Instruction 
Instruction on the Rule by noteworthy modern day monastics or oblates
An existence that is meaningless and futile
In our society, a society of business rooted in Puritanism, based on a pseudo-ethic of industriousness and thrift to be rewarded by comfort, pleasure, and a good bank account, the myth of work is thought to justify an existence that is essentially meaningless and futile. There is, then, a great deal of busyness as people… Read More ›
St. Benedict for Beginners – ‘The Way of Obedience’
‘It is by the way of obedience that we go to God.’ Benedictine monks and nuns take three vows. They promise to pursue obedience, stability, and conversion of life. Obedience is a hard word in a society that values personal freedom above anything else. But Benedict realizes that unless we submit to something greater than… Read More ›
5 Hidden Health Benefits of Alcohol
The pillars of good health: diet, exercise, and strawberry daiquiris. OK, maybe not. But it’s not as far off as you’d think. “One of the most consistent findings in recent nutrition research is that moderate alcohol consumption can improve health and lead to a longer life,” says Eric Rimm, Sc.D., associate professor of epidemiology and… Read More ›
St. Benedict for Beginners – ‘Welcomed as Christ…’
‘All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.’ Monks and nuns might stay in their monasteries, but they are not cut off from the world. Instead of going about in the world, they invite the world to them. The doorkeeper is an important person in Benedict’s community, and hospitality is still one… Read More ›
St. Benedict for Beginners – ‘Follow this little rule…’
Whoever you are then, follow this little rule written for beginners.’ Saint Benedict’s monastic rule is sometimes thought of as an esoteric text to take the spiritually elite to the heights of mystic attainment. Nothing could be further from the truth. Benedict’s rule is a practical, down to earth guide to community living and spiritual… Read More ›
St. Benedict for Beginners – Listen my son…
‘Listen my son, to the master’s instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart.’ Saint Benedict established his simple Christian communities in the sixth century. In the chaos of the crumbling Roman Empire, Benedict’s monasteries were havens of peace, prayer and stability. To help his brothers follow the path of God’s wisdom,… Read More ›
Eat your Daily Bread
Whoever you are, the land to which God has brought you is not like the land of Egypt from which you came out. You can no longer live here as you lived there. Your old life and your former ways are crucified now, and you must not seek to live anymore for your own gratification,… Read More ›
Love cannot come of emptiness
I have learned that an age in which politicians talk about peace is an age in which everybody expects war: the great men of the earth would not talk of peace so much if they did not secretly believe it possible, with one more war, to annihilate their enemies forever. Always, “after just one more… Read More ›
Hate itself is the seed of death
The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with a red hot iron. I have to pick up the incandescent metal and burn my own hand while burning the other person. Hate itself is the seed of death in my own heart while it seeks death of another. Love is the seed… Read More ›
Thank God I am like other men
In Louisville, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that I loved these people, that they were mine and I was theirs, that we could not be alien to one another . . . . It was like waking from a… Read More ›