Caprice

St. Benedict encouraged us today to curb our own caprice.  We are reminded that...

The phrase “curb our own caprice” calls us to recognize and restrain the impulsive, self-serving tendencies within ourselves—especially those rooted in fleeting desires, whims, or moods. Let’s unpack it more deeply:

1. Caprice: What It Is

The word caprice refers to sudden, unpredictable changes in mood or behavior—an inclination to act on impulse rather than principle or reason. It’s when we:

• make decisions based on fleeting emotions rather than long-term wisdom,

• pursue gratification even when it’s harmful or misaligned with our values,

• or change course erratically, driven by ego or boredom rather than clarity.

Examples of caprice might include:

• abandoning a responsibility for the sake of convenience,

• undermining a relationship because of pride or anger,

• or pursuing novelty over the steady disciplines of love, faith, or service.

2. Curb: The Intentional Restraint

To curb something is not to destroy it but to contain, channel, or discipline it. Curbing our own caprice means:

• pausing before acting, especially when emotions are high,

• weighing consequences with maturity rather than indulging desires,

• and choosing the harder right over the easier wrong.

It’s an act of interior strength—like bridling a spirited horse, not to break it, but to make it purposeful.

3. Spiritual and Moral Dimensions

In religious or moral traditions, curbing caprice often speaks to the path of wisdom, humility, and self-mastery. For instance:

• In Stoicism, it’s the practice of aligning with reason over emotion.

• In Christian spirituality, it’s an act of surrendering the ego to God’s will, putting love above self-gratification.

• In monastic tradition, it’s the daily discipline of stability and obedience, even when the heart is restless or discontent.

4. Why It Matters

Curbing our own caprice matters because:

• Freedom without form becomes chaos—we may think we’re acting freely, but we’re often enslaved to impulse.

• Character is forged not by how we act when it’s easy, but how we choose when it’s hard.

• Communities thrive when individuals choose commitment over caprice, fidelity over fickleness.

Amen and Amen

We are called....

Today, Sister Joan reminds us that we are called to lead, "...we are to birth souls of steel and light...".  We talked recently about random act of kindness, today Sister Joan reminds us that we are to 

...love indiscriminately...to call the the community to the height and depth

and breadth of the spiritual life; to rejoin in our own weaknesses in order

to deal more tenderly with the weaknesses of others; to attend more to the

spiritual than the physical aspects of community life; and to save our own

souls in the process....

 

O God of Unmeasured Mercy, teach us to love without condition or caution—

to open our arms wide, as Christ opened His on the cross, embracing others 

not for what they are or are not, but simply because they are Yours. 

Remind us that silence nourishes, humility strengthens, and the unseen work

of grace shapes the soul more than any labor of the hand.

Let us rejoice in our weaknesses, where Your strength is made perfect.  Teach 

us to cradle the flaws of others tenderly, as we have learned to cradle our own.

Draw our hearts beyond shared meals to the deeper communion of spirit;

prayers said for one another in secret; forgiveness offered before it is asked;

and compassion rising from an understanding heart.

And in all things, may we remember that to love well is to follow You.

Amen.

Once Again

O Eternal One, Light Beyond All Lamps,

The Breath Behind All Prayers

You have spoken across the sands of time 

to Abraham beneath the stars,

to Moses through the fire,

to Mary on angel's wing,

to Muhammad in the hush of a cave. 

 

From the sea of creation flowed the Torah, Gospel, and Qur'an.

Though each stream carved its own bed through time,

all are filled with longing for You, the One from which we all came.

 

Draw us now, O Holy Mystery,

not into sameness but into shared reverence.

Let the Jew embrace the Muslim,

the Christian bless the Sufi,

the doubter walk beside the faithful.

 

Tear down the walls we have built in fear.

Scatter our pride like chaff in the wind.

Teach us that we might see and say:

"I see the Light in you, though you walk a different road."

 

Like the moon’s reflection in many cups,

we each hold only part of Your glory.

Let Your Spirit within us—even now 

crying, longing for the creator—help us understand, remember, 

and imagine that life of perfect unity at the moment of creation.

 

Bring us home, O Lord of Light,

to the shore where no name is needed,

and no lamp is required—

for You will be the sea, the sky, the dawn.

And we, will be One again with you.

 

Amen 

 

A Prayer for Transformation

Inspired by Sister Joan's story of the Hasidim and the disciple...

        A Prayer for Transformation

        O Holy One,
        You who breathed the world into being and whispered wisdom onto the scrolls of old,
        I have walked the paths of your Word,
        I have traced the letters, studied the laws, read the stories with my eyes and lips—
        But now, with trembling heart, I ask:
        Let these sacred words walk through me.

        Let them not remain bound in parchment or memory,
        but arise, living and active, in my bones and breath.
        Let them enter where no scholar’s hand can reach—
        into my intentions, my silences, my shadowed places.

        Unfold within me the compassion of Abraham,
        the courage of Moses,
        the holy yearning of the psalmist.
        Let justice roll through me like a river,
        and justice and mercy dwell within my soul.

        Break open my pride,

        humble me,
        dissolve my illusion of mastery,
        and write your truth upon the tablets of my heart.

        I do not ask for knowledge without love,
        nor wisdom without transformation.
        I long to be read by your Word,
        to be written anew by your Spirit,
        to become, not just a student of your word—
        but its living echo in your world.

        Amen.

The Prolog to the Rule

Dear Friend,

 I was reminded this morning of His Grace to be found in a close reading and reflection on the Prolog to the Rule of Benedict and most particularly, in the words of Sr. Joan Chittister's commentary.  And so I include it here, should you not yet possess it, the Prolog from Sr. Joan's commentary.  I invite you to read it in its entirety, meditatively, and reflectively.  It is rich with His word and truth of practicing His way.

Secondly, if you do not already have a copy of Sr. Joan's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict, I encourage you to seek one out and add it to your library.  It is organized so that you might easily ready it through, 3-times a year.  You will find that it indeed offers insight for the ages.

Love

Peace Prayer 2025

 

The Drazuk Series

To acquire wisdom

Have you every thought about taking care of yourself as an opportunity to acquire wisdom?  What an interesting idea!

Quoting the rabbi, Sr. Joan reminds us today that every day we have gives us another chance to become the real person we are meant to be.

Chapter 36 is devoted to care of the sick.  By now, we have learned that Sr. Joan's commentary on the Rule of Benedict is itself so very rich in wisdom.  Sr. Joan stressing that...

...every bit of kindness, every tender touch we lay upon another in life can heal what might otherwise have died, certainly in them, perhaps even in ourselves.

Most importantly, Sr. Joan asks us just how much of own precious time 

do we spend on those with little time left? 

 

Between the two you will forget to sin

Sr. Joan reminds us that humble work is as sacred and sanctifying as prayer.  Today I am blessed to live in a world surrounded by people devoted to taking care of me.  They open my eyes every day to the sacred.

We are all called to work and pray.  The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers reminds us that 

It is wise to work as well as to study the Torah:

between the two you will forget to sin.

Many of us are beginning to be called to read the scriptures of our faith every day and to serve others.  The Jewish Fathers remind us that if we do both, we are beginning to walk and live the way.  Amen

I am building a cathedral

Today we are reminded of the transcendent purpose of work.  We are called to focus on what we do, remembering always, why we serve and love.

As I have done, so you must do...

We all live in community--our homes, at work, among our wider circle of friends and family.  If we do not wish to live alone together we must recognize that we are all called to serve--to serve one another where ever we are--whom ever we are with.

Love and service are the fulcrum of community!

They bind us to Him and to each other!

Echos

Above all, let the cellarer be humble.

Benedict reminds us that we are to be humble all times.  We have a responsibility to serve others without any pride or delay--to burden others to satisfy our own need to be important.

We can give freedom and joy with every gift we give.

Sacred Vessels

Benedict's instructions for qualifying a cellarer describe a person of genuine merit, to the extent that the celler becomes a model for the community.  Someone who knows the difference between needs and desires--guiding us away from excess and indolence.

In the house of Benedict, the principles of the life live in ways no words can convey, in the people who carry them out.  The call to be what we say we believe...

Sister Joan reminds us that people in authority must also keep watch over their own souls--guarding themselves against arrogance, disinterest, unkindness, aloofness.  We are not, for the sake of efficiency, to overlook the sick, the young, the guests, and the poor.  Reminding us that we will be held accountable.

A Benedictine soul takes care of things, treating all the tools of life as sacred vessels of the altar.

A Call to Growth

Sister Joan calls Chapters 23-30 of the Rule, Benedict's penal code.  In doing so she points out that while Benedict called for discipline, Benedict's punishment is always meant to heal, never to destroy; to cure, not to crush.  Most importantly, she reminds us that on the journey to spiritual adulthood, we are called to use every tool we have: love, listening, counsel, confrontation, and prayer. 

Let us look inward today, and invite ourselves to return to God's fold when we stray.  He loves us beyond measure and is ready to listen and counsel us.  But we must invite him in.  We must surrender to His unconditional love.

A Fresh Beginning

Life is often a series of false starts while we find out who we are and determine where we really want to go.  Benedict understands the struggle of uncertainty and indecision.

Eventually we must all settle down and do something serious with our lives and every day we must make a fresh beginning of it.

We are reminded again that He does not expect perfection.  Persistence, however, makes Him smile.

The Price

Human development demands that we grow...grow beyond childish uncontrol

to maturity and that we be willing to correct things in ourselves in order

to grow, whatever the cost.

Benedict clearly believes that there are indeed things we must be willing to die

to in life if we want to go beyond the fruitless patterns we're in right now.

The spiritual life in the Benedictine tradition is not a series of overnight stays.

Human community is the universal obligation to live fully ourselves and to live well with others. 

 

What price do we pay for failure?  Does recognition of this price help us set the cost we are willing to pay to amend our ways?  How much has been said and written about dying to self?  Is this this not another way to say surrender to His saving grace?

When God is at its center!

Sister Joan reminds us life is at its best

when God is at its center.  

God frequently reminds us to slow down and truly be present in His world. We are called to be present and to help Him!  

Live out the Gospel message today!

From "The Upper Room"

Today's reflection comes from The Upper Room for February 11, 2025. 

As I sit on the patio, the breeze brushes against my face, and I can feel the wind and hear it as it swirls through the trees. I have learned to see and enjoy God in everything. Like a gentle breeze, God’s presence is all around. God fills the space around us and is in constant motion — always working, always breathing life into us. 

Scripture tells us in 1 Kings 19 that Elijah was disturbed and confused after a spiritual battle that sapped his strength. As he stood at the mouth of the cave where he had taken refuge, God spoke in a gentle whisper to him that gave Elijah new strength and direction that his life needed. No matter what life brings, we can be certain that God is in constant motion, filling the space around us, as the impulse of the Holy Spirit inspires and guides us.

Learn what has been learned....

By now we have recognized the wisdom and insight to be gained from the Rule of Benedict and Sr Joan's commentary.  Not surprisingly, the eighth step of humility, encourages us to follow the good examples of those who have come before us, and those who live among us.

Value the truths taught by ohers, seek out wisdom and enshrine it in our hearts.  Do not make the mistake of becoming our own blind guide.

Our living communities have a great deal to teach us.  All we need is respect for experience and the comforting kind of faith that it take to do what we cannot now see to be valuable.

We must learn to open our eyes and our hearts 

to the wisdom of others. 

The opportunity to be kind....

Sister Joan reminds us, in the seventh step of humility, of our own meager virtues, of our own massive failures despite all our great effort, of all our fine desires, the chance to understand the failure of others. 

 

In this moment, we have the opportunity to become kind.

A Beautiful Reminder

During a recent EfM opening worship, a new friend reminded us of these most important things to say to our friends and those we love, while we still can.  I offer them to you for your consideration.

1. You are one of the most important people in my life and I’m grateful for you every day.
2. Thank you for always being there for me, through everything.
3. I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you do and the person you are.
4. You have helped shaped who I am, and I’m a better person because of our friendship.
5. I’m so lucky to have someone who truly understands me and accepts me for who I am.
6. If I don’t say enough, just know that I love you and cherish our friendship.
7. I am here for you, always, no matter what you need or when.
8. Thank you for the laughter and the joy you bring into my life.
9. I am proud of everything of you have accomplished, and I admire you.
10. I appreciate that you are always honest with me, even when it is hard to hear.
11. If there is ever anything you need to talk about, I will always listen.
12. I want you to know that you have made a difference in my life, and that means so much to me.
13. Life is unpredictable, but I know that our friendship is something I can count on.
14. Thank you for being you – just as you are, you are amazing.

 

A Monastery of the Heart

There is no such thing as a private life in a globalized world. For a monastery, there never was. The monastery is that model of a place where the doors are always open, the environment is always gentle, the rhythm is always ordered and God is always the center of life. A monastery is to be a light to remind all of us how beautiful the world would be if we shaped our own lives out of the same values. 

Dear Lord, build in us a monastery of the heart that we mind server you here in our community.  Amen

Freshen our Eyes

Sister Joan reminds us today that we can see all His many gifts if we but freshen our eyes to His world.  How do we do this? We are called to one another by love and respect.  We are to love and care for one another.

Benedictine spirituality reverences the other based on the spark of the divine that is in all of us.  This is our gift to this time and place alive with distinctions and so chooses to not care for the scarred and bleeding--to a world that simply does not see the sacred in all of His children.

The History of Monte Cassino

Greetings.  I thought you might like to know more about the history of the Benedictine moastery at Monte Cassino.  An excellent telling can be found at Britannica.

The following was produced by ChatGPT.  

The Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino has a long and turbulent history marked by spiritual significance and repeated destruction. Here is a comprehensive history from its founding in 529 AD to the present day:

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1. Founding and Early Growth (529–581)

• 529 AD: Founded by Saint Benedict of Nursia on a hill once dedicated to the pagan god Apollo. Benedict established the Rule of Saint Benedict, which became the foundation of Western monasticism.
• 581 AD: The monastery was destroyed by the Lombards during their invasion of Italy. The monks fled, carrying Saint Benedict's relics with them.

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2. Restoration and the Carolingian Renaissance (718–883)

• 718 AD: Rebuilt under Abbot Petronax of Brescia with encouragement from Pope Gregory II and donations from the Lombard Duke Romuald II of Benevento.
• Monte Cassino became a renowned center for spiritual, cultural, and intellectual life.
• 883 AD: The monastery was sacked and burned by Saracen raiders, causing significant loss of life and property.

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3. Second Restoration and Medieval Flourishing (949–1349)

• 949 AD: Rebuilt under Abbot Aligerno after being abandoned for decades. This era saw the monastery become one of Europe’s most important centers of learning and art.
• The 11th century marked Monte Cassino's peak. Under Abbot Desiderius (later Pope Victor III), the monastery was lavishly adorned with mosaics, frescoes, and manuscripts.
• It became a focal point of the Gregorian Reform Movement and a model for other Benedictine monasteries.

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4. Earthquake and Reconstruction (1349–1500s)

• 1349: A massive earthquake devastated the monastery, leaving it in ruins. Reconstruction began slowly due to financial and political challenges.
• By the 15th century, Monte Cassino was partially rebuilt and continued its spiritual mission, albeit with diminished influence.

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5. Renaissance and Baroque Rebuilding (1500s–1799)

• The monastery underwent significant renovations during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, culminating in the grand structure known for its splendor by the 17th century.
• 1799: The monastery was sacked by French Revolutionary troops, leading to the loss of precious manuscripts, relics, and treasures.

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6. Revival and the Napoleonic Era (1815–1944)

• 1815: After the fall of Napoleon, the monastery was restored again, resuming its role as a spiritual and cultural beacon.
• By the early 20th century, Monte Cassino had regained prominence as a religious and historical monument.

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7. Destruction in World War II (1944)

• February 15, 1944: During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Allied bombers destroyed the monastery, mistakenly believing it was being used as a German stronghold. The bombing reduced the structure to rubble, and invaluable artworks and manuscripts were lost.
• Fortunately, many treasures had been evacuated to the Vatican before the bombing, preserving part of the monastery's cultural legacy.

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8. Post-War Reconstruction (1944–1964)

• After World War II, the Italian government and the Benedictine community undertook the meticulous reconstruction of Monte Cassino.
• 1964: The rebuilt monastery was completed, faithfully replicating its pre-war Baroque design.

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9. Modern Era (1964–Present)

• Today, Monte Cassino stands as a symbol of peace and resilience. It continues to function as a Benedictine monastery and a pilgrimage site.
• The site includes a museum, which houses artifacts from its history, and serves as a memorial to those who fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino.

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Summary of Key Destructions

1. 581 AD: Destroyed by Lombards.
2. 883 AD: Sacked by Saracens.
3. 1349: Devastated by an earthquake.
4. 1799: Sacked by French Revolutionary troops.
5. 1944: Bombed during World War II.

Each reconstruction after these events underscored Monte Cassino’s enduring spiritual and cultural significance.

St Gregory: The Dialogues

Written by 6th century Pope St. Gregory I, this text is one of the only ancient accounts of St. Benedict's life and work.

 

St. Gregory first introduces the life of Benedict with information about his birthplace in Italy, his parentage, and his primary education. St. Gregory tells us that at an early age, St. Benedict abandoned all worldly cares to seek a life of close union with God. In his adulthood, St. Benedict built twelve monasteries and was believed to have performed numerous miracles. St. Benedict is largely known for his book The Rule of St. Benedict, a collection of spiritual and administrative instructions for monks--as a result of this achievement, St. Benedict is often recognized as the founder of Western monasticism.

 

The second half of St. Gregory's text is the reproduction of St. Benedict's seventy-three chapter Rule. Although St. Gregory never engaged with St. Benedict himself, he was able to craft this illuminating portrait of St. Benedict's life by consulting several of St. Benedict's close disciples and successors.

Emmalon Davis 

 

 

Click here to see and read a reproduction of early edition of The Dialogues.

The Medal

Let love be affirmed...

So great was Christ's compassion for its weakness that "he mercifully placed it on his sacred shoulders" and so carried it back to the flock.  (Luke 15:5)

Our role, the Rule of Benedict insists, is to soothe what hurts them, heal what weakens them, lift what burdens them and wait.  The spiritual life is a process, not an event. It takes time and love and help and care. It takes our patient presence. Just like everything else.

Sr Joan Chittister   

The great work of growth....

Today's reading can be a bit of a challenge for those of us who always want to fix the broken in the other.  Sister Joan reminds us...

Sometimes pain itself cures. Benedict wants the cure to have the time to heal. Meddling, agitating, distracting a person from the great work of growth at such an important time in a person's life is grave fault itself. 

In those moments when we see pain in those whom we love, we are called to quietly reflect on the potential value of the healing properties of that pain.  It seems antithetical to allow the suffering to continue. I believe Benedict invites us reflect carefully on the healing potential in life's painful encounters--the potential for significant and meaningful growth.

Serious Faults....

 There is no failure except in no longer trying....

Atonement

Things broken must be mended; things running away with us must be curbed; things awry in us must be set straight.

Sr. Joan Chittister

How do we impose discipline on ourselves?

How do we lead ourselves by rewards?

How do we encourage & nurture ourselves to lead moral and productive lives? 

How do we set and maintain a path of growth?

 

 We must surrender.  In His hands we will prevail.

Follow the Christ within you...

Benedictine Reading List

Pray....

When God is its center....

Sister Joan reminds us that life is better when God is at the center.  Not surprisingly she observes this after reading Benedict's writing on the role of Alleluia in our lives.

The Navahos wrote, "We felt like talking to the ground, we loved it so."  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The earth laughs in flowers."  Benedict of Nursia wrote, say "Alleluia" always, no matter the time of day, no matter the season of life.

Sr Joan Chittister

 

Alleluia ~ Praise the Lord!

 

When earth first opens its eyes....

 At the break of dawn, every day of the week, Benedict, through his organization of the morning psalms, reminds the monastic of two unfailing realities.  The first is that life is not perfect, that struggle is to be expected, that the human being lives on the brink of danger and defeat at all times.

St Joan Chittister

In Chapter 13, The Celebration of Lauds on Ordinary Days, Sr Joan reminds us of the importance of order in which we recite the Psalms, the story they tell, and the comfort they bring.

In his meditation on Psalm 92, Charles H. Spurgeon further reminds us of the beauty and peace to be found in the psalms.

You declare Your loving kindness in the morning.  There is a peculiar freshness and charm about early morning praises, the day is loveliest when it first opens its eyelids, and God Himself seems then to make distribution of the day's manna, which tastes most sweetly if gathered before the sun is hot. It seems most appropriate that if our hearts and harps have been silent through the shades of night, we should be eager again to take our place among the chosen choir who ceaselessly hymn the Eternal One.

And Your faithfulness every night. No hour is too late for praise, and the end of the day must not be the end of gratitude. When nature seems in silent contemplation to adore its Maker, it ill becomes the children of God to restrain their thanksgiving.  Evening is the time for retrospect: memory is busy with the experience of the day, hence the appropriate theme for song is the divine faithfulness of which another day has furnished fresh evidences. 

When darkness has settled down over all things, then there comes over wise people a congenial, meditative spirit, and it is most fitting that they should take an expanded view of the truth and goodness of Jehovah. 

Charles H. Spurgeon

  

Tread tenderly...

Tread tenderly upon life around you.  There is room for all of us in life.  We are each an ember of the mind of god and we are each sent to illumine the other through the dark places of life to sanctuaries of truth and peace where God can be God for us because we have relieved ourselves of the ordeal of being god ourselves. We are called to be kind, gentle, and calm--never smothering the other.

There is a great paradox of being kind and gentle to those with whom we do not agree--they will find we are easy to be around, and in time, they may follow the teaching we live out in our lives.

The Humble Person

The humble person cultivates a soul in which everyone is safe.  A humble person handles the presence of the other with soft hands, a velvet heart, and an unveiled mind. 

We are transparent.  We are who we seem to be.  

There is room for all of us!

Humility

The following is a gentle summary Chapter 7 drawn from Sr Joan's commentary.  Gentle because some of the content of each of the 12 steps has been gently reorganized to allow this writer to better follow what St Benedict is asking us to do.  I invite you to read this periodically.  I have added it to the links of interest so it will always easily be accessable.

Perseverance....

 The God-life, Benedict is telling us, is a never-ending, unremitting, totally absorbing enterprise. God is intent on it; so must we be. The Hebrew poet, Moses Ibn Ezra, writes: "Those who persist in knocking will succeed in entering." Benedict thinks no less. It is not perfection that leads us to God; it is perseverance.

                                                                                                                    Sr. Joan Chittister

We are capable...

 One of the great ironies of humility is that...

...if we have it, we know we are made for

 greatness, we are made for God.

Sr Joan Chittister 

Humility....

We've now begun one of the most important chapters in the Rule of Benedict.  I believe Sr Joan is correct when she says...

If the modern age has lost anything that needs to be rediscovered, if the Western world has denied anything that needs to be owned, if individuals have rejected anything that needs to be professed again, if the preservation of the globe in the twenty-first century requires anything of the past at all, it may well be the commitment of the Rule of Benedict to humility.

Humility allows us to form a proper sense of self in a universe of wonders. Humility is the basis for right relationships in life and necessary if we truly want to grow in the Spirit of God.  As Sr Joan points out...

...being sinless is not enough.  [We are called to be] steeped in the mind of God.  [We must] become aware that the God we seek is aware of us.

God is within us to be realized...it is simply a matter of opening our eyes to the light that drives out the darkness within us.  

 It is a matter of gaining the God within, the love of Whom impels us to good.

 

 

 

Benedictine silence....

 Sr Joan writes...

Silence is a cornerstone of ... spiritual development but the goal of monastic silence is not non-talking. The goal ... is respect for others, a sense of place, a spirit of peace. 

Benedictine spirituality forms us to listen ... for the voice of God.  Benedictine spirituality forms us to know our place in the world. When we refuse to give place to others, when we consume all the space of our worlds with our own sounds and our own truths and our own wisdom and our own ideas, there is no room for anyone else's ideas.

Benedictine spirituality is a builder of human community. When talk is unrestrained, when gossip becomes the food of the soul, then the destruction of others can't be far behind. When talk is loud and boisterous, when we make light of everything, when nothing is spared the raillery of a joke, the seriousness of all of life is at stake and our spirits wither from a lack of beauty and substance.

Grow in the silence. 

To bear the heat of life...

Sr Joan does a lovely job today of helping us see the role of others in our lives.  

"Why do you need teachers?" the visitor asked a disciple.

"Because,' the disciple answered, "if water must be boiled it needs a vessel between the fire and itself." 

Hold this metaphor gently in your hand...now...think about someone in your life that has always been there to guide, shelter, and shape.

There is no going through life alone.  We need wisdom figures ... teachers, fine parents and mentors, tender husbands and gentle wives, good friends ... who listen to us as much as we listen to them....  

 

The wize smile quietly....

 I worked for a man who had the most interesting smile--it was a quiet smile--not quite Mona Lisa--but surely not what I would call a grin.  Today, I realize it was indeed a quiet wize smile.  Today, I believe he was watching a young man, loud, always certain and willing to talk...and he was thinking...when will he learn.

I'm more than a little embarrassed to tell you, I remember that smile from 30 years ago--and I am troubled by how little has changed.  And so, Benedict and Sr Joan remind us again today, 

Benedict wants moderation, balance, control...hold all of life in perspective...not to be overtaken, consumed, swept up, swallowed....

Let me close with a gift from a dear friend...

                        We travelers, walking to the sun, can't see

                        Ahead, but looking back the very light

                        That blinded us shows us the way we came,

                        Along which blessings now appear, risen

                        As if from sightlessness to sight, and we,

                        By blessing brightly lit, keep going toward

                        The blesséd light that yet to us is dark

        

 

 

How we are called to be...

We are now in the heart of Chapter 4: Tools of Good Works.  I pray I am ready.  The Christian call is a simple one--but how so hard to live by.  Benedict writes

"Do not repay one bad turn with another" (1 Thessalonians 5;15; 1 Peter 3:9).  Do not injure anyone but bear injuries patiently.  "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27).  If people curse you, do not curse them back but bless them instead.  "Endure persecution for the sake of justice" (Matthew 5:10).

We are to stay gentle even with those who are not gentle with us.  The Gospels, Sr Joan reminds us, don't talk about winning; they talk about loving.  

We must be prepared  to bear whatever blows it takes for the sake of justice, quietly, gently, even lovingly, with never a blow in return.

 

 

Our call...

Benedict reminds us frequently that we are called to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as our self.  Most importantly, we are called to set out every day to see the Christ in the other and to treat the other as Christ.

What a challenge this is for most of us!  And then Sr Joan raises the bar, reminding us we are called to engage in the great Christian enterprise of acting for others in the place of God--every day, in every moment.  St. Teresa of Avila made this clear....

 Christ has no body but mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet, and loves with my heart.   

If we can embrace this truth, .... allowing that transformative love to permeate all of our work, we will not only build the Kingdom of Heaven,  but we will also find eternal rest and peace for ourselves.

 Reading now from Sr Joan....

The monastic heart is not just to be a good heart.  It is to be engaged in the great Christian enterprise of acting for others in the place of God.

Sr Joan Chittister 

Our role....

Sister Joan recently talked to us about the role of the abbot or prioress, saying...  

The role of the abbot or prioress is to direct their energies to bringing the community to the white heat of the spiritual life....

I invite you to consider if this might be our role in our community--not so much by preaching, but by the way we live out our lives in our community.  We are called to care for each other.  You are teaching me this every day.  And, we are called above all else, to persist; to never lose hope!

Benedict knows there is a spark of the divine in all of us.  We are called to see it in each other and to help it grow.

The Jubilee Medal of Saint Benedict

 

For more on the medal please click here.

Today's challenge....

There are times in our lives when we are confronted by ideas that don't seem to belong where we live.  I believe, in those moments, we are called to listen even more carefully and seek the word of God in the voice of the other.  For some, the following may be one of those moments.  For others, it is where they live. 

The Time to Embrace

What we need to develop in our time is a spirituality of embrace, the sanctification of feeling. We have been told that the greatest of these is love, but we do not really believe it. Not on the rational level. We have been told to be willing to repeatedly turn the other cheek but we do not risk it. Not on the social level. And yet, until we have the grace to regurgitate at the sight of brutality anywhere, what hope can we possibly have for the success of divinity's great experiment––the mind of God in the human heart.

Santayana writes: "The young person who has not wept is a savage and the old person who will not laugh is a fool." The spirituality of embrace depends on our willingness to put down the trappings of false intellectualism, of rationalism, of patriarchy so that both men and women alike can draw on their emotions without shame and be directed by their noblest feelings without fear.

Human community and globalism hang in the balance. The values we bring to decision making in the modern world are no longer a matter of purely private or personal importance. We cannot pretend to humanity and continue to deprive ourselves of half our way of perceiving at the highest levels of function. 

To embrace the other, to take the stranger into our lives, to trust that the other is motivated by the same cares and loves as we are, redesigns the human race. It is the ability to allow human feeling to become a reputable foundation for decision-making at the highest levels that engenders the necessary antidote to a depraved rationalism. For too long have we allowed a false masculinity to guide the judgments of the church and justify the character of the corporate world and engorge a suicidal militarism and direct the policies of governments and reduce humanity to the rationalization of objectivity and deny the people of the world the validity of the feminine, of the feelings, in both women and men.

Reason has become the human sin; independence and individualism our pathology. Facts we have aplenty. It is feelings we lack.

The time to embrace is now, before autonomy destroys community and leaves us less human at the end of our evolutionary process than when we began. Adoration of the rational has not worked. Only embrace can save us now.
                  ––from For Everything A Season, by Joan Chittister (Orbis)

The Spiritual LIfe....

The spiritual life is a way of being -- open to God and open to the other!

It is difficult for me to chose which of the chapters is the most important.  Chapter 7 on Humility is surely a prime candidate.  However, I believe the Prologue surely sets the stage--preparing us for what is to come.  St. Benedict's writing and Sr. Joan's September 3rd commentary are full of very simple and so very rich life wisdom.  Take a moment and see just how many pearls you can find.

Seriously....  Go....  Now.....

Read it again....

To become what we hate...

 Benedict makes it clear that the desire for good

is not an excuse for the exercise of evil in its behalf.

This reading is important, then, for people whose 

high ideals lead them to the basest of means

in the name of achieving good. To become what 

we hate — as mean as the killers, as obsessed as the haters

is neither the goal nor the greatness of the spiritual life.

The Rule of Benedict, Sr Joan Chittister        

I was rightly reminded today by a dear friend, that context IS important.  And so it is that Sister Joan reminds us that the end does not justify the means....