Enmegahbowh

Almighty God, you led your pilgrim people of old with fire and cloud; grant that the ministers of your church, following the example of blessed Enmegahbowh, may stand before your holy people, leading them with fiery zeal and gentle humility. This we ask through Jesus, the Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at the Night Office

In winter time as defined above,
there is first this verse to be said three times:
"O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare Your praise."
To it is added Psalm 3 and the "Glory be to the Father,"
and after that Psalm 94 to be chanted with an antiphon
or even chanted simply.
Let the Ambrosian hymn follow next,
and then six Psalms with antiphons.
When these are finished and the verse said,
let the Abbot give a blessing;
then, all being seated on the benches,
let three lessons be read from the book on the lectern
by the brethren in their turns,
and after each lesson let a responsory be chanted.
Two of the responsories are to be said
without a "Glory be to the Father"
but after the third lesson
let the chanter say the "Glory be to the Father,"
and as soon as he begins it let all rise from their seats
out of honor and reverence to the Holy Trinity.

The books to be read at the Night Office
shall be those of divine authorship,
of both the Old and the New Testament,
and also the explanations of them which have been made
by well known and orthodox Catholic Fathers.

After these three lessons with their responsories
let the remaining six Psalms follow,
to be chanted with "Alleluia."
After these shall follow the lesson from the Apostle,
to be recited by heart,
the verse
and the petition of the litany, that is "Lord, have mercy on us."
And so let the Night Office come to an end.

Saint Barnabas the Apostle

Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On the Divine Office During the Night

In the winter time,
that is from the Calends of November until Easter,
the sisters shall rise
at what is calculated to be the eighth hour of the night,
so that they may sleep somewhat longer than half the night
and rise with their rest completed.
And the time that remains after the Night Office
should be spent in study
by those sisters who need a better knowledge of the Psalter
or the lessons.

From Easter to the aforesaid Calends of November,
the hour of rising should be so arranged that the Morning Office,
which is to be said at daybreak,
will follow the Night Office after a very short interval,
during which they may go out for the necessities of nature.

Second Sunday after Pentecost

O God from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that were right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The twelfth degree of humility
is that a monk not only have humility in his heart
but also by his very appearance make it always manifest
to those who see him.
That is to say that whether he is at the Work of God,
in the oratory, in the monastery, in the garden, on the road,
in the fields or anywhere else,
and whether sitting, walking or standing,
he should always have his head bowed
and his eyes toward the ground.
Feeling the guilt of his sins at every moment,
he should consider himself already present at the dread Judgment
and constantly say in his heart
what the publican in the Gospel said
with his eyes fixed on the earth:
"Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up my eyes to heaven" (Luke 18:13; Matt. 8:8);
and again with the Prophet:
"I am bowed down and humbled everywhere" (Ps. 37:7,9; 118:107).

Having climbed all these steps of humility, therefore,
the monk will presently come to that perfect love of God
which casts out fear.
And all those precepts
which formerly he had not observed without fear,
he will now begin to keep by reason of that love,
without any effort,
as though naturally and by habit.
No longer will his motive be the fear of hell,
but rather the love of Christ,
good habit
and delight in the virtues
which the Lord will deign to show forth by the Holy Spirit
in His servant now cleansed from vice and sin.

Columba of Iona

O God, you called your servant Columba
from among the princes of this land
to be a herald and evanglist of your kingdom:
Grant that your Church, remembering his faith and courage,
may so proclaim the splendour of your grace
that people everywhere will come to know your Son
as their Saviour, and serve him as their king;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer, Church of Ireland

O God, by the preaching of your blessed servant Columba
you caused the light of the Gospel to shine in Scotland:
Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance,
we may show our thankfulness to you by following the example
of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Lesser Feasts and Fasts, TEC

Almighty God,
who filled the heart of Columba
with the joy of the Holy Spirit
and with deep love for those in his care:
May your pilgrim people follow him,
storng in faith, sustained by hope,
and one in the love that binds us to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Daily Prayer, Church of England

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The eleventh degree of humility
is that when a monk speaks
he do so gently and without laughter,
humbly and seriously,
in few and sensible words,
and that he be not noisy in his speech.
It is written,
"A wise man is known by the fewness of his words"(Sextus, Enchidirion, 134 or 145).

What Now!

With the Easter Season behind us, how are we to live? Do we embrace the new life that we have freely received in Christ, or do we return to our old selves awaiting once again the cyclical return of the resurrection story?

It seems to me that the focus of this Season of Ordinary Time invites us more deeply into the promise of the risen Christ and calls us to shed the dying skin of our mortality by learning to do those things that do not come easy for us.

Only through faith have we been transfigured and changed. The resurrection was not magical, nor does it require of us to do something against our will. It does, however, challenge our old way of doing things calling us into a new creation. At the heart of our risen life is our willingness to live for God, to serve and worship him, and draw all people into unity with him through Christ. When we are unable to live the new life it means that we have allowed the gravitational pull of our former self to have its way with us.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The tenth degree of humility
is that he be not ready and quick to laugh,
for it is written,
"The fool lifts up his voice in laughter" (Eccles. 21:23).

Oh, my!

This afternoon, we received a call from a nearby Episcopal Parish asking if we would check in on one of their parishioners who is in the medical center. The reason why they needed our intervention was due to the fact that the grandson told them that "under no uncertain terms, were they to see her, because she had been in the hospital for over a week, and they failed to visit her!" He went on to say that he was "going to contact the local vicar and ask him to watch over his grandmother." Well, it turns out that the clergy of the nearby parish was never told that their parishioner was sick and in the hospital. The grandson made several assumptions and now is condemning his grandmother's clergy for the lack of care, and they didn't even know!

As I talked with the secretary of the parish, I told her that I would not get involved until the grandson called me, and then I would do absolutely nothing until I reported my conversation with her. Well, I never heard from the grandson!

It is amazing how many people think clergy are blessed with clairvoyance and the ability to know things without being informed! I think such thinking is a trap and a way for people who are upset with the parish to discover an excuse to remove themselves. Oh, my!

The New Monastics

"New Monasticism" is the term used for a current religious movement of groups of Christians living within and serving communities of need. According to the site for the Rutba House, a New Monastic community in Durham, North Carolina, the term was coined by Jonathan Wilson, in his book, Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World. Wilson drew heavily on writings of philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, who wrote in After Virtue:

What matters at this stage is the construction of local forms of community within which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained through the new dark ages which are already upon us. And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time.

The Rutba House defines new monasticism as having 12 distinguishing characteristic, including:

1 Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.
2 Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3 Hospitality to the stranger
4 Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
5 Humble submission to Christ's body, the church.
6 Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.
7 Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8 Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9 Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
10 Care for the plot of God's earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
11 Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12 Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.

You may read more:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/newmonastics/particulars.shtml

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The ninth degree of humility
is that a monk restrain his tongue and keep silence,
not speaking until he is questioned.
For the Scripture shows
that "in much speaking there is no escape from sin" (Prov. 10:19)
and that "the talkative man is not stable on the earth" (Ps. 139:12).

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The eighth degree of humility
is that a monk do nothing except what is commended
by the common Rule of the monastery
and the example of the elders.

The Feast of Boniface of Mainz

Almighty God, you called your faithful servant Boniface to be a witness and martyr in Germany, and by has labor and suffering you raised up a people of your own possession: Pour out your Holy Spirit upon your Church in every land, that by the service and sacrifice of many your holy Name may be glorified and your kingdom enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The seventh degree of humility
is that he consider himself lower and of less account
than anyone else,
and this not only in verbal protestation
but also with the most heartfelt inner conviction,
humbling himself and saying with the Prophet,
"But I am a worm and no man,
the scorn of men and the outcast of the people" (Ps. 21:7).
"After being exalted, I have been humbled
and covered with confusion" (Pa. 87:16).
And again,
"It is good for me that You have humbled me,
that I may learn Your commandments" (Ps. 118:71).

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The sixth degree of humility
is that a monk be content
with the poorest and worst of everything,
and that in every occupation assigned him
he consider himself a bad and worthless workman,
saying with the Prophet,
"I am brought to nothing and I am without understanding;
I have become as a beast of burden before You,
and I am always with You" (Ps:22-23).

Humility: Open Hearts

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect for Purity, at the opening of the eucharistic liturgy, holds before us the fifth degree of humility found in the Rule of Saint Benedict. Imagine what our lives would be like if they were totally translucent, self-revealing, holding nothing back, living in a freedom and openness known only to those in the Garden of delight, the land of Eden. What amazing things would happen if we could empty the dark resentments, the bitter poison that destroys relationships, and break open the secrets that separate and hinder intimacy.

At one time, in the early church, it was very common for a member of the faith community to stand before his brothers and sisters acknowledging his hidden wretchedness, and today within the monastery the monk unveils himself before his spiritual father, and it is not uncommon for one to make his or her confession before an experienced priest. The honesty required to live in community comes only with a humble and hospitable heart for it is only in self-knowledge that we find healing from the demons that lurk behind the veil of hostile fear of the known. All revelation is of God, and we are called to practice this new freedom in the spirit of a loving Father.

The Feast of the Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father, who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Humility

The fifth degree of humility
is that he hide from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts
that enter his heart
or the sins committed in secret,
but that he humbly confess them.
The Scripture urges us to this when it says,
"Reveal your way to the Lord and hope in Him" (Ps. 36:5)
and again,
"Confess to the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever" (Ps. 105:1).
And the Prophet likewise says,
"My offense I have made known to You,
and my iniquities I have not covered up.
I said: 'I will declare against myself my iniquities to the Lord;'
and 'You forgave the wickedness of my heart'" (Ps. 31:5).