A warm hello to you. I’m Chloe Sophia and I’m 15 years old. That’s 76 in human years.
I would like to join the Feline Cloister because I need to learn to listen, and to be more contemplative when riding in the car.
On our Zoom call Novice Master Br. Ricky assured me that I had found the best place possible to learn how to listen. “Listen” is the first word in The Rule of St. Benedict he explained.
“Listen carefully, my child, to my instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from one who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.” Prologue 1
I purred mightily when I heard that verse. But I was a tad confused that my heart had an ear. I never saw that on any feline anatomy diagram at the vet. Br. Ricky explained that listening from the ear of the heart was a metaphor for a deep kind of listening. It is a way of listening that is attentive, open-hearted and accepting.
“Listening is an aspect of the Benedictine vow of obedience, Novice Chloe Sohpia. This vow or promise asks us to listen carefully to felines as well as to humans and to the situations in our lives. We listen for what God is asking us to be or to do. Then we respond by following what we discern as God’s direction.” I DID come to the right place!
Br. Ricky asked me to share my personal characteristics. First of all, I love to talk and express my opinions, especially at mealtimes. He chewed thoughtfully on the end of his tiny green pencil before responding. “Benedict is a fan of silence. He devotes a whole chapter to the restraint of mew (aka, speech).” And he cautions against too much meowing.”
“Prefer moderation in mew.” RB 4.52
I guess I looked worried because Br. Ricky quickly assured me that the rule of silence in feline cloisters today is not as strict as in Benedict’s time. “But keep in mind, Novice Chloe, that when you mew you cannot listen.” I promised to try moderation in mew.
Little Felix loves to express his opinions. But he misses the
quiet messages from God.
I asked Br. Ricky if as a novice, I could still go outside. When I get a chance, I love to commune with nature. Br. Ricky clapped his paws and smiled. “Of course. Benedictines are also loving towards the natural world. They have been environmentally conscientious from the beginning.“
I declared to Br. Ricky the things that I don’t like. ”I don’t like riding in the car. I don’t like being picked up and held when I am found doing things I shouldn’t do. And what really annoys me? When I don’t feel that the humans are worshipping me enough!” I finished the last sentence with a small hiss.
Alarm spread across Br. Ricky’s face. He looked down and hurriedly pawed something in his little notebook with his tiny green pencil. He then shared the verse that all Benedictines strive to live by.
“Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ.” RB 72:11
”This means that we do all we can to put Christ above everything else, even above ourselves,” Br. Ricky continued. He said that when I take the vow of obedience to heart I will be preferring Christ before anything else.
I am very affectionate. Br. Ricky suggested that I can find all different ways to show this affection. By doing that, he explained, preferring Christ above everything will come easily to me. My purr was loud indeed!
I promised to help my human, too, as I learn about things Benedictine. She needs to learn how to be still and listen to the soft, still meow of God. I could snuggle with her to encourage her to be still. My purr will help her settle down. We would both experience the love of God from each other. Br. Ricky clapped his paws.
Illus. Novice Gwendolyn takes the vow of obedience seriously.
She listens to others and to God.
She then does what is asked of her.
My favorite verses from the Rule:
“Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before
all else.” RB 4.20-21