Please Forgive Me

I extend my apologies for neglecting this practice of Benedictine Community on the web for so very long.  I humbly ask you to forgive me.

So I begin again today. I hope you will re-join me in the Benedictine journey.

Where have I been for so long? 

Well it has been a time of transition for me. 

I spent some time getting a chronic health issue under control.  I do feel much better!

My husband and I downsized our home.  It is a relief to be all in the new place.

Last month I discovered that we will be grandparents in June.  O Joy!

I have also gone to the monastery for retreats.

And I participate in my local faith community.

I continue to read a section of the Rule of Benedict as a daily practice.

And I meditate on scripture regularly.
The practice of Morning Prayer / Liturgy of the Hours feeds my soul and returns my focus to God.

The Rule of Benedict says in the Prologue that this is "a guide for beginners."

One Benedictine Sister, who has spent over 50 years in the monastery, once gave me a perspective on this.  She said,  "In following the Rule of Benedict we all stumble and fall.  Then we get up and start again.  In following the Rule, we are all beginners." 

So I invite you to join me in this journey of beginners.

Listen My Child

'Listen My Child....' says Benedict in the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict.

This morning I have been contemplating mundane issues of home finances. And in the midst of ordinary decisions about what groceries to buy... I hear "Listen my child..."

And so I am reminded, even (or especially...) in these times of financial difficulty for many. I am reminded that God is present. Present even in these daily decisions that are seemingly not spiritual.

Benedict's mind was drenched in the scripture, that scripture simply poured out of him as naturally as breath. We can see it in any copy of the Rule of Benedict that includes reference notes. So he says to us "Listen my child...." and directs each of us to the Psalms, to the Gospels, to the experience of both our elders and our juniors.

Whatever I must put my hand, or my mind to today.... Benedict tells me that I need to 'listen...' for a 'God perspective,' for a 'next best step,' according to these sources of wisdom provided in my life.

And so I pause, just for a moment, to 'Listen....'

I invite you to join me.

Ecumenical Benedictine Oblate Community

I just attended a retreat with my Ecumenical Benedictine Oblate community. About 60 or 70 Oblates met from Friday Evening Prayer through Sunday lunch. This varied group of women and men range in age from 30 to 80. They came from homes in cities and farms, and all kinds of towns in-between… spanning the United States, and overseas.

Our personal faith traditions extend across numerous denominations of Christianity, and 12 Step Spirituality. Yet we find common ground in this community, where the Rule of Benedict pre-dates all these historical divisions. We came to this place where we are each welcome at the table. We are each greeted as Christ, and we endeavor to greet others as Christ.

We are each drawn here for the Rule of Benedict, the community, the prayers, the Psalms, the need for justice. We desire to leave some part of this earth better than we found it. We crave solitude and contemplation. We long for a greater awareness of God in our lives and our world.

We each have a unique story. As we admit the truth about our own journey of faith and the rule, we know that we will be heard, accepted, and encouraged to find our next best step in faith. As we listen to each other’s stories, we are encouraged to think in new ways about old issues. We are encouraged to admit where we need to step-up and grow… in wisdom, commitment, spiritual practice, ordinary service, and forgiveness of both ourselves and others.

In this place I asked deep theological questions, while I was knitting my socks, and washing dishes. My Catholic friend clarified her understanding of Old Testament Theology and how it relates to Christology. We discussed a ‘Communion Paradigm.’ Meanwhile a musician spontaneously took a scrap of newsprint and a magic marker, jotting down a new chant for a fellow oblate. (It was complete with tune, words and chord progressions in moments.) We prayed for each other, for our families and for our world.

There are so few places where it is safe to speak openly about these spiritual realities. There are so few places where our hearts are heard, without comparison or competition.

In this place I saw community organically drawing out the gifts of each person.

In this place I was in awe of God, in ordinary lives.