The Celtic Monk

I wrote my first reflection paper today which begins in earnest my Benedictine Oblate candidacy. The topic was holiness. In his Rule, Benedict only wrote briefly on the subject RB 4:61 "Not to wish to be called holy before one is holy; but first to be holy; that one may be truly so called." Most interesting to me in trying to discern Benedict's meaning was what came immediately before and after in the Rule. Line 61 reminds monks to obey the Abbot/Abbess; line 62 is a call to fulfil God's commands in daily deeds. You can read the Rule of Benedict for yourself by following this link to St. John's Abbey. While I am not a scholar on Benedict, it seems to me that at least somewhere in his thinking was the fact that how we respond to people within our community (RB4:60) and how we live in response to God (RB4:62) are the very fabric of our holiness. That holiness is not a goal of the life of a follower of Christ, as much as it is a fruit of living as Christ lived. ...

In my reading these past few weeks I've been accompanying Job the mythical biblical character who if he didn't have misfortune, would have no fortune at all. I spent time remembering my teacher in the Job course at Columbia Theological Seminary, Dr. Kathleen O'Connor, http://www.ctsnet.edu/FacultyMember.aspx?ID=32 and her depth of knowledge about and compassion towards this one called Job. I've used the passages from this book as they came up in the Sunday lectionary before...but right now...am finding new learnings from this guy no one wants to emulate. The first of those learnings is that even as children of God, or perhaps especially as children of God, the only way to get beyond suffering is to go through it. Job had to go through it. Abraham had to go through it. Moses had to go through it. Jacob had to go through it. Jesus and Paul and Peter all walked into the suffering that was before them. If I'm remembering any of Psychology 101, this Theology 101 o...

Guilt.Shame.Ought.Should.Law My given name is guilt, shame, ought, should, law. And I learned well to live my name. My up-bringing by my blessedly religious family prepared me to continue the guilt and shame, ought’s and should’s well into my adult life—to keep me on the straight and narrow path. I can use each of my names to measure myself and others…to see if we’re up to the demands of law by which I define myself (and you). It’s really been work to continue to live in constant guilt, shame, ought’s, should’s and by the letter of the law. But by God, I do it, because isn’t that what He teaches? I had a neighbor once whose given name was freedom. peace,.spaciousness.grace and permission. She lived very differently than we did at my house. But to tell you the truth, I’m a little suspicious of her and her kind. All that ‘love as God loves’ stuff. ‘Being rather than doing’. ‘Living in the present moment.’ ‘Trusting the invisible Spirit.’ What need do I have for an invisib...