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. Which brings us back to awareness of God, to the beginning again. 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. By integrating their prayer and work, they manifest Christ's presence in society.". The Rule revolves around five practices: Prayer, Work, Study, Hospitality and Renewal. 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. Balance is less about achieving perfect equilibrium than it is a pendulum which continuously swings back toward a central point. Although well into the middle years of an average life span, I am a rank beginner, a mere toddler in Benedictine practice. It is not one of the distinguishing characteristics of early monastic life. 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. In Benedict's rule, humility is not the same as humiliations, for humiliations degrade the person. . Catholic spirituality includes the various ways in which Catholics live out their Baptismal promise through prayer and action. 0000000016 00000 n His books includeGratefulness,A Listening Heart, and most recently, a new autobiography,i am through you so. 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. (f`eav 0000002422 00000 n 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. This means that the monk must be very quiet and still within himself, but also very alert and attentive if the word of God is to resonate properly within his innermost depths so that he is enlightened and nourished by it. 480 to 547 CE in Italy. As time went on we decided that we needed a clear focus on the values. In a. Benedict of Nursia lived from ca. Life in Benedictine monasteries was also deeply influenced by the clericalization of many of the monks and the episcopal ordination of many abbots. 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. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Cultivating awareness of God is important for all who seek a meaningful spirituality. 0000004832 00000 n 0000000820 00000 n The second characteristic of the monastic vocation is that it demands a life of which a privileged part is given to prayer. He writes: "The will develops its own gifts, seeking to perfect them in the order of nature and of grace so as to bring the faithful soul to spiritual maturity. Interviewed by Krista Tippett for her podcast On Being, Brother David talks about gratitude as the true wellspring of joy. The whole spiritual life of the monk consists in listening to God by "inclining the ear of the heart." 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. 0000001056 00000 n People are tired and worn out from striving against unhealthy systems. However, the date of retrieval is often important. 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 Benedictine practice of mindfulness, like all the Benedictine practices, is lifelong. 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. 0000005209 00000 n Here are some of the characteristics of Benedictine spirituality: Grounded in Listening 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. Its principal source is the Word of God and its model is Christ. Ive drawn this list of 22 (+ 1 = 23) Benedictine practices (arranged alphabetically) from Stepping into the Oblate way of life, published by St. Benedicts Monastery in 2017, when Laureen Virnig OSB served as Director of Oblates. 4qAB0Lfb+ ``v@ BK j It requires that a monk listens intently to the voice of God as it is manifested in the Sacred Scriptures and the teachings of his superiors. Benedict called this lifelong process conversatiomorum or conversion of life. Are you a thoughtful reader (and maybe even a writer) who seeks a peaceful, just, spiritual approach to life? Im interested in connecting person-to-person with others who share my values, who want to participate with me in building a meaningful network of relationships that will serve to support us on our spiritual journey. 6 Characteristics Of Benedictine Spirituality . What do I make (or make possible) with the precious energy of my life? Practice is how people develop the skills to get adept at anything. Nazirites (Numbers 6:1-21): Nazirites were of two types: those who were dedicated from birth to be a Nazirite (e.g. The Rule of Benedict opens with the word "listen" (ausculta ). There was societal chaos and political dissatisfaction and we might wish that the conditions of those times did not sound so familiar to our modern ears. 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. Benedictine spirituality is simple and down to earth. The typical person takes little time for personal renewal in the hectic daily round of activities. [contact-form][contact-field label=Name type=name required=1 /][contact-field label=Email type=email required=1 /][contact-field label=Website type=url /][contact-field label=Comment type=textarea required=1 /][/contact-form], Downloaded from the web site of the Bodleian library: [1]. Prayer is essential to a Benedictine lifestyle. 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 . 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. In Benedictine practice we acknowledge the primacy of God and look for God in the ordinary events of each 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. Benedictine spirituality is a way of life that helps a person to seek God and his will daily. But what does the Bible teach on this issue? Benedictine spirituality offers an important voice in our world today, a voice which informs our praying, living and discerning. Eunice Antony, OSB. Prince of Peace is a community of Benedictine monks that has been in San Diego County since 1958, but their community spans more than 1,400 years of uninterrupted tradition dating back to St. Benedict. The monk's own attitude toward his life then is one of stewardship. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Obedience is an act of letting go of the egoistic will. Tradition assigns no other end to monastic life than to "seek God" or "to live for God alone," an ideal that can be achieved only by a life of conversion and prayer. Prosperity and ties with temporal society often led monasteries, especially the larger ones, to depart more or less from certain fundamental observances required by the rule, notably separation from secular society, real simplicity of life, and manual labor. Listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through scripture and through the insights of others. The Benedictine motto, "Prayer and Work," highlights this simplicity of obedience to our daily duties. It may be an old liqueur but it has a well-deserved place in the modern bar. I hope this list (compiled in September, 2018) is helpful, perhaps even inspiring. "Benedictine Spirituality e. de waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict (Collegeville 1984). What does it mean for us to learn contentment with living simply? Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. trailer If he gets the grandeur of God in place, he is apt to get the rest of monastic life in place too. It is likewise through that response that one becomes free to be and develop as the person one is called to be. (320) 363-7112. mholicky@csbsju.edu. 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 Benedictine practice of mindfulness, like all the Benedictine practices, is lifelong. a. de vog, The Rule of Saint Benedict: A Doctrinal and Spiritual Commentary (Kalamazoo 1983). Bibliography: Marked for Life: Prayer in the Easter Christ (London 1979). Benedictine writers often appealed to methods of prayer and asceticism that were foreign to the monastic tradition. podcast at DiscerningHearts.com from the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory, Fr. These three characteristics refer especially to intellectual activity. He simply organized a form of cenobitic life in complete conformity with the demands of the monastic vocation, which is but integral Christian life. //
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