www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Benedictine Oblation for Eastern Christians?

http://www.monasterechevetogne.com/

I thought some might appreciate this link - the music is marvellous!

Gordo

Dear Friends,

As Cynthia put it so eloquently, Benedictine Oblation offers a solid framework from which our spiritual development may flower - it is a spiritual "flower bed" that provides good soil and nutrients to allow the blossoms of our growth in the Spirit to come to fruition!

May I recommend something? Contact the spiritual director above and ask him the questions you have about this.

There are a number of steps to becoming a novice and you may choose to stop the process at any one of them. Then you have a whole year to discern whether this is for you. And to become an oblate is not something written in stone either.

You've nothing to lose!

PAX,

Alex

By the way, when you become a novice (and I know you and others will want to! ;)), you will receive a scapular and a medal.You could also, instead of the medal, wear the Crucifix with the medal of St Benedict, together with the scapular . . .

Dear Gordo,


Actually, the Reverend Father Deacon Lance developed a shortened Byzantine Office that could be used by Oblates.

We are a school for the service of God. Everything we do alone or together can only be done through him and for him. Our purpose is to help each otheer live out the virtues in a community bound by faith in God, love of neighbor, and commitment to the principles in this Rule.

I. We are nonsectarian; Benedict of Nursia is a spiritual father of all christians. Though the spirit of this community is Christian, all who cherish the virtues taught by the Judeo-Christian tradition and who will observe this Rule are welcome.

II. We practice regular prayer, particularly together with our families and others.

III. We consider all honest work to be a form of prayer, consecrated to God and valuable in itself, not merely an activity carried out for money.

IV. We consider our homes and communities to be secular monasteries, with virtual high walls behind which an ordered and peaceful life devoted to prayer, learning, and the ractice of virtue can be carried out - but with doors always open to the world.

V. Hospitality and charity to those outside our circles is a fundamental obligation. We will seek to serve those in need, and bee kind to strangers, who are travelers along the way. We have a special obligation to help the poor, who suffer the most from a materialist culture that exploits their weakness, isolation and rootlessness.

VI. We seek silence. the use of television and mass media in our homes is limited.

VII. We affirm the principle of localism. We seek to build up local economies, and to encourage communal self-sufficiency. Whenever reasonable, we will buy from local farmers, artisans, and independent merchants - especially those in our community. Our first obligations are to those people and places closest to us. We are constrained by a deep respect for the needs of our community.

VIII. Small is beautiful. We strive to shape our everyday lives to a human scale. Quality is better than quantity.

IX. For the sake of stability, we commit to putting down roots where we are, insofar as that is reasonable. We will work to create economic opportunities that make it easier for our neighbors to stay - and for our adult children to return.

X. Conservation of and respect for the natural world is part of our vocation. We practice good stewardship of the world God has given us.

XI. We choose to disdain or downplay identification with secular political factions. Contemporary labels confuse more than clarify. Though we do not deny legitimate differences, we work to esteem above all the love of virtue, and the humanity we hold in common.

XII. We prize unity in essentials, but otherwise appreciate the diversity of traditional life, and what Russel Kirk called "the proliferating variety and mystery of human existence."

XIII. We practice the asceticism of everyday frugality, respecting natural limits and rejecting the false allure of consumerist society.

XIV. Raising children to respect virtue and legitimate authority is a communal duty that all must share.

XV. We feast, and feast together. Meals taken in common with family and friends are an important part of the good life.

XVI. It is not enough to avoid harmful things. We must also choose good things, and cultivate an appreciation for moral and artistic excellence as a habit of the mind and the heart.

XVII. Seeking to conform our lives, in balance and cheerfulness, to the Good, the True and the Beautiful is the only realistic way to live. We answer the Psalmist cited by Saint Benedict by affirming that we are men and women who "willhave life and desire to see good days."