Jan 8 - Living in a Cenobitic Way

"You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you."
Psalm 118:28

First there are the cenobites, that is to say, those who belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot or prioress...
Third, there are sarabaites...
1:2, 6 (Chittister, Pg 27, 29)

My thought, as I read this yet again, is how much I need a leader. While I am not a monk, I am a church member and an oblate and I have chosen to join others in communities, communities with spiritual leaders and guides. I find it all too easy for me to off on my own, to decide for myself what is holy, what is good. When I decide for myself I tend to pick the easy as holy. As I read further in Sr. Joan's reflection I find more of the rule: "Their [Sarabaites] law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy. Anything they believe in and choose, they call holy; anything they dislike, they consider forbidden." (Rule 1:9)

I put myself in the structure and surroundings of our school of spiritual learning, I seek the guidance of others to hold me accountable. I am striving to live in a cenobitic way, one of those who "are seekers of the spiritual life...(to) live with others --and are not a law unto themselves (Chittister, Pg 25). As I read Sr. Joan's reflections I find depth, words, advice, in almost every sentence. I learn that "In monastic spirituality, there is no escape from life, only a chance to confront it, day after day in all its sanctifying tedium and blessed boredom and glorious agitation in the communities of which we are a part at any given moment of our lives." (Pg 27)

A prayer: "Lord Jesus: Please agitate me, help me live my life in your service."

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I am using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 7 - A School for God's Service

Therefore we intend to establish a school for God's service. ... It is bound to be narrow at the outset.
Prologue:45, 48b (Chittister, Pg 21)

Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *
you ministers of his who do his word.
Psalm 103:21

Sr. Joan Chittister adds "The spiritual life is not something that is gotten for the wishing or assumed by affectation. The spiritual life takes discipline..." (Pg 21) So true. I find my discipline lacks some of the time. This "school" where I discern a possible new aspect of my ministry excites me exactly because of my lack of discipline, the need for the narrowness at the outset becomes obvious! And I am doing it with others! I have a community that shares frustrations AND GROWTH.

I want growth, I do not want to be stagnant, to keep from being challenged, to stay the same as I was yesterday. I need the discipline I expect to find in being part of this group, discipline to help me through the days when I am tired, when challenges hurt, when being just the same person I was yesterday or last week feels like the easier way...

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I am using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 6 - We Cannot, But With God We Can

What is not possible to us by nature, let us ask the Holy One to supply by the help of grace.
Prologue:41 (Chittister, Pg 19)

"Be still, then, and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:11a

I cannot do it. I forget one of the morning tasks at work. My boss still needs to remind me of the item I committed to finishing. I expect my spouse to be there after my hard day forgetting about her hard day. And then I remember I have given my life to God. Benedict's Rule and the psalm I read put it all together: My nature fails, the Holy One supplies grace. I can simply be still and know that God is with me.

Over the rest of this four month cycle we will read in the Rule and Ms. Chittister's reflections different ways of seeing and living this same truth. We are in this together, and not just us, God is with us. As are all the others that read these passages and the scriptures on a daily basis. We build a community where we can help each other, and all people, to experience the grace of the Holy One.

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I am using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 5 - Of Miracle Making and Relationships

"Whoever hears these words of of mine and does them is like a wise person who built a house upon rock..."
RoB Prologue:33 (Chittister, Page 16)

In Ms. Chittister's reflections for today (Jan 5, pages 16-19) I am reminded that family is not "just a routine relationship" and work is "our exercise in miracle making". Powerful reminders.

Today I tried something different. For the first time this year I read my psalm and Benedict's Rule early in the day, before heading off to work, then waited until this evening to write my thoughts and reflections. Previously I have been waiting for a "good" time to read, reflect, and write the blog entry. Tonight I came back to the reading and am working on the blog entry.

My day worked differently too. I more reflectively included thoughts of God after the reading time as I was starting to organize more work. More than once I came back to the "miracle making" line. It reminds me that others have said that work and family can be seen as times when we co-create with God. I certainly believe God calls us to use our time to assist in making our world a better place.

This miracle working and remembrance that family (and really, most other) relationships are not routine helps counter the frustrating agreement I felt as I read this morning's psalm:

Why are the nations in an uproar? *
Why do the people mutter empty threats?
Psalm 2:1

May we remember all the creative, miracle making times we have so we are less likely to join the uproar of making empty threats (or any threats, for that matter...)

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I am using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 4 - Living In the World

These people reverence God, and do not become elated over their good deeds; they judge it is God's strength, not their own, that brings about the good in them.
RoB Prologue:29 (Chittister, Pg 14)

There is much wisdom for me in the portion of the Rule today, and in Ms. Chittister's reflection. I am not called to be a solitary ascetic desert Father or Mother, as much as I may wish to compete in this area. As a 21st century Christian and oblate I am called to live among my family and coworkers, among the church members in my parish and the oblates and community I am connected with. My mother provided an example that makes sense: When I am flying in an airplane I expect the pilot of that plane to be paying attention to flying the plane, not closing her or his eyes and praying.

I will be honest: This is hard for me. I read about St. Benedict and other saints (Benedictine and otherwise), I see fellow parishioners and coworkers, and I see accomplishment and honor. It is like reading about Jesus in the Gospels where we see a few great acts, but so little of Jesus and the disciples spending long days walking to the next town, talking one-on-one, just living each day. I forget that doing the laundry, preparing the monthly report at work, and being present are all about reverencing God, and all call for God's strength, not my own.

There is a portion of psalm 66 that seems appropriate:

Bless our God, you people; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;

who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
Psalm 66:7-8

I pray to remember that as I let go of my preconceived idea of what "holy" is, God will not let my feet slip.

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I am using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 3 - It is too much

How wonderful is God in his holy place! *
The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people
Blessed be God!
Psalm 68:36

What is more delightful than this voice of the Holy One calling us? See how God’s love shows us the way of life?
RoB (Chittister) Jan 3/Prologue:19-20

There is simply too much to take in all at once. I could spend hours on just the pages for Jan 3 in Ms. Chittister's book. I read her reflections on the spiritual life not being a "collection of asceticism's",  or how some of us may find it easier to pray than to go into the world to "make fools out of ourselves for the Christian religion..." And that is only page 11, there are another two pages today! I stop and reflect on almost every sentence in the reading.

And the struggle doesn't stop with just the reading itself. Today I found I was questioning her division of Benedict's Rule between today and tomorrow. It is different from others.

But are these struggles the important struggles for me? I don't think so. The important struggle for me is to recognize the "both/and" of this path that I am on. I find both comfort in some of my habits and challenge to move beyond those habits. I find both confirmation that much of what I live is good and knowledge that new work is still needed.

I pray that I can hear and remember both the Psalm verse and the portion of the Rule I quoted, that I may remember that God's love shows me the way of life and gives strength and power.

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I will be using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.

Jan 2 - Run Toward the Light

The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *
and delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17 (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, The Episcopal Church)

Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God
RoB Prologue:2 (The Rule of Benedict, a Spirituality for the 21st Century, Chittister

Today I think about running toward the light. Toward, not completely in the light. Yesterday, as I thought about this commitment to reading the Rule (and reading psalms in the morning and evening) I was thinking I would read the Rule early in the morning, and since I am on vacation I would spend extra time meditating on what I read, then put together a short blog entry and be done by breakfast. It didn't happen that way.

The actual day has been great. I slept in, had breakfast with my wife, spent time at Great Falls Park where I took a "sort of annual" beginning of the year self-portrait, paid bills, and helped my son and grandson grocery shopping. Now, at the end of the afternoon I finally sat down, read the morning Psalm, the portion of St. Benedict's Rule often read on Jan 2nd and Joan Chittister's reflection.

But God is with me. And has been with me. I haven't forgotten, the light is around me even if I don't feel it. Of that I am sure.

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, Crossroads, 2010. Unless stated otherwise I will be using the translation St. Benedict's Rule from her book. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading Ms. Chittister's book and to anyone that is interested.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.