Sabbatical - On St. Benedict

Ah St. Benedict and his "little rule for beginners"!

So why are we talking about an Italian monastic who never set foot in England or the United States when we're discussing our particular faith context?

Because Benedict had a great impact on how the larger church began to think about organizing itself and worshiping.   And that mindset was drawn on very strongly when the center of the Anglican thread of Christianity was being compiled, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).  His influence is felt even before that.

The Benedictine Rule is brought to England in the largest sense during the reign of  King Edgar the Peaceable in the mid to late 900's.  Edgar was faced with monasteries and convents that were completely out of control (Yes, Monks and Nuns Gone Wild!) and chose the Benedictine Rule to bring some order.  This disorderliness at monasteries was apparently quite a problem in many places.  Benedict spends some time in the first chapter talking about "The Kinds of Monks".  There are 4 according to him.  One group he refers to as "detestable" and another he says is even worse than that!

Beyond the very clear order that Benedict brings he also matched some of the better attributes of our ancestors.  English spirituality has always been about caring for the individual.  Thus a certain strain of personal liberty in spirituality has also been there.  It begins with an assumption that the spiritual life is designed to move people into a better way of life through an ongoing process.  Our spirituality has always been good at taking the best ideas and weaving them together. 

In many ways Benedict fits right in.  He allows people to find what works for them in their personal faith practice.  He felt that private prayer should be "...short and pure unless prolonged by divine inspiration". (Chap 20).  In the words of Edward Cuthbert Butler, the Benedictine abbot of Downside Abbey -

The primary principle to personal piety is that suits your spirit and brings you closer to God.

 Benedict and English spirituality look at the life of faith as a "three fold rule" meaning that the basic outline of how we live our faith has three aspects - communal Eucharist, the Daily Office and personal prayer.  That basic outline forms the backbone of the BCP.  And the Book of Common Prayer is the central identity of our tradition.  That three fold rule may strike us as obvious and universal but it isn't.

Benedict's Rule calls for a community  that in many ways functions as a family.  The community is held together by mutual affection and care rather than authoritarian writ. This would have been very familiar and comfortable for our ancestors.  In his day and in ours life was fragmented and stress filled.  There had been great social upheaval (the fall of Rome just 70 years prior to his birth was still very much being felt) and theological division (the subject of that day was Grace).  Amidst all that Benedict tries to help his people find a way to stay focused on the holy and bring all aspects of their lives together into a single weaving. Holy and routine, spiritual and material, prayer and life - all together. 

As for the rule itself there are (as I mentioned before) many sections that don't affect us directly in our modern context.  At the same time the book is very short and worth reading in its entirety.  Certainly the Prologue and the chapters on The Tools for Good Works, Obedience, Restraint of Speech, Humility, Reverence in Prayer, the Proper Amount of Food, the Proper Amount of Drink, the Daily Manual Labor, Community Rank, Assignment of Impossible Tasks to a Brother, Mutual Obedience and (this really is the name of the last chapter) This Rule is Only the Beginning of Perfection.

Admit it, some of those titles intrigue you.  Each of them has something to teach us in our time and place.  You will discover things that may trouble you.  Remember that Benedict wrote this for a specific time and place.  I certainly do not offer up his thoughts on disciplining children for modern use.

But as a guide for finding a rule of faith in the 21st Century, the old boy still has plenty to say.

Reflection on the Book of Common Prayer

I will start with a disclaimer that won't help with some folks but I'll try.

I LOVE the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). In my humble opinion it is the crown jewel on the Anglican church. It still amazes me with it's depth and beauty and relevance to the entire life and lifetime of a believer. I know I'm not alone in those feelings both inside our tradition and outside. I love the story that author Steven Case tells of falling in love with the BCP during his time as an Episcopal youth minister (Case grew up in a very different tradition) and wrote "The Book of Uncommon Prayer" because he wanted a way to bring the beauty he found in this denominational worship book to a larger audience.

So you may safely categorize me as a "BIG FAN OF THE BCP".

But if you think it's a great resource for a newbie at personal worship, you're nuts. This book should come with an instruction manual.

I can feel the blood pressure rising in some out there in reader-world. Take a deep, cleansing breath before you start kindling the auto-da-fé.

In an earlier post I chronicled the trouble I ran into using the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families. Remember I've been an Episcopalian my entire life (wait, do you know that? I was baptized into our tradition at 28 days of age. Outside of those 28 days and a 15 year gap when I attended only infrequently I've gone to Episcopal services with some regularity. This is what I know) and I still got turned around.

It began with the Canticles. First, what IS a canticle? Ten seconds to come up with an answer. (Jeopardy thinking music plays - Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo...)

My bet is that the clergy came up with an answer and the more hardcore lay. The rest of us? Some probably have never even heard the word.

Canticle - a song or hymn from the Bible (generally excluding the Psalms). The Te Deum an ancient Christian hymn is also included.

Now more questions - Where do you find them? How many are there? How do I use them? None of these questions are complicated, there are 21 of them, you'll find them in middle of Morning Prayer (but split between Rites I and II) and some guidance on which to use can be found on pages 144/145.

NONE OF WHICH IS OBVIOUS. In fact if you go to where they're found (beginning on p.47 and p.85) you have to read the small print to even know that these ARE the canticles! Given the format they look like Psalms (which, as we ALL know, are found elsewhere).

If you're pooh-poohing right now remember that I'm talking about anyone who has little or no experience with the BCP beyond the Eucharist. Which is probably a fairly large percentage of us. While Morning and Evening Prayer were much more common a generation or two ago they are not anymore.

My friend Liz, in her comment to my previous post, asked if the BCP was "...written for the insider only?" I think that's an excellent question. We've all heard for years the critique of the "Episcopal Juggling Act" of bulletin, Hymnal and BCP during worship, the last requiring that infernal flip-flip-flipping back and forth. If you're trying to begin a private practice of prayer and are faced with the really unnecessary difficulties presented at times by the BCP you might certainly give up or go elsewhere.

Morning and Evening Prayer aren't much better. You're faced with all kinds of choices, some obvious, some not, plus there is an expectation that you know how to do some things. Like know which Readings are indicated or which Psalm. It's intimidating and that stands as a barricade in the road toward the Divine.

And that's just not right.

Peace