Have you ever gotten into trouble for just being yourself? You are being who you are and someone else takes offense and gives you a nasty look, a word of reproach or a hard time. Like me, have you then been puzzled and wondered why the kerfuffle? Is it wrong that I...
Purpose of the Tool To begin a spiritual discipline of playing catch every day, tossing words and acts of kindness. Background on the Tool One of my favorite verses in The Rule of St. Benedict is about kindness. In Chapter 31 – Qualifications of the Monastery...
Do playing games and The Rule of St. Benedict seem miles apart? On first glance it might seem so. St. Benedict was serious about the search for God and salvation. And the times were uncertain and harsh. Yet Benedict was understanding and compassionate. Might he...
Way back in August of 2015 Esperanza ( "hope" in Spanish), Espy for short, then a four month old kitten, appeared at Amma’s back door. Acting really cute so that Amma Jane and Prior John were enamored, she landed abruptly in the cloister. Well this really disrupted...
Hello! I hope you are curious about the title I gave to this article. It’s an acronym for a way to live within your family, workplace, church or other organizations, and anywhere you go. R-I-C-K is really helpful when we get into those emotion-packed discussions,...
“Place your hope in God alone,” Benedict says in Chapter 4 – The Tools for Good Works. Boy, have I had to do that over the last month! I’m only now starting to feel and eat better. Here’s what happened to me… Last month I just couldn’t eat and was hiding in dark...
Something happened the other day that sent me to the Rule. I wanted to discover Benedict's thoughts on change and acceptance to answer this question - How much should we try to rearrange things around us if certain things are not to our liking? Br Ricky Redecorates...
I’ve observed a few things…and more…in this cloister that warrant an opportunity for fine-tuning. Some of these have to do with little inconveniences like late meals, cat food that tastes like cardboard and snoring confreres. But the ones that warrant serious...
Looking back over articles I have written I see that I'm inclined to complain and find fault. This is not very Benedictine. Indeed, Benedict tells us "keep your tongue free from vicious talk" (Prologue 17). Perhaps I have caused you distress with this tendency...
In Chapter 66 - The Porter of the Monastery, Benedict points out that the monastery is to be constructed so that everything needed is within the walls of the enclosure. He is concerned about the danger of leaving the enclosure. Benedict fears that his members...