In the Chapter On The Daily Manual Labor (Chapter 48), St. Benedict makes the bold statement, then they are truly monks when they live by the labor of their hands as did our fathers and the Apostles. It’s one of those sentences I wish he had expanded and “unpacked” beyond the legitimizing precedent. Did he […]

First, concerning cats…You’re probably more aware than I am that a tsunami can hit Japan and an eyewitness’ video from an smartphone can appear on Youtube and there will be thousands of viewers in the first minute. On the other hand, someone can post on Youtube yet another video of a cat snoring or playing […]

It is already two weeks since the Gift Shop/Porter’s Lodge closed its doors for renovation and repair. This is to report that progress has been made and having completed an inventory (along with moving stock for storage), work on actual renovations and repairs begins this week. Presently, it is still difficult to ascertain when the […]

In an early post and on the web site we said  the Spring MIW—SCHDULED FOR MARCH 13-15—was sold out…well it isn’t anymore!  Rooms have opened up and are available to men and women interested in the  monastic experience.  For more information see Take Part on the home page.  To reserve your spot send a $100 deposit […]

One way to consider the role of work in Benedictine spirituality is to look up references to “work” mentioned in the Rule. The previous post considered how St. Benedict’s teaching in his time and circumstances was not necessarily the final word on work; what he has to say does not explicitly deal with creativity in […]

I believe in earlier posts, at least in passing, I’ve indicated that St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries would not solve all our problems. That’s not what it’s there for. And Saint Benedict, however wise and holy he was, had no insider’s secrets on life; like all of us, he had to learn the hard way and […]

In Fr. Edmund’s Treasurer’s Office at the Abbey, he used to display a few old framed photos. One was obviously his parents, John Joseph Flynn and Pauline C. Rempe Flynn. There was also a photo of a nun in the old habit standing on the steps of a brick building. “That’s my aunt, Sr. Edmund. […]

In what sense can we actually capture a sense of sacred to the work we do? Is there a fool-proof way to break down the dichotomy of work and prayer, as if they were opposed to one another? I’d be quick to guarantee that there is no fool-proof solution or technique to achieve anything! I’ve […]

Before considering aspects of work opened up by other chapters of St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries, I would like to underline a conclusion that we might already draw. In the previous post, I suggested that owning our limits could lead us to a breakthrough in our experience of work. Such a graced moment could even […]

Conductor extraodinaire, Karl Bohm used to relate an anecdote from his days as a young conductor when he tried both to communicate and experience the transcendent beauty of the music. He had the good fortune to work with the ageing composer Richard Strauss who asked him, “Do you really think Wagner composed the Liebestod in a […]