A Well-ordered Life

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Joan Chittister, monastery, monastic life, prayer, spiritual life, St. Benedict, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, work

St. Benedict (c. 480 – c. 547) is credited with bringing monasticism to the West. After more than 1500 years, his influence is still felt around the world in monasteries and over the past half-century it has been growing as well in “monasteries without walls.” This movement is a resurgence of the desire in “ordinary people” for a deeper spiritual life and is characterized by attention practices and balanced living, not only for monastics but for lay people as well.

At the heart of Benedictine life is mindfulness and a spirit of hospitality. It has been described with a simple daily formula of four quadrants: prayer alone and prayer together, work alone and work together. Someone once asked where leisure comes in that description and the answer was that if one divides the circle of the day and writes in all that has taken place, the entire circle should be a leisurely and peaceful walk through the hours.

Many authors have written on this topic – none better than Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, especially in her book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. This feast reminds me to return, not only to Sr. Joan’s book but also to the practice of drawing that circle each day, where I can assess the balance of my life’s activities and get back to a mindful way of being. Simple? Yes, but not always easy. Worthwhile? Always…as a lifelong daily practice…Oh, yes!

No Getaway Solution

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clarity, consciousness, David Keller, desert elder, humility, interiorized monasticism, life, monastery, monastic life, monk, Oasis of Wisdom, prayerfulness, purity of heart, St. John Chrysostom, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, virtues, wisdom

Between conflicting stories on broadcast news and devastating weather reports of raging fires in the west and three additional hurricanes brewing in the waters off the southeastern coast of the United States, I decided moments ago that the only answer for me would be to race to the closest monastery and close the door on it all. So I pulled out David Keller’s book, Oasis of Wisdom, to give me something to work with – a verification of the need to escape, I mean. Here’s what I found in the first few pages of this book on the early Christian monastic life, stories of the “desert fathers and mothers.”

The desert elders did not teach that everyone must live as they lived. They taught, by their actions, that purity of heart, humility and charity are virtues that lie at the heart of all human life. Their renunciations, practical wisdom, and prayerful living taught people from all walks of life in their day to see themselves and the way they lived in the context of God’s love and desires for human life. Perhaps the desert elders will evoke a change of consciousness in us as well. They exhort us to practice an interiorized monasticism whether or not we are monks. From its earliest days, Christianity has proclaimed that the heart of monastic life is for all Christians…One of its greatest leaders, St. John Chrysostom said…”You are entirely mistaken if you think there are some things required of ordinary people and others of monks.” 

So I guess I need to stay the course here and ride out the events that agitate my mind and heart. Perhaps the crux of the answer was at the beginning of the above paragraph. Purity of heart, humility and charity are not easy right now but renouncing all the outer turmoil by consistent prayerfulness might help. Actually, it might be the ticket to the wisdom found in staying the course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Turn to the East

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antiphon, Awakening Hour, charity, de-cluttering, Macrina Wiederkehr, monastery, monks, seven sacred pauses, St. Basil the Great, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Author Macrina Wiederkehr calls the first of her Seven Sacred Pauses (a book for “living mindfully through the hours of the day”) the Awakening Hour. One of the antiphons for this hour sings, “To God belongs the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God.” Originally from the Qur’an, this invitation to God’s presence has also made its way into our Wisdom School chants as a reminder that God waits for us at all times in all places.

Celebrated as the Saint of the Day is St. Basil the Great, of whom it is said, “What St. Benedict is to the West, Basil is to the monks of the East” as he established what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. His principles influence Eastern monasticism to this day. In addition, Basil faced many of the same problems that we see in modern society and he was especially mindful of the poor. I found the quote offered on the American Catholic website today to be quite apt. I share it as a reminder for all of us who are in the process of de-cluttering and as an indicator of where we might turn to find the face of God.

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Great Legacy

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balanced living, community, hermit, hospitality, manual labor, monasteries without walls, monastery, monasticism, prayer, St. Benedict of Nursia, study, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia (480?-543) who is credited with bringing monasticism to the Western Hemisphere. Drawn to the monastic life, Benedict tried being a hermit but others were drawn to him and he began to imagine a community life where “various families of monks gathered together in one ‘Grand Monastery’ to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity and permanent worship in one house.”  (www.americancatholic.org) The structure that Benedict created – a balance of prayer, study, manual labor and community – has endured and flourished for 1500 years and has become a model for people seeking to live a balanced spiritual life. Not only is the rule of St. Benedict followed by women and men monastics the world over, but in our time there are new movements of “monasteries without walls” where lay people endeavor to live in the spirit of Benedict, gathering on a regular basis to strengthen their own prayer and balanced living practice. In addition to the four elements noted above which create a rhythm for each day, those who follow Benedict are steeped in the practice of hospitality, especially to travelers.

As I face today, I am grateful for Benedict and all those who follow his rule. I will observe my living of the four quadrants of prayer, study, labor and community as they are present in my day and endeavor to maintain that sense of balance as I interact with the workshop participants who have graced our Spiritual Center this weekend.

The Mountain of God

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Benedictine, chanting, dwelling place of God, monastery, monks, psalm 42, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thirst

On this morning of “return” to this blogging practice, I feel as if the lectionary choice of Psalm 42 was chosen just for me. As the hind longs for running streams,  the psalmist sings, so my soul longs for you, O God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place.

I spent the past four days on a high mountain in the hills of California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, at a Benedictine monastery that was as representative as any place I can imagine of the dwelling place of God. Three times a day our group (12 people) joined the monks to chant the psalms and prayers of the liturgy of the hours, gathered again for Eucharist and twice a day for 90 minutes of deep conversation about our desire and willingness to follow God’s Spirit in the living of our lives. Outside of those times we were in total silence and solitude, taking our meals in our “cells” and basking in the beauty that is God’s glorious work of creation. Speaking of cells, there was no cell phone coverage or internet access on the mountain – only a land phone for emergencies. We were totally in God’s hands and at God’s disposal.

My gratitude for the experience of time on God’s holy mountain is profound. My renewed sense that I can carry “the inner mountain” of God’s presence anywhere I find myself if I am willing to fuel that ability by a consistent practice of silence is the hope with which I come home. I will, I think, make a sign for my bedroom door that I will see as I exit each morning to remind me (lest I forget) that athirst is my soul for God, the living God! (Ps. 42:3a)