Whatever the size of the Community, the basic Benedictine life remains the same. The day alternates between prayer and reading, the celebration of the liturgy, and working in meditative silence at ordinary tasks. While the nuns work with their hands, their minds are free to ponder on the word of God, to reflect on daily events in the world, and to pray for the needs of humanity. The large garden helps the nuns in another form of prayer, that of simple contemplation. Benedictines are taught to see creation as the good gift entrusted to humanity to cherish and sustain. The world is sacramental, touched by God, and capable of revealing Him. This reverence extends to the work of human hands: indeed, in his Rule, Saint Benedict states that we should regard "all the monastery's utensils and goods as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. " (RB 31). "All guests are to be received as Christ."(RB 53). Guests are attracted by the warm friendliness of the nuns they meet, and the almost tangible sense of peace. Sharing in the Liturgy can be a profound grace to the ecumenical groups who come. The fruit of meditative reading or lectio divina is a constant awareness of God present in all circumstances, and this relationship with God is the heart of all Christian endeavour. Silence and solitude, life in Community, all foster the individual growth of those called to the monastic way of life.
Our Holy Father Saint Benedict |
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The witness of Christian monastic life is
that of faith,
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