Hello! Br. Ricky here. I'm purring because you decided to visit this page! Here you'll find "tools" for Benedictine living. Each tool is associated with a "Mewsing on the Rule of St. Benedict." Mewsings are articles about the Rule of St. Benedict and Benedictine spirituality. They are offered by Cloister members and novices.
This is a brand new page as of December, 2023. That's why there aren't lots of tools yet. But I have consulted with the Cloister and members agreed to prepare tools to help you. We want to do ALL WE CAN to encourage the practice of Benedictine ways.
We all hope that these tools will be of help. We will be adding more as time goes along.
Blessings to you.
Purpose of the Tool: To develop a practice of replacing fear, worry and other damaging gremlins with trust and hope. Background on the Tool: Where do you need God’s assurance in your life right now? Is it in a difficult relationship, or in crisis of health, fear of...
Weaving “Your way of acting should be different from the worlds’ way The love of Christ must come before all else.” [1] RB 4.20-21 Advent may be my favorite...
Purpose of the Tool: To let Christ help you create a life tapestry of beauty and strength. Background on the Tool: You sit at a loom where the multi-colored threads of all the parts of your life stretch out in front of you. With Christ as your Shuttle, he will join...
Moments Full of Glory What is more delightful than this voice of the Holy One calling to us? See how God’s love shows us the way of life. Prologue 1-20 [i] In...
Purpose of the Tool: To be present to the moment through the senses. Background on the Tool: We need ways that we can open to the glory that is saturating all of life, especially when we are worried, tired, distracted or discouraged. Gratitude moves us out of the...
Travel – Searching for the Holy Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God. Prologue 9a In the Rule Benedict reminds us that God’s presence is...
Purpose of the Tool: To help us look for God’s presence as we travel and in our daily lives. Background on the Tool: God reaches out to us in all the experiences of life, assuring us of God’s grace and presence and offering experiences as teachers of wisdom and...
Stuff!! To provide for laundering and night wear, every monk will need two cowls and two tunics, but anything more must be taken away as superfluous. RB 55.10-11 Ever feel like you have too much stuff? The wake-up call started once again when John and I...
Purpose of the Tool: To help us let go of behaviors that reinforce the collection of stuff. Background on the Tool: Acquisition is a robber of the spirit that creates a mindset and environment lacking spaciousness and peace. Instead, we can choose to practice...
Purpose of the Tool: To develop an increased appreciation of the gifts of other people and how we can learn from them. Background on the Tool: We may not be able to “to truly believe that we are inferior to others,” nor should we unless we have also developed a...