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Welcome to the Benedictine Cyber Toolbox
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A Newsletter for Benedictine Living Today
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January-February, 2014
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Wanted:
Feedback On The New Format
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Target and Jane would like to know what you think of the format changes in the newsletter.
To share your thoughts,
Thank you!
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Welcome Back to the
Benedictine Cyber Toolbox!
I'm so glad to be back with you again after quite a long absence. Following my Sabbatical which ended in September, I was busy with my ministry. Then we entered (hear in your ear the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony - Tah-tah-tah-Daaaah)..."The Kitchen Renovation"!
I'm the "General Contractor," using the term very loosely. Sundry miscalculations on my part, along with the usual contracting delays, have contributed to the illusive completion date which will hopefully be in 2014!
In our feline cloister we now have just four mew-nastics, having lost dear little Mickey in September and scruffy Rudy today just before the release of the newsletter. We are saddened again. No one has
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Rudy admiring himself!
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stepped forward to carry the Benedictine torch in the feline cloister, but I haven't given up hope because so many of you found Randy's thoughts and observations helpful.
So welcome once again, dear reader. May God bless you in your journey with Christ and with St. Benedict.
Jane
P.S. Please visit my website at www.stbenedictstoolbox.org. I have been doing some updating; still have more to do but take a look!  | | Little Mickey |
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Seeking God...
When I travel I carry two pictures with me. One is of my husband, John,  and the other is this picture, a detail of the 19th century painting "Joan of Arc" (1879) by
Jules Bastien-Lepage (French, 1848-1884).
Joan is on the desk in my office, too. Her focused look calls me to what I want my life to be about -
the intent search for God in all the ways
that God is present to us.
Click here to see the whole picture.
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You may discover as you read the newsletter that there are some changes. Instead of giving the complete article in the newsletter there are links to the articles which are all on my website. In conversation with my life coach David Rynick, an overarching goal emerged that follows the desire of my heart - What will draw me closer to God in writing the newsletter? What a great guiding question for every aspect of our lives! Is drawing closer to God a desire for you as well?
What would draw you closer to God in all you do each day?
For me this drawing closer involves not only the content of the newsletter,
which includes things that draw me to God, but also how I approach and do the piece-part tasks of writing, editing, creating and problem-solving those inevitable technical snafus (Grrrrrr!)
Perhaps the how, i.e.,the spirit and mindset we bring to a task,
is even more important than what we actually do.
Do we bring a grudging, grumbly, get-it-over-with attitude to the task?
Or do we come with acceptance, gratitude, an open heart
and a willingness to find God in the task?
Let's all align our minds, hearts and lives so that the desire of drawing closer to God can become a living reality.
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 Benedictine Practices for Drawing Closer to God
Are you looking to draw closer to God? Over the next issues we'll be looking at ideas and practices from the Rule that will help us open to God within us and around us. I promise to provide an intentional way to bring Benedict's instructions to life. As I saw once at the entrance to a monastery,
"Know that the God you are seeking is already seeking you." |
 Featured Article
Living to the Glory of God
A Benedictine Practice for Drawing
Closer to God
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Will all of us who are greedy, please stand up! What? Not one of us is standing? Let's take a look at this...
In Chapter 57 - The Artisans of the Monastery Benedict cautions against the evil of avarice in setting prices of goods sold by the monastery. They are to be a little lower than people charge outside the monastery and are not to be motivated by avarice, i.e., by extreme greed for wealth or monetary gain. Lower prices are to be set "so that in all things God may be glorified" (RB 57-8-9 and I Peter 4:11).
Now some of us may make things to price and sell. But this caution against extreme greed isn't just about money for we live in a culture soaked with greed. Each of us can take actions motivated by avarice in a plethora of different ways:
Read more...
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A Tool for Giving God Alone the Glory
In my article "Living to the Glory of God" I encourage us to recognize the many ways that innate human greed keeps the focus on ourselves. Benedict asks us to keep our focus on God in all we do. If you would like to read the article (Sure hope you do!), please click here.
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The Hudson River at
Holy Cross Monastery
by Steve Isham
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Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet,
glorify the Lord.
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
From Canticle 12 "A Song of Creation" found
in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
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The handsome Randy
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In Deep Gratitude for Your Condolences
I shed many tears when after a number of months I had the heart to read the beautiful messages of condolence that so many of you sent upon the passing of Randy, my Benedictine cat and co-newsletter writer, into the Paradise Cloister. Thank you from the depths of my heart. It was touching to read the stories of beloved pets, how you hold them in your heart and are consoled that they are now in a place of rest and frolic. Know that I carefully read each one, shed tears, laughed at some of the stories of your own beloved friends, and said prayers for you, too. Reading these has helped me continue my newsletter correspondence to you. Thank you for your messages, for your sharing and for your wisdom. You and your dear animal friends are in my heart... Jane
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A NEW COLUMN!
Two Kinds of Cooked Food
Benedictine Recipes for Today
"It is enough, we believe, to provide all tables with two kinds of cooked food because of individual weaknesses." RB 39.1
Looking for some new recipes? This is a column for those of you who love to cook and/or are looking for some new recipes. The recipes are all vegetarian, per Benedict's instructions for daily meals. In consideration for non-vegetarians, I will offer suggestions for substitutions.
If you would like to read about Benedict's instructions regarding food and drink, click here.
To read about the whys and hows of these recipes, read here.
A Benedictine Italian Dish-In-One
I created this dish late one night when we'd had no dinner, I was famished and there wasn't much to work with in the house.
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The Book Corner
A Recommended Read
Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ
By Mme. Jeanne Guyon
This is a wonderful book!
Jeanne Guyon (1648 -1717) was a French mystic and one of the key advocates of Quietism, a movement considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. She was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 for the content of this book which was publicly burned. Yet, the book, originally titled A Short and Easy Method of Prayer, has been named as one of the most influential spiritual books ever written.
In the opening paragraphs Mme. Guyon explains, "I have written this book with a desire that you might wholly give yourself to God." THAT got my attention! Does it yours, too?
Continue reading...
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Bring Jane to Your Church, Monastery or Organization!
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Oblates at St. Benedict's in St. Joseph, Minnesota pondering ways to declutter
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Plan a Retreat or 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.
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Getting unfrazzled with Benedict in Atlanta
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Contact Jane at 908-233-0134,
cell-908-463-3252
or via email at
janetomaine@stbenedictstoolbox.org
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 2014 Retreats and Programs is in the process of being updated on the website.).
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Thank you for reading The Benedictine Cyber Toolbox
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Contact Information
Jane Tomaine 908-463-3252 janetomaine@stbenedictstoolbox.org Please email Jane with comments and suggestions about the newsletter! Thank you! |
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