Part One
Monasticism: It’s Not Just For
Monks Any More
“Therefore
we intend to establish a school for God’s service.
In
drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh,
nothing
burdensome. The good of all
concerned, however, may
prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and
to safeguard love.”
- Rule of St. Benedict
(RB),
“...God
waits for us daily to translate into action, as we should, these holy
teachings.”
-
Prol. 35
We
live in a time when people seem to be “discovering” spirituality.
In an increasingly busy, shallow and materialist society many of us
are recognizing our need for God and our desire to grow in holiness.
Books, courses and web sites abound and assure us that we can fill
our deep, often inarticulate desire for something more, something beyond
ourselves. This plethora of
resources gives us innumerable answers for how to fill the God- shaped
hole in our lives.
However, much of the well-intentioned spirituality produced today
has little depth or staying power. The
answers are often simplistic and the promises shallow.
We continue to buy the books or go to the websites because most of
us prefer easy, quick answers to difficult, life-long questions. But ultimately the easy, quick ways and answers will not
satisfy or endure. The
spiritual journey, our journey to God, is the journey of a lifetime.
We will not be transformed overnight, once and for all, by simply
reading one more book, making one more resolution to change or listening
to one more expert.
In this age of quick
fixes and easy solutions many people are rediscovering an ancient and
tested path of spiritual wisdom. For
over fifteen hundred years men and women, monastics and lay people alike
have listened to and followed the wisdom of the monastic way.
This way has endured throughout the centuries because it is a
simple, practical way for ordinary people who want to deepen their
relationship with God.
The monastic way is a spiritual path that honors and responds to
the call of God each of us hears in our life.
Monasticism acknowledges that God’s call to a deeper relationship
of love is real and that the journey to respond to God’s call is not
always easy or short. It is a
path that emphasizes commitment to the long haul, to our need for God and
our need for others to help us along the way.
Exercise
– Getting Started:
-
Spend some time reflecting on what you hope to get out of this retreat, be
as specific and honest as possible and write your expectations in a
retreat journal.
-
Write down a plan for how you will make the time for reflection each day.
-
When and how often will you schedule your reading and reflection times
during this retreat?
-
How will you prevent interruptions and distractions?
-
Decide on a specific place that will be your "retreat spot"
during this time.
Monasticism:
An Ancient Way For Modern Times
Monasticism
is not something that died out after the Middle Ages. For
many people the term “monk” or “monastery” conjures up an image of
medieval, black robed and hooded men in a monastery far from civilization.
The reality is that the monastic way is followed and practiced by
many modern men and women in a wide variety of ways of life.
Many are Religious (Sisters, Brothers and Priests) who are engaged
in active ministry throughout the world.
Others are Nuns, Brothers and Priests who continue a traditional
lifestyle that emphasizes the enclosed, contemplative aspect of monastic
life. More and more
people who live according to monastic values are married, have families or
are single with no desire to enter religious life but see monastic
spirituality as a way to deepen their relationship with God.
There are a variety of monastic traditions in the Christian Church
and in other world religions but they all have certain elements in common.
Monasticism emphasizes the deep, archetypal desire to seek God as
the primary activity of our lives and recognizes the need for structure
and community to do so.
In the Western Church the predominant monastic tradition is that
founded by Saint Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century.
The modern followers of Benedict, Benedictines, continue to use the
guidebook or monastic “Rule” that he wrote as a guide to their way of
life. Benedict’s Rule is a
book of deep wisdom, grounded in Scripture and common sense. It has been a spiritual guide for countless men and women
across the centuries and continues to be so today.
Many of the terms Benedict used in his Rule are still used today
and will recur throughout this retreat.
The spiritual leader of a group of Benedictines is called an abbot
or prior in men’s communities and an abbess or prioress in women’s
communities. Benedictine women today are reclaiming the monastic
vocabulary that is part of their heritage and call their communities
“monasteries” rather than convents.
A monastery is simply a place where people follow the monastic way,
whether men or women. Throughout
this retreat the term “monastic” will be used both as an adjective as
well as a noun to describe men or women who follow this way of life.
The
Benedictine, monastic way is not for people who want instant spirituality
for an age that demands everything instantly.
Benedictine spirituality is for the long-haul.
It offers a way of life, practices and structures, not simple
answers. But for people who
know that simple answers ultimately fail to satisfy and have realized that
conversion is a life-long process, the monastic way can be a satisfying
spiritual path.
May
this retreat be for you the beginning of a journey of deep listening to
the “delightful voice of God” who calls each of us to a deeper
relationship. As you learn
about the Benedictine way, you will be surrounded and accompanied by the
witness of innumerable men and women who have been brought to holiness and
a closer relationship with God in following this way of life.
Questions
for Reflection:
-
What is your current spirituality and practice?
-
What kind of answers are you looking for?
-
What appeals to you about the Benedictine, monastic approach to
spirituality?
|
Benedictine
Sisters, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho
