A Path to Growth

Today is June 30, 2024. Sister Joan's commentary on Chapter 23 observes that though the Rule of Benedict is one of the most gentle monastic rules ever written, Benedict devotes eight chapters to punishment–of which none of them are acceptable or applicable in today's culture.  While all of us live in some form of community most of us do not live under a prior or prioress.  

However, in Sister Joan's closing paragraph, she reminds us that the rule does expect discipline and atonement even from us today.  We are called to mend things broken; to curb and straighten things running away and awry in us.  Self-control doesn't happen by accident and it must be honest and real.  Where does it begin?

A beautiful place to start is to slowly read and meditate on Psalm 119.  Find a quiet place to sit.  Do not be in a hurry.  Open you heart and your mind to His word.  Allow His Grace to enter in.  Today would be a lovely time to start.  Amen.

Discipline

Today is June 26, 2024. I began the day by reading Chapter 19 The Discipline of Psalmody.  Benedict begins by reminding us that God is with us and watching us at all times and that we are called to serve the Holy One at all times.

I've been thinking a lot lately about discipline--self-discipline. Today's readings led me to more fully realize that we are called daily to self-disciplined behavior across every planned event and interruption of our lives. 

To serve Him well, we need to understand what self-discipline is and what it can mean for us. Most importantly, we need to understand His role in helping us live into this discipline--knowing that everything we do shapes who we are and who we will become.

Quoting Socrates, Sister Joanne reminds us that the unexamined life is not worth living. Joined with the living Christ, we are born anew with each passing day.  As such, we are called to reflect on the meaning and consequence of every action we take.

Our prayers have the power to change our lives.  Our prayers can burn off the dross that clings to our souls like mildew and set us free for deeper, richer, truer lives--allowing us to become who we say we are. Amen

From Despair to Trust

In the minor hours of Terce, Sext and None, the psalms carry us

• from hardship to joy,
• from inner captivity to liberation,
• from despair to trust.

It is a message to us all. 

Remembering to trust in God can be enough to carry us for a lifetime.

The Rule of Benedict:
A Spirituality for the 21 Century, Sr. Joan Chittister, June 23

The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Dr. James H. Cone's writings challenge all of us.  I offer you for your consideration a glimpse of his most recent book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree.

Wisdom

Meister Eckhart

I asked ChatGPT to summarize Meister Eckhart’s teachings in the fewest possible words.

Meister Eckhart, a German mystic and theologian, emphasized the direct experience of God, advocating for inner detachment and the surrender of the self to achieve union with the Divine. His teachings focus on the idea that God is present within every soul and that true enlightenment comes from recognizing this inner divinity.

What must one do to recognize this inner divinity?

To recognize this inner divinity, Meister Eckhart taught that one must practice inner detachment, letting go of ego and personal desires. This involves cultivating a state of spiritual poverty, where one is empty of self-will and open to God's presence. By achieving this inner stillness and openness, one can experience the direct presence of God within.

What does it mean to "practice inner detachment?"

"Practicing inner detachment" means letting go of attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego. It involves freeing oneself from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements. This practice helps cultivate an inner stillness and openness, allowing one to focus on the presence of the divine within. It requires a deep level of spiritual discipline and mindfulness, encouraging a shift from self-centeredness to a state of spiritual receptivity and union with God.

If we “can” let go of our attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego. If we are “able” to free ourselves from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements, "what will we experience?"

If we are able to let go of our attachments to worldly desires, material possessions, and personal ego, and free ourselves from the influence of external circumstances and emotional entanglements, Meister Eckhart teaches that we will experience a profound inner peace and a direct, intimate connection with the divine. This state of inner stillness allows us to recognize and realize the presence of God within ourselves, leading to a sense of unity with the divine and a deeper understanding of our true nature. It brings about a feeling of spiritual fulfillment, clarity, and liberation from the confines of the self.

Liturgy of the Hours

By the end of the 5th century, the Liturgy of the Hours was composed of seven offices. Of these seven, Compline seems to have been the last to appear, because the 4th century Apostolic Constitutions VIII iv 34 do not mention it in the exhortation "Offer up your prayers in the morning, at the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, the evening, and at cock-crowing".  An eighth office, Prime, was added by Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century. These eight are known by the following names, which do not reflect the times of the day at which in the second millennium they were traditionally recited, as shown by the use of the word "noon", derived from Latin (hora) nona, to mean midday, not 3 in the afternoon:

• Matins (during the night, at midnight with some); also called Vigils or Nocturns or, in monastic usage, the Night Office
  
  
• Lauds or Dawn Prayer (at Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
  
  
• Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour = approximately 6 a.m.)
  
  
• Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour = approximately 9 a.m.)
  
  
• Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour = approximately 12 noon)
  
  
• None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour = approximately 3 p.m.)
  
  
• Vespers or Evening Prayer ("at the lighting of the lamps", generally at 6 p.m.)
  
  
• Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally at 9 p.m.)

This arrangement of the Liturgy of the Hours is attributed to Saint Benedict. However, it is found in Saint John Cassian's Institutes and Conferences, which describe the monastic practices of the Desert Fathers of Egypt.