Oblate Formation 
Posts concerning Oblate and Novice formation. These include articles which are also applicable to most Christians, whether Oblate or not. Additional articles on instruction of various parts of the Rule can be found under that category.
An Invitation to Interiorness
In short, therefore, it can be said that St Benedict’s message is an invitation to interiorness. Man must first of all enter himself, he must know himself deeply, he must discover within himself the aspiration to God and traces of the Absolute. The theocentric and liturgical character of the social reform advocated by St Benedict… Read More ›
Authentic Liberation
Development which is merely economic is incapable of setting man free; on the contrary, it will end by enslaving him further. Development that does not include the cultural, transcendent and religious dimensions of man and society, to the extent that it does not recognize the existence of dimensions and does not endeavor to direct its… Read More ›
Living in Community is not just for Monks
We talk a lot about being “community” and we use the term a great deal in general terms; the parish community, the city as a community, the monastic community. But do we think any further on what it actually means? Michael Casey, OSCO, talks a great deal about the subject in his book Strangers to… Read More ›
Principles of Decision Making
God is alive and active in the World; God will intrude into our lives, sometimes powerfully; This intrusion presents a call from God to obedience and trust; The call is never-ending and the obedience of faith never finished; Our ability to identify God’s work in the present depends on our knowledge and understanding of God’s… Read More ›
Pope says simplicity, sobriety, sacrifice aren’t just for monks
Vatican City, May 27, 2009 / 09:56 am (CNA) Pope Benedict XVI continued with his series of teachings on the great writers of the Eastern and Western Church by turning his attention today to St. Theodore the Studite, a Byzantine monk from the eighth century. Pope Benedict urged modern day Christians to follow the saint’s example… Read More ›
The Problem with Commercial TV and Monastic Life
TV favors a mentality in which certain things no longer matter particularly: skills like the ability to enjoy a complex argument, for instance, or to perceive nuances, or to keep in mind large amounts of significant information, or to remember today what someone said last month, or to consider strong and carefully argued opinions in… Read More ›
Divine Gift of Reason
The animal which we call man, endowed with foresight and quick intelligence, complex, keen, possessing memory, full of reason and prudence, has been given a certain distinguished status by the Supreme God who created him; for he is the only one among so many different kinds and varieties of living beings who has a share… Read More ›
Humble and listening hearts are needed…
The only way we count more with God is if we are found superior to others in good works and still humble. (RB 2:21) Humble and listening hearts are needed in families, the workplace, government, international diplomacy, and faith communities. The “answer” to modern conflicts and just sharing of the world’s resources requires a change… Read More ›
We can conceive of no higher calling than that of being in the service of God
135. This first motive shows us the excellence of the consecration of ourselves to Jesus through Mary. We can conceive of no higher calling than that of being in the service of God and we believe that the least of God’s servants is richer, stronger, and nobler than any earthly monarch who does not serve… Read More ›
Contemplative Prayer
Contemplation becomes a way of life. I don’t like to think of it so much as something I do but something I am, so I often use the phrase-the contemplative stance. It’s a way of living, moving, and being in this world. I fully admit that we don’t live all of our twenty-four hours there…. Read More ›