Welcome to my first article. I’m so glad you’re here to learn about the Benedictine Way of the Heart. I will give you a little background on what influenced Benedict. And then we’ll look at the Rule. The Heart in Holy Scripture and Monastic Tradition The...
Ricky’s Mewsings
Leisure is a Friend of the Soul
“Thanks be to God that you are here!” (RB 66.3) I’m Sr. Nikki, OSB-F (Order of St. Benedict – Feline). You may be wondering about the title of my Mewsing, a “take off” on RB 48.1 in The Rule of St. Benedict - "Idleness is the enemy of the soul." In the winter 2023...
Turning From the Crickets
I had a long mew with Amma last week. She’s concerned that there are Cloister members who are straying from their deeper purpose – to love God and others and to follow the guidance of the Rule. Aware of Benedict’s instructions to the superior to “exercise the...
Getting Into Trouble for Being Ourselves
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...
Welcoming Newcomers With Love
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...
Replace Labeling With Love
Hello! Hope you are having a good day. Do you ever think about things that happened to you years ago, maybe when you were a child or teenager? This morning I was thinking about my early history, living with my mother, my sisters and my brothers in the "wilds" of...
R-I-C-K with Ricky – Surviving the Chase
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,...