Benedictine SpiritualityBenedictine Spirituality

Ten Key Elements for Ten Key Elements for Everyday LifeEveryday Life

St Benedict’s LegacySt Benedict’s Legacy

Benedict’s Rule for monasteries has Benedict’s Rule for monasteries has been used as the cornerstone for been used as the cornerstone for monastic life up to the present monastic life up to the present because it is brief, flexible, realistic, because it is brief, flexible, realistic, practical, humane and sensible.practical, humane and sensible.

The basic premise of the Benedictine The basic premise of the Benedictine ‘Rule” is all that is needed is ‘Rule” is all that is needed is to be to be faithful to finding God in the ordinary faithful to finding God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. *circumstances of daily life. *

Benedict’s World ViewBenedict’s World View

Benedict rejected the degenerate Benedict rejected the degenerate lifestyle of his day.lifestyle of his day.

The Roman Empire was in decline The Roman Empire was in decline and decay.and decay.

Benedict’s message was that with Benedict’s message was that with balance and moderation, stability, balance and moderation, stability, hospitality and stewardship, the true hospitality and stewardship, the true values of “civilised” Christian life values of “civilised” Christian life would be preserved.*would be preserved.*

Benedictine “Values”Benedictine “Values”

Stability; Stability; Conversion; Conversion; ObedienceObedience Humility; Humility; CommunityCommunity

Prayer;Prayer; Work; Work; Hospitality;Hospitality; Peace;Peace; Compassion.*Compassion.*

Stability and BalanceStability and Balance For Benedict, the spiritual For Benedict, the spiritual

pathway was not to be pathway was not to be littered with difficult and littered with difficult and strange practices. Monastic, strange practices. Monastic, and all life, should be a and all life, should be a balance between work, balance between work, prayer and leisure.prayer and leisure.

This brought stability, which This brought stability, which is essential if we are to put on is essential if we are to put on the mind of God and continue the mind of God and continue on our journey of conversion.on our journey of conversion.

It is a counterpoint to a It is a counterpoint to a culture obsessed with culture obsessed with change, redundancy and change, redundancy and pursuit of new experiences.*pursuit of new experiences.*

ConversionConversion Conversion is the disposition of Conversion is the disposition of

“putting on the mind of God”.“putting on the mind of God”.

It is an openness to change, to It is an openness to change, to become daily more Christ-like become daily more Christ-like in our words, actions and in our words, actions and world-view.world-view.

It is to deliberately walk in the It is to deliberately walk in the conscious presence of God’s conscious presence of God’s dream for humanity each day.dream for humanity each day.

We tune our ears to God’s We tune our ears to God’s way, not that of the world.*way, not that of the world.*

Obedience: Listen!Obedience: Listen! Benedict urged his Benedict urged his

followers: “Prefer nothing followers: “Prefer nothing whatever to Christ”.whatever to Christ”.

Benedictine contemplation Benedictine contemplation revolves around listening revolves around listening obediently to the Word of obediently to the Word of God.God.

Listening to the world is to Listening to the world is to adopt a compassionate adopt a compassionate response to all we response to all we encounter: to listen with encounter: to listen with the the ear of our heart.ear of our heart.

In order to obey the call to In order to obey the call to listen, we need to be listen, we need to be silent.*silent.*

HumilityHumility Humility in the Benedictine Humility in the Benedictine

tradition is not a fawning self-tradition is not a fawning self-negationnegation

Humility is aligned with patience: Humility is aligned with patience: it is the capacity to realise that it is the capacity to realise that not all one wants to happen or be not all one wants to happen or be can occur in the “now.”can occur in the “now.”

Humility accepts that others may Humility accepts that others may not be at the same stage as not be at the same stage as oneself and so one is prepared to oneself and so one is prepared to wait for the right time and place.wait for the right time and place.

Humility does not place the ego Humility does not place the ego above all else: it accepts that for above all else: it accepts that for peaceful relationships, others peaceful relationships, others must be considered. It is must be considered. It is essential for living in community.essential for living in community.

CommunityCommunity Justice was a strong Justice was a strong

element of monastic element of monastic community life. It stemmed community life. It stemmed from from humility humility and and respect respect for all creation.for all creation.

Benedict decreed thatBenedict decreed that even even the youngest novice was the youngest novice was entitled to his say in entitled to his say in community gatherings and community gatherings and was to be listened to with was to be listened to with respect.respect.

Benedict’s vision for a Benedict’s vision for a successful community was successful community was that the brightest still had that the brightest still had something to strive for and something to strive for and the least were not the least were not discouraged. *discouraged. *

WorkWork For Benedict, life For Benedict, life

balance was achieved balance was achieved by the interplay of by the interplay of work, prayer and work, prayer and leisure.leisure.

Thus the day is broken Thus the day is broken up into periods of time up into periods of time centred around these centred around these three life factors.three life factors.

Work gives people Work gives people dignity and is part of dignity and is part of our co-creation role our co-creation role with God the creator. with God the creator.

HospitalityHospitality The obligation to welcome The obligation to welcome

the stranger as one would the stranger as one would welcome Christ was welcome Christ was imperative to the monastic imperative to the monastic way of life. way of life.

Benedict urged his followers Benedict urged his followers to treat all goods as if they to treat all goods as if they were the vessels of the altar: were the vessels of the altar: that is to value and that is to value and acknowledge the acknowledge the connectedness of all creation.connectedness of all creation.

Benedictine spirituality is Benedictine spirituality is strongly aligned with nature strongly aligned with nature and God-in-creation.and God-in-creation.

From hospitality comes From hospitality comes connectedness and connectedness and stewardship and stewardship and responsibility towards the responsibility towards the rest of the planet. *rest of the planet. *

PeacePeace Peace is not the absence of Peace is not the absence of

violence or war. Peace-violence or war. Peace-fullness comes from the daily fullness comes from the daily practice of balance, prayer, practice of balance, prayer, compassion, hospitality, compassion, hospitality, listening, reverence and hope.listening, reverence and hope.

Peace is the product of Peace is the product of conversion to the mind of conversion to the mind of God. It is the life of God. God. It is the life of God. Peace often only comes Peace often only comes through suffering of loss of through suffering of loss of ego.ego.

Peace is the ability to obey Peace is the ability to obey the great and lesser silences the great and lesser silences so we can hear with the ear of so we can hear with the ear of our hearts.*our hearts.*

CompassionCompassion Compassion stems from Compassion stems from

putting on putting on the mind of the mind of GodGod, from , from listening with listening with the ear of our heartsthe ear of our hearts and and motivates our motivates our hospitalityhospitality..

Compassion is the basis of Compassion is the basis of our response to the world our response to the world and all creation.and all creation.

Compassion is the Compassion is the antithesis of a “Me before, antithesis of a “Me before, above and over-all” above and over-all” culture.culture.

Compassion draws us Compassion draws us towards others, not towards others, not isolates us from them.*isolates us from them.*

HopeHope

Hope is one of the three great virtues Hope is one of the three great virtues of Christianity.of Christianity.

Hope is a world view. It underpins Hope is a world view. It underpins the risk of hospitality, of justice and the risk of hospitality, of justice and equality and motivates our equality and motivates our compassion.compassion.

Hope is the reason we taken on the Hope is the reason we taken on the other Christian/Benedictine virtues, other Christian/Benedictine virtues, because rationally and logically they because rationally and logically they do not make sense. *do not make sense. *