Tomorrow is the feast day of Saint Benedict.  It's an important day in the church year for all of us who associate ourselves with the Benedictine way.  It's a large family comprised of clergy and laity, religious and lay orders, in the United States and all across the world.  Although Saint Benedict lived from 480 to 547 AD, his Rule has been used down through the centuries and is still used today by Benedictines.  Many books have been written on the Rule of Saint Benedict.  In many ways, his rule seems to be more popular than ever.  What is it that draws people to Saint Benedict and his Rule of life?  I'm always interested in hearing other people's stories . . .

For now, I'll throw out some thoughts; feel free to add your own.

1.  The Benedictine Way is Christ-centered.
As I've said before, following the Rule of St. Benedict is on way to live out one's Christian faith.  It's not the only way but it is one way of working out our salvation.  He begins and ends his Rule with Christ.

This message of mine is for you, then, if you are ready to give up your own will, once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord. (1:3). (Fry, 1981)

On the last page, Benedict closes with these words:

Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?  Then with Christ's help, keep this little rule that we have written for beginners.  After that, you can set out for the loftier summits of the teaching and virtues we mentioned above, and under God's protection you will reach them.   (Fry, 1981) 

2.  The Benedictine Way is Balanced.
One thing that can be safely said of the culture we live in today:  it lacks balance.  We live in a noisy, chaotic, busy, and often times angry world.  Benedict's Rule brings balance.  For example, a monk prays and works.  He works and rests.  He eats but not too much.  He sleeps but not to excess.  He is to spend time alone but also in community with others.  Again and again, the idea of living a balanced, ordered life is written about all through the Rule.

3.  The Benedictine Way is Ancient.
There is something to be said for the longevity of the Rule.  Not many things written 1500 years ago are being talked about, written about and even celebrated by the church today.  Yet, the Rule of Saint Benedict remains.  The church has regarded it as a good way to live.  It's simply stood the test of time.  I also like that the Rule comes before the division of the Church into the East and the West.  As Esther de Waal puts it, "It predates those unhappy divisions which occurred at the Reformation, and instead speaks of what is common, universal, foundational to all Christians.  So today in America Protestants and Lutherans, Episcopalians and Catholics, all find themselves at home in this Benedictine spirituality." (de Waal, 1984)

I could write much more about the way of Benedict but I've said enough.  It's your turn.  How has the Holy Spirit used the Rule in your life?

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de Waal, E. (1984).  Seeking God:  the way of St. Benedict.  Collegville, MN:  Liturgical Press.

Fry, T. (1981).  The rule of St. Benedict.  Collegeville, MN:  Liturgical Press.

Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.  Amen.

Father in heaven, by whose grace the mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Not familiar with this feast day?  Wikipedia article on the Visitation

 

What a great Holy Week.  Check out some of my photos from Palm Sunday and the Easter Vigil on my Flickr page.  I am blessed to be an Anglican Christian and to belong to such a great church community.

 We had a wonderful Maundy Thursday service this evening. I think this collect pretty much sums it up:

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:  Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one  God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I'm always moved by the stripping of the altar. The altar is stripped and laid bare much like Jesus was prior to his crucifixion. This somber moment in the liturgy prepares us for following Jesus to the Cross on Good Friday. 

The church is dark.  The altar is bare.  And tomorrow, we kneel before the Cross as our Lord is crucified.

 

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners; Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

As Alan has already said, Advent is upon us. A new church year begins. Advent is a time of waiting and expectation. As Christians, we look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ.

In what ways is my household participating in Advent? Well, we're using an Advent wreath just like we did last year. Beyond that, I wanted to add something to my personal spiritual disciplines for Advent and Christmas. After thinking about this for a while, I've decided that I'm going to pray the Angelus. After all, it's a prayer that reminds us of the Incarnation of Christ so it seems especially appropriate this time of year. The church has prayed the Angelus for centuries and so I certainly won't be alone in praying this prayer.

In the morning, I rise early and drive to the Abbey of Gethsemani for my LCG meeting. It's a coincidence but it will be nice to begin Advent at the monastery. Just a little gift to me from God, I guess.

I'll leave you with one of tomorrow's readings that will be heard at Mass from Romans 13.

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:8-14 (NRSV)

Peace.

Thursday, November 1 is All Saints Day. Wikipedia describes it this way:

The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Saints' Day, All Hallows or Hallowmas ("hallows" meaning "saints," and "mas" meaning "Mass"), is a feast celebrated November 1 or the first Sunday after Pentecost in honour of all the saints, known and unknown.

I've been thinking about some of the saints who have been helpful to me by their example and the lives they lived. I thought it might be fun to mention a couple and invite you to do the same. Feel free to leave a comment and share with us your favorite saint or write your own blog post and link back here.

Let's get started.

1. Saint Thomas Merton(January 31, 1915-December 10, 1968). Yes, this monk of Gethsemani was dead four years before I was born. Yet, he continues to impact my life through his writings. The first book I read was a book given to me by Alan entitled Thoughts In Solitude. That book gave me a taste for Merton and gave me reason to read more of his writing. I soon read his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain and followed that up with my favorite of Merton's writings entitled The Sign of Jonas. What is it about Merton that speaks to me? That's a question I've asked over and over. Certainly, I feel called to a monastic way of living life and although I'll not live a celibate, cloistered life like Fr. Louis did, we share many of the same deep longings for silence, solitude and prayer. I think he was on the search for his true self and that's one journey I resonate with.

2. Saint Benedict of Nursia (480-547). St. Benedict is often referred to as the founder of Western monasticism and wrote a "rule" for monks called The Rule of St. Benedict. His writing was heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian and another piece of writing called The Rule of the Master. Benedict was able to write a rule that was very balanced and ultimately full of love for all monks who chose to live under this rule for the last several centuries. It's hard to imagine what monastic life would be like today if Benedict hadn't written his rule.

3. Saint Charlie Gillis. (August 26, 1920-March 24, 2003). You won't find him in a list of canonized saints. He was my grandfather and definitely a saint. He won't be remembered as an author or theologian but he will be remembered as a man of faith, love, and compassion. He'll be remembered as a husband, brother, father and grandfather. He had much to teach others whether it was how to change the oil in a car or how to work hard and love your family above all else. I miss my grandaddy every single day. He will always be remembered and loved.

I'm sure there are others I could mention. Three seems like a good number to stop with. Now it's your turn. What saints have impacted your life?

And finally, this prayer:
Saint Thomas Merton, Saint Benedict and Saint Charlie Gillis, pray for me.