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Monasticism in everyday life

4/14/2020

5 Comments

 
What is a monastery? A monastery is not so much a place set apart for monks and nuns as it is a place set apart (period). It is also a place to learn the value of powerlessness." Ron Rolheiser 
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The Domestic Monastery
The Covid-19 virus situation might have us feeling “set apart” in the monasteries of our hearts, homes, and virtual communities and in those places, having to learn the “blessings of powerlessness” (Rolheiser, 2001). As Christians, our deepest form of powerlessness is our powerlessness to exist by our own efforts. We do not have the power to bring ourselves into existence, nor to sustain ourselves in existence. This powerlessness to exist on our own terms awakens us to all that we are as God’s gift. As awakened people, we’re to be faithful to that awakening through a life of gratitude and love (Finley & Simon, 2011) .

Every monk and nun knows “the nature of community, the healing ointment of prayer”, and the value of silence (Chittister, 2010, p. xiii). Monastic spirituality offers a way of life and attitude of mind, more than rules of right behaviour (Finley, 2004). For Benedict of Norcia, the spiritual life meant living this life and living it well (Chittister, 2011). We do not need to go very far or to be monks or nuns to find opportunities in this life to live well in community, in prayer and in silence (Finley, 2004). 

To hear God speak, Benedict instructed his monks to be still and silent and yet alert and attentive to God seeking them (Chittister, 2011; Smith, 2004). Christian meditation is silent prayer that fosters conscious awareness of God giving himself to us in all that we are and enables us to respond to the gift of ourselves in and through gratitude and love (Finley, 2004). Silent prayer awakens us to the spirit awakening us to the divine love that is all we are all the time (Finley, 2011). We sit still, we sit silent, we breathe slow, natural breaths, we say our mantra, and when we become distracted, we simply return to the practice without judgement or evaluation.

Stillness of Body, Thinking, Feeling, Willing and Remembering 
Living the meditative way, we somehow realize God bodying himself forth in every breath, heartbeat; indeed in all that our body is (Finley, 2004). We likewise learn to see ourselves as the observer and God as the creator and sustainer of our thinking self and all that we think. We resist slipping into thinking our thoughts, having our opinions and reacting to them. The meditative mind neither thinks nor is defined by any thought. It becomes stronger, calmer, and more stable (p. 116). We simply observe our thoughts as they arise, endure, and pass away, without clinging to or rejecting any of them. Likewise, we learn to be quietly attentive to each feeling that arises, endures, and passes away. Neither clinging to nor rejecting any feeling, we can pass beyond feelings and into meditative one-ness with God. In so doing, we grow in self-knowledge, self-awareness and compassion for ourselves and others in our broken-ness and wholeness (Freeman, 2009). Through our silent prayer practice, we recognize that no matter how we try, we cannot control God through the actions of our will. We let God be God. We also learn to be present in the present moment. We become aware of our tendency to allow our past memories to determine our whole self. We are more than just our remembrances. Who God knows us to be is infinitely more than anything we remember ourselves to be. We learn to reverence the miracle and mystery of memory.

All we need is right here right now
The optimal conditions for us to live a more meditative way of life are right here right now in the face of COVID-19. Monks and nuns know that living in a monastery is a lifetime of learning how to wait for God in the midst of both delays and difficulties and sometimes unexpected and unimaginable graces and blessings (Finley, 2004). In the silence of our places set apart we do not only learn about, we experience powerlessness as a gift, grace and blessing.

==================
  • Chittister, J. (2010). The Rule of St Benedict: A spirituality for the 21st century. New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing.
  • Chittister, J. (2011). The Monastery of the Heart: An invitation to a meaningful life. Toronto, Canada: Novalis.
  • Finley, J. (2004). Christian Meditation:Experiencing the Presence of God. York, NY: Harper Collins
  • Finley, J., & Simon, T. (2011). Insights at the Edge. Retrieved from http://www.soundstrue.com/podcast/transcripts/james-finley-03222011.php?camefromhome=camefromhome
  • Freeman, L. O. (2009). The Selfless Self: Meditation and the Opening of the Heart. In. Canterbury Press Norwich: London, UK.
  • Rolheiser, R. O. (2001). The Domestic Monastery. Retrieved from https://ronrolheiser.com/the-domestic-monastery/#.XoFL2C0ZPUo
  • Smith, C. O. (2004). The Path of Life. York, UK: Ampleforth Abbey Press.

Written by Patricia Harasym.
Patricia has been meditating, for more than 20 years. She was taught meditation by Engeline Piet at the FCJ Centre in the tradition of Fr. John Main, OSB and Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB. Patricia practices and uses her Master and PhD training in communication from the University of Calgary, her training as a lay Benedictine Oblate and her knowledge of Ignatian Spirituality as a Spiritual Director, 19th Annotation facilitator, and member of the FCJ Resource Team.


5 Comments
Jim Savani
4/23/2020 03:15:06 pm

I predicted in Ravenna, Ohio in 1985, Monasticism would be very important ...not communication to conscience thoughts.

Communication to conscience thoughts destroyed Americans, destroyed Made in USA and destroyed the English language .

The infiltration of American minds destroyed Americans ! ! ! !

Reply
Rob Henderson
4/25/2020 09:38:49 am

Thank you for this beautiful uplifting article. I find silence is very hard to achieve through the assault of thoughts that stream through my mind all the time. I will try to observe and let them pass and see what happens.

Reply
Gerry
5/9/2020 09:06:11 am

Calming to even read

Reply
Matthew
5/12/2020 09:21:37 am

I have two questions:
1) The article makes it seem like the monastic life about something like a Buddhist meditation where we slip into nothingness. I am wondering if "mantras" are things like the Jesus prayer? Of course, the tradition places a large focus on silence and "distraction-free" time. However, does not the Benedictine tradition also place a large focus on the liturgy of the hours (something curiously not mentioned in the article). Formal liturgical action is central to benedictine life and something that individuals can do during this time to add routine to our lives.
2) Does not the benedictine tradition also place a large focus on conforming one's life to Christ (curiously also absent from the article)? Perhaps, during this time, we should keep in mind that this world is not our final home, life with Him is. We are the pilgrim church. Monastic life reminds us that the toil of the world is temporary, and can be sanctifying, if we focus our lives in Christ.

Reply
Tomas Rochford
5/14/2020 02:14:16 pm

It's wonderful that the great wisdom of St. Benedict, his Rule, and the Benedictine tradition is receiving some mention on the Diocese's blog and in the "Faithfully" e-magazine. St. Benedict's deep yet practical and down-to-earth spirituality is very appealing to me and my family. It's famous focus on Ora et Labora (work and prayer) as central pillars of a life of Christian perfection challenge and guide me daily. Also, the three-fold vows/promises of stability, obedience, and conversion of life, while not lived out in a monastic setting, have many things to offer for a layman striving to live a Christian life in this confusing world.

Also, as a husband, and father of five young children, the earthy holiness and Roman practicality of Benedict's Rule has helped me to see that spiritual perfection need not be the domain of the cloistered only. Our family home is to be a domestic church, but it can also be a domestic monastery of sorts, serving as a "school of service to the Lord". Furthermore, the Rule's reflections on the duties and character of the Abbot have been very enriching for both my wife and I, helping us (I hope) to become better parents to the five gifts God has given us.

In closing, I will offer two reservations that I have about the article above. (i) The emphasis on powerlessness, while certainly important as part of the Catholic contemplative and meditative tradition, can be off-putting to many, especially men in the Church. One-sided emphasis on this element of spirituality can tend to sound effeminate (not feminine - there's a difference!), turning off people who might otherwise be attracted to deepening their faith by contemplative and meditative union with Our Lord. (ii) I wonder about the wisdom of quoting Sr. Joan Chittister as a trustworthy source in Catholic theological and spiritual matters. I think there are better authorities - perhaps St. Benedict himself might be a start!

For readers interested in learning how the Benedictine Rule and its spiritual tradition might fit into their everyday lives, here are few works that I've found very fruitful:
a) The Rule of St. Benedict for Family Life Today (Don Massimo Lapponi OSB, 2010) - This is also available for free online.
b) Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers (Fr. Dwight Longenecker) - A commentary on the Rule for fathers, but also useable by mothers.
c) Commentary for Benedictine Oblates: On the Rule of St. Benedict (G.A Simon OSB, trans. L.Doyle, 1950) - Reprints of this rich text are available easily on the Internet.

Thank you again for publishing something on the Benedictine life. I think the saint from Norcia, and his spiritual patrimony, have much to offer us today.

+UIOGD

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