Benedictine Spirituality
History
Benedictine spirituality is more of a discipline than a practice, more of a lifestyle than that of a routine. Prayer and work is a way of life of the Benedictine Monks.
Benedictine spirituality is more of a discipline than a practice, more of a lifestyle than that of a routine. Prayer and work is a way of life of the Benedictine Monks.
History of Benedictine Spirituality
St. Benedict framed a Rule, or constitution, which was modeled in some respects upon the earlier Rule of St. Basil for the Benedictine Order in 529AD. The Benedictine monks formed a council, presided over by an abbot, who held the office for life. Every candidate for admission to the order of the Benedictine monks took the vow of obedience. Any man, rich or poor, noble or peasant, is allowed to enter the Benedictine monastery. The postulancy usually lasted one month, the novitiate one year, at the end which simple vows were taken. The solemn vows of the Medieval monks were taken four years later. But having once joined he remained a Benedictine monk for the rest of his life. The Benedictine monks lived under strict discipline. They could not own any property; they could not go beyond the monastery walls without the abbot's consent; they could not even receive letters from home; and they were sent to bed early. A violation of the regulations by a Benedictine monk brought punishment in the shape of private admonitions, exclusion from common prayer, and, in extreme cases, expulsion. The vows of the Benedictine monks were obedience, stability, conversion in the way of life. These vows were the basis of the rule of St. Benedict and the life of the Benedictine monks. By the tenth century the Benedictine Rule prevailed everywhere in Western Europe including England. The word monk (monos) means single, and both celibacy and poverty went without saying. The Benedictine rule specified that monks should own nothing (if that is what poverty is) but this was not incorporated as a vow. In the modern understanding of Benedictine monks, poverty and celibacy are included in the vow of obedience as Benedictine monks are obedient to the rules and regulations of the order and of particular congregations and monasteries. The vows of Poverty and Celibacy were a much later addition to the thinking and rule making of the church. These are required of the later religious institutions such as Franciscans, Dominicans and Jesuits. The Benedictine Rule was already in place for 500 years before these other orders were established.
St. Benedict framed a Rule, or constitution, which was modeled in some respects upon the earlier Rule of St. Basil for the Benedictine Order in 529AD. The Benedictine monks formed a council, presided over by an abbot, who held the office for life. Every candidate for admission to the order of the Benedictine monks took the vow of obedience. Any man, rich or poor, noble or peasant, is allowed to enter the Benedictine monastery. The postulancy usually lasted one month, the novitiate one year, at the end which simple vows were taken. The solemn vows of the Medieval monks were taken four years later. But having once joined he remained a Benedictine monk for the rest of his life. The Benedictine monks lived under strict discipline. They could not own any property; they could not go beyond the monastery walls without the abbot's consent; they could not even receive letters from home; and they were sent to bed early. A violation of the regulations by a Benedictine monk brought punishment in the shape of private admonitions, exclusion from common prayer, and, in extreme cases, expulsion. The vows of the Benedictine monks were obedience, stability, conversion in the way of life. These vows were the basis of the rule of St. Benedict and the life of the Benedictine monks. By the tenth century the Benedictine Rule prevailed everywhere in Western Europe including England. The word monk (monos) means single, and both celibacy and poverty went without saying. The Benedictine rule specified that monks should own nothing (if that is what poverty is) but this was not incorporated as a vow. In the modern understanding of Benedictine monks, poverty and celibacy are included in the vow of obedience as Benedictine monks are obedient to the rules and regulations of the order and of particular congregations and monasteries. The vows of Poverty and Celibacy were a much later addition to the thinking and rule making of the church. These are required of the later religious institutions such as Franciscans, Dominicans and Jesuits. The Benedictine Rule was already in place for 500 years before these other orders were established.
In the life and work of the Benedictine Monks in a monastic community; St. Benedict sought to draw a sharp line between the monastic life and that of the outside world. Hence he required that, as far as possible, each monastery should form an independent, self-supporting community whose Benedictine monks had no need of going beyond its limits for anything. In course of time, as a monastery increased in wealth and number of inmates, it might come to form an enormous establishment, covering many acres and presenting within its massive walls the appearance of a fortified town.
St. Benedict defined a monastery as "a school for the service of the Lord." The Benedictine monks under his Rule occupied themselves with a regular round of worship, reading, and manual labor. Each day was divided into seven sacred offices, beginning and ending with services in the monastery church. The first service came usually about two o'clock in the morning; the last, just as evening set in, before the Benedictine monks retired to rest. In addition to their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer, and meditation. For most of the day, however, they worked hard with their hands, doing the necessary washing and cooking for the monastery, raising the necessary supplies of vegetables and grain, and performing all the other tasks required to maintain a large establishment. This emphasis on labor, as a religious duty, was a characteristic feature of western monasticism. "To labor is to pray" became a favorite motto of the Benedictine Monks.
It is clear that life in a Benedictine monastery appealed to many different kinds of people in the Middle Ages. Those who have had a spiritual turn in mind found that the monastic life is the opportunity of giving themselves wholly to God as Benedictine monks. Studious and thoughtful persons, with no disposition for an active career in the world, naturally turned to the monastery as a secure retreat and joined the ranks of the Benedictine monks. The friendless and the disgraced often took refuge within the walls of a Benedictine monastery. Many sought to escape from the violent world of the Medieval Middle Ages by seeking the peaceful shelter of the monastery and leading the quiet life of a Benedictine monk.
It is clear that life in a Benedictine monastery appealed to many different kinds of people in the Middle Ages. Those who have had a spiritual turn in mind found that the monastic life is the opportunity of giving themselves wholly to God as Benedictine monks. Studious and thoughtful persons, with no disposition for an active career in the world, naturally turned to the monastery as a secure retreat and joined the ranks of the Benedictine monks. The friendless and the disgraced often took refuge within the walls of a Benedictine monastery. Many sought to escape from the violent world of the Medieval Middle Ages by seeking the peaceful shelter of the monastery and leading the quiet life of a Benedictine monk.
The civilizing influence of the Benedictine monks during the early Middle Ages can scarcely be over-emphasized. A monastery was a farm, an inn, a hospital, a school and a library. By the careful cultivation of their lands the monks set an example of good farming wherever they settled. The role of the monasteries and the Benedictine monks were; performing many works of charity, feeding the hungry, healing the sick who were brought to their doors, and distributing their medicines freely to those who needed them, educators, copied manuscripts of classical authors, preserved valuable books that would otherwise have been lost, kept records of the most striking events of their time and acted as chroniclers.
Important Persons
Other than that of St. Benedict, there are other important personalities that contributed in the Benedictine Spirituality.
Other than that of St. Benedict, there are other important personalities that contributed in the Benedictine Spirituality.
Saint Scholastica – Born also in Nursia, Italy, she was the twin sister of St. Benedict. St Gregory the Great, in his Dialogues, tells us that she was a nun and leader of a community for women about five miles from Benedict's abbey at Monte Cassino. She is most likely to also have been following the Rule of his brother (The Rule of St. Benedict).
St. Scholastica was dedicated to God from a young age (some telling of her story indicate that she preceded Benedict in godliness, and he came to holiness after she did). The most commonly told story about her is that she would, once a year, go and visit her brother at a place near his abbey, and they would spend the day worshiping together and discussing sacred texts and issues. She also is the founder of women's branch of Benedictine Monasticism. She died on February 10, 542, less than a year before St. Benedict died.
St. Scholastica was dedicated to God from a young age (some telling of her story indicate that she preceded Benedict in godliness, and he came to holiness after she did). The most commonly told story about her is that she would, once a year, go and visit her brother at a place near his abbey, and they would spend the day worshiping together and discussing sacred texts and issues. She also is the founder of women's branch of Benedictine Monasticism. She died on February 10, 542, less than a year before St. Benedict died.
Pope Gregory I (or St. Gregory the Great) – Born in Rome 540A.D, he is known to be as one of the important persons and contributors in the Benedictine spirituality. Gregory became Pope in 590A.D, and he is known to be a vital link between the early church and the Middle Ages. He was also a writer and dialogist, but all of his writings have a pastoral purpose and devotion to St. Benedict. He wrote the book called “Dialogues”, a collection of four books of miracles, signs, wonders, and healings done by the holy men, mostly monastic, of sixth-century Italy, with the second book entirely devoted to a popular life of Saint Benedict. The book tells us on how Benedict lived his life as a habitual monk and hermit. He also pointed out that Benedict left the city, not for the purpose of becoming a monk, but just to go someplace else away from the city. Pope Gregory died during his papacy on March 12, 604.
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/benedictine-monks.htm
http://site.paracletepress.com/samples/exc-How-to-be-a-Monastic-1-20.pdf
http://www.benedictineoblates.com/downloads/Benedictine_Spirituality_Introductory_Conferences.pdf
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://site.paracletepress.com/samples/exc-How-to-be-a-Monastic-1-20.pdf
http://www.benedictineoblates.com/downloads/Benedictine_Spirituality_Introductory_Conferences.pdf
http://www.wikipedia.org/
