Hello there! I’m Princess and am eleven years old. I would like to join the Feline Cloister because I like to be part of the Benedictine family. I am steeped in things Benedictine already. My human is a Benedictine Oblate and I admire him very much. He is also a Metropolitan in the Greek Orthodox Church, I related proudly.
Br. Ricky, our Novice Master, purred when he learned this. ”And I can see, Novice Princess, that you also love him from the heart. You are on the right Benedictine track.” He opened his well-worn copy of The Rule of St. Benedict in Mew and read verses that made me purr.
“Among themselves they show the pure love of sisters and brothers; to God, reverent love; to their prioress or abbot, unfeigned and humble love.” RB.72.8-10
In response to Br. Ricky’s query, I shared my outstanding characteristics. First, I am very friendly. When I mew with my human and when he gives me a pet I purr instantly. In fact, I purr a lot, especially when I get my tummy rubbed.
I also like to be held upside down like a baby. At that Br. Ricky’s eyes opened wide. Well, it feels really good!
Illus. Cat being held
upside down
I shared that I also like to go outdoors. Br. Ricky nodded and mewed that this is fine. He encouraged me to add some manual labor to my outdoor activities. It’s in the Rule that I am choosing to follow, he explained.
“Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, the community members should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading.” RB 48.1
Illus. Feline manual labor
Being idle is fun. And I am not sure what feline manual labor might be. So, I nodded, but not with great enthusiasm. Noting my reaction Br. Ricky looked down and wrote something quickly in his little notebook with a tiny green pencil.
I made a mental note to query my human about what I might do along the lines of outdoor manual labor. I didn’t learn until later that Br. Ricky had written, “Help Novice Princess explore manual labor ideas.” How thoughtful!
Encouraged by my kind Novice Master I shared a few things that cause me feline stress. First, I don’t like to be told not to jump on the dining room table. And I get really annoyed when my human doesn’t let me out at night. Then I had an idea. Maybe I could figure out some kind of manual labor that would require being out at night.
After Br. Ricky made a quick note in his notebook with the tiny green pencil, he gave me a mini overview of the Benedictine vow or promise of obedience. I listened carefully because I want to be a good Benedictine feline. I suggested that perhaps I could take on a special study of the vow of obedience. At that, Br. Ricky clapped his paws and shared this verse as a starting point.
“Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all, not only to the prioress and abbot but also to one another, since we know that it is by this way of obedience that we go to God.” RB 71.1-2
I want to go to God, especially with my human. That’s why I came to the Feline Cloister.
But I also want to help my human learn something – to pet me all the time!
My favorite verse in the Rule:
“This, then, is the good zeal which members must foster with fervent love: They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other (Rom 12:10). supporting with the greatest patience one another's weaknesses of body or behavior, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another.”
RB 72.-6