STABILITYStaying and

Not Leaving

Benedictine OblatesSt. Scholastica Monastery18 May 2014

Stability STABILITYFirst Impressions

Second Thoughts

Stability (definitions)1. The state or quality of being stable, especially:

a. Resistance to change, deterioration, or displacement.b. Constancy of character or purpose; steadfastness.c. Reliability; dependability.

2. The ability of an object, such as a ship or aircraft, to maintain equilibrium or resume its original, upright position after displacement, as by the sea or strong winds.

3. Roman Catholic Church A vow committing a Benedictine monk to one monastery for life.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009.

Stability and Instability

•Bad types of monastics•Gyrovague (no fixed abode)

•Sarabaite (desires=rule)

•Strong monastics: cenobites•Accept a Rule•Under an abbot / prioress•Live in a monastery

Merton observed that St Benedict "introduced this vow into his Rule precisely because he knew that the limitations of the monk, and the limitations of the community he lived in, formed a part of God's plan for the sanctification both of individuals and of communities."

In making this vow, "the monk renounces the vain hope of wandering off to find a 'perfect monastery.' "

Schlabach, Gerald. (1998). The Vow of Stability: A Premodern Way Through a Hypermodern World

Stability in the Rule•Ch 58.4,9, 17: Promise •Chapter 4: The "location" for using the Tools for Good Works.

•Ch 60: Stability applies to priests as well

•Ch 66: Porter's "maturity will prevent her from straying about. "

•Ch 64: Abbot/Prioress is "not excitable"

Sources of Instability

•Fear (Prologue 48)•"Craving of their appetites" (sarabaites)

•"Slaves to own will & delights of the palate" so "ever on the move & never stable" (Ch 1: gyrovagues)

•"Own fault" (Chapter 29)•Free will (Ch 58)•"Devil's suggestion" (Ch 58)

Stability

Modern America

Constant change

To what end?

Why?

LINEAR TIME, HISTORICAL TIME

Birth Child Youth

Adult

Death

•We enter at conception•We live each moment

• Circumstances form us (family, schools, jobs, events)

•We exit at death•The secular perspective sees time asmotion, progress, a single direction.

•Culture defines the purpose or goal of time

Culture of Perfection

•Best quality•Best deal•Latest edition or style•"You deserve better"•"It's not fair"•Easily offended•Easily dissatisfied with service

•Alert to flaws and faults

Internet: Our second life

•ICYMI

•YOLO

•Meme

•FOMO

Change Yourself!•Diet•Exercise•Personality•Intelligence / Cognition•Relationships•Efficiency •Productivity•Creativity

Some people refer to these blogs and books as "productivity porn."

They have a common premise: change is crucial and we have to do it ourselves.

The results: •Constant feeling ofdissatisfaction with life.

•Constant anxiety thatone should be better

•Constant attempt to make the right choice

•Constant sense that I shouldbe changing something

http://beautyandbedlam.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Frantic-Women-Rat-Race.jpg

How can we find stability in suchan upside-down culture?

16

The Whole World in a Crystal Ball by xollob58 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/xollob58/474392091/

StabilityLEAVING

Distractions

Overwork

Checking out•Television•Celebrities•Addictive video games•Addictive non-video games

•Collections •“I’m addicted to …”•Alcohol and drugs•Porn•Thrills

Children watching TV. From Wolfram Hahn’s exhibit

“Disenchanted”http://www.wolframhahn.com/projects/

entzaubertdisenchanted/

Giving up & Quitting

Stability Staying

Practices of Stability to

Community

Community Building in Rule•Readily confess faults and ask forgiveness.

•Be ready to make peaceand to forgive.

•Order things so that "no one is distressed in the house of God."

Turn Aside from the Negatives

•Not to grumble or give service to grudgingly

•Don’t miss community prayer or events

•Avoid comparing what you get with others.

Simple Practices – but not easy!•Strive to outdo each other in mutual love and service.

•Honor the elders, love the juniors.

•Give a kind word if you have to say no.

•Never turn away from someone who needs your love.

The importance of "the team"

• "Thank you" for doing what you promised.

• Overlooking and accepting

• Need each other for survival & success

• "The team" can be just two people.

Stability in the Faith Community

•Liturgical Prayer

•Worship

•Regular time together

•Sharing Joy

“The external practices of monastic life are directly connected with our search for God. In and through these practices we express our spiritual values and ideals, and daily live out our commitment to God.”

Cummings, Monastic Practices

Stability STAYING

Practices of Spiritual

Stability

Lectio Divina• Monastic reading is a

spiritual encounter• Nothing rejected as unfit

automatically, if God be sought, BUT

• Much is better avoided for guard of the heart

• “Sustained lectio” with a single text over a period of months or years”

Sr. Meg FunkLectio Matters

Gravitas •An aspect of wisdom.

•Compare with modern talk

•Loud

•Snappy repartee

•Sarcastic

•Formed by whatwe hear in media

Silence

•Restraint of speech helps us listen to God .•This allows others to maintain their prayer.

•“The tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.” (James 3:5)

•This also includes choosing what other sounds and presences to have (TV, radio) and when.

Stability STAYING

Persevering Until Death

Stability:Being Where You Are,Fixing Your Heart

• Moment-by-moment giving of self to the place and people with which one is engaged.

• Views relationships as meaningful, rather than as a means to an end.

• Bears the burdens and behaviors of others as sharing the suffering of the Body of Christ.

The Desert Abbas and Ammas

• Fidelity by removing from the source of distractions.

• Meditation and focus on scripture and holy writings:nothing else

• Well-defined practices so asnot to deceive themselves.

“Keep on doing the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will greatly rejoice you.”

Philippians 4:9

Continuing Mindfully

We can only reach stability overthe course of a lifetime.

But we have the opportunity each day to add one more dayof fidelity to the promises we have made to God.

STABILITYStaying and

Not Leaving

Benedictine OblatesSt. Scholastica Monastery18 May 2014