January 2017

Month

In Times of Confusion

How do you stay calm in face of distractions, temptations, a whirling frenzy of activity, either from the outside or within your own spirit? Sometimes the disturbance is our mind– we just think too much! The Rule of St. Benedict gives guidance to help monks manage the disturbances and confusion that inevitably come. Fr. Mauritius provides some insight on how monks find their way back to peace and tranquility.

Follow the link to Fr. Mauritius’ Wilde Monk blog to read more, but be sure to come back to BeingBenedictine to share your comments.

Consider: Does advice in the Rule apply to the ordinary person’s life? How do you manage disturbances from the outside or from within? How do you find rest and peace in confusing times? Continue reading “In Times of Confusion” →

January 29, 2017 0

One of my favorite monks moved to Rome!

Fr. Mauritius, pictured above, with the new Abbot Primate Gregory Polan, OSB from Conception Abbey in Missouri.

So you know that I have some favorite monks. One of them, Fr. Mauritius Wilde, recently accepted a new assignment as Prior of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, Italy. Our heartland is well represented in the Eternal City! Fr. Mauritius gives us an update on his new home:

I have been in Rome now for a little more than a month. Everything is new to me. But I am excited and feel privileged to serve the People of God here in the center of the Church. The internationality strikes me. To see Christians from all over the world learning, studying, working for their home countries, is stunning. To be close to the tombs of so many wonderful saints is life-giving. I am lucky to live on the Aventine Hill. Pope Leo XIII gave the Benedictines this place as a gift with the intention that they run a school. We at Sant’Anselmo still do this. There are almost ninety Benedictines from all continents who study monasticism, liturgy, philosophy, and theology. The change from rural Schuyler, NE, to the metropolis of Rome was interesting. Though I was born and raised in a mid-size city, as a Benedictine I have been used to living in the countryside for more than thirty years. The Aventine is the perfect place for Benedictines in the city of Rome. As you walk up the hill, you feel more tranquility and peace. And, still, we are not far away from the Vatican. What do I like most in Rome at this point? The cloister of Sant’Anselmo, our liturgy chanted by the student monks, and the sweets you can buy in the pasticceria!

Continue reading “One of my favorite monks moved to Rome!” →

January 22, 2017 0

The road ahead is uncertain. But isn’t it always?

Today’s weather, on this day of the inauguration, reflects how I have felt for several weeks now. It’s a little dreary, foggy, rainy; the road ahead is unclear. But weather can change quickly in Nebraska, so I imagine that my feelings will likely change soon enough as well. There’s also a good chance that even if circumstances stay the same, how I see them will change. One day it won’t seem so foggy and dreary. I know this is true, both for the weather and for myself.

Earlier this week I posted photos of the ice storm that created such dangerous conditions, closing schools and businesses for a few days; today there is haze and drizzle; and, tomorrow it’s supposed to be 50 degrees. Only in the state of Nebraska can we experience so many seasons in one week! As for my state of mind, foggy actually feels pretty good compared to the earthquake, tsunami-sized feelings that came on the heels of a simultaneously frigid and fiery election season. But I know that how I felt November 8 is different than it was a month, a week, or even a few days ago. Continue reading “The road ahead is uncertain. But isn’t it always?” →

January 20, 2017 1

Frost and chill, bless the Lord ~Daniel 3:69

Today I enjoyed the stability of an icy day. The Benedictine vow of stability provides for our need to be rooted in Christ, to be grounded in the present moment, and practicing gratitude regardless of our circumstances and of the uncertain future. Seasons come and go, “but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) We learn from the seasons that they and all things do, indeed, pass. The icy, chilly weather prevents us from traveling too swiftly; there is something to learn from this staying put. This paradox, that we must stay grounded during the changing seasons, encourages us to move a little slower and to learn from the present moment. The icy weather gives us no choice but to stay put. Perhaps when we are going through “icy” relationships or experiences, we can apply the Benedictine principle of stability. Continue reading “Frost and chill, bless the Lord ~Daniel 3:69” →

January 17, 2017 2

Our Life is a Balance

January 2017 Oblate Reflections and Lectio Divina–
Balance: Our life is a balance between stability and openness to change

Invitation to Discussion by Fr. Volker Futter: The aim of Benedictine spirituality is the conversion of the whole person. “Benedictine spirituality wants no sector of life to be isolated from God’s presence; work becomes a means through which we can know and love God more deeply…God is present and accessible in every moment and in every activity.”

Balance, proportion, harmony, moderation are central. They so underpin everything else in the Rule, that without them the whole Benedictine approach to the individual and to the community loses its keystone. Continue reading “Our Life is a Balance” →

January 16, 2017 3

Always, we begin again.

“Always we begin again.” –St. Benedict

I just started my 41st semester of teaching. I love the “beginning again” that comes with the teaching profession. Two of my favorite things about teaching are discovering new ways to share the love of learning with students and the chance to start the next semester with a clean slate. Fresh ideas, new teaching strategies, another opportunity to grow, learn and improve—and hoping a little of that rubs off on my students. I want to make a difference and help students learn. Continue reading “Always, we begin again.” →

January 4, 2017 7