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The Benedictines Strike Back


puellapaschalis

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ETA: I realise that this is really very superficial, but I thought I'd post a link to a photo of St. Hildegard's: [url="http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Germany/photo219725.htm"]http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Ge...photo219725.htm[/url] Enjoy! :lol_grin:
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Beautiful!

Edited by stlmom
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puellapaschalis

I'm glad you agree! I can't pot solely about the Rule, as I'll be visiting at least one other House this year and I can't subject you all to all that wittering :P: So I'll try and include some stuff about St. Hildegard's in particular for the rest of this countdown.

Love and prayers,

PP

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MC IMaGiNaZUN

Augustinians. The forgotten mendicant order that follows a rule preceding the rule of Benedict.

O Woe is us, woe!

SHALOM

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puellapaschalis
:hehehe:

Most (if not all) of the Dominican Houses I know follow the Rule of St. Augustine. It's one of the reasons why, despite being quite bookish and academic, I decided against the Dominicans - the Rule of St. Benedict captures my heart in a way that Augustine's has never done.

Anyway, it's not about the age - Benedict based his Rule heavily upon an earlier one, whose author is no longer known to us, and which is now known as The Rule of the Master. Now I don't know who this Master was but I'm really quite pleased that Benedict wrote his, because the Master seems a bit sadistic to me (I'm going to get into trouble for that, I can tell)! :help: When I was younger and began studying Benedict for the first time, I simply didn't understand why commentaries said that his Rule was more "humane" than many that had proceeded him - but then at that time I was a teenager prone to fits of giggles that would last about twenty minutes.

In any event,
[color=blue]26 days, 14 hours[/color]

Later on today I'll try and post something about St. Hildegard.

Love and prayers,

PP
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Many orders have called our Lord 'Master' or Divine Master. I know the DSP does that. . .as does many Carmelites (St Teresa loved to call him thus). It does sound a bit odd. . but I wouldn't go so far as to say sadistic. Many in the Bible 'sat at the Master's feet in prayer'. I love that saying.

Ok, I'm outta here. I've written now, over 20 letters to various people. Time to start on the family letters. . .tomorrow. :goodnight:

God bless you!

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[quote name='puellapaschalis' date='Mar 31 2006, 12:06 AM']In a little less than a month I'm going on a visit to St. Hildegard's Abbey, in Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany (it's about an hour to the west of Frankfurt). The English section of their website can be found here: [url="http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/english/"]http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/english/[/url] Having said that, if you can read German it's worth reading that part of the site too, because I think they have some material on there that they've not translated.[/quote]

This is quite nice - I know Sr. Benedicta - she comes from the USA! She studied two terms at the same University! This is so exciting!!!!! :D: :drool: Unfortunately Rüdesheim is too far away from me now (I have moved to Bavaria, which would be more than a six hours drive - and it´s after my easter holidays... :wacko: )

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puellapaschalis

Ach yes, when I said Sr. Scholastica above, I meant Sr. Benedicta. Mea culpa :shutup:

Love and prayers,

PP

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[quote name='puellapaschalis' date='Apr 2 2006, 09:23 PM']Ach yes, when I said Sr. Scholastica above, I meant Sr. Benedicta. Mea culpa  :shutup:
[/quote]

:D: Never mind - you´ll meet them soon...

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VeniteAdoremus

[quote name='OLAM Dad' date='Mar 31 2006, 02:50 PM']VA, WELCOME!  :welcome:

I'm glad that pp told us who you were.  I hope in the future your posts aren't so cryptic.  :)
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Thank you :)

Yes, I'm sorry about the crypticness. Although, knowing myself, it probably won't be the last time...

But, since this is pp's topic and I -think- I'm the only one here who knows her IRL, please allow me to say that she's GREAT as well as WONDERFUL, INSPIRING and LOVELY. I wish she'd do her PhD before she'll enter anywhere, so that me and her other friends can have her for a while longer :D:

But it's not our call, is it? ^_^

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[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='Apr 3 2006, 01:39 AM']Thank you :)

Yes, I'm sorry about the crypticness. Although, knowing myself, it probably won't be the last time...

But, since this is pp's topic and I -think- I'm the only one here who knows her IRL, please allow me to say that she's GREAT as well as WONDERFUL, INSPIRING and LOVELY. I wish she'd do her PhD before she'll enter anywhere, so that me and her other friends can have her for a while longer  :D:

But it's not our call, is it?  ^_^
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[/quote]
Don't worry, you'll still have her; only in a far better way!

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puellapaschalis

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='Apr 3 2006, 08:39 AM']Thank you :)

Yes, I'm sorry about the crypticness. Although, knowing myself, it probably won't be the last time...

But, since this is pp's topic and I -think- I'm the only one here who knows her IRL, please allow me to say that she's GREAT as well as WONDERFUL, INSPIRING and LOVELY. I wish she'd do her PhD before she'll enter anywhere, so that me and her other friends can have her for a while longer  :D:

But it's not our call, is it?  ^_^
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Isn't VA kind? :love: :flowers: I have some of the loveliest friends! Unfortunately she's also a little confused and deluded, giving me much higher praise than I deserve ;) but hey, I can handle a little flattery!

I will post today's Chapter and countdown in a bit: I've just got in from teaching (Mondays are realllly long days for me) and need to rest a bit :yawn:

Love and prayers,

PP

PS: VA, yes, I think you are the only person on here who knows me irl. Then again, ik denk dat wij toch de einige Nederlandsers zijn...of tenminste, Nederland-inwoners ^_^

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puellapaschalis

Ah heck, I just realised I forgot to post yesterday's Chapter. Tsk. :annoyed: Oh well!

[color=blue]25 days, 1 hour[/color]
[quote]April 3
[b]The oratory of the monastery[/b]

The oratory is to be what it is called, and nothing else should be done or kept there. When the Work of God is finished, all should go out in complete silence and with reverence for God, so that a brother who wishes to pray by himself will not be impeded by another's insensitivity. But if he wishes to pray in solitude, he should enter to pray with simplicity, not in a loud voice but with tears and attentiveness of heart. And therefore one who is not performing this work is not to be permitted to remain in the oratory after the Work of God, so that, as was said, no one else is impeded.[/quote]

So no dancing the conga in church then, folks. <_< :doh:

A little more seriously, though - we have workspaces galore in the world. Offices, shops, markets, lecture theatres, hospitals. A monastery isn't any different. There's a kitchen, library, laundry room, office, sacristy. Whilst every household, monastic or not, should be permeated by a spirit of prayer (and hats off to the families that manage that! :thumbsup:), isn't it blisteringly obvious that the church or chapel should be especially so? And just as you don't prepare food in the library or type up a letter in the chapter house, so should the oratory be especially dedicated to that task; this is after all where we do the Work of God, which is our real reason for being in a monastery - the Work that underpins and surpasses all other tasks.

[quote name='PCPA2Be']Many orders have called our Lord 'Master' or Divine Master. I know the DSP does that. . .as does many Carmelites (St Teresa loved to call him thus). It does sound a bit odd. . but I wouldn't go so far as to say sadistic. Many in the Bible 'sat at the Master's feet in prayer'. I love that saying.[/quote]

When I used the term "sadistic" I wasn't referring to the useage of the word "Master", but rather the Rule itself. Of course I'm comparing it to one I find more platable :hehe: but there are points in that Rule when the "Master" (by that I mean the author) seems to be almost paranoid that if he doesn't keep the strictest watch over his monks, they'll all go astray and All Hell Will Break Loose.

On the other hand, I've never read the title "The Rule of the Master" in such a way that "Master" refers to God. Perhaps I've just been missing something completely obvious! I don't think that referring to God as "Master" sounds particularly odd at all - perhaps simply a little too top-down-authoritarian to be appealing to your average skeptical atheist on the street.

Love and prayers,

PP

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VeniteAdoremus

[quote]So no dancing the conga in church then, folks. <_< :doh:

A little more seriously, though - we have workspaces galore in the world. Offices, shops, markets, lecture theatres, hospitals. A monastery isn't any different. There's a kitchen, library, laundry room, office, sacristy. Whilst every household, monastic or not, should be permeated by a spirit of prayer (and hats off to the families that manage that! :thumbsup:), isn't it blisteringly obvious that the church or chapel should be especially so? And just as you don't prepare food in the library or type up a letter in the chapter house, so should the oratory be especially dedicated to that task; this is after all where we do the Work of God, which is our real reason for being in a monastery - the Work that underpins and surpasses all other tasks.

[/quote]

I'm reminded of that awful Young And Old-service I was cantor for a while ago. *shudder*
NO DANCING! PERIOD!

Hm, how to subtly point the pastoral worker to this thread...

To me, the best monestaries are the ones where the spirit of prayer is almost a living being, which you can feel at every moment. After some time it's like it has permeated into the walls. Last year, when that camp I lead every year (except not this year because apparently I'm in England then :P) had to go to a convent somewhere in Eastern Russia (they say it was Gelderland but I don't believe them) because the seminary was being re-painted and all, I felt it even while playing soccer in the gardens. It was lovely. The children felt it, too, I'm quite sure.

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