Hello there! Glad to be back with you again. I just heard that Amma Jane is planning yet another trip. I questioned her on that, mewing that Benedict encourages us not to leave the enclosure because it’s not good for our souls (RB 66.7). She nodded absently and...
Randy’s Corner
Helping Others In Sadness or Grief
I have some sad news to report. We lost one of our faithful members in the cloister of eight. Marcy had cancer and got really thin and weak. Amma Jane and Prior John did all they could to help her. The vet tried hard as well. But when Marcy left the house...
Cultivating Fairness
I was reading the Rule today and came across what Benedict says about cultivating fairness in our lives. The Rule is loaded with instructions about how to treat others with fairness and consideration. He was concerned that the monastics, and by extension, us felines...
Randy’s Farewell
My dear friends. I wanted to write this to you before I got too weak to put my thoughts together. As you may know from the article "Care Of The Sick," I'm very sick. The vet told Abbess Jane and Prior John that I have lymphoma. Amma is doing everything that she can...
Looking in the Mirror – The Evils of Pride and Vanity
Hi there! Do you spend much time looking in the mirror? Certainly a glance at ourselves is needed now and then to make sure our fur looks tidy ad we have washed up around our mouths after a meal. What I am talking about is excessive mirror gazing. Mirror, Mirror on...
The Lure of Private Possessions
I saw it! It was right there in plain view. I saw a toy peeking out from a corner in one of the cat beds, One of my Benedictine feline companions had secreted it as if it belonged to them! I hissed in shocked disbelief because this action is not what is written in...
St Benedict and Care Of The Sick
“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...
Dragging the Cat Bed
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...
A Benedictine Model for Relationship – The Monastery Cellarer
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...
Trade Panic For Calmness and Peace
Hi! The Rule of St Benedict has taught me many things about what kind of person I am to be and how I am to treat others. I have also learned ways that I can foster a positive environment for everyone, including me. In particular, I need to be aware of and follow...