February 1

St. Brigid


Chapter 7 pt. 8

The Rule of Benedict February 1

The fourth step of humility reminds us that spiritual formation, not utopian community, is the end, or goal, of Benedict's Rule.  Community is a messy organism that can fail at every possible level, but the monastic is not thereby excused from her commitment to remain engaged and malleable to the work of the Spirit through community.

January 31

Chapter 7 pt. 7

The Rule of Benedict January 31

After the instruction to love not our own wills, but to love the will of God, we are, in the third step of humility, admonished to submit ourselves in obedience to the will of a flesh-and-blood human being.  It is Benedict's understanding, so it seems from chapter 5, that such obedience prepares us to obey the will of God in our lives.

In our order, there is not an obvious set of circumstances that call for obedience to the will of the superior.  Therefore, it seems to me that it is incumbent upon the Prior to make occasions for obedience to serve in the spiritual formation of the members.

January 30

Chapter 7 pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict January 30

It's one thing to love not my own will, it's another thing to be able to distinguish between my will for myself and God's will for me.  This is, I believe, the crux of what we refer to as discernment.  I envision our order to have the capacity to function as a discernment committee for its members.  How often would the significant decisions I face in life benefit from a patient listening in community to the Spirit's voice?

January 29

Chapter 7 pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict January 29

If we join Benedict in this countercultural rejection of self-will and our own desires, let there be no misunderstanding: it will require everything from us, day after day after day.  We must, as Gil says, persevere in keeping our stone in the water if there is to be any hope of it becoming smooth.

January 28

Chapter 7 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict January 28

I am unable to think of a value that is held higher in Western culture than that of self-determination, or freedom of will.  Yet this paragraph sets Benedict in diametrical opposition to such a value.  Benedict instructs us, in light of scripture, to distrust our own will because what seems right to us may lead us to utter destruction.

It's hard to be more countercultural in our context.  How willing are we, really, to follow Benedict on a path that begins with rejecting one of our society's most treasured dictums?

January 27

Chapter 7 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict January 27

When I truly know that God is intimately aware of my inner life, my ability to harbor wrongful thoughts is threatened.  How can I, when I know there is no secrecy, hide my wickedness from God?  Yet I often find myself trying to do just that.  I am forgetful.  I operate from an egocentrism that focuses my attention on the walls and darkened corners within my mind.  And this is the first step of humility, to replace this small perspective that harbors my darkness with God's vast light that drives all darkness away.

January 26

Chapter 7 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict January 26

Benedict chooses troublesome language to describe the first step of humility.  Words such as "fear" and "hell-fire" seem to fit better in a Flannery O'Connor story than in the Rule.  So what is Father Benedict getting at with such a vocabulary?  I don't want to dismiss or explain away his harsh words, but it's important, I believe, to peer through them to what lies deeper than the literal.  When I do this, I see the essence of the first step of humility to be a shifting of focus from the egocentric to the theocentric.  Of course, this first step is itself the ongoing work of a lifetime.

January 25

Chapter 7 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict January 25

Chapter 7 on humility is the longest in the Rule.  Today's selection is a sort of introduction to the chapter wherein Father Benedict makes a case for humility as the means by which we reach our home with God, or, differently put, the means by which we become a place where God is at home.  I see Benedict's path of humility as akin to the kenotic path (self-emptying) of Jesus as described in Philippians 2.  To follow the steps along this path, or "climb" the rungs of this ladder, is the work of a lifetime, and it is in regard to such work that the Novice Master of Wisdom is a resource for our order and community.

January 24

Chapter 6

The Rule of Benedict January 24

The "spirit of silence" that Benedict instructs the monastic to cultivate is of a particular character. Benedict's silence is chosen for the sake of spiritual formation in oneself and in one's sister or brother.  The spirit of silence is kind and generous, not stingy or hostile.  In other words, it's safe.  Safe silence, held in common, is a great gift, and it's one that we, as an order and as a community experience together regularly.

January 23

Chapter 5 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict January 23

Obedience is the framework of Benedict's vision of monastic life, and the greatest threat to his framework isn't defiant refusal to obey, but murmuring.  The activity of murmuring, or grumbling, establishes a realm of relationship that exists outside Benedict's framework, and, from the outside, attacks monastic life.  The monastery can handle legitimate complaints and even blatant disobedience within this framework, but not murmuring, which forms the heart of the murmurer into a place of conflict and deceit.  On the contrary, our desire is to be formed inwardly in such a way that frees us to listen to God and respond with joyful action.

January 22

Chapter 5 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict January 22

I am posting my letter from September 23, 2010 with an additional comment.


Father Benedict is concerned in this chapter with the clear pinpoint of the will within each of us.  This precise point is often obscured by the details of our experience: our emotional habits, patterns of thought, and circumstances.  Yet it is the place at which our true self responds to God in a given moment, and it is the freedom to respond in the affirmative that Benedict wants the monastic to acquire.

We, in the Benedictine Sisters and Brothers of St. Brigid, have the privilege of practicing our faith within the stability of our order.  This gives us access to some of the tools that Benedict builds into his monasteries, the first of which is that we have a Prior.  Father Benedict makes it clear that his instruction to immediately obey the command of the leader is not because the leader's commands are perfect, but, because by obeying without hesitation or resistance, the monastic learns to do, and is regarded by God as doing, the will of God.

Some of us may recognize within ourselves what I'm describing as the pinpoint of the will.  Some of us may not.  If you do not, I would be happy to help you recognize it within yourself.  Regardless of how clear the concept is to you right now, though, we have the opportunity to follow Benedict's instructions.

To begin, I would like to establish a protocol for our communication.  When you receive an email from me, I would like for you, upon receiving it, to reply without hesitation.  If I ask a question for which you do not have an answer, simply reply that you got my email and that you'll respond soon with your answer.  If it is at all possible, pause at the very moment you see the email, "immediately put aside [your] own concerns, abandon [your] own will, and lay down whatever [you] have in hand, leaving it unfinished," (Ch. 5) and reply.


January 22, 2011:


I'd like to add some clarity to the above instruction regarding email by signing all messages that I send as Prior with, "Your Prior."  I think this will be of practical help to us all.

January 21

Chapter 4 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict January 21

Today's thoughts are regarding #56-61 from January 20 in addition to the link above.


I am struck here at the end of this chapter by what a blessing it is to have the opportunity to build a workshop of our own in which to put these tools into practice.  The building of the workshop will take our firm persistence, but let us place our hope in what God has prepared to do in and through us.

January 20

Chapter 4 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict January 20 #44-55

Today's thoughts are concerning #44-55 at the link above. 


In the biblical tradition, the Judgment of God is a great hope to be invoked by the people of God.  It is invoked, at its worst, as a punishment of enemies or as a means of control.  In its best form, the hope is in a Reality that frees us from the need to be judge, a posture that reflects back upon us and a condition that profoundly clouds our vision (Matt. 7:1-5).  When God is Judge, I don't need to be.  I can accept what is as it is.

How often do my thoughts and my words seek to manipulate what is?  How often does my laughter help me to avoid the uncomfortable, formative moment?

January 19

Chapter 4 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict January 19

In this portion of chapter 4, Benedict casts a vision of a monastic heart bereft of violence, defensiveness, and self-importance.  This is no easy vision to live up to.  It requires courage to lay down my defenses, give up "being right", and entrust my worth to God.  It requires generosity of spirit and vulnerability.  It might even require our death, like it did of our Lord and many of his disciples, including one whose memory our nation celebrates this week.

January 18

Chapter 4 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict January 18

Contained in this first section of Chapter 4 on the Tools for Good Works are some of what are known as the 7 corporal works for mercy:

1. feeding the hungry
2. giving drink to the thirsty
3. clothing the naked
4. sheltering the homeless
5. visiting the sick
6. ransoming the prisoner
7. burying the dead

In our order, our deacon has been called to help us and our community put these works into practice.

January 17

Chapter 3 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict January 17

Part of what it means for us to bear the title "Benedictine" is for us to accept the Rule of Benedict as a rule, or a standard, by which to measure our lives.  This does not imply that we subject ourselves to a simple, one-to-one application of the Rule, but rather that we each submit ourselves to the authority of the Rule instead of to our self-will in matters pertaining to our spiritual formation.

January 16

Chapter 3 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict January 16

Directly on the heels of a chapter in which his monastic superior is entrusted with the sacred responsibility of spiritual formation for the entire community, our father Benedict instructs that no important matter is to be resolved without summoning the community to counsel "because it often happens that the Lord makes the best course clear to one of the youngest" (tr. Patrick Barry OSB).  It seems to me that we have here an instance of Benedict's profound wisdom as a master of the Way.  Yes, some are called to assume responsibility for the spiritual well-being of others, but God is no respecter of persons and will not be confined to the minds and lips of the powerful.  The culture of the monastery has built into it the capacity to listen to the Lord through every last member.  In our association, we see this culture embodied in the children who encircle the Table and by whose hands we are fed the living Bread each week.

January 15

Chapter 2 pt. 7

The Rule of Benedict January 15

Father Benedict ends this chapter by emphasizing that the responsibility of the monastic superior is for the welfare of souls, which is to be the fulcrum about which life in the monastery turns. Nothing is to take its place, especially not the material and financial concerns of the monastery.  This fulcrum is the same in our order, and I ask your prayers and mercy as I, your Prior, seek to honor Benedict's weighty manifesto set forth in this chapter.

January 14

Chapter 2 pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict January 14

When the Prior accepts the charge, he is allowed his weaknesses.  No leader is perfect, nor should he need to be.  If there is any possibility of the Prior serving the members of the order without the fear and defensiveness of his ego running the show, he must remember who he truly is, weaknesses and all, and place his trust in the One by whose grace he is called and empowered to serve.

January 13

Chapter 2 pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict January 13

In order for the Prior to effectively "vary with circumstances" the means of spiritual formation, there needs to be a clear vision of that into which we are being formed.  Benedict lays out in the Prologue his vision of spiritual formation as a process by which one is made fit to dwell with God where God is at home.  In our context, formation takes place within the order through our process of discerning our callings and serving in our roles.  The Prior must keep in mind that the support each member needs as she lives into her calling and role will be unique.

January 12

Chapter 2 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict January 12

The Prior must guard against all criteria that serve to set some people over others in society at large, such as money, degrees, appearance, or politics.  But he must also guard against criteria that do the same in church, such as those visible acts of devotion and piety that Jesus mentions in Matthew 6.  The only acceptable criteria within the order by which the Prior evaluates the vowed members are those of obedience, good works, and humility.  Obedience is to the word of Christ heard in prayer and from the Prior; good works are the fruit of that obedience; and humility is the attitude that enables the ear to listen and hear.

January 11

Chapter 2 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict January 11

Very little adjustment is needed in order for this paragraph to apply directly to our context.  The Prior's life is to be an example for the order of a good life lived in obedience to Christ.  Any instructions he gives must flow from his manner of life, which itself flows from the teachings of the Lord who will not be fooled by the smooth words of a disobedient heart.

January 10

Chapter 2 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict January 10

"The purpose of Benedictine spirituality is to gather equally committed adults for a journey through earthen darkness to the dazzling light that already flames in each of us, but in a hidden place left to each of us to find."  -Joan Chittister OSB from The Rule of Benedict: Insight for the Ages


This paragraph from Sr. Joan's commentary on today's reading from Chapter 2 in the Rule has shaped my approach to the role of Prior in our order.  The Prior is responsible before God to join each member on the journey to their hidden flame and, once found, to help protect and fan the flame.

January 9

Chapter 2 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict January 9

We have established in the BSBSB that our monastic superior is to be called Prior or Prioress and that this role correlates most closely to the Abbot or Abbess in Benedict's Rule.  For the purposes of my comments here I will use the term Prior.

The Prior is never to be his own counsel or authority and, in this way, holds the place of Christ who said, "not what I will, but what you will" to God, whom he called Abba (Mark 14:36).  The Prior's first task must be to listen for the will that finds its origin in God and not in himself.  This is the only way that his words can be a leaven of divine justice, or a vehicle by which God's moral rightness spreads throughout the community.

January 8

Chapter 1

Rule of Benedict January 8

Benedict's harsh condemnation of sarabaites and gyrovagues stems from his strong beliefs about spiritual formation.  We are formed in community, Benedict insists, and not just any community, but a community gathered around the instructions of the Lord put into practice under a rule and an abbot or abbess.  I hear from this chapter a clear call for us, as members of the Benedictine Sisters and Brothers of St. Brigid, to prayerfully inquire within ourselves which vices of the sarabaites and/or gyrovagues we tend toward in our fledgling neo-monastic practice.  And in response to that inquiry, let us each resolve to expel those vices from our hearts.

January 7

Prologue pt. 7

The Rule of Benedict January 7

In these final words of the Prologue to Benedict's Rule, he declares that his intention is to establish a school for God's service.  In Benedict's school we learn how to obey the commands of the Lord so that our souls might be a place that God would call home.  So, as a Benedictine order, what does our school look like?  How do our roles engage Benedict's intention of shaping a community wherein souls find true union with God, both in this life and beyond?  

January 6

Prologue Pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict January 6

In a sentence, Benedict states the purpose of the monastery: to "prepare our hearts and our bodies to serve [God] under the guidance of holy obedience" (translation by Patrick Berry OSB).  It is my prayer that our order grows into and embodies this very purpose as well.  Therefore, "Conscious in this undertaking of our own weakness let us ask the Lord to give us through his grace the help we need."

January 5

Prologue pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict January 5

Father Benedict begins this passage by connecting the actions of the wise builder on the rock of Jesus' instructions to those who attribute all good in themselves to God (from yesterday's reading).  It is to the rock, not to our actions, that Benedict desires to fix our attention.  And it is our clear perception of God as the wise, patient source of all goodness that frees us to become who we are called to be; i.e., to obediently act in response to Jesus' instructions.

January 4

Prologue pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict January 4

Benedict continues here to demonstrate from Scripture the conditions in which God is at home, both in the human soul and in a community.  But, Father Benedict instructs, it is vitally important that neither the soul nor the community develop pride as a result of its purity.  Yes, let us cast temptations from the sight of our hearts before they take hold in our soul and/or community, but let us also cultivate a humility that keeps God in God's place and us in ours.

January 3

Prologue pt. 3


The Rule of Benedict January 3

To God's call for workers who desire true life that lasts forever we have, in taking our vows, answered that we are such workers.  God's response to our answer, Benedict indicates, is gentle encouragement to create the conditions in which God is at home.  Let us, then, seek after peace in our order by ridding our tongues and lips of evil and deceitful words so that we are able to know God's, "I am here," in our prayers.

January 2

Prologue pt. 2


The Rule of Benedict January 2

Father Benedict seeks here to inspire a disposition of urgent attention in the hearts of his disciples.  This urgency is set against our own lethargy and tendency to harden our hearts to the light and voice of God.  Benedict strikes this tone at the outset of the Rule because one's disposition at the beginning of a journey sets one's course.  As we begin again in this new year, let us do so with earnest, eager, urgent attention to what the Spirit is saying.