The Benedictines Strike Back

[HisChild]

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.

God bless you!

[All4HIM]

[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!!!!! : 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... )

[puellapaschalis]

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

Love and prayers,

PP

[All4HIM]

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

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

[VeniteAdoremus]

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

But it's not our call, is it?

[OLAM Dad]

[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  :

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

[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  :

But it's not our call, is it? 
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[/quote]

Isn't VA kind? 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

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

[puellapaschalis]

Ah heck, I just realised I forgot to post yesterday's Chapter. Tsk. 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.

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! ), 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 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

[VeniteAdoremus]

[quote]So no dancing the conga in church then, folks.

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! ), 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 ) 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.

[Paphnutius]

I was a Benedictine novice for 6 months. :

Edited April 4, 2006 by Paphnutius

[puellapaschalis]

[color=blue]24 days, 1 hour[/color]
[quote]April 4
[b]The reception of guests[/b]
All guests who present themselves are to be received as Christ, for He will say: [i]I was a stranger and you took me in[/i]. And to everyone fitting honour is to be shown, especially to those of the household of faith and to pilgrims.

When, therefore, a guest is announced, he is to be met by the superior and the brothers with every ceremony of love: thus first they are to pray together, and thus be united to one another in peace. But this kiss of peace is not to be offered until prayer has first been said on account of the illusions of the devil.

And in this very salutation all humility is to be shown to all arriving or departing guests: by bowing the head or prostrating the whole body on the ground Christ is to be adored in them just as He is received in them.

And having been received the guests are to be led to prayer, and afterwards the superior or anyone he appoints is to sit with them. The divine law is to be read to he guest for his edification, and afterwards all kindness is to be shown to be him.

The superior is to break his fast for the sake of the guest, unless it happens to be a principal fast-day which cannot be broken: the brothers, however, are to follow their customary fast. Water is to be poured on the hands of the guests by the abbot, and the feet of all guests are to be washed by the abbotad the whole community. After the washing they are to say this verse: [i]We have received your mercy, O God, in the midst of your temple.[/i]

In the reception of the poor and of pilgrims the greatest care and solicitude should be shown, because in them Christ is more especially received: for the very awe we have of the rich ensures that they receive honour.[/quote]

A friend and I were once sitting in a bar at College, talking about whatnot. Somehow the conversation turned into such that my friend made the following statement: "Out of the following two situations, it's better to be saved and hungy, than be filled with both food and despair." I quite like that.

There's a pretty fine line to be walked here. To over-emphasise our spiritual needs to the detriment of the physical could lead ultimately to gnosticism, in which the physical creation, our bodies included, is seen as evil. But go too far in the other direction and you lose sight of what's really important. A balance must be struck (and Benedictine life is famed for its moderation), but it's not an equilibrium where the scales are equal, so to speak.

In the above scenario, of course, there are actually four situations (this is the mathematican coming out in me): fed and saved, hungry and saved, fed and despairing, hungry and despairing. By happy coincidence, I typed them out in a nice order: out of those "options" I would rather be fed and saved. Of course, in the materially luxurious Western world, I am already both (well, I'm still working on the second one )

Both our physical and spiritual aspects need to be nurtured and brought to maturity, but when push comes to shove, it's the non-physical creation that will last forever: we will rise with [i]glorified[/i] bodies, not simply the ones we have now with a few patch-ups. Moreover, as human beings, we cannot care for everything: we have to pray and discern in what way it is that we are called to look after those around us.

Monks and nuns, it transpires here, are indeed to care for people who come their way. None of this "Shove off and leave me alone to pray in peace" (one wonders what the prevailing monastic attitudes were like to elicit this sort of reaction from Benedict.... ) attitude. But it's not a swank hotel either! Prayer is the order of the day, deep respect is shown, as the guest is Christ. So whilst the monastery is tending to a traveller's bodily needs, more attention is given to his spiritual needs. And why not? A monastery is surely a little like an icon - a window into Heaven.

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus']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 ) 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.[/quote]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why anything I splurt out is nothing compared to the marvellous friends I have! VA, [b]absolutely[/b]. I totally agree - and it's a very potent demonstration of the abundant graces that God pours out onto people who fully dedicate their lives to Him.

Paphnutius - where? :

I have waffled excessively this evening, please forgive me. I don't even have a decent excuse! Apart maybe from the fact that this evening I finally finished off my undergraduate marking!

Please feel free to talk about what you glean from these Chapters: I'm no expert, after all, so I'm eager to hear others' thoughts.

Love and prayers,

PP

Edited April 4, 2006 by puellapaschalis

[puellapaschalis]

Ok, even if you don't read German, you should have a look at these photos:

[url="http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/kloster/kloster_f/index.htm"]http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/kloster/kloster_f/index.htm[/url]

It's a photographic tour around the Abbey. Click on the little solid black arrow to go to the next picture :

Love and prayers,

PP

[HisChild]

PP,

I just visited the PCPA here in AZ yesterday. They said they, on their pilgrimmage to Rome, stopped in England. . .stayed in the guest quarters of the Tyburn Benedictines!

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='PCPA2Be' date='Apr 4 2006, 09:50 PM']PP,

I just visited the PCPA here in AZ yesterday.  They said they, on their pilgrimmage to Rome, stopped in England. . .stayed in the guest quarters of the Tyburn Benedictines!
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The Tyburn Benedictines ROCK MY SOCKS.

All right, that was a little over-enthusiastic, but you get me.

For all the flack that Europe gets these days, you know, for being all post-modern...it's an incredibly exciting time to live here. As a Catholic who has such strong ties to this continent I can almost feel the power of the Divine possibilities bubbling in my arms (apologies if that's tmi): not only can I pray earnestly for a new blossoming of Catholicism here, but by my [b]life[/b] and presence I can do some more.

It seems that others have caught the bug too - as evidenced by the Tyburn nuns. They really are doing well (although they're not particularly new). God is pulling on this continent's heart strings, and even the most hard-hearted surely cannot hold out against His love for much longer!

Love and prayers,

PP

[puellapaschalis]

[color=blue]23 days, 1 hour[/color]
[quote]April 5

The kitchen for the abbot and guests is to be set apart by itself so that guests who arrive at uncertain hours (and who are never lacking in a monastery) may not disturb the brothers. In this kitchen each year two brothers are to be placed who can fulfil this duty properly. These, if they require it, are to be offered help so that they may serve without murmuring; and when, on the other hand, they are occupied with less, they are to go out wherever they are commanded to work. And not only to them, but in all the duties of the monastery this same consideration is to be shown: that is, when help is required it is given to them; and again, when they are free they obey what they are commanded to do.

And the guesthouse is to be assigned to a brother whose soul is possessed by the fear of God: sufficient beds should be provided there. And the house of God is to be wisely administrated by wise men.

Guests, however, are not to be associated with or conversed with for any reason by one not assigned to do so: instead, if he happens to meet or see them, he is to humbly greet them as we have said; and as he asks their blessing he is to continue on, saying that he is not permitted to talk with a guest.[/quote]

[puellapaschalis]

Evening, ladies and gents.

I've gone all nervous. My visit is more than three weeks away, and [i]now[/i] I get nerves - I shudder to imagine what kind of state I'll be in on the train to Frankfurt.

My heart feels like there's a tempest going on inside. What if I get there and fall in love with them all? What if they don't like me? What if they do like me but I don't like them? What if we all like each other and in eighteen months' time I'm a postulant there? Could I ever be ready - even with God's help - to make such a huge step in my life, even if it were to the path that God wants me to be on?

Ugh. I believe I'm thinking too much. I'm prone to that.

I've emigrated twice so I could certainly do it a third time. I've learnt a second language within two years so I could definitely learn a third. So my blatherings about the practicalities are just that - hot air.

So what's left? Am I simply petrified that I might, indeed, have a vocation to live in this community? Heck yes, I'd say so. I've grown up around a Benedictine community, I've been a little girl around one, a hormonal teenager around one, and a stressing and wayward undergraduate around one (thankfully...the same one throughout). Perhaps I'm nervous that by some Benny trick of communication and foresight, Ruedesheim know all about this and will see me as the little girl that the other place sees me.

Even though that other community probably don't see me as a little girl anymore, much less a silly, flitty, precocious one (which I most definitely was when I was a kid). If they ever did, even. They've probably watched me grow up and now see me just as much an adult as anyone else does, only perhaps moreso, as I'm quite close to them and they know much about what goes on inside my heart. Further, I certainly don't think that they'd contact Ruedesheim to give them all the dirt on me (especially as whilst they know I'm discerning, they don't know where)!

Gah.

Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Sedes sapientiae, ora pro me.

I'm off to pray Vespers. A little late, but hey.

puella

[VeniteAdoremus]

Oh, so they didn't tell you about the Benedictine round-the-world CCCD network?

[quote name='puellapaschalis' date='Apr 5 2006, 10:02 PM']My heart feels like there's a tempest going on inside. What if I get there and fall in love with them all? What if they don't like me? What if they do like me but I don't like them? What if we all like each other and in eighteen months' time I'm a postulant there? Could I ever be ready - even with God's help - to make such a huge step in my life, even if it were to the path that God wants me to be on?

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Yes, you could be ready. And you will. And you'll know it when you are. Even if you don't feel a hundred percent completely sure, because some people do, and some don't - you know you will know it, brainy, so why am I telling you?

Seems like someone forgot for a moment that she's being taken care of.

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='Apr 5 2006, 10:23 PM']Seems like someone forgot for a moment that she's being taken care of.
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And with that admonition ringing in my ears, I'm sloping off to bed. Thank you, VA *knuf*

PP

[puellapaschalis]

[color=blue]22 days, 2 hours[/color]
[quote]April 6
[b]Whether a monk may receive letters or anything else[/b]
For no reason is it permissible for a monk to receive from hi parent or from any other person - not even the brethren - letters, blessed object, or any little gifts of any kind; nor may he give them to others, without permission of the abbot. For even if something is sent to him by his parents, he may not presume to receive it unless he has first indicated this to the abbot.

If he orders it to be received, it is in the abbot's power to decide to whom it will be given; and this is not to sadden the brother to whom it was sent, [i]so that occasion is not given to the devil[/i] But one who presumes to act otherwise is to be subjected to the discipline of the Rule.[/quote]

[url="http://www.dboyko.info/holyrule/april6aug6dec6.html"]A couple of reflections[/url] on this Chapter, written by Br. Jerome of [url="http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/petersham/index.htm"]Petersham, Massachusetts[/url].

[puellapaschalis]

Oh boy, this thread had slipped my mind! I suppose that's the payback for beginning a countdown on the wrong side of the biggest feast of the year :

Anyway:
[size=7][color="blue"][b]9 days, 14 hours[/b][/color][/size]

VA was supposed to come and visit me this weekend but she can't

I'm possibly extending my trip so that after I leave Ruedesheim I'll travel to Vienna for a couple of days to visit family whom I've not seen in - oh, a couple of decades or so

My current stress (just like books I always have at least two or three on the go at any one time) is that I'll wake up too late on the 29th to catch a train down to Arnhem to connect to the international. It's a very silly stress because I am famed amongst those who know me for being ridiculously early - I once checked into a flight to Detroit [i]four hours[/i] before take-off. The international leaves Arnhem at about 11am, so I think I'll aim to get there at about 9:30...which means leaving here at 7ish. Entirely doable.

Or perhaps I'll get the train at 6:30ish. I just don't trust things to work on schedule when I'm on an important journey!

Having blathered on quite enough, it's time for breakfast. I hope all the Americans are having a good sleep

Love and prayers,

PP