Silence
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
One of the first things I notice when I visit monasteries is the quiet. We’re used to lots of chit-chat and televisions and radios playing and construction and traffic noises, and stepping through the door of a monastery all these noises disappear. They’re not completely silent places; the bell rings calling worshipers to prayer, and the . . .
Obedience
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
No one celebrates when they hear the words, “Be obedient.” Obedience recalls overbearing bosses or unforgiving teachers needing absolute control. We think we’re masters of our destinies, that no one else is our boss, and obedience challenges our control of our lives. I do what I want when I want, I tell myself, and no one has any . . .
Day By Day Remind Yourself That You Will Die
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
The picture above is something I keep in my office. It’s from 1934, showing young adults in the First Christian Church in Hammond. The Hammond church has since closed its doors, but back then it was a booming church, and the church I serve now was created by the Hammond church, so some old-timers in my congregation can identify a few . . .
The Toolbox
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood plays Walt, a bitter older man who through the relationship with his Hmong neighbors redeems his broken life. He mentors Tao, a young Hmong neighbor needing a male role-model. In the garage, Tao is amazed at the set of tools Walt acquired. Walt tells Tao, “I didn't buy all this stuff at once, blockhead. . . .
Leaders Who Listen
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
Pastors, when we talk shop together, will gossip over the good and bad of other churches, and one afternoon a Pastor and I were talking about another pastor and church where there were problems. This wasn’t the first time this other pastor had run into trouble, and my friend summarized the problem, “He doesn’t listen.” It was clear what . . .
Teaching with Actions
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
You might know that deflating moment when you see behind the curtain into the reality of a dynamic teacher’s life and think, “This guy is a jerk.” All of the teacher’s teachings empty of power in the moment. Benedict, in chapter two of his rule, lists the qualities of an abbot. The abbot is the head of the monastery, and the word abbot . . .
Four Types of Monks
Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict
In a town that used to be home there was a wealthy guy named--for the sake of anonymity I’ll call him this--John Miller. He made a lot of money in another state, and he was a public figure in town and often visited other churches and tried to influence churches and the community; to me he was an ever-present nuisance. When I was moving . . .