Benedictine values

September 2, 2008

Laboring with Benedict

It is hard to believe Labor Day is upon us and, by the time this is posted, over! For years I celebrated Labor Day as any American and appreciated a free day off work. In the Monastery it was a day for ‘breakfast on the patio,’ with eggs hot off the grill, followed by burgers and hot dogs later in the day. When I worked in the kitchen, I so enjoyed summer holidays and outdoor cookin’! Continue Reading

August 31, 2008

What does "obedience" really mean?

Before Morning Prayers, or Lauds, we read a chapter from the Rule of Benedict and it often sets the tone I carry throughout the morning. Yesterday’s reading has lingered longer. It was about obedience.

“…obedience to the Prioress and to one another’ is one of my favorite excerpts from the Rule. I have many reasons for cherishing this line, but first understand that obedience is NOT blind assent. It comes from the Latin root “obidere,” meaning to listen.

Obedience calls us to listen to our Prioress, our Sisters and ourselves – but listening is no easy matter. Listening requires a sincere heart and mind. Obedience also requires respect for the other. More deeply, obedience requires each of us to understand how our lives affect those around us. It moves us beyond listening and respect to an other-centered focus. It is not about what we want but what others need from us.

In community, obedience is about meshing our own concerns with those of the Prioress, the Sisters and the community as a whole.  Obedience is about  learning my own wisdom, nurtured through prayer and study, and listening to the wisdom around me to discover God’s Will. Sometimes being obedient is about speaking our own Wisdom! God’s Will is not always immediately clear and so we must discuss and share our piece. This is especially true in Benedictine communities like ours, where we all together make decisions that affect the whole. However, even in our individual decisions, it is about prayer and listening to Wisdom from the Prioress and our Sisters.

This obedience is the foundation of community life. It is how we live together and why we entered this particular community. For obedience means we live not for ourselves but for and with our Sisters.  It is how we communicate each day and make each decision. We do not live isolated lives, but rather, communal lives, obedient to each other.  We consider and respect others, we listen to their voices, we look inside and find our voice, we share our voices, we reflect on how our voice impacts others and we decide together what is best for all.

Of course, it’s not always easy to put aside me for we, which most people find out in marriage, or work, or other commitments. Obedience makes it possible to achieve an astonishingly deep we, leaving the limited me behind.

August 28, 2008

Silence

“Silence is that place just before the voice of God.  It is the void in which God and I meet in the center of my soul.” (Illuminated life:  Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light, Joan Chittister, OSB)

Silence is critical to discernment, and during all times that we hope to hear God speak. For my part, I have to work to quiet the noise, bury the distractions, open my heart and stretch my listening to really hear.

The God I experience is the Grace of my life.

Often silence is seen as eerie or uncomfortable or produces impatience.  For many of us it is our ‘shadow’ side, as we are not raised to welcome silence – nor does the world embrace silence.  I – and maybe you too – have had to nourish a hunger for silence.  Once found, however, it is precious.

Silence is partly a matter of appreciating life’s clamor while being able to set it aside for a greater sound.  I have always found inspiration in music, books and nature.  However, inspiration comes through quiet, silence and a deafening depth where God speaks most clearly.

Whatever path you are on – most especially if you are grappling with a religious vocation – requires enough quiet and silence to let God break through your noise, distractions and self-centeredness.  God is profoundly with us in all aspects of life, yet silence allows that unique communication with God that leads us to find some clarity of God’s love and Grace.  That quiet allows our God to surface and rise inside.

In your discernment, allow for quiet and silence and see where it leads you. Treasure the quiet, silent times when the voice of God comes through your heart. It might take time to get used to it, so be patient.  God is working through you to emerge stronger and more present in your life.