Praying the Full Psalter

Above all else we urge that if anyone finds this distribution of the psalms unsatisfactory, he should arrange whatever he judges better, provided that the full complement of one hundred and fifty psalms is by all means carefully maintained every week, and that the series begins anew each Sunday at Vigils. For monks who in a week’s time say less than the full psalter with the customary canticles betray extreme indolence and lack of devotion in their service. We read, after all, that our holy Fathers, energetic as they were, did all this in a single day. Let us hope that we, lukewarm as we are, can achieve it in a whole week. (RB80.18.22-25)

This passage from the end of Chapter 18 of the Rule is reminiscent of the concern many elders have about subsequent generations. Oftentimes, the elders among us lament the fact that the younger generations don't have the same energy, fervor or zeal as they had--sometimes forgetting that the same was said of them 50 or 60 years ago.

There is a sense in reading this passage from the Rule that Benedict is trying to encourage his followers to maintain the fervor, zeal and love for prayer, scripture and lectio that previous generations possessed. He points out that our monastic ancestors in the desert managed to recite the entire psalter in one day--we should at least be able to do this is 7 days.

Benedict is not so much promoting mindless recitation of prayers as he is emphasizing the spirit which needs to be present in disciples. He is promoting us taking the psalms so seriously that in a sense we become a living "scripture" through the continued recitation, prayer and encounter with the sacred texts.

There is a saying that states that I might be the only version of the scripture that others encounter today. What is the message that I am giving others? How am I reflecting God's word to others today?

The Weapons of Obedience

From the very beginning, Benedict points to the importance of obedience in the life of a disciple. He contrasts the eagerness of obedience with the sloth of disobedience which has caused the person to drift away from God, however slightly. Benedict calls the new monastic to return to God through the labor of obedience and by picking up the weapons of obedience to do battle for Christ.

I am reminded in this passage of a scene from my family. My parents and grandmother are amazing workers and have had to work hard most of their lives. Yet, they had a difficult time passing this work ethic to the children in our family. My parents were used to doing what needed to be done at home without needing a reminder or having things pointed out to them. My siblings and I, however, were quite happy to jump over the full laundry basket, let the water boil dry on the stove or let the dishes pile up on the counters--as long as these things did not directly infringe on whatever we were doing. My parents tired of asking us to do various tasks and having us answer, "In a minute." My parents usually ended up doing the task themselves. It wasn't that we were trying to be disobedient on purpose; we just did not understand why the tasks were so important right then.

As I have grown, I have awakened to many of those lessons that my parents tried to teach me in vain. I actually was listening on some level; just never quite got around to putting obedience into practice.

Today, I am called to practice obedience with my whole heart daily.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Just Passing Through

A traveler was passing through a Russian village whose rabbi was renowned throughout the land for his holiness. So he stopped by to see the holy man. He was shocked to see how bare and stark the rabbi’s room was. It had only a wooden table and stool, at which the rabbi sat prayerfully reading the scriptures. “Rabbi,” the traveler asked, “where are your possessions?” The old man looked upon the stranger and replied, “Stranger, where are yours?” To which the stranger answered, “Rabbi, I don’t have any with me, I’m only passing through.” The rabbi smiled and said, “So am I.”

We, like the traveler and the rabbi, are just passing through, so we don’t need anything of our own, as Benedict tells us. All things should be in the common possession of all, so that no one presumes ownership of anything. This simplicity of lifestyle frees us for all God’s surprises.

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Carrying the Stray Back to the Flock

Jesus sends us two invitations: an invitation to union and to service. He invites us to dwell in his presence and then go forth to share the gifts we have received. We really have only one call--to receive and share God’s love. Sometimes this call involves taking a serious risk to pursue and share God’s love. We may have to climb a sycamore tree like Zacchaeus did, just to see and meet the Lord, or we may have to be hanging on a cross like the good thief Dismas was, just to see and meet the Lord. And sometimes we may have to leave our comfortable niches and go out and find a lost pilgrim on the road and place her on our shoulders and lead her back to the flock, so that she can see and meet the Lord once again.

These are the serious risks Benedict tells us we must be ready to take to support a wavering member of the community. Are we ready to climb that tree, or hang on that cross, or carry that lost one back to the flock?

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Holiday Hospitality

What could be more appropriate during this holiday season than to talk about hospitality one more time?

Midst the last minute rush to buy and wrap presents, dream up a wonderful meal and enjoy relatives and friends who happen to drop by, I need to remind myself that Christmas is not really about gift exchanges, cards and delicious, gourmet feasts. The original Christmas event over 2000 years ago was about God's gift of his Presence in our midst. God becoming human so that we could realize how loving and approachable God is. That is at the heart of hospitality--acknowledging that God comes in the ordinary of life and that he comes in human form. Recognizing this can be a lifetime task.

May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you and your loved ones during this holiday season.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Living in God's Presence

God is everywhere.

Benedict instructs his disciples who might be on a journey, at ministry or doing important tasks away from the monastery at prayer times to remember God's presence with them and to stop and pray wherever they might find themselves. Afterall, God is always present at every moment and in every encounter.

Sometimes it is much easier to just say this than to actually believe that God is with me every single moment of every day. It is much easier to pretend to be unaware of God's presence or care for my life. I need to remember to stay alert and awake everyday to God speaking to me.

What is God's message to me today?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Caring for the Sick

We had the privilege of caring for my mother at home for five years before she died at age 92. Home health nurses took care of her during the day while my brothers and I worked at our jobs. In the evening and on weekends we were in charge. We fed her, bathed her, dressed her, did her therapy with her, and put her to bed. In the morning we did the same, then put her in her wheelchair or her lounge chair for the day. These were such enjoyable times for us. Mom had such a great sense of humor and every day she had new stories to share about her childhood, and the colorful characters she took care of in nursing homes where she worked for more than 20 years. At least 3 or 4 times each day she had us praying the Rosary with her.

Caring for the sick can teach us so much about how to live and how to die. Perhaps this is why St. Benedict says: “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ, for he said, I was sick and you visited me, and What you did for one of these…you did for me.”

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Life Guides

The third step of humility is that a man submits to his superior in all obedience for the love of God…(RB 7.34)

“May I become your disciple?” the seeker asked.

“You are only a disciple because your eyes are closed. The day you open them, you will see that there is nothing you can learn from me,” the holy man answered.

“Then what is a master for”? the seeker asked.

“The purpose of a master,” the holy one said, “is to bring you to the point where you know the uselessness of having one.”

I know I have been taking directions all my life. God has placed guides in my life to give me intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual direction. Admitting that I need direction and accepting it has all been part of growing up. I don’t believe I will ever grow up enough to see the uselessness of these guides. Through them, God has given me a confidence in myself, the power to control myself and the insight to guide others.

Sr. Veronica, OSB