Tag: abstinence
Be Ever Vigilant
In the nearby desert there is an elderly brother called John who excels everybody in his life, his customs, and his abstinence. When her first came to the desert he stood underneath a protruding rock face for three years continuously, always praying, never sitting or lying down. He took only what sleep he could standing… Read More ›
Monks and Lenten Pretzels
Do pretzels really have anything to do with Lent? Fr. Williams Saunders The pretzel indeed has its origins as an official food of Lent. However, much of the information available is based on tradition that has been handed down through the ages. Nevertheless, the Vatican library actually has a manuscript illustrating one of the earliest… Read More ›
Saint Benedict’s Advice for Lent
The Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 9 March 2011. Saint Benedict offers his thinking about the observance of Lent in chapter 49 of his Rule. Besides abstinence from vice, food, and drink, Benedict recommends reading, especially Sacred Scripture. The right kind of Lectio Divina can lead to that “compunction of heart” that is… Read More ›
Monks and MBAs: A dynamic duo
Jan. 26, 2010: By Tom Gallagher NCR Mission Management The arrival of digital media is affecting every aspect of society from policing, to health care, to education, to news reporting and to entertainment. The greeting-card business is not immune. An estimated 300 million e-cards are sent each year. The legendary Hallmark Cards, based in Kansas… Read More ›
The Case for Priestly Celibacy
Each month, when I face an auditorium full of engaged couples preparing for a Catholic marriage, there is a Q-and-A session. It is the interesting, unrehearsed part of the evening. The couples write their queries on a piece of paper, and the anonymity guarantees at least a few hardball questions about the Church and its… Read More ›
On the Observance of Lent: Lent in the Rule
The burial of “alleluia.” Saint Benedict touches on Lent again and again in the Rule, especially when he is talking about the Divine Office. There is that one chapter about the times of saying alleluia. From the holy feast of Easter until Pentecost, “alleluia” is always said with both the psalms and the responsorials. Every… Read More ›
When God reveals to you that the time is right
There was a certain hermit named Pior among the holy fathers who while still a young man had been initiated into monastic life by blessed Antony, but who lived with him for only a few years. For when he was twenty-five he went away to another secret part of the desert with Antony’s full knowledge… Read More ›