Month of Gratitude Email Series November 2019
Community
Is it possible to form a spiritual, family, workplace or friendship community in the year 2019 following the precepts set down by St. Benedict around the middle of the sixth century? Many current writers such as Joan Chittister say this is not only possible but highly desirable. Adaptation of Benedictine spirituality over time is feasible because it is characterized by discretion and moderation and keen insight into the capabilities as well as the weaknesses of human nature. Community in the Benedictine tradition offers more a way of life and an attitude of mind than it does a set of religious proscriptions that are less amenable to change.
This collective way of life is modeled after the spirit of a nurturing family rather than enforcement of legalistic proscriptions and individual acts of asceticism. Benedictine spirituality is not a spiritual quick fix; it does not attempt to shape us independent of the world around us but, rather, allows the world to mold, polish and temper us.
Benedictine communities are rooted in three dimensions:
1) fidelity to the Benedictine way of life
2) stability
3) obedience
Key to the Benedictine way of life is the understanding that Christ is present in each person – no matter how irritating or tiresome. St. Benedict teaches that spiritual growth comes from accepting people as they are – even the stubborn and the dull, the undisciplined and the restless. Spiritual growth is best developed when people live side by side with other flawed human beings.
Stability, a lifelong commitment, guarantees the permanence of a community just as it does for a family. Stability proclaims rootedness, at-homeness, and that this monastic or family community will endure.
The value of obedience can strike a discordant note in our contemporary society that focuses so much on the individual. In the Benedictine tradition, however, obedience is derived from the Latin word audire, “to listen” and obedience/listening is required of all who seek wisdom. Benedict asks for obedience not only to the Abbot but to other members of the community. Obedience is putting into practice what is learned by listening to the other with the ear of the heart.
How can we identify ways that communities to which we belong manifest Benedictine values? When we perceive deficiencies in these communities can we identify ways to move people and policies toward a more Benedictine way of life and attitude of mind?
Dignity Of Work
For the Benedictine Value “Dignity of Work,” we are called to appreciate the dignity of work in God’s creation. The Rule of Benedict says of us, “…they live by the labor of their hands.” In the day of St. Benedict himself, this would probably have meant that you wore what you made, you ate what you made, and you lived simply, contributing to the world with the things you made.
In our modern sense of the Benedictine way of life, this value may feel inaccessible to those of us not blessed with a green thumb or sense of craftsmanship. And for others of us who do work with our hands day in and day out, it can be hard to value that work in the way that Benedictines encourage.
And yet, particularly in the Holiday season, we find ourselves laboring more. We frantically clean spaces in the house that only see the light of day twice a year. We cook a meal to feed three times our normal headcount. And, of course, we strain our backs shoveling driveways and scraping ice off of windshields. Although we may despise the work, it is a labor of our hands. We should spend some time this season being grateful for it, and allowing ourselves to marvel at our ability to get so much done in what always feels like so little time.
During this Month of Gratitude, find some time to dedicate to the dignity of work. Visit a Winter farmer’s market and browse the hardy produce, preserves and handmade crafts for sale by hardworking local farmers. Build a snowman once you finish shoveling that driveway … but maybe after you take a nap. Handwrite a note, learn how to knit or bake a pie from scratch.
Look around you. Do you see anything that was made by hand? Who made it? How does that change its value to you?
Listening & Hospitality
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- Luke 10:38-42
In this familiar Gospel reading, we are called to be both Mary and Martha; to listen and extend hospitality; to honor Christ in each individual by giving our attentiveness and to serve them in our actions. How wonderfully this story in Luke’s gospel exemplifies the Benedictine Values of Listening and Hospitality.
During this Month of Gratitude, I encourage you to show gratitude to those who make this look effortless. Think of the friend who says, “you are welcome any time” … and you know she means it. You are invited into her home and her life with hugs and smiles. There is no apologizing for the toys strewn throughout the room. You are always offered something to eat or drink (and you always know you’re welcome to help yourself). “Your” room is always ready with clean sheets and a made bed. Think of her listening ear, care and concern when little ones head off to sleep. Listening and serving.
Today and every day, may we be both/and to those around us. May we choose to take time with a phone call, a note or a coffee date to affirm Christ in others with the attentiveness of Mary. And like Martha, may we be ever willing to extend the offer of service even when the food is store bought and the house is in disarray. Where, like, Martha, can I reach out and invite someone to join me an activity I would usually do alone so I can be Mary’s listening ear? Knowing both/and is beautiful.
Justice and Stability
According to the Rule of Benedict, “Stability” is “to stand firm in one’s promises.” In all facets of our life we make promises to ourselves, our family, our colleagues and our neighbors. These promises allow us to develop relationships with those around us, and those relationships hopefully nurture our sense of community. When you feel like a necessary part of your community, you feel that stability.
But what of the promises we make not to specific people, but to that abstract concept of global community – society? This is where another Benedictine Value, “Justice,” can offer us a guiding principle. With Justice, we are asked to work toward a just order in our immediate environment and in the larger society.
St. Benedict could never have imagined the thousand and one different issues demanding our attention in today’s world. We all want the best for ourselves and those around us, but we often lack the confidence to know what that may be. And, of course, with 8 billion people in the world, there are a lot of different ideas for how to find out. So where does one begin?
By practicing Stability. Remind yourself of the promises you made to your family, to your boss, to your neighbor and, of course, to yourself. The wonderful thing about promises is that both people involved in one want the same thing.
Keeping our promises to each other solidifies our relationships, and those are the roots of our communities. By working to cultivate that rootedness, a community can thrive, and Justice flows naturally through our interactions with each other.
Think of the roots that make up your community. Which ones need a little cultivating? What promises can you make to help that root grow? What form will Justice take once you make them?
Peace & Moderation
The Benedictine Value of Peace asks us to strive for peace on all levels: with self, others and God. The significant word in this value is strive. Peace is a continual gift from God. As Sarah Young puts it in her devotional Jesus Calling, He gives us “sufficient Peace for the present when we come to Him by prayer and petition and thanksgiving.” If God gave us permanent Peace, then we would fall into being self-sufficient. Instead we must strive to seek God’s continual gift of Peace in every moment of our day, and be aware of our dependency on God. God gives us just enough Peace to sustain us for the present.
Similarly, the Benedictine Value of Moderation calls us to be content with living simply and finding balance in work, prayer and leisure. And that “all things are to be done with moderation.” (R.B. 48) This act of living in moderation and balance can be especially difficult in today’s world. We can put pressure on ourselves and feel like there is so much we have to do/want to do/should do. The scales can definitely tip one way or another and become imbalanced when we try to manage all things by ourselves. Instead of trying to manage the scales by ourselves, we should be letting God manage them for us. When we fill up on the continual gift of Peace each day, we will be fulfilled enough to complete the day’s tasks that God has laid out for us.
Respect for Persons
If you’re rich or poor, well it don’t matter
Weak or strong, we know love is what we’re after
We’re all broken but we’re all in this together
God knows we stumble and fall
And he so loved the world he sent His Son to save us all
Here is an example of how someone used the Benedictine Value of Respect for Persons:
Not long ago, someone in my home was complaining about the elderly woman who, on recycling day, wandered curbside from bin to bin, scavenging for aluminum cans. It took me aback that my family member was upset about someone taking and finding a use for something we were getting rid of – something we had said, by placing in the recycling bin, “we have no further use for.”
I questioned their frustration with the situation and in our discussion, we could reach no valid reason for being upset. I suggested that, moving forward, we separate our aluminum cans and place them in the recycling bin on top, so this woman doesn’t have to dig through our bin each week. Rather than scavenging through a container nearly as big as her, now there’s a bag on top. It’s a small effort and a simple gesture – but a practical kindness and an earnest acknowledgment that “I see you.”
Who in your life needs you to “see” them, to affirm their personhood? In what way can you share with them God’s love?
Stewardship
At its core, the Rule seeks to foster a fundamental reverence toward God’s creation. St. Benedict reminds his followers that they are to be the custodians of creation; that they are to serve creation, not dominate.
We can look to Pope Francis and his encyclical Laudato si’ to help us translate the Benedictine value of stewardship into terms that apply to today’s world. Austen Ivereigh observes in his new book Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church, how Francis exhorts us to view environmental destruction through an integrated lens; that is, to view the climate crisis as one complex event that is both social and environmental. Integrated strategies combat poverty and restore dignity to the excluded while at the same time protecting the natural world.
The Holy Father decries three categories of environmental degradation:
1) all forms of pollution including the effects of atmospheric health hazards that disproportionately affect people who live in poverty
2) contamination of safe drinking water, an overwhelming concern because it is indispensable for human life
3) the loss of biodiversity in forms of plant and animal life which demand farsighted solutions since there is no easy fix to the problems of the loss of forests, woodlands and animal habitat
In addition to his encyclical, in October of this year Pope Francis convened a three-week synod for Bishops for the Amazon region titled “The Amazon: New Paths for the Church and for Integral Ecology.” One of six core issues that was addressed by the bishops was a call to “witness against ecological destruction.”
Also, people representing our secular society are adding their voices in support of stewardship. Examples include climate scientists and people like Greta Thunberg, the teenager who inspired climate protest strikes among young people and challenged adults to act on preserving and respecting Mother Earth.
Pope Francis concludes Laudato si’ with a prayer:
“God of love, show us our place in this world/as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,/for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
…The poor and the earth are crying out./O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
Help us to protect all life,/To prepare for a better future,
For the coming of your Kingdom/Of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you! Amen.”
We might pause to give thanks for the amazing beauty of our earth while reflecting on what we are currently doing to reduce pollution, conserve water and protect biodiversity. Let us each ask ourselves, can we do