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Welcome to the Benedictine Cyber Toolbox

A Newsletter for Benedictine Living Today

 

July/August, 2011

 

In This Issue
An Upcoming Program
Welcome!
Playing Catch - A Benedictine Game
A Benedictine Tool
The Book Corner
The Rule According to Randy

Upcoming  Program

 

The Benedictine Path of Living Simply:

Decluttering Our Life for God 

  

October 3, 2011

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Drew Univeristy Theological School in Madison, NJ

 

July-August 2011

Before Decluttering.

 

Learn ways to let go of physical and mental "stuff" to be more available to God.

 

Click here for information. 

  

Jul 2011

After Decluttering

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Greetings!

St. Benedict's Toolbox from Morehouse

 

 Welcome to the

Benedictine Cyber Toolbox!

 

In the words of the porter of the monastery who welcomed all as Christ, I welcome you as Christ and say heartily, "Your blessing, please!"

RB 66.3

 

I hope that you are having a wonderful summer and that you are expereincing a different rhythmn in your day-to-day activities, hopefully a calmer one.   May the remaining days of August bring you peace and joy.

 

My prayer is that this newsletter brings you inspiration, learning and even a chuckle or two, trusting that Benedict understands the latter even though he said, "speak no foolish chatter, nothing just to provoke laughter." RB 4.53

 

Enjoy!

 

Jane

 

july 2011 
 
Featured Article
 
Playing Catch -
A "Benedictine" Game
 
 
 

 

 Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all,

not only to the abbot or prioress

but to one another as sisters and brothers,

since we know that it is by this way of obedience

that we go to God.

                                                                                                RB 71.1-2


 Summer is a time for playing games. I recall many seemingly endless summers where my friends and I would play together morning, afternoon and evening, the latter in spite of that Minnesota State "bird," the mosquito. My favorite game was one that my brother and I and some other neighborhood kids invented. It was called "Hide from Cars."

 

The "game" went like this-When it was completely dark outside we would all stand in the middle of the main street which ran through our residential neighborhood. It was a pretty busy street. (Yikes! I wonder what my parents would have said if they had any inkling at all what we were doing?) As a car approached we would stand there as long as we dared. When terror set in we'd dart off the street as quickly aspossible...zip...diving into the bushes alongside the road. Each "player" had to be totally concealed in the bushes before the headlights of the car passed in front. I don't remember what the consequences were if the headlights passed before you were concealed let alone what the real consequences might have been if one of us didn't fly off the street in a timely fashion!

 
What was your favorite game as a child? Was it leap frog, jacks, tag, dodge ball, soft ball, hide and seek, musical chairs or, if you're younger, computer games? Many of these games have common characteristics. Someone hides and someone seeks. One person throws a ball (very hard) and another person "dodges" the ball or gets a painful thump. The tagger pursues and the one who doesn't want to be tagged flees. One person jumps over another in order to get ahead or shoves someone out of the way to get a seat before the music stops.

 

Click here to continue reading

 

 

A Benedictine Tool:

Playing Catch Every Day - Toss Some Kindness

  
Purpose of the Tool:  To remind ourselves to practice kindness
   
Background on the Tool:
  In Chapter 31 - Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer Benedict advises when someone makes an unreasonable request the cellarer should just "reasonably and humbly deny the improper request." (31.7) If something is not available that someone requests, the cellarer is to offer a kind word in reply. Benedict quotes Sirach, noting that "a kind word is better than the best gift." (RB 31.13-14 and Sir 18:17) Both instructions put kindness as the leading quality of how the cellarer interacts with people. Kind words are "tossed" carefully creating an environment of peace.

 
The Tool:
  Decide on a day or even half a day that you will intentionally practice tossing words of kindness to others. Ask God to help you be mindful of what you say. Remember to toss kind words to yourself, too. There are times that we offer kinder words to others than to ourselves.

 

And, to top it off, how about having an old-fashioned game of catch with a ball?

 

        Need a refresher on how to play?  Take a look here.

 

Remember, your furry friends like to play catch too!

                               
                                                                     July-August 2011

 
 

July-August 2011The Book Corner 

A Recommended Read

The Motley Crew -
Monastic Lives
by Brother Benet Tvedten, OSB

 

If you would like a good end-of-summer read, I highly recommend Br. Benet Tvedten's book The Motley Crew. You'll find this book is both informative, interesting and yet fun to read, a combination not often encountered. As stated on the back cover, "In this latest collection of portraits and reflections on the monastic life, Brother Benet Tvedten has gathered together a motley crew indeed. Inside this book you'll encounter the stories, both legend and history, of ancestors and contemporary monastics, the saints and the laypeople who contributed to this movement over the centuries."

 

Beginning with St. Antony, the Patriarch of Monasticism in the East, Br. Benet introduces us to notable participants in the monastic movement, well-known and lesser-known, men and women, such as Pachomius, Basil, Benedict (of course), Scholastica and "two little boys at school" as Br. Benet calls them - actually two disciples of Benedict named Maurus and Placid, whose naming gives us an example of Tvedten's lightness and gentle sense of humor. He guides us through the Cistercian and English greats like Bernard and Anselm, moves into the Reformation and finally to the United States with Vital, Ildephonse and Felix to name just a few. I especially appreciate his inclusion of women such as Scholastica, Walburga, Hildgard and others who contributed to the monastic movement.

 

Br. Benet entitles one chapter "Willibrord, Willibald, Wunibald, Walburga, and Winfrid" and follows this title with "Can you repeat their names lickety-split? Although one might think these are members of a contemporary law firm [here I hooted loudly], this is not the case. They are all Anglo-Saxon monastics who became missionaries on the Continent."  

 

With interlacing of such humor Br. Benet gives us a wonderful picture through fact and legend of these people who gave their lives to God and to each other.  As I wrote on the back jacket, "Although Benedict cautions his followers to not be 'given to ready laughter' (RB 7.59), I found myself guilty of frequent chuckles reading Br. Benet's interesting, informative, and engaging thumbnail sketches of his monastic ancestors."

 

A great summer or anytime read!

The Motley Crew - Monastic Lives by Br. Benet Tvedten, OSB.

Collegeville, Minnesota, 2007. ISBN: 0-8146-3177-0.

 

Learn more about or order this book from Amazon.com or from The Liturgical Press.

 

Br. Benet is a member of Blue Cloud Abbey in Marvin, South Dakota where he is Director of Oblates. He is also author of The View from the Monastery and  How to Be a Monastic and Not Leave Your Day Job: An Invitation to Oblate Life.

 

Brother Benet Tvedten July-August 2011

Randy

The Rule According to Randy

 

Hello!   In case you haven't met me, I'm Randy, one of Jane's cats. I'm here again with a feline perspective on Benedictine living and more observations on how Jane does or doesn't keep the Rule.  

 

 I noticed in prior articles that I'm inclined to complain and find fault - not very Benedictine. Benedict tells us "keep your tongue free from vicious talk" (Prologue 17).  I had promised to offer a positive observation this month so here it is.

 

One of the cats in our family is Mickey. Recently when he was at the doctor, the vet took one look at him and exclaimed, "Boy, is he old!" Mickey told me this was a bit distressing to hear.   

 

Mickey has glaucoma so twice a day Jane or John give him drops in his eyes.  He's really good about this, better than I would be. They are patient and gentle with him. I know that Benedict is concerned that the elderly are treated with kindness and that "their lack of strength must always be taken into account."  (RB 37.2)  Our prioress and sub-prior are following Benedict's instructions admirably. 

 

           Is there anyone you know who is elderly and would welcome your kindness?  

 

To show Mickey that I can follow Benedict's instructions too, I've been joining him on our favorite chair, cozying up in a companionable and comforting fashion.  His reaction has been mixed...

 

 

I must confess that I have my own challenges in keeping the Rule.

 

 Last week sub-prior John caught me chasing Marcy. Though the pursuit was well-deserved, I got into trouble for it, not only with him but with everyone else! John announced that there were to be no evening cat treats that night. While I was the only one who really should be denied the treats (for doing what??), with seven other bowls, pronounced John, it was likely that I'd horn in one someone else's treats. I was crushed and in trouble with everyone else. I think that the reason this discipline happened is that Jane said, "No treats," falling back on Benedict's instructions that "Those who sin should be reprimanded in the presence of all, that the rest may fear" (RB 70.3 and I Tim 5:20).  

 

Puzzled by all the hullabaloo over chasing anyone in my family, I culled the Rule and found this: In Chapter 70 Benedict states that "no one has the authority to strike another without permission from the abbot" (RB 70.2).

 

I didn't strike anybody, right? Furthermore, I'd like to know where John was when Target gave me one in the face the other day! But pondering how the Rule might apply to my "infraction," I suppose that by extension chasing Marcy could qualify as kind of striking, as an unkind or mean or hurtful thing to do. That made me feel a little bad as I like to think of myself as a good Benedictine cat.

 

I decided to consult one of my favorite books, Why the Rule of St. Benedict is Not Only for Humans by Scholastica Muffin, O.S.B.F. (Order of St. Benedict Feline). She's named, of course, for Benedict's sister, Scholastica. I found this quote about Chapter 70 from Joan Chittister's A Spirituality for the 21st Century:

 

"Even in a culture that routinely disciplined its young or unlettered with physical whippings,          Benedict simply does not allow a culture of violence.  Benedictine spirituality depends on personal commitment and community support, not on intimidation and brutality."  

 

The truth is, I try not to chase Marcy, and Smokey too, but, honestly, Jane has no idea what it's like to live with these two. Or with the other five, for that matter!   I know that Benedict says we must support "with the greatest patience one another's weaknesses of body or behavior," (RB 72.5), but I get weary with all this forbearance day in and day out.   And so I have to blow off some steam!

 

Do you ever feel like me, when enough is enough?   When you've grown weary of putting up with weaknesses of body or behavior in someone else?  When that happens to me, I chase another cat. What do you do when enough is enough?  There are lots of ways that humans can lose patience and choose subtle forms of violence...or worse!  I've heard things in our house.  Jane or John might say something mean or unkind, or are cross with one another or bark at one of us.  It's tough being on the receiving end of any of this.

 

Benedict closes the Chapter 70 with this:

 

 "Never do to another what you do not want done to yourself." (RB 70.7 and Tobit 4:16). 

 

That seems to be a good benchmark.  I'm going to give it a try the next time I have the taste for a chase.  How 'bout joining me the next time you feel enough is enough?  Remember,

 

 "Never turn away when someone needs your love." (RB 4.26)

 

See you next month!


 

                                                                                                         Your feline friend,

                                                                                                            Randy's Signature     

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

Living Intentionally in a Distracted World

 

Date: Saturday, September 10


Place: St. David's Episcopal Church

1015 Old Roswell Road

Roswell, Georgia

 

 

Jane will lead this program that is open to all. Attendees will learn about intentionl living through attention to the present moment, prayer and balance. For more information contact Nancy Armstong at [email protected].

 

  

Benedictine Spirituality for the Frazzled

 

Sponsored by the ECW and the Episcopal

 Women's Ministries of the Diocese of Indianapolis

 

 Date: September 23-25

 

Place: Waycross Conference Center

Morgantown, Indiana

 

For more information follow this link.

July 2011

Beat the Frazzles - Be Together!

A Work Crew at Holy Cross Monastery

 


      Bring Jane to Your Church, Monastery or Organization!

                       
July-August 2011

Taking a break while on a silent hike.

Plan a Retreat ot Program

 

Jane is available to do retreats and programs in the Benedictine Tradition and Spirituality.  Content is personalized.  Programs will bring the ideas to life in a practical and down-to-earth way. 

 

Retreats are modeled by Benedictine balance-time alone and time together, and time for rest, study and prayer.  

Group Dio Beth

Sharing

 

 

 

 

Contact Jane at 908-233-0134,

cell-908-463-3252

or via email at

       [email protected]

 


 

For ideas and possibilities you may wish to view a list of retreat programs and participating groups  on the web site by clicking here.
 

Jane's Scheduled Retreats and Programs for 2011 are frequently updated and published here.
 


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Jane Tomaine

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[email protected]

 

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