Preferring Nothing to Christ

As often as anything important is to be done in the monastery, the abbot shall call the whole community together and himself explain what the business is; and after hearing the advice of the brothers, let him ponder it and follow what he judges the wiser course. Ch 3, Summoning the Brothers for Counsel 

When the first documentation for the Synod on Synodality was published I immediately saw an outlook and a method that I recognised. For centuries, men and women, from various walks of life, have tried to find ways of living together in community. It’s pretty much a guarantee in any community that while you all have vowed to live according to a particular charism, you will have very different ways of expressing this. A willingness to listen deeply and to put yourself in the shoes of another is vital.

Monasteries of course are not democracies as we in the 21st Century understand that term. The smooth workings of the monastery rely on the maturity of its members and their ability to abide by a decision that is made, even if it isn’t of their choosing. This is the real test of obedience.

St Benedict adds a detail in this chapter which may surprise us:
‘The reason why we have said all should be called for counsel is that the Lord often reveals what is better to the younger.’

Commenting on this verse, Sr Aquinata Bockmann osb says; ‘Older persons love to argue from tradition. “That’s how it was always done.” Theirs is wisdom and life experience. The younger members tend to be more flexible, open to new ideas, not bound by historical prejudice. Thus it is good to hear both the counsel of the elders, human wisdom, and also the younger ones, possibly a shocking novelty. Benedict points the way to ‘both and’.’

It’s worth reflecting on how we listen when we are in a group or a meeting.
Does everyone have a chance to speak? How easy is it for a voice to go unheard?

Image: Turvey Abbey
Code of practice for community meetings at Turvey Abbey. The code is inspired by Ch 3 of the Rule. We use a ‘talking stick’ to help keep the meeting on track and to avoid talking over each other.

 

‘Clothed then with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide, that we may deserve to see him who has called us to his kingdom.’

One of the gifts of monastic life for me is the experience of living close to the Scriptures. All through the day my heart and my mind are invited to find in the Scriptures light for the way ahead. This is a very slow process which will only end on the day that I breathe my last. Much like water dripping onto a stone, God’s Word shapes my heart.

St Benedict knew this on a personal level. His Rule is a pastiche of Scripture texts. He finds in the Scriptures ‘medicine’ (Ch 28, Those Who Refuse to Amend after Frequent Reproofs) and the ‘truest of guides for human life.’ (Ch 73, This Rule Only A Beginning of Perfection).

How has Scripture shaped your own life?

Image: Turvey Abbey (This is me standing at our lectern. The lectern fall was woven by our Prioress, Sr Zoe Davis.)

St Benedict begins his Rule in the most hopeful of ways. He begins with an invitation to listen:

‘Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it and faithfully put it into practice.’ Prologue, Rule of St Benedict

As a Benedictine I have vowed my life to listening to the voice of God. It’s a type of listening that invites you to go deeper and deeper. I’ll hear God’s voice in the Scriptures, the Rule, in my superior and my sisters. Over the centuries thousands of men and women have responded to this invitation.

Where do you hear God’s voice?

Image: Turvey Abbey
(In 2006 we hosted a gathering for Young Benedictine Sisters from Europe. We looked at the topic of ‘Good Zeal’ (RB Ch 72). It was a wonderful week.)

Luke 17:5-10

In the opening of his Rule St Benedict makes an invitation to anyone who is serious about seeking God: ‘Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?‘ To those who respond he says:

‘See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life. Clothed then with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way with the Gospel for our guide.’ Benedict’s invitation is Gospel based and very clear. He intends to establish a ‘school of the Lord’s Service’.

These past weeks our Gospel texts have provided us with ‘a school of Discipleship’. With words and images our minds have been focussed on the cost of following Christ in suffering and glory. The opening verses of this chapter give the disciples a series of warnings: don’t be the cause of someone else’s fall, deal with wrongdoing and forgive, forgive several times a day if it is needed. The disciples’ response to these warnings is to ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus replies with yet another challenging statement:

‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.

This increase of faith is vital if the disciples are to fulfill the demands of discipleship. The scene that Jesus now paints is of uncompromising commitment. The servant has both outdoor and indoor work. All of the work requires energy and attention to detail. In my own monastic life, I remember during my novitiate the feeling of a morning spent harvesting spinach (you had to do this squatting) and then coming inside to be the server at lunch. That thirty minutes on my feet serving lunch could feel like the last straw and there were still several hours of the day left. Then there was the grim reality of this being nothing out of the ordinary. It was just what was expected.

The servant’s work of shepherding, ploughing and waiting at table is taken up by the Early Church as literally and metaphorically describing the work of the apostles. Some commentators suggest that there may have been some tension between the ‘indoor and the outdoor’. Fairly quickly the apostles designate deacons to wait on tables.

There is no way round it: discipleship asks everything we have.

In this past week where has Christ called you to shepherd, plough and wait on tables?

Luke 16:19-31

Week after week the Gospel texts have presented us with a range of challenges. This week’s text is no exception. At first sight the parable is a warning about riches and the fate of those whose earthly life focused on wealth alone. Luke uses the framework of a well-known Egyptian folktale to begin his parable. His hearers will know that there will be a reversal of fortunes. With all the skill of a story-teller Luke paints a picture of Lazarus’ desperate situation. The writing is vivid. It makes my hair stand on end.

And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores.

In the very next line of the text all is made right as Lazarus enjoys bliss in ‘the bosom of Abraham.’ The rich man’s fate is described equally vividly. There is to be no bliss for the rich man. We have no doubt where our sympathies lie. The Rich man’s arrival in Hades doesn’t prompt him to examine his heart, but rather he wants Lazarus to ease his suffering. He has missed an opportunity for conversion. In stories such as A Christmas Carol and It’s Wonderful Life the main characters get a chance to put things right. There is no such second chance in this parable. Not only is there no second chance, but there is a gulf that cannot be crossed:

…between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.

In the second half of the parable the rich man pleads on behalf of his brothers. Some scholars suggest that this is the main point of the parable and that it should be called the Parable of the Six Brothers. Herein lies the tragedy: not only is the Rich Man suffering in Hades but he has five brothers who are just like him. They live lives of luxury and block out God’s Word.

When a parable presents us with stark contrasts it is easy for us to see the path we would hope to be taking. In our daily lives the path might not be so clear. It might not be wealth or luxury that blocks out God’s Word in our lives. We may have created a gulf with other things and now find we cannot cross. This parable gives us a chance to examine our hearts and reorient ourselves.

There’s no doubt that we are witnessing an ever-widening gulf between the rich and the poor. Just as we wish for a change of heart for those who have power and influence, so too we must be ready to change our own hearts.

Where is God calling you to a change of heart?

Luke 16:1-13

When we listen to the parables of Jesus it can be easy to forget the urgency in his preaching. A new age is dawning and Jesus himself is the embodiment of the Kingdom he preaches. This Kingdom offers both promise and challenge.

These past weeks we have listened to Luke outlining his theology of the kingdom and the cost of discipleship. This week Jesus addresses his own disciples. The mood shifts and what unfolds is a parable that seems to raise more questions than it answers. When a steward is accused of being wasteful with his master’s property, he hatches a plan to save his own skin and preserve his master’s honour too. He calls his master’s debtors together and reduces the amount of oil and grain that are owed. The debtors are relieved, the steward keeps his job and even the master is pleased with the way things were handled. The master praises his dishonest steward for his astuteness.

Some scholars suggest that this difficult parable is best understood in the light of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. There is one clear linguistic parallel and some structural parallels too. The prodigal son ‘squanders’ his inheritance, the steward is accused of being ‘wasteful’ with his master’s property. It is the same word in Greek. Both talk to themselves and work out a plan. The prodigal son plans to return home and hopes to be treated as one of his father’s hired men. The steward hopes his plan will ensure that there will be people to welcome him into their homes. For the prodigal son his modest hope is met with an outpouring of compassion and a lavish homecoming. For the steward it’s his own ‘forgiving’ of debts which earns him his master’s praise.

Both parables challenge me to draw closer to a God whose ways I can’t fully understand. Both parables contain a promise of mercy in what might seem to be the most complicated of circumstances. If I can remain open to both the challenge and the promise, then the parables have done their work. I am living in the light of the kingdom.

Where is Christ calling you to live in the light of the Kingdom?

Therefore we intend to establish a school of the Lord’s service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.
Rule of St Benedict, Prologue

All aspects of monastery life are focused on seeking and serving God. I often speak of monastic life as an ‘intentional life’. Monastic life is an intentional training in love. Very little is left to chance. Three areas of the life are of particular importance.

PRAYER

The primary focus of a monastic’s day is the praying of the Liturgy of Hours. This strong emphasis on communal prayer is the hallmark Benedictine life.  St Benedict urges monastics to pray in such a way that the bonds of community are made stronger:

‘let us stand to sing the Psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices.’ Ch. 19, The Discipline of Psalmody

The monastic liturgy is so arranged that everyone has their part to play. Some community members will have very specific roles in the liturgy and others will play their part by coming prepared and ready to sing. The contribution of each individual is valued. Monastic liturgy is never a musical performance, it is always an act of humble communal service.

WORK

St Benedict arranges the monastery timetable so that at least 5 hours are spent doing manual work. Many imagine monastic life as fairly sedate with not much activity: in fact, each day is timetabled and full. St Benedict wanted his monks to ‘live by the work of their hands’ and so have a sense of shared responsibility for the life of the monastery. The Rule gives very wise advice on how a monastic is to understand their work and warns the monastic against becoming proud:

‘If there are artisans in the monastery, they are to practice their craft with all humility, but only with the abbot’s permission. If one of them becomes puffed up with his skillfulness in his craft, and feels that he is conferring something on the monastery.’
Ch. 57, The Artisans of the Monastery

There is a strong ethos in Benedictine communities of valuing each type of work. We try to do all of our work as best as we can, whether that is emptying the bins or writing a talk. We would also show respect for the work of another.

RELATIONSHIPS

Throughout the Rule there is one central truth: Christ is really present in each member of the community. The love, respect and honour which we show to each other, we show to Christ. This love underpins all that happens in the monastery. Living with the same group of people day in day out isn’t always easy. St Benedict knows that irritations can build up and he has several safeguards against this:

‘Assuredly, the celebration of Lauds and Vespers must never pass without the superior reciting the entire Lord’s Prayer at the end for all to hear, because the thorns of contention are likely to spring up. This warned by the pledge they make to one another in the very words of this prayer: Forgive us as we forgive (Matt 6:12), they may cleanse themselves of this vice.’
Ch. 13, The Celebration of Lauds on Ordinary Days

St Benedict puts great store by the virtues of patience and forbearance. Daily life in the monastery presents many opportunities to work towards these virtues. I have used used Ch 72 several times in these reflections. It is the touchstone of mutual love and respect. St Benedict’s words are simple and hugely challenging:

This, then, is the good zeal which monks must foster with fervent love: They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other (Rom 12:10), supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behaviour, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another.

Reflect on your own experience of prayer, work and relationships.
Is there anything in St Benedict’s teaching which can help you?

Luke 14:1,7-14

‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. 

The scene painted in today’s Gospel is very familiar to us in terms of the biblical imagery of banquets, dinners and feasting. The banquet serves an an over-arching metaphor for the Kingdom, with texts in both the Old and New Testament. I relate easily to this metaphor.

Yet, in my own life, this Gospel scene is not a familiar one. My formal dining experiences would all have involved a seating plan; there would be no possibility of sitting in the wrong place. I have always had a certain relief in finding my name on the name card. And bigger relief if I knew the people sitting either side of me. Where I sat has always mattered to me, but not for the reasons implicit in the Gospel. I’d be very unlikely to feel comfortable on a ‘top table.’ So what does this Gospel scene say to me? I think the underlying meaning for me is about graciousness and the value in joining a gathering in a way that is humble and true to myself. When writer and speaker Brene Brown speaks about authenticity she shares a mantra: ‘Don’t shrink, don’t puff up, stay on your sacred ground.’

I hear today’s Gospel is an invitation to know my sacred ground.
How do you hear this Gospel?

TOGETHER

‘Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life.’ (Ch. 72, On Good Zeal)

St Benedict began his life of faith in the small town of Norcia, just outside of Rome. As a young boy he was sent to Rome to study; he found himself unhappy there and so left for Affile, a small town roughly thirty miles east of Rome. It was here that he felt a strong call to solitude. He went to Subiaco and made his home in a small cave. It wasn’t long before word spread that there was a ‘holy man’ living at Subiaco. One day an entire community of monks from a neighbouring monastery came to see him and begged him to become their Abbot.

What had begun as Benedict’s solitary search for God, soon became a communal way of life. This search for God was now lived out with a group of brothers. The whole structure of the monastery is built on a life that is held in common. Benedict’s Rule is a guide for the communal search for God and much of it is his teaching on prayer, work and relationships. These are solid, practical guidelines that are designed to ‘safeguard love’.

‘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, Prologue)

St Benedict knows that the path can be difficult and so he has in mind two sources of strength for the community: his written Rule and the teaching of the Abbess. The Rule gives explicit and implicit guidelines for living together. It is the Abbess’ job to steer a steady course between following the Rule and adapting to the particular circumstances of the monastery.

Reflect on your own experiences of living and working as part of a group or family. What have you learnt about yourself?
What is your experience of following rules or a code of conduct?
Have you ever been in a leadership position where you have had to adapt some rules?
Have you had the experience of being able to safeguard love?

LOVE
The seventy three chapters of the Rule of St Benedict are a framework for living in community. Every aspect of monastery life is covered, sometimes in detail that is a little surprising. Some parts of the text are very demanding and others are tender and considerate. This strictness is seen by St Benedict as means of ‘safeguarding love’. I hadn’t given this much thought until I entered the monastery. Over the years I have learnt that faithfulness in the small things prepares you for the big things. All of the attitudes, values and ways of organising life within the monastery walls are there to provide a framework that will support you. This is especially important when things aren’t going so well. Having a clear idea of the next right thing you need to do ensures that love is safeguarded.

St Benedict devotes several chapters of his Rule to the situations where love is at risk.

Therefore, he ought to use every skill of a wise physician and send in senpectae, that is, mature and wise brothers who, under the cloak of secrecy, may support the wavering brother, urge him to be humble as a way of making satisfaction, and console him lest he be overcome with sorrow (2 Cor 2:8).
(Ch 27, Rule of St Benedict)

St Benedict makes use of ‘elder wisdom’ for the brother who is struggling. He is careful to protect the privacy of the brother. These two things stand out for me. Everyone of us will have known a time when we have needed some mentoring. Often its by chance that the right person is there to help you find a way through your difficulties.

Who have been the senpectae in your own life?
Have you ever found yourself in a mentoring role? What did you learn about yourself?