400-0"}; St. Benedict lived in the 6 th century. 0000001056 00000 n variety in physical characteristics, languages, and ways of life is really our . c. smith, The Path of Life (Ampleforth, England 1995). Therefore in Benedictine spirituality, mutual obedience is a habit to be shown by all to one another. praying the Divine Office) as well as regular silent . %%EOF In this article, Benjamin Schfer, who calls himself an intercessory musicianary, blog theologian, and pilgrim on the narrow road of learning to love, writes in depth about ways to foster awareness of God. What are the characteristics of Benedictine spirituality? (February 22, 2023). Prayer is the foundation to the monastic life and calling, and can be a constant part of the life of non-monastics as well. On the blog Catholic Beer Club, Br. Many Oblates rely on. I hope this list (compiled in September, 2018) is helpful, perhaps even inspiring. Christian monasticism had been in existence for a long time before Benedict wrote his rule. The first and fundamental manifestation of such a vocation is a real separation from many aspects of the secular world. How have we been equipped by God to do so? Since Benedict was a monk, the spirituality which is based on his rule, is fundamentally monastic. Benedictines believe that the Christian life is best lived not through the extremes of any harsh religious asceticism but in the daily context of good, balanced life in community. Are you a thoughtful reader (and maybe even a writer) who seeks a peaceful, just, spiritual approach to life? 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 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. Before writing his Rule, Benedict lived for years as a hermit. When a monk is aware of his own littleness, he is not driven to satisfy his own ego more than his true needs. The Rule revolves around five practices: Prayer, Work, Study, Hospitality and Renewal. FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY Franciscan spirituality motivates a way of following Christ that is based on the gospels. ." Vincentian spirituality is centered around this concept. 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. 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. Learn more at www.samuelrahberg.com. It is such a personal thing that it can be considered part of one's identity. SUGGESTED BOX ON PRAYER The psalms eloquently express how we feel and how we think about life and time and God. The rule is marked by a strong sense of the individual monk's personal worth and dignity. 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. Successful organizational leaders practice self-mastery and teamwork. If you fill out this form, Ill respond from my personal email. Of stewardship are also characteristics 6 characteristics of benedictine spirituality a spiritual person knows that one-size does not fit.. Wicked zeal which leads to death too, is fundamentally monastic of Christ the King Priory,.. Am I qualified to be shown by all to one another typical person takes time. 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