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 Today is the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western Monasticism. I've not had a huge devotion to or focus on Benedict most of my Christian life - probably more implicitly than explicitly because I share a drawing to similar monastic ideals. He does sit in my "cloud of witnesses" you could call it - icons on top of my desk in the study. He's there with Patrick, Francis, Jesus the Teacher and the Blessed Mother. Jesus with his burning Sacred Heart takes up residence across the room in a special, central place on top of my book shelves. Thank God for visual aids.I don't have tons to say about Benedict. You can read a sketch there at the link. The thing that always, without fail, comes to mind when I focus on him is that, and consider all he has been and is to the Church, to monks, to many in Orders that bear his name, to Christians all over - is that he was really just a lay person who wanted to find a way to serve and focus on God with others while they were being transformed into the Image of Christ. Not a priest. Not even a Deacon as far as I know. But he is Father Benedict. There's hope there. Pray for us, O Abbot. Labels: monasticism, saints :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: May 23, 2008 >> 11:02 AM little portion update from jmt I got hold of this link from John Michael Talbot's blog. He's posted a personal video on YouTube telling the story of the fire and loss at Little Portion and asks for our help. Take a look if you haven't seen this. I feel a great kinship with them not just because I've loved John's music for years but also because of what they're doing as a monastic community. I feel myself in those shoes a little bit. So, I'll be praying for them at least, if not more. technorati tags > john michael talbot, little portion hermitage, brothers and sisters of charity Labels: church, monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: April 15, 2008 >> 10:38 PM one lives and loves What he called "the reality of life itself" taught him a simple way to be a monk, namely, "One lives and loves." As he explained: "To deliver oneself up, to hand oneself over, entrust oneself completely to the silence of a wide landscape of woods and hills... to sit still while the sun comes up over that land and fills its silence with light. To pray and work in the morning and to labor and rest in the afternoon, and to sit still again in the meditation in the evening when night falls upon that land and when the silence fills itself with darkness and with stars.""One lives and loves" - this is quintessentially IT. It just is. All the things we talk about, trying to explain this - all that we as God's people, over the years and years and years, have done to try and get this across to the world, to ourselves... as wonderful as much of it has been and is, it all still acts only as a pale reflection of the fullness contained in that statement. And that talk of landscape and woods, work and prayer and rest, giving oneself to the silence there - oooooh my - my heart just aches for that. I can't properly explain it to you. I just close my eyes and breathe. I see the trees and grass. technorati tags > thomas merton, monastic life Labels: merton, monasticism, personal :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: December 31, 2007 >> 11:58 AM alan's 2008 predictions > and beyond  I was reading Michael Spencer's predictions for 2008 and some of those in his comments, so I thought I'd take a stab at a few here. I don't usually think about things like this but this should be interesting and fun anyway. A prediction to start off with about these predictions: Some of these may just be me being a smart-ass - beware!
---------------- Listening to: Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking Labels: catholic, emerging church, monasticism, predictions :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: October 29, 2007 >> 12:16 PM crankin' > darkness, church, rcia, monasticism As I've said before, and those who know me know this well, I crank on things, constantly. I'm always thinking in overdrive about - well, about everything. Thoughts, beware, if ye enter this mind, to dust ye shall be ground! Today is no different. I am, frankly, in not too hot of a place mentally right now. And one can be in such a place and not be wrong in being so - just a self-defensive note. So here are a few things I'm crankin' on today, this week...
technorati tags > spiritual darkness, catholic church, rcia, new monasticism, monasticism, monastic reform, lay monasticism Labels: catholic, church, monasticism, personal, sacraments :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: September 07, 2007 >> 11:07 AM a little creativity > monastic thinking This post will not be as substantive as I wanted it to be, I know this already. I'm not sure I presently have the energy to make it so. Briefly though, here are some thoughts from big Tom... ...it seems right to say that one who wants a contemplative life today, whether he is in a monastery or in the world, must do two things. First he must as far as possible reduce the conflict and frustration in his life by cutting down his contact with the "world" and his secular subjections. This means reducing his needs for pleasure, comfort, recreation, prestige, and success and embracing a life of true spiritual poverty and detachment. Second, he must learn to put up with the inevitable conflicts that remain – the noise, the agitation, the crowding, the lack of time, and above all the constant contact with a purely secular mentality which is all around us everywhere and at all times, even to some extent in monasteries.Well, damn. I definitely see that. I also see, and I'm sure you do as well, the relative difficulty of such a task when one is more or less "trapped" in such a lifestyle. But there are always things that we can do. And I don't think he's saying anything like "all recreation is bad in itself," and if he is I wouldn't agree. It's a mindset he's after here, and that we should be after, to get rid of being unhealthily attached to these things so that our life-focus can be re-routed upward. So, he goes on about how crazy city life is and how hard it would be for anyone to have a deep interior life in such a setting. I'm sure there is not a little of his own struggles in there, but still, true to a certain extent. So, he goes on... It would seem that for this reason groups of laypeople interested in the spiritual life should be formed in order to protect and foster something of an elementary contemplative spirituality... It is strange that contemplative monasteries are content simply to receive individuals as retreatants, encourage them to receive frequent Communion and make the Way of the Cross, but do not do more to form groups of men who could help and support one another.It would seem... Ya think!? I think, yeah. And I think it's happening. It probably has been happening for a while and a lot of these formed groups of people are very unspectacular and therefore, unknown to most of the world around them. Many of us would not be content to be so hidden I fear. He also talks about "Third Orders" being raised up around Cistercian monasteries, etc., which has happened now too, but not enough. But then the caution... But as soon as you start thinking in terms of organization, the issue becomes extremely confused. Such groups do not need to be organized. They simply need to form themselves, under the guidance and encouragement of priests who are already interested in contemplation.Oh my, how familiar all this sounds. How much organization is really necessary for something like this? Merton seems to think not too much, and that even too much would not be good. I think I'm starting to agree. And I understand what he's saying about being under the guidance of priests. Certainly those who form these groups need not be lone-rangers. They need to be connected to the whole Church, to have outside advisors and directors. But I'm not sure they need to, as Merton even says later here, be "dependent on the spiritual initiatives of their clergy." Don't get me saying clergy aren't necessary and that we need to cast them off, blah blah, come on. I'm saying these kinds of monastic groups (yes, "monastic" groups) are much like what St. Benedict and his band of merry men, as well as Francis (and yes, they are "monastic" of a sort - let's not get too technical here please - not strictly contemplative, I know that) - much like these non-clergymen and their non-clergy fellows did. It was simply about doing what needed to be done to make a way for people to look seriously into the Face of God and be transformed. OK, one more thing before I hit post... It is possible that by the sacrifice of seemingly good economic opportunities, you could move into the country or to a small town where you would have more time to think. This would involve the acceptance of a relative poverty perhaps. If so, all the better for your interior life. The sacrifice could be a real liberation from the pitiless struggle which is the source of most of your worries. There are of course jobs which by their nature keep one isolated or take him off the beaten track. However, not everyone is free to choose the career of forest ranger or lighthouse keeper. Not everyone wants to spend his life as a night watchman, and for very good reasons. But what is wrong with farming?What indeed!? Of course farming of certain sorts can become a worrisome and burdensome thing for people. Again, it depends on your attitude about it, why you're doing it, etc. It is, in itself, not necessarily a spiritually superior pursuit. And I'm not sure, and this is not necessarily what he's saying, that one needs to become "poor" in order to do something like this. I'm not sure what becoming intentionally impoverished does for one anyway. The kind of "poverty" embraced by religious in some orders is not poverty in its strictest, oppressive sense anyway. It is not that which, partly, Jesus came to free us all from. It is more and external help to form an internal attitude of disattachment from "things." Anyway, that's beside the point. The point being, it was encouraging to read this yesterday as this is precisely the kind of thing that I want to do, am going to do. Very loosely I'm sort of doing it now and that will take more shape later. I'll have to be patient and let that happen. I have to allow myself to be made able to be satisfied with smallness and being not very organized, etc. Thomas Merton, pray for us. Charles de Foucauld, pray for us. St. Benedict, pray for us. St. Francis, pray for us. St. Columba, pray for us. All quotes were from The Inner Experience by Thomas Merton. technorati tags > spiritual formation, contemplative life, monastic life, thomas merton, new monasticism Labels: merton, monasticism, spiritual formation :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: August 01, 2007 >> 1:16 PM for the kingdom of God Checking through my feed reader today I ran across this post from a monk in Chicago. He is the Prior of a Benedictine Monastery in the city there. Prior Peter spilled out a few very good words that I thought worth sharing with you here. I know there are a lot of people talking about the Kingdom of God lately, how that's the whole point, etc. I wonder how often, though, we might think about it in this way... ...the quest for the Kingdom of God requires us to go even deeper, renouncing our own preferences, likes and dislikes, even ultimately renouncing our own opinions about God, our images of God and impressions of God, since God is infinitely greater than anything we can imagine about Him. This does not always feel good. Just as the Israelites were frightened by what happened to Moses when he encountered God face to face, we often find our way forward to God blocked by fear of the unknown and fear of losing what is known and is comfortable in our lives.He's relating this to monastic life specifically in his post, but we should all be able to take a statement like that and weave it into our whole lives, IF we are serious about our lives being woven into the fabric of His Kingdom. If not, then whatever, but seriously - that's good stuff. News Flash: Monks aren't the only ones called to think like this - just in case you didn't know. Over. Peace. technorati tags > the kingdom of god, spiritual formation, discipleship, spiritual growth Labels: monasticism, spiritual formation :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: July 02, 2007 >> 10:20 AM concerning the community of vine & branches Since this whole Catholic business has broken out, I've had a few questions concerning the faith community that I planted and have lead for almost 7 years, Vine & Branches. "What will happen to your church?" "What about vbcc?" Those are good questions. Quite a few people have followed us as a community over the last few years, watched us being church in the way that we were. There were even a couple of books that featured our name and a bit about what we were about, not to mention the whole bloggish emerging church phenomenon, conferences, etc. So, even though we were only a very few faithful people, doing what we were doing, we were not anonymous in the world. Anyway, of course our own people were wondering (and we've already, of course, talked about all this within) and others were as well, so I thought I'd put up a post concerning that subject in particular. I'll do a little cutting and pasting from some things I've already said in other places and then add some. I'll try not to make this too long of a post. from the original why not? post: So we talked to them, asked them to pray with/for us. Of course, it was a very good thing. And later, recently, when the word came down - "Go" - the reactions were just as, if not more, positive. They saw it. They see that it's a good thing and we know that we will continue to be a community of people helping each other along the journey, but not as "a church," properly speaking. And that is fine. It may, in fact, as we talked about it, free some things up. We have become "a monastery in waiting," as it were (thanks Kyle) - those rural monastic plans are still ON, only slightly varied. We will now be meeting only once a month for a potluck meal, hanging out, and to pray the evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. Our relationships will be maintained. What else? Good stuff.So, there's the basics. All the people who are a part of this community, while we will miss certain aspects of what we were together, are fine. We are looking forward to another leg in the journey. We talked about the fact that I just couldn't do both things at once - maintain vbcc as it was and figure this whole Catholic thing out at the same time. It would have driven me nuttier than I already am. And then, the decision was made, so the logical conclusion followed (there we go again with those) - we shifted gears from being one thing while stating that we would continue to be another. Well, not altogether "another thing" really. It's more like continuing to be one thing that we definitely already are, a community of people, while allowing another part of that to come to an end - the "church" part. And as I said, and I've said this numerous times in private to many people, the rural monastic community is still happening. This does not change this vocational vision I believe has come from God. It may even be easier in some ways. The only thing that will change about it is that it won't be the base of a "church" but more, to use more Catholic terminology, an apostolate working within the greater Church. Benedict and some friends saw some things, were called to do something, and they did it. Francis and many others did that same, all through the history of the Church. No different here. The monastic community of vine & branches will be a small, rural, contemplative (with active outworkings) monastic community with a Catholic base and an ecumenical spirit. I'm looking forward to the day when that becomes a reality. God give us Grace to move well in that direction. Monastic Fathers, pray for us. technorati tags > roman catholic church, catholic church, catholic reversion, catholic conversion, catholicism, emerging church, alan creech, vine & branches christian community, swimming the tiber, crossing the tiber, community, monasticism, new monasticism Labels: catholic, church, emerging church, monasticism, personal, reversion, vbcc :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: May 19, 2007 >> 6:51 PM updated monastic future vision I wanted to post a little updated version of the "monastic future" post I linked to yesterday. I only realized after I had linked it, when I went back and read it again for the first time in a long time, that some details of that vision have changed a good bit since I put that out there. That was actually 2 years ago, in May of 2005. Ah, how things evolve. I wonder sometimes, if they actually change or if we simply grow and begin to hear more clearly (in some cases) and so, what we see later is not the same. It's more accurate, honed. Of course none of this is new or honed or different to God, only to us and through our imperfect perception.  I was talking to our community about this not long ago. In these two or 3 years since this vision was fairly clear, the more and more I think about it, meditate and pray about it, the more one part grows and the rest fades. This rural monastic community becomes, really, all I want to do, all I truly believe I have a real vocation to do. The other parts were good ideas maybe, and are definitely for someone, but not me. So any urban monastic community in Lexington won't be a Vine & Branches one. It won't be one started by or overseen by me. That is not to say that I am somehow devaluing urban life or the idea of an urban monastic expression. I think it's awesome. I really do. I have twinges sometimes of desire in that direction - more like twinges of thought about what a positive thing it could be (and is in some places already) - but that does not equal a calling for me to go in that direction. And the suburbs, yes the suburbs. I live there now. I'm doing that here already in that hybrid idea of a "monastic parish." And that, also, is great and can be an amazing and needed thing. If there is any part of something other than a rural monastic life that could possibly remain, in some paired down fashion, it would be this I think, I think. Maybe it's just that some folks who still live here will be connected in some way with what we do in the country - not sure about that one. We shall see. I truly believe, with no reservations, that everything that I have done, that we have done, as Vine & Branches in any form, has been leading to this, is still leading to that rural monastic reality to be. Elements of traditional cenobitic monasticism ala Benedict and his spiritual descendants? Certainly. Franciscan inspired "mountain and valley" active contemplative monasticism? Sure, maybe even a little more. A little bit of a newer notion of an integrated monastic community - men and women, married, single and celibate? Yes. Again, ask Brother Abbot John about that one. And even a slightly different twist - the idea that this will be a very small community of permanent dwellers with the addition of an unknown number of rotational live-in members who come and commit to being in community with us, living and working in that rural contemplative setting, for periods of perhaps one or two years. Many, many people may possibly be formed in some very important ways during a time like this.  I also see this place as offering hospitality and rest to many guests who may come there for retreats of shorter periods of time: a few days, a week, etc. This is, of course, in the long tradition of open hospitality called for in the Rule of St. Benedict, and ultimately in the "Rule" of Jesus Himself for all of us in our own contexts. Hopefully, this will help flesh out a bit more of what our rural monastic vision is for the not-too-distant future. We're getting there. God continues to lead us there and strengthen us as we walk with Him. What we are now and what we do, will not always be the same. But that's not a bad thing. If it's a right thing, it is ultimately very good. Father, give us Grace to be and do what you have called us to be and do. Father Francis, Father Patrick, Father Benedict, pray for us. technorati tags > neo monasticism, monasticism, monastic community, rural life Labels: community, monasticism, spiritual formation :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: May 18, 2007 >> 7:21 PM jmt blogs  I got very excited today. Through some surfing around, I found that John Michael Talbot actually has a blog that he updates on a regular basis. This is very cool stuff. John has been used by God as my minstrel, if you will, for quite a few years. His music has helped me pray, meditate, go through dark nights of the soul, and has taught and encouraged me. Thanks, John, for being faithful and consistent for all this time.I've also been inspired by his vocation, his planting of a rural monastic community for married, single and celibate people, in Arkansas. Every time I think of that place and what they're doing, it gives me hope for my own future, the future of who knows how many people who will do this with us. Liz and I visited there once, on a trip we took for our 10th anniversary. We were in Eureka Springs and went to the Little Portion store there. One of the Sisters told us we should go up and pray evening prayer with them that night, she said, "I think John is there this week." So yeah, we went. We had a nice little time with them there. Another Sister (Raphael I believe, if I remember right) met us in the welcome center and gave us a whirlwind tour of the place before the bell rang. We sat with them in their choir just behind John and his wife Viola as he played the guitar for our chanting. It was a bit surreal for me, a very cool experience. I didn't talk to him at the time. I didn't really feel like bugging him. I'd love to have a sit-down with him sometime though and talk about what they're doing and what I want to do in the not-too-distant future. technorati tags > john michael talbot, monasticism Labels: blogging, monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: April 19, 2007 >> 9:47 AM spiritual direction > abbot-ting I keep thinking about this spiritual direction thing. I suppose I always think about it to one degree or another. I'm thinking of it like this - not as a "thing" of it's own. It's not that. It doesn't mean anything outside the context of what it's for and how it works in the whole economy of human transformation/salvation. It's about spiritual formation. One "directs" another in order to help facilitate that other being more fully formed into the Image of Christ. This is to cooperate with, not one person's goal for themselves or even for another, but with God's ultimate goal for all of us. This also makes me think about how it works, where it works, etc. For me, as a pastor, and abbot in a faith community, how does it work that I am the spiritual director, primarily, of this community? That's a rhetorical question. I've talked a bit before about why I like to talk about pastoring as abbot-ting. Fr. Pete has been talking about that as well recently. In the context of Vine & Branches it has come to mean that our community is growing in the direction of being more intentionally monastic - in how we conduct ourselves, how we look at what it means to be a community, and in how we go about being a part of such a church. It's not a full-out, traditional monastic model (of course there are many monastic models), and it's not a full-out traditional parish model either. I've also talked about the monastic parish model as well (here and here)- that's what I mean I think. Back to the spiritual direction thing. In my mind, and in my own context, this is connected to how I function as abbot in this community - as a spiritual father. If you are a father to children, how do you function as a father? If I get too much into answering that, this post will be too long, so quickly, I mean, for this purpose, that I don't act as a father who is overly "scheduled" with his children. Sure, things work rhythmically in family life but it's not too much like, "can I write my name in Daddy's book so I can see him at 7:15pm on Friday night." Not quite. Of course we can schedule things with people in order to get things together in the business of life - that's not what I'm saying. I mean, spiritual direction and spiritual fathering as an abbot/pastor of a small faith community shouldn't be overly scheduled. The attitude we have about it shouldn't be looked at too much like merely a job we have to do. We can't get too technical about how we help form people in the spiritual life. I believe there has to be a deeply incorporated family relationship thing built into it. Rhythm doesn't mean mechanical. And the more "pastor" starts meaning "abbot" or to father, the better if you ask me - and you didn't have to, this is my blog and I'm just puttin' it out there for free! Here's me - I actually started this to talk a little more specifically about what needs to happen in order for real spiritual direction to take place between people - openness, honesty, etc. Oh well, that'll have to come later. I don't want to drag this post out. So, I'll end like this: as I said in my podcast, I believe every pastor/abbot in a community IS a spiritual director and needs to act like one. That doesn't get delegated out. You don't get to NOT be a spiritual director to those in your community. If you want to talk about jobs, OK, that's our job. It's our primary job. We help form people. We help facilitate the Holy Spirit doing real, deep work in their lives. There are lots of things involved in that, not all of them are all that sexy - most are very regular. But behind it all is the formation of a people into His Image. And relationally integrated spiritual direction is key and runs through everything really. That would be something to keep in mind, or to put in your mind. Pax vobiscum. technorati tags > abbot, pastoral ministry, spiritual direction, emerging church, monastic community, community, new monasticism, spiritual formation Labels: church, leadership, monasticism, spiritual formation, theology :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: February 05, 2007 >> 7:21 PM photo > monasticism > new feeds  First, a photo for your enjoyment. Guess where? :^) And this is how it looked. I didn't doctor that photo up. It was a great day as I drove around the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. Not really any rain that day - blue skies, as you can see. It was a gift.This is the West coast of Ireland near the Western most point in Europe. The Great Blasket Islands are to my left. I'll tell you about this scene here. This, I believe, is one of the places I cried a little bit. Not sure. That grass bit down at the bottom in the foreground is the edge of a cliff, probably higher than what you see in the distance there. Yeah, it just drops off right there where the grass ends. There was a pull off parking area adjacent to this overlook, so I pulled off, got out of the car and sat down on a hump of grass several feet back from the edge there and just sat there taking it in for a while. I breathed deeply and reminded myself that no, I was not dreaming. Amazing. Monasticism - You need to go read the quote Antony put up about the beginnings of monasticism. Very good stuff. It was confirming of a lot of my sense about the spirit of monastic reform - that it has always been just that - a reform movement. And not just for reform's sake, but to get to the heart of the Church, to recapture the transformative power of Christian community. One of these days. RSS Feeds - Here are a couple of long overdue feeds for you to subscribe to. Both these folks are good friends and have been blogging for a while, but have never had feeds. Well, we finally convinced them and they're all burned up with feeds now so subscribe away. Introducing Debi Warford (feed here) and Peter Matthews (feed here). technorati tags > photography, ireland, monasticism, church, rss feeds, debi warford, peter matthews Labels: blogging, ireland, monasticism, personal, photography :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: December 15, 2006 >> 8:20 AM monasticism as life I was checking out the blogs yesterday and ran across Kevin's post on monasticism. As many of you know there is something going on in many of us, a new vision of monastic life. What Kevin said (and is already trying to live by the way) reminded me of something I was talking about a while back here. This is not just about imitating the romantic ideas of the monks we've grown to love, presently and historically. It's about a life, and the formation of people in a life, into the Image of Christ. Go take a look at the man's encouraging post. Here's a brief quote from what I said this Summer. Read the rest here. I think it's an epidemic. It seems Benedict was on a bit of a mission of reform, for people, not just clergy, it wasn't particularly to create a religious order as an institution, it was just about, "ok, wow, let's go over here and be Christians in a way that we can - actually BE Christians." Anyway, he didn't throw out the whole tub full of babies to do it, and what he did, or started, still reverberates throughout the Christian world today.technorati tags > monastic, monasticism, st. benedict, benedictine order, monastic reform, ecclesiastical reform, emerging church Labels: church, emerging church, monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: July 13, 2006 >> 10:31 AM   First, let me say that I'm not trying to be a "church historian" here or to write a scholarly article for a journal. Those journal people would chuckle at me I'm sure. I'm not really trying to do that.My purpose in talking about these two men and what they did and influenced is, basically, to talk about us, to talk about you and me. That's one of the points in any veneration of the saints - that is, to understand that they are us and we are them. We are part of the same Body of Christ. We are inhabited by the same Spirit of God that they were (and are). Therefore, there is hope that God can and will do the same kinds of things in and through us. It IS possible. It only happens through His Grace. Same for Benedict (left) and Francis (right). They were men who couldn't do squat except through the Grace of God transforming them and working through them. That's point number one. Let's get that straight. You ARE St. Benedict! I am Saint Francis! If you and I can never do what they did, then they couldn't either and it never happened. One thing that is very interesting to me about these two men. Well, first, that people still remember who they are at all and that what they started still exists and flourishes. It's amazing how deeply they've respectively affected the Church and the practice of Christianity - how people are Christian. Then, that neither one of them were ordained. Neither Benedict nor Francis of Assisi were Priests! Just soak that in for a minute. Of course, I know not everyone reading this has the same view of what a "priest" is and what that means, but most of you have some view of ordination, what that means, etc. No ordination. No one laid their hands on these men and ordained them to do what they did. Now, later, what they had already been doing may have been recognized or "sanctioned" in some way, but if they were around today, you Catholics, Anglicans and Orthodox wouldn't be able to call them "Father Benedict" or "Father Francis." How 'bout that. I personally find that very interesting. You have my permission to read all manner of something into that if you like. I think many non Catholics would assume these men were Priests. I'd bet a lot of Catholics think so too. Why? Why would you assume something like that? Because how could you start and do something so great and be so holy unless you were a Priest!? Nothing against Priests here - please - or any ordained persons (I've been ordained a couple of times) - but we have a problem. We have a deeply systemic perception problem in the whole Church. It's built-in - normal Christians (in the pews) are just that, "normal," but the superstars, the reeeeaally holy ones who are really dedicated and Christ-like are the ones up front, the Pastors, Priests, Monks, Nuns, Missionaries, Preachers, etc., etc. In some Catholic circles there's even a hierarchy of holiness recognized, sometimes even stated: laity > religious (that means someone who becomes a "brother" or a "nun") > Priests (the diocesan variety) > monastic religious (now HERE's where the real holiness happens) > a Priest in a monastic order (SON! you are the CREAM of the crop! - especially the cloistered kind who don't talk much and are very ascetic). This idea of holiness - that one state in life, vocation, etc. is more inherently holy than another, is flawed on such a foundational level I think. It's extremely unfortunate. It cripples us all, even the ones considered more holy. That economy of holiness is not fully Christian. It is not commensurate with Life as it has been given us in Jesus, in this New and final Covenant. I mentioned the Catholic thing only because I'm familiar with it and have seen it written about. I've also experienced it in the protestant arena and know others who have. It is, as many are, an equal opportunity problem in the Church as a whole. I'm not trying to single any one sector out. Back to the boys up there - another thing that strikes me as very interesting and personally, very encouraging, is that they started doing what they did without any official sanctioning. Sounds a little rebellious doesn't it? I'm not sure it was all that rebellious but it sounds that way to some people. I think they were strongly moved by the Holy Spirit to do something for the health of the whole Body and they did it. They didn't wait around for years waiting to get their papers signed. Sure, they eventually got them signed, so to speak, but that was just a matter of course, after they had already started moving. I don't think either one of them probably saw themselves as totally abandoning the Church and starting some totally new thing, so at that level, there was no conflict. I do think they both saw some rot and tried to go back, as they did it, to the root. Not to totally reinvent the wheel, but perhaps to come up with a new kind of cart that wheels can fit on. Analogies only go so far people - cut me some slack. OK, I never intended to write that much on this. That's enough I think. I wanted to point out something that was rolling through my mind about them, about us, and about me. It's time for us to start acting like fully alive members of the Body like our brothers did so long ago. We can't just lean on them like they were supermen that we can never be. Sure, ask them to pray for you, but so that you and I can serve as well as they did. It's time to start some monasteries people. Grace be with us. technorati tags > monasticism, new monasticism, saint benedict, saint francis of assisi, ordination, church, emerging church Labels: monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: July 07, 2006 >> 8:23 AM weekend > work > monastery It's Friday already. The weekend is upon us. I could deal with a 2.5 day work week every week I think. I am as far from a workaholic as you're probably going to get. You know, when you sit around asking people what they'd do if they won 10 million dollars and that person you know says something like, "I'd pay off everything I owe and I think I continue to work because that's important, I need something to do." Whaaaat!? That's crazy talk. I wonder if only Americans would say something crazy like that. Well, I'm an American and I say, listen, if I had that much money there would be no working going on - not like that anyway, at a "job" - that's silly. I'd do what I like and want, and I think most of you know what that is. Vine & Branches Monastic Community would quickly become a physical reality. Pack your bags you chosen few! OK, I've got to get ready for work - Lord have mercy - Friday should be a normal day-off part of the weekend. technorati tags > weekends, workaholism, monastic, money Labels: monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: June 27, 2006 >> 2:09 PM benedict and reform > new monasticism  I was having an interesting conversation the other day with new blogger Aimee Milburn, in her comments about monasticism, Benedict, the emerging church, reform, etc. It made me want to learn more about the history of Benedict and his order, how it started, etc. I found a great brief history article today, compliments of the monks of Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico. You can read the whole thing here. Here's a little piece I found particularly interesting, concerning the notion of "Constantinianism," as it is sometimes known, and some of the motivations behind starting a new monastic community in his day. I think I feel even more of a connection to the man and what he was doing now.Following closely the cessation of persecutions and conversion to Christianity of the Roman emperors, steady growth of the Church quickly and inevitably led to what was perceived as a breakdown in discipline. Whereas, formerly, Christians had been identified as a minority group often at odds with the state, they now became in some cases the state itself. Under the Emperor Constantine, for example, few non-Christians could hope for advancement in imperial service. He himself took an active role in ecclesiastical affairs, and his household showered the Church with such favors as buildings and endowments. This massive injection of secular values into the sacred heralded the birth of the Church Triumphant, and it did not take long for ascetics to seek outlets that would contrast with what they perceived as mediocre Christianity. Thus would monasticism gradually evolve into a potent platform for social and religious reform.Very interesting stuff. It inspires me. I'm thinking it might inspire many. Part of the discussion I had revolved around the idea that if reform is needed, how much (sort of) and what gets chucked and what doesn't, etc. It seems Benedict was on a bit of a mission of reform, for people, not just clergy, it wasn't particularly to create a religious order as an institution, it was just about, "ok, wow, let's go over here and be Christians in a way that we can - actually BE Christians." Anyway, he didn't throw out the whole tub full of babies to do it, and what he did, or started, still reverberates throughout the Christian world today. I truly believe there are some of us who have been inhabited by a terrible yearning for this context - where we can truly BE Christian and help others to be so as well - where Love can grow and change us. The Holy Spirit has birthed something in us that is growing in our bellies and will - yes they will - be born not too very long from now. Some of them are already wiggling and blinking their eyes in the world. Monastic reform is alive and well - it grows in the hearts of some relatively insignificant "children" who don't happen to have a stake from the Motherhouse in France or somewhere. It will be hard in ways. It will be wonderful. This keeps me from giving up. Grace and Patience, Father! technorati tags > monastic, monasticism, st. benedict, benedictine order, monastic reform, ecclesiastical reform, emerging church Labels: monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: June 21, 2006 >> 2:38 PM the emerging catholic church > recap I've been thinking about this stuff a lot lately - what we're doing, for example, as vbcc, Catholicism, the ancient faith, how they all relate, etc. I had reason to go back to something I wrote last year as a series of 3 posts on the emerging church which was also turned into a collected article for Next-Wave. As I was reading it over the last part, on what I was calling the emerging catholic church, stood out to me again. I still see this happening. It may even be more pronounced that it was then, along with some of the other phenomena. I thought it might be interesting to throw this back out there. I've broken it up a bit and added the beginning and end lists. Maybe this will connect with some of you. Bases touched... - Emerging Church - Catholicism - Ancient Faith - Liturgy - Liturgical prayer - Tradition - Monasticism - Mysticism - Eucharist - Organic Church - Leadership There has been some evolution going on since all this started happening. We haven't all stayed in the same place. Just because some of us left something and started something for one reason doesn't mean we've remained static in our reasoning. If we remain open, we evolve, we think, we listen, and things change. There are people out there using candles and so forth in their "services" because young folk like that kind of thing and they want to be relevant. There are also people who use candles, and incense from time to time, icons, etc. because of the deep theological symbolism. There actually are small, "insignificant," emerging communities who haven't thrown out every baby with every tub of old dirty bathwater. We think and pray over these things. We study and work these things out and struggle through them, and we come to conclusions about things. There are churches started by people who've pulled out of denominations, or maybe to the very edge of them, who still value Truth as it has always been handed down in the ancient catholic tradition - the universally held truths of the church from the beginning. - post-protestant - is a good term for this bunch. There is still a good bit of sola scriptura, old line protestantism in the mix. In this newer world, though, there is an embracing of all things Christian and not just one chapter. Not everyone in the whole phenomenon has resonated with this ancient catholic thing, but many have and are. I personally see this as a further evolution on the whole simple/organic thing. I think it's the result of adding a theological compass to that phenomenon. - deep theological thought going on - deeper waters There is more of a holistic view. In other words, there's not just Martin Luther and Zwingli to take into consideration, but also, and perhaps more, there is St. Ignatius of Antioch, Origen, Tertullian and Basil. There are the many monastic renewal movements starting in the 6th century and on through the middle ages. There is the deep and ancient tradition of Christian Mysticism which has been handed down and which still exists today in many Catholic monasteries. Perhaps St. Patrick and many of the Celtic missional monastic tradition could be mentioned as highly influential of this stream. There is a virtual liturgical renewal going on right now, not so much in the Roman Catholic Church or even in the Anglican or Orthodox arenas necessarily, but in the emerging church. A real deep appreciation of a liturgical lifestyle is emerging in many of these communities. There is a huge surge of liturgical prayer going on - praying prayers from a prayer book - prayers that have been prayed by our Christian forebears for 2,000 years. There is a very deep reconsideration of Sacramental spirituality running through this camp. Communion (Eucharist) is once again being taken up as a central focus of meeting life. Sermons aren't as important, but rather, teaching and other gifts flow in the natural life of the community, as they pray together and live together and meet together. So, the natural and the organic flows side by side with the liturgical - very interesting. So you have a non hierarchical, more flat and relationally based leadership structure, but there IS leadership. You have meetings that are both formal (in the liturgy sense - where certain prayers and responses are used - sacraments, etc.) and informal (not necessarily robes and standing and sitting - usually in a living room with snacks and drinks). There is teaching but not necessarily in the form of prepared sermons from one person. It might only happen in the course of a discussion on the Scripture used in tonight's evening prayer or reading of the lectionary. There is also a moving away from hard-core protestant beliefs such as "sola scriptura" - that the Bible is the only authority for life. Sacred Tradition is also becoming something people look to. Things to overcome for some... - lack of being "relevant" - repetitive worship practices - sacramental mindset - value of tradition - structure - lack of entertainment - the feeling that nothing is happening - possible protestant guilt for being too Catholic - where to stop with the tradition thing - logical conclusions run amuck! technorati tags > emerging church, catholicism, liturgy, sacramental theology, monasticism, mysticism, organic church, leadership, ancient-future Labels: catholic, emerging church, monasticism :::
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permalink ::: e-mail me ::: June 10, 2006 >> 4:49 PM longing I'm not sure I can explain how I long for this. I don't always talk about it. I deeply long for that view to be where I live, or one like it. Sometimes it becomes painful - walking on concrete becomes a painful thing. I'll cut across the grass at work to get to the parking lot just to walk on the grass. I listen to the birds and smell the wind intentionally and hard. I sit in my back yard and close my eyes - it sounds like the future. I watch the hawks fly. They will be there too. I can see the natural trails develop over time as people walk on them, as we go back and forth from daily prayers or out to walk and meditate. I can smell the fresh dirt overturned as we prepare to plant this and that to grow. I hear the wind blowing the leaves of the trees together and that's all I can hear. Be patient I have to remind myself over and over again. It's not quite time yet I have to say to myself. I have to hold back tears sometimes and keep doing what I'm doing right now. That's important too. I know it is. technorati tags > monasticism, land, longing, rural, monastery, community Labels: monasticism |
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