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.

Saint Benedict in his Rule makes it quite clear that the whole aim of the Benedictine life is to form Christ in us, to enable the Spirit of Christ to carry out, in our lives, actions worthy of Christ.  (Thomas Merton, The Monastic Journey)

After a meeting at my parish last week, I’ve not been able to get “listening” off my mind. Listening is something that we humans tend to struggle with. Actually, I would say that communication in general is challenging for most of us. It takes work to communicate well. It takes effort to listen well.

Have you ever been “listening” to a friend or spouse or co-worker all the while you’re also listening to the television or radio or another conversation? It doesn’t work too well, does it? Yet, I realized that I’ve often done that very thing when it comes to listening to God. How can I ever expect to hear the Spirit speak to me while never setting aside a time and place to listen?

The Rule of Saint Benedict calls us to be people who make an effort to listen. His rule begins with these words: “Listen carefully, my child, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).”

One thing the monastic life reminds us of is the importance of listening. After all, that’s what Lectio Divina is all about. We set aside a particular time and space and open the Scriptures and listen for the Spirit’s voice. That doesn’t happen haphazardly; no, it takes a certain amount of discipline, planning and perseverance. Benedictine monks spend time every day in quiet meditation and listening.

Jesus, as we see in the Bible, was regularly finding time away from the crowds to be in solitude. Jesus knew it was important to enter into silence and listen to the Father’s voice. The Desert Fathers worked hard at listening and left the city to go and live in the solitude of the desert. The Benedictines have been practicing solitude and silence since St. Benedict penned his famous rule. All in all, those are some pretty good examples to follow.

Being intentional about finding a regular time and place to be quiet goes against the grain of our modern technology-filled culture. Perhaps that’s one of the things that has drawn me to the way of St. Benedict. My soul cries out for silence. Somehow, I know that I need to be quiet before the Lord.

One last question to ponder: is there anything more important than listening for the Spirit’s voice?

From chapter 4 of the Rule of St. Benedict, entitled The Instruments of Good Works.

(44) To fear the day of judgment.
(45) To be in dread of hell.
(46) To desire eternal life with all spiritual longing.
(47) To keep death before one's eyes daily.

This chapter ends with these words:

Behold, these are the instruments of the spiritual art, which, if they have been applied without ceasing day and night and approved on judgment day, will merit for us from the Lord that reward which He hath promised: "The eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor 2:9). But the workshop in which we perform all these works with diligence is the enclosure of the monastery, and stability in the community.

"To keep death before one's eyes daily." I used to think that was an odd statement. After all, if someone kept death before their eyes each day, wouldn't that naturally cause a person to be depressed? Shouldn't we downplay death and not speak about it? One of the things I've noticed about Thomas Merton is how frequently he talked about the possibility of his own death.

I think to follow the Rule in this instance is helpful to the monastic in the monastery and the lay person living in the world. I must remember my life here is only for a short time. Even if I live 80 or more years, that is a short time. I'm amazed at how quickly the first 35 years have gone by. When I realize the brevity of life, I want to be a good steward of the time that I have here. In other words, I hope to live life well. Death is a reminder to keep focusing on things that are truly important not those things the world may want me to believe are important.

I read once of a monastery who kept an open grave in the cemetery as a reminder that one day we will all face our own death. Monks don't hide death or try to dress it up as something that it is not. I like what Charles Cummings says:

I do not know, except by Christian faith, what lies beyond this life. In death I lose everything without knowing for sure that there is anything to follow. Faith, however, assures me that there is a God who is like a loving father or mother. The ultimate reality is not death and extinction. But God. (Charles Cummings, Monastic Practice, p. 192.)

Do I really believe that something greater is taking place beyond the grave? That's a question I'm forced to wrestle with as I am reminded of my own mortality. So, as I walk around the graveyard at Gethsemani, I think about this statement in the Rule: "To keep death before one's eyes daily." Those brothers of mine who lay buried under those white crosses are experiencing what lies beyond this life. They certainly have a fuller understanding of God himself. In the mean time, I have friends to get to know, prayers to pray, and life to live. I do it all with thanksgiving for life itself and the faith to know that death only brings me into a greater knowledge of God himself.

Peace.

Monks should diligently cultivate silence at all times, but especially at night. . . When all have assembled, they should pray Compline; and on leaving Compline, no one will be permitted to speak further. If anyone is found to transgress this rule of silence, he must be subjected to severe punishment, except on occasions when guests require attention or the abbot wishes to give someone a command, but even this is to be done with the utmost seriousness and proper restraint. (From the Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 42:1, 8-11)

 

A few years ago, I participated in a group retreat and during that retreat I was reminded of the importance of intentional times of quiet in my life. Most of us have very busy lives and to some degree, very noisy lives. We don't live in a monastery where living a quiet life is encouraged and undergirded by the very structure of the monastic life. Instead, we have to look for times and opportunities in our own lives where we can be silent. For the monks who have followed and continue to follow the Rule of St. Benedict, the evening was the time of "Grand Silence." After Compline was prayed, no talking was permitted until after Mass the next morning.

What does that mean for us? It may mean we make some intentional time in the evening to be quiet. Around my house, we've tried to turn off the TV and spend some time in silence before bedtime. It's a great time to journal, practice Lectio or simply enjoy the quiet. We then pray Compline together before going to sleep. It may be that St. Benedict has good advice here, especially in the noise-filled world we live in today.

Peace.

Let all guests that come be received like Christ. (Rule of St. Benedict)

Monks know about hospitality. They live it day in and day out. They are hospitable when it's not convenient. They practice hospitality with their brothers in the community and with those "seculars" who come for retreat or seek counsel. I'm learning that I have a lot to learn about that kind of hospitality. The kind of hospitality that allows people "in" our life. In Benedict's time, travelers often needed a place to stay for the night. After all, there weren't any Hilton Hotels around in that day. I'd imagine it was a common thing to feed and care for people as they traveled. Hospitality would have been "normal." I wonder why it's not a "normal" part of our lives today? (Or perhaps I'm alone in this?) To be honest, it's difficult, time-consuming, expensive and inconvenient to practice hospitality. Yet, it's part of being whole. I'm not sure we can be healthy and whole without it.

Hospitality is the overflowing of a heart that has to share what it has received. It takes a whole person to open up, it takes a secure person to be available, it takes a strong person to give yourself away. (p. 20, Radical Hospitality)

Hospitality is about me learning to open my heart. Again, a quote from Radical Hospitality:

Here is the core of hospitality: May I know you better? Will you come closer, please? No, it will not be easy, but make no mistake about it, your life depends on this saving stranger coming to you and stretching your tight little heart. (p. 36)

Maybe this is the time of my life to learn this lesson. Let's hope so.

Peace.