Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Rule rss

Articles and posts specifically teaching the Rule of St. Benedict. Articles divided into two categories: Benedictine Wisdom, the teaching of the Benedictine Fathers; and Instruction, teaching by more modern day Benedictine scholars.

Doctrine of Nonviolence

February 18, 2019

Here is a statement of Gandhi that sums up clearly and concisely the whole doctrine of nonviolence: “The way of peace is the way of truth.” “Truthfulness is even more important than peacefulness. Indeed, lying is the mother of violence. A truthful man cannot long remain violent. He will perceive in the course of his… Read More ›

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The reason for bad news

Our over-sensitive awareness of ourselves as responsible for “mak­ing history” is a grotesque illusion, and it leads us into the morass of pseudo-events. Those who are obsessed with “making history” are responsible for the banality of the bad news which comes more and more to constitute our “history.” The Church that takes all this too… Read More ›

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Amplification of news and of opinion

Today, with the enormous amplification of news and of opinion, we are suffering from more than acceptable distortions of perspective. Our supposed historical consciousness, over-informed and over ­stimulated, is threatened with death by bloating, and we are over­ come with a political elephantiasis which sometimes seems to make all actual forward motion useless if not… Read More ›

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The Light of the World

All of us who have been baptized in Christ and have “put on Christ” as a new identity are bound to be holy as He is holy. We are bound to live holy lives, and our actions should bear witness to our union with Him. He should manifest His presence in us and through us…. Read More ›

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The surprisingly sophisticated diet of a medieval monk

14th-century recipes from a Benedictine monastery reveal a taste for rich, spicy food. Historian David Snowden, in his book Flans and Wine, has published recipes used by Benedictine monks in 14th-century England, revealing that those living in the abbey survived on far more than bread alone. The recipes, used by Benedictine monks from Evesham Abbey,… Read More ›

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A New Examination of Conscience for Lent

New Liturgical Movement: As one who is generally skeptical of new things, I sympathize with any reader who might be wondering just what might be meant by a “new examination of conscience.” Aren’t the old ones just fine? Well, yes, they are fine. But, speaking personally (and perhaps due to my own faults), I have sometimes been… Read More ›

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Living with Progress

It does us no good to make fantastic progress if we do not know how to live with it, if we cannot make good use of it and if, in fact, our technology becomes nothing more than an expensive and complicated way of cultural disintegration. It is bad form to say such things, to recognize… Read More ›

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Advent: I live to Christ when I die to myself

Advent for us means acceptance of this totally new beginning. It means a readiness to have eternity and time meet not only in Christ, but in us, in Man, in our life, in our world, in our time. The beginning, therefore, is the end. We must accept the end, before we can begin. Or rather,… Read More ›

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Without wisdom…

Science and technology are indeed admirable in many respects, and if they fulfill their promises, they can do much for man. But they can never solve his deepest problems. On the contrary, without wisdom, without the intuition and freedom that enable man to return to the root of his being, science can only precipitate him… Read More ›

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The real root-sin of modern man …

The real root-sin of modern man is that, in ignoring and condemning being, and especially his own being, he has made his existence a disease and an affliction. And, strangely, be has done this with all kinds of vitalistic excuses, proclaiming at every turn that he stands on frontiers of new abundance and permanent bliss…. Read More ›

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