Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Although it does not appear on the Universal (Roman) calendar, today is one of two feasts of Saint Benedict celebrated by Benedictines throughout the world. If it is true that the Irish saved civilization, it’s worth remembering that they did so largely in Benedictine Monasteries. Today, I have three short passages from one of Benedict’s spiritual and monastic forebears of […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. This particular passage strongly reminds me of Tao Te Ching. Abba John, who had been exiled by the emperor Marcian, said: We went to Syria one day to see Abba Poemen and desired to question him concerning purity of the […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. Yesterday I also received my pre-ordered copy of Pope Benedict’s new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection, and I’m devouring it. I may have to back up and re-read properly when I’m […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. A brother who had been wronged by another brother came to see Abba Sisoes. He said to him, “My brother has hurt me and I want to avenge myself.” The old man begged him, saying, “No, my child, leave vengeance […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. Three old men went to Abba Paphnutius to ask a word from him. The old man said to them, “What do you want me to say to you? A spiritual word, or a bodily word?” They said, “A spiritual word.” […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. A brother who followed the hesychastic life in the monastery of the cave of Abba Sabba came to Abba Elias and said to him, “Abba, give me the way of life.” The Old man said to the brother, “In the […]
» Read morePalladius said: One day when I was suffering from boredom I went to Abba Macarius and said, “What shall I do? My thoughts afflict me, saying, you are not making any progress, go away from here.” He said to me, “Tell them, for Christ’s sake, I am guarding the walls.”
» Read moreLeading up to the great celebration of the mysteries of the death and resurrection of Christ during Holy Week, the Church calls us to forty days of penitence. The Lenten Season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving has been observed by Christians since Apostolic times. Indeed, Christ himself retreated to the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by the […]
» Read moreToday is the Feast of the Universal Doctor of the Church and one of my name Saints, Thomas Aquinas. When (certain) people, told of my conversion, said to me “oh, you’re Catholic – you don’t need to think any more”, I always pointed them to Thomas Aquinas. Here’s a guy who was observed to simultaneously dictate three different books to […]
» Read moreJust got home from a conversation with Fr. Beuzer. As before, he’s given me much to think about and much to pray about. Although we had a fairly far-ranging discussion, talking about everything from my job search to Alaska, it all revolved around the Lectio assignment he gave me the last time we talked, the first chapter of the Gospel […]
» Read moreAbba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?’ Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards […]
» Read moreOne day Abba Arsenius consulted an old Egyptian monk about his own thoughts. Someone noticed this and said to him, “Abba Arsenius, how is it that you with such a good Latin and Greek education, ask this peasant about your thoughts?” He replied, “I have indeed been taught Latin and Greek, but I do not know even the alphabet of […]
» Read moreYesterday I came upon something which struck me as so self-evidently true that I sort of wondered why I haven’t done something about it. I’m taking the quote out of context, but not much. Prayer presents difficulties today, difficulties which maybe [were not so much present] in the past, in a time in which the rhythm of life was a […]
» Read moreI‘ve always liked Penn Gillette. He’s an intelligent and thoughtful guy, and (dare I say it?) a gentleman in an age where that is increasingly rare. Mr. Gillette is, of course, an avowed Atheist. I think that makes this particular call to arms even more insistent: “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is […]
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Into Great Silence, which we saw at SIFF last week, is ostensibly a documentary about the Carthusian monks of Grande Chartreuse. I say ostensibly, because it is actually a great deal more and less than that. Like the lives of these monks themselves, this film is a meditation on silence. If you are looking for a typical documentary, with history […]
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