A Path to Growth

Today is June 30, 2024. Sister Joan's commentary on Chapter 23 observes that though the Rule of Benedict is one of the most gentle monastic rules ever written, Benedict devotes eight chapters to punishment–of which none of them are acceptable or applicable in today's culture.  While all of us live in some form of community most of us do not live under a prior or prioress.  

However, in Sister Joan's closing paragraph, she reminds us that the rule does expect discipline and atonement even from us today.  We are called to mend things broken; to curb and straighten things running away and awry in us.  Self-control doesn't happen by accident and it must be honest and real.  Where does it begin?

A beautiful place to start is to slowly read and meditate on Psalm 119.  Find a quiet place to sit.  Do not be in a hurry.  Open you heart and your mind to His word.  Allow His Grace to enter in.  Today would be a lovely time to start.  Amen.

Discipline

Today is June 26, 2024. I began the day by reading Chapter 19 The Discipline of Psalmody.  Benedict begins by reminding us that God is with us and watching us at all times and that we are called to serve the Holy One at all times.

I've been thinking a lot lately about discipline--self-discipline. Today's readings led me to more fully realize that we are called daily to self-disciplined behavior across every planned event and interruption of our lives. 

To serve Him well, we need to understand what self-discipline is and what it can mean for us. Most importantly, we need to understand His role in helping us live into this discipline--knowing that everything we do shapes who we are and who we will become.

Quoting Socrates, Sister Joanne reminds us that the unexamined life is not worth living. Joined with the living Christ, we are born anew with each passing day.  As such, we are called to reflect on the meaning and consequence of every action we take.

Our prayers have the power to change our lives.  Our prayers can burn off the dross that clings to our souls like mildew and set us free for deeper, richer, truer lives--allowing us to become who we say we are. Amen

From Despair to Trust

In the minor hours of Terce, Sext and None, the psalms carry us

• from hardship to joy,
• from inner captivity to liberation,
• from despair to trust.

It is a message to us all. 

Remembering to trust in God can be enough to carry us for a lifetime.

The Rule of Benedict:
A Spirituality for the 21 Century, Sr. Joan Chittister, June 23

The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Dr. James H. Cone's writings challenge all of us.  I offer you for your consideration a glimpse of his most recent book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree.

Wisdom

Meister Eckhart

I asked ChatGPT to summarize Meister Eckhart’s teachings in the fewest possible words.

Meister Eckhart, a German mystic and theologian, emphasized the direct experience of God, advocating for inner detachment and the surrender of the self to achieve union with the Divine. His teachings focus on the idea that God is present within every soul and that true enlightenment comes from recognizing this inner divinity.

What must one do to recognize this inner divinity?

To recognize this inner divinity, Meister Eckhart taught that one must practice inner detachment, letting go of ego and personal desires. This involves cultivating a state of spiritual poverty, where one is empty of self-will and open to God's presence. By achieving this inner stillness and openness, one can experience the direct presence of God within.

What does it mean to "practice inner detachment?"

"Practicing inner detachment" means letting go of attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego. It involves freeing oneself from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements. This practice helps cultivate an inner stillness and openness, allowing one to focus on the presence of the divine within. It requires a deep level of spiritual discipline and mindfulness, encouraging a shift from self-centeredness to a state of spiritual receptivity and union with God.

If we “can” let go of our attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego. If we are “able” to free ourselves from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements, "what will we experience?"

If we are able to let go of our attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego, and free ourselves from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements, Meister Eckhart teaches that we will experience a profound inner peace and a direct, intimate connection with the divine. This state of inner stillness allows us to recognize and realize the presence of God within ourselves, leading to a sense of unity with the divine and a deeper understanding of our true nature. It brings about a feeling of spiritual fulfillment, clarity, and liberation from the confines of the self.

Liturgy of the Hours

By the end of the 5th century, the Liturgy of the Hours was composed of seven offices. Of these seven, Compline seems to have been the last to appear, because the 4th century Apostolic Constitutions VIII iv 34 do not mention it in the exhortation "Offer up your prayers in the morning, at the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, the evening, and at cock-crowing".  An eighth office, Prime, was added by Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century. These eight are known by the following names, which do not reflect the times of the day at which in the second millennium they were traditionally recited, as shown by the use of the word "noon", derived from Latin (hora) nona, to mean midday, not 3 in the afternoon:

• Matins (during the night, at midnight with some); also called Vigils or Nocturns or, in monastic usage, the Night Office
  
  
• Lauds or Dawn Prayer (at Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
  
  
• Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour = approximately 6 a.m.)
  
  
• Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour = approximately 9 a.m.)
  
  
• Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour = approximately 12 noon)
  
  
• None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour = approximately 3 p.m.)
  
  
• Vespers or Evening Prayer ("at the lighting of the lamps", generally at 6 p.m.)
  
  
• Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally at 9 p.m.)

This arrangement of the Liturgy of the Hours is attributed to Saint Benedict. However, it is found in Saint John Cassian's Institutes and Conferences, which describe the monastic practices of the Desert Fathers of Egypt.

A Blessing

Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us.  So... be swift to love, and make haste to be kind.  And the blessing of God, who made us, who loves us, and who travels with us be with you now and forever.  Amen

A Blessing and reminder from Cotton Fite 

Community in Christ

Adapted from The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages

by Sr. Joan Chittister, Chapter 72.

St. Benedict seeks to reveal to us a spirituality that is about caring for the people we live with, loving the people we don't and loving God more than ourselves. 

Through reading, study, and theological reflections we will learn to listen for the voice of God everywhere in life, especially in one another and here--together. An ancient tale from another tradition tells that a disciple asked the Holy One:

"Where shall I look for Enlightenment?"

"Here," the Holy One said.

"When will it happen?"

"It is happening right now," the Holy One said.

"Then why don't I experience it?"

"Because you do not look," the Holy said.

"What should I look for?"

"Nothing," the Holy One said. "Just look."

"At what?"

"Anything your eyes alight upon," the Holy One said.

"Must I look in a special kind of way?"

"No," the Holy One said. "The ordinary way will do."

"But don't I always look in the ordinary way?"

"No," the Holy One said. "You don't."

"Why ever not?" the disciple demanded.

"Because to look you must be here," the Holy One said. 

"You're mostly somewhere else."

We are called to listen to and to look at what God is saying to us in our simple, sometimes insane and always uncertain daily lives. Simple religiosity sometimes seeks to make a god out of religious devotion itself, walking over the poor on the way to the altar. Known to Benedict as bitter zeal, it all too frequently renders the useless invisible and makes devotion more sacred than community. 

Bitter zeal wraps us up in ourselves and makes us feel holy about it. Bitter zeal renders us blind to others, deaf to those around us, struck dumb in the face of the demands of dailiness.

Good zeal, reveals to us the holiness of the human community, immerses us in Christ and surrenders us to God, minute by minute, person by person, day after day after day. Good zeal provides the foundation for the spirituality of the long haul. It keeps us going when days are dull and holiness seems to be the stuff of more glamorous lives, of martyrdom and dramatic differences. 

But it is then, just then, when Benedict of Nursia reminds us from the dark of the sixth century that sanctity is the stuff of community in Christ. 

A Prayer for the Middle-East

Divine Source of Compassion

In this troubled land of ancient stories and timeless strife,

Where hearts ache with the weight of history's scars,

We lift our voices in prayer for peace.

Grant solace to those who mourn the loss of loved ones,

Comfort those whose homes lie shattered by conflict's fury,

And heal the wounds of hatred that divide us.

Grant the leaders of all nations both wisdom and empathy,

Inspire them to seek dialogue over discord,

And nurture the seeds of understanding and reconciliation.

Let the olive branches of peace flourish in this now barren land,

Help those in authority find the path to harmony and tranquility,

Where all can dwell under your shining light of justice and compassion.

In your infinite grace, grant us the courage to forgive,

The strength to bridge divides, and the vision to see

That in unity lies our truest strength, and in peace, our greatest victory.

Amen.

Living the Rule at Lanier Village Estates

 Welcome to our new blog....

This blog will be used to share meditations and plans for our reading group.

Notice the links across the top below the banner.

These links open a new tab in your browser and enable you to view other websites.  I invite you to explore these links.

In the right hand column you will see a heading Links of Interest.  We will add to this list over time as new links come to our collective attention.  The first link is a summary of the Education for Ministry reading list.  I invite you to ask about this ministry if you would like to learn more.