“The love of Christ must come before all else” (RB 4:21)
“Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ” (RB 72:11). Christ should take priority, the center of our lives.
The spirituality of Benedict is profoundly Christo - centric. Discipleship is at the heart of Benedictine spirituality.
A life centered in Christ is a life of prayer.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
OBEDIENCE
“Listen my daughter/son to the words of your Master and attend to them with the ear of your heart” (Prologue v.1)
Obedience is commitment to listening and putting into practice what is learned by “listening with the ear of my heart”.
Listening to others with the awareness that no one possesses all the truth or knows everything worth knowing.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
HUMILITY
“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled. And whoever humbles himself shall be exalted’ (RB 7:1)
Obedience is the highest degree of humility (RB 5:1)
The humility of a deeply listening and docile heart enables one to learn even from an apparently disastrous experience and face suffering with determination and courage.
We admit that none of us can learn on our own what we most need to know or bring to completion what we most need to be done.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
COMMUNITY
“No one is to pursue what he judges better for him/herself but instead, what he/ she judges better for someone else” (RB 72:7)
“Walking together, sharing hope, building community”
The structure of Benedictine life is foremost a structure of togetherness which creates a sense of family, care and bonding.
We call community together for counsel to make decisions. Each person brings particular insights, unique experiences to settling the vision for the future.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
SERVICE
“We intend to establish a school for the Lord’s service, where we serve the sick, and poor like Christ, care for the elderly and outdo each other in respect and mutual obedience.” (RB 53, 72)
“The call to serve involves something special, to which we must be attentive. Serving others chiefly means caring for their vulnerability.
At the heart of a Benedictine monastic life is LOVE of Christ and neighbor.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
SILENCE AND GOOD SPEECH
“Cultivate silence at all times. Speak the truth from your heart.” (RB Prologue 26, RB 7:6)
Even good words are left unsaid out of esteem for silence. (RB 6:2)
Silence calms the inner spirit to allow the whisperings of God to be heard. It allows the word to permeate to the inner heart.
Silence helps us cultivate and deepen our passionate love for God because it provides the atmosphere of true and authentic communication with God. Silence teaches us to speak simply, directly, compassionately and honestly.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
HOSPITALITY
“Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, “I came as a guest, and you received Me”. And to all let due honor be shown, especially to the household of the faith and to pilgrims”. (RB 53)
Benedictine spirituality is expressed in compassion: tender love and deep, practical care for the poor and dispossessed.
Particular attention is to be given to those who are weak, poor or marginalized because as Benedict says of the guest, Christ is found especially in them.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
STEWARDSHIP
“Regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be wasted or neglected”. (RB 31:10)
The spirituality of stewardship is one of the strongest, greatest gifts of the Benedictines.
We need the wisdom of stewardship to spend our time and resources as well, to contemplate the divine in the human and to treat everything in the world as sacred.
As its core, the Rule seeks to foster a fundamental reverence toward the creation that God has made. Benedict exhorts his followers to regard all tools and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar. (RB 31:10)
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
DISCIPLINE
The Rule of St .Benedict is built on the framework of discipline.
The word “discipline” from “dicere”, suggests an attitude of listening and learning, an attitude of discipleship. Living life day after day for a lifetime in itself demands considerable self - discipline.
By accepting what comes, we surrender our own will in a radical giving and losing of self that opens for us a new dimension of humanity, in the likeness of the crucified but exalted Christ.
10 HALLMARKS of BENEDICTINE EDUCATION
STABILITY
“As we progress in this way of life, we shall run on the path of God’s commands, our hearts overflowing with inexpressible delight of love” (RB Prologue 19)
Commitment to a communal life, to community prayer, the common table, recreation and mutual service creates an environment for stable relationships in which community members can come to know and support one another.
To face the difficulties and demands of life, so that whatever situation we are experiencing, we will be able to live the challenges of living Christ’s life. These are all for the glory and for the building of the Kingdom of God.
