DOCSLIB.ORG

Christ: the Ideal of the Monk

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Christ: the Ideal of the Monk CHRIST THE IDEAL OF THE : H3/S hU6- PREFACE. Chnst Jesus is the sublime Ideal of all holiness, the Divine Model -presented by God Himself to the imitation His elect NIHIL of OBSTAT: Christian holiness consists in the complete and sincere acceptation 3rugis, n a Februarii 1926 of Lhnslby faith, and in the expansion of this Ald. Boone, S. J. faith by hope and chanty; it implies the stable and total hold exercised by Chnst upon our activity through the supernatural influence His of. Spirit. Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega of all our works, becomes by the communication of His own life, the very hfe of our souls: Mini vivere Christus est. This is what wc have tried to show, in the light of the Gospels and the writings of St. Paul and St. in IMPRIMATUR John, a first series of conferences Brugis, n a Februarii entitled Christ the Life 1926 of the Soul. A s a logical consequence, H. van den Berche, Vic. Gen. these uv&nuirc truths required the concrete showing forth of the very existence of the Incarnate Word. This existence is mani- fested to us by the states and mysteries, the actions and words of the Sacred Humanity of Jesus. Christ's works, during His terrestrial life are at once models to be imitated and sources of holiness: from them ever goes out a powerful and efficacious virtue to heal, enlighten and sanctify those who by faith come in contact with the mysteries of Jesus with the sincere desire of walking in His footsteps. We have studied, under this aspect, the Incarnate Word, in a second volume: Christ in His Mysteries. But besides the precepts laid down by Christ to His disciples as condition of salvation and essential holiness, there are to be found in the Gospels some counsels that Christ proposes to those who zvish to make the ascension of the sublime heights of perfection: Si vis perfectus esse, vade, vende omnia quae habes, et veni, sequere me. These are only counsels, " " undoubtedly: If thou wilt, Si vis, said the Master. But the magnificent promises made by Him to those who follow them show the value that He Himself attaches >IAHL IN CHI AT IIRJTAIN AT Till! fllMAN PIir?S, UATII ! VIII IK observance has for its aim amor,, et secutl te. to their observance: this — sumus That is the whole substance of the complete and more perfect imitation of the Saviour. Here again, practice of the counsels, the secret of perfection. He is the Way and the Model: religious perfection is but the It will be seen that this plan closely follows the one adopted full acquisition and the entire taking possession of the soul by in Christ the Life of the Soul. This is not to be wondered at, the teaching and example of the Word Incarnate : Veni, sequere since religious perfection is so essentially akin to Christian me... Perfectus omnis discipulus erit si sit sicut Magister holiness. ejus. May these'pages serve to make a great number of souls better These are the thoughts that we have endeavoured to comment understand the nature of this 'perfection to which God so widely tlie present the upon in volume. We have constantly placed invites Christians; to increase in some of these the esteem of Divine Figure of Christ before the eyes of privileged souls called the religious vocation sometimes misunderstood by our age; to in to walk the path of the counsels : nothing is so efficacious help some chosen ones to realise in themselves the call' of grace as this contemplation to touch and draw souls, and to obtain or to triumph over the obstacles that natural affections or the from them the necessary efforts in view of remaining faithful to spirit of the world oppose to Us call... May they above all so high a vocation and one so rich in eternal promises. quicken the first fervour of such consecrated souls whose perseve- these Many of pages explain Ike religious life such as St. Be- rance perhaps is wcari-ed by the length of the way; obtain nedict understands it; but,. as we shall fully see in the sequal, for those who are faithful to their vows the resolution of applying in the eyes the Patriarch monks, of of the religious state, taken themselves without relaxing to attain the summit of the in what is essential, does not constitute a particular form of virtues; finally, stimulate among them the best of ambitions, existence on the bordef.s or at the side of Christianity : it is this ever unsatisfied, that of holiness same Christianity lived in its fulness in the pure light of the • Confident that the Heavenly Father will recognise in our Gospel: Per ducatum Evangelii pergamus itinera Christi. 1 humble^labour the traditional teachings of His Saints , and The extraordinary supernatural fecundity of which the Rule has will vouchsafe to bless our efforts to prepare His field — Apollo given proof throughout so many centuries, is only to be explained rigavit — we earnestly beseech Him to throw therein the divine by this essentially Christian character imprinted by St. Benedict seed by handfuls and to bring it to maturity — Deus autem on all his teaching. incrementum dedit. A glance cast on the Index of the Conferences, at the begin- For this let us render Him even now our humble and filial ning of the volume, will show the simplicity of the plan adopted. thanksgiving! The first part gives, in broad outline, a general view of the D. C. M. monastic idea and institution, such as they appear to those who Maredsous Abbey, wish to cross the threshold of the cloister. The second par* Solemnity of St. Benedict. develops the programme to be filled by those desirous of adapting July, nth, 1922. themselves to this idea and of embracing this institution in such 1. Among Benedictine authors, we have chiefly quoted those who, by their a way as teaching life, particularly laid stress on the central idea expressed to assimilate all its, spirit. or have more This work presents a utilised by the title of this book ; this explains why wo have by preference two-fold aspect: The necessary Mochtilde and Blosius. detachment from created things the writings of St Gregory, St Bernard, St Gertude, St m order to cleave to Christ; the way of detachment, ihus embraced, leadtng to the- life of union: "Behold we have aU left things - to follow Thee, " Ecce nos reliquimus omnia, INDEX OF CONFERENCES GENERAL VIEW OF THE MONASTIC INSTITUTION I. " To seek God. " 1 II, The Following of Christ .... 19 III. The Abbot, Christ's Eepresentativo 40 IV. The Cenobitical Society . 63 II. STARTING POINT AND TWO-FOLD CHARACTER OF MONASTIC PERFECTION GENERAL VIEW V, Our Faith, . the Victory over the World 87 VI. Monastic Profession , 106 OF THE MONASTIC INSTITUTION *' " VII. The Instruments of Good Works. 121 THE WAY OP ABNEGATION (Religuimvi omnia) VIII. Compunction of heart 148 IX. Self-Benunciation . 172 X. Poverty ..... 191 XI, Humility .... 209 XII; Bomtm obedicntiae . 250 B. THE LIFE OF UNION WITH OHEIST („.et tecutitumutte) XIII. The Oput Dei, Divine Praise .291 XIV. The Oput Dei, Means of Union ,' with God ... ,310 XV. Monastic Prayer . Q07 XVI. The Spirit of Abandonment to God's Will T79 XVII. Good Zeal ... Jl XVIII. .' The Peace of Christ .'.'.[ ' \\ \ \\ \\ 428 I. — " TO SEEK GOD ". Summary. — Importance of the end in the human life. — I. '* To seek God ", the end of the Monastic Life. — II. To seek God in all things. — HI. To seek Him only. — IV. Precious fruits of this search. — V. How Christ Jesus is the perfect Model of this seeking after God. WHEN, we examine the Rule of St. Benedict, we see very clearly that he presents it only as an abridge- ment of Christianity, and a means of practising the Christian Life in its fulness and perfection. We find the great Patriarch declaring from the. first lines of the Prologue of his Rule, that he only addresses those who wish to return to God under' Christ's leadership. And in ending the monastic code he declares that he proposes the accomplishment of this rule to whomsoever, through the help of Christ, hasteneth to the heavenly country: Quisquis ergo ad patriam caelestem festinas, hanc... regirfam descriptam, adjuvante Christo., perfice K , To his mind, the Rule is but a simple and very safe guide for leading to God. In writing it, St. Benedict does not wish to institute anything beyond or beside the Christian life : he does not assign to his monks any special work as a " particular end to be pursued ; the. end is, as he says, to " 2 seek God : Si revera quaerit Deum . This is what he re- quires, before all, of those who come to knock at the door of the monastery to be there received as monks ; in this disposition he resumes all the others ; it gives, as it were, the key to all his teaching, and determines the mode of life he wishes to see led by his sons. This is the end that he proposes, and this is why we ought always to have this end before our eyes, to examine it frequently, and above all only to act in view of it. You know that every man, as a free and reasonable crea- ture, acts from some deliberate motive. Let us imagine ourselves in a great city like London. At certain hours of is like the day the streets are thronged with people ; it a moving army. It is the ebb and flow of a human sea.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sanctity and Discernment of Spirits in the Early Modern Period
    Angels of Light? Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions Edited by Andrew Colin Gow Edmonton, Alberta In cooperation with Sylvia Brown, Edmonton, Alberta Falk Eisermann, Berlin Berndt Hamm, Erlangen Johannes Heil, Heidelberg Susan C. Karant-Nunn, Tucson, Arizona Martin Kaufhold, Augsburg Erik Kwakkel, Leiden Jürgen Miethke, Heidelberg Christopher Ocker, San Anselmo and Berkeley, California Founding Editor Heiko A. Oberman † VOLUME 164 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/smrt Angels of Light? Sanctity and the Discernment of Spirits in the Early Modern Period Edited by Clare Copeland Jan Machielsen LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 Cover illustration: “Diaboli sub figura 2 Monialium fraudulentis Sermonibus, conantur illam divertere ab incepto vivendi modo,” in Vita ser. virg. S. Maria Magdalenae de Pazzis, Florentinae ordinis B.V.M. de Monte Carmelo iconibus expressa, Abraham van Diepenbeke (Antwerp, ca. 1670). Reproduced with permission from the Bibliotheca Carmelitana, Rome. Library of Congress Control Number: 2012952309 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN 1573-4188 ISBN 978-90-04-23369-0 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-23370-6 (e-book) Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Profession Class of 2020 Survey
    January 2021 Women and Men Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2020 Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate Georgetown University Washington, DC Women and Men Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2020 A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations United States Conference of Catholic Bishops January 2021 Thu T. Do, LHC, Ph.D. Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Ph.D. Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 2 Major Findings ................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 6 Institutes Reporting Perpetual Professions .................................................................................... 7 Age of Professed ............................................................................................................................. 8 Country of Birth and Age at Entry to the United States ................................................................. 9 Race and Ethnic Background......................................................................................................... 10 Family Background .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Lie of the Land' by Toby Whithouse - TONE DRAFT - 22/11/16 1 PUBLIC INFORMATION FILM
    DOCTOR WHO SERIES 10 EPISODE 8 "X" by Toby Whithouse TONE DRAFT (DRAFT TWO) 22/11/16 (SHOOTING BLOCK 6) DW10: EP 8 'The Lie of the Land' by Toby Whithouse - TONE DRAFT - 22/11/16 1 PUBLIC INFORMATION FILM. 1 Space. The sun rising over the peaceful blue Earth. VOICE OVER The Monks have been with us from the beginning. Primordial soup: a fish heaves itself from the swamp, its little fins work like pistons to drag itself up the bank, across the sandy earth. The most important and monumental struggle in the planet’s history. It bumps into the foot of a Monk, waiting for it. VOICE OVER (CONT’D) They shepherded humanity through its formative years, gently guiding and encouraging. Cave paintings: primitive man. Before them, what can only be a Monk. It holds a spear, presenting it to the tribe of men. VOICE OVER (CONT’D) Like a parent clapping their hands at a baby's first steps. Another cave painting: a herd of buffalo, pursued by the men, spears and arrows protruding from their hides. Above and to the right, watching, two Monks. Benign sentinels. VOICE OVER (CONT’D) They have been instrumental in all the advances of technology and culture. Photograph: Edison, holding a lightbulb. The arm and shoulder of a Monk next to him, creeping into the frame. VOICE OVER (CONT’D) They watched proudly as man invented the lightbulb, the telephone, the internet... Photograph: the iconic shot of Einstein halfway through writing the equation for the theory of relativity on a blackboard.
    [Show full text]
  • Life and Works of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux
    J&t. itfetnatto. LIFE AND WORKS OF SAINT BERNARD, ABBOT OF CLA1RVAUX. EDITED BY DOM. JOHN MABILLON, Presbyter and Monk of the Benedictine Congregation of S. Maur. Translated and Edited with Additional Notes, BY SAMUEL J. EALES, M.A., D.C.L., Sometime Principal of S. Boniface College, Warminster. SECOND EDITION. VOL. I. LONDON: BURNS & OATES LIMITED. NEW YORK, CINCINNATI & CHICAGO: BENZIGER BROTHERS. EMMANUBi A $ t fo je s : SOUTH COUNTIES PRESS LIMITED. .NOV 20 1350 CONTENTS. I. PREFACE TO ENGLISH EDITION II. GENERAL PREFACE... ... i III. BERNARDINE CHRONOLOGY ... 76 IV. LIST WITH DATES OF S. BERNARD S LETTERS... gi V. LETTERS No. I. TO No. CXLV ... ... 107 PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. THERE are so many things to be said respecting the career and the writings of S. Bernard of Clairvaux, and so high are view of his the praises which must, on any just character, be considered his due, that an eloquence not less than his own would be needed to give adequate expression to them. and able labourer He was an untiring transcendently ; and that in many fields. In all his manifold activities are manifest an intellect vigorous and splendid, and a character which never magnetic attractiveness of personal failed to influence and win over others to his views. His entire disinterestedness, his remarkable industry, the soul- have been subduing eloquence which seems to equally effective in France and in Italy, over the sturdy burghers of and above of Liege and the turbulent population Milan, the all the wonderful piety and saintliness which formed these noblest and the most engaging of his gifts qualities, and the actions which came out of them, rendered him the ornament, as he was more than any other man, the have drawn him the leader, of his own time, and upon admiration of succeeding ages.
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF} Shakespeares Ideas : More Things in Heaven and Earth Pdf
    SHAKESPEARES IDEAS : MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH PDF, EPUB, EBOOK David Bevington | 248 pages | 02 Sep 2008 | John Wiley and Sons Ltd | 9781405167956 | English | Chicester, United Kingdom Shakespeares Ideas : More Things in Heaven and Earth PDF Book Wouldst thou not stir in this. Earth Paperback Books. In general, this is not a book for scholars; Bevington does notoffer highly theoretical readings or bring up scholarly debatesabout meaning and textuality. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. And, you know, every community somehow in the West has somehow claimed Shakespeare for its own intellectual projects, and they of course claimed him too. As a keen observer of his world, Shakespeare incorporated all of these surroundings into his plays. Sign in or create an account. The Valeyard quoted a verse from scene one of act three of the work to the Sixth Doctor. And in a way Othello is the play of where Portia marries Morocco. Hamlet was a play written by William Shakespeare. I could not agreement more with the gender lock on this one. The period when Shakespeare was writing was one torn by disagreements over the proper method of observing Christianity in England. Chapters on sex and gender, politics, writing,religion, and other topics all suggest that though Shakespearecreated characters with extreme and wide-ranging views, the worldof the plays and thus perhaps of Shakespeare himself rewardscompassion, understanding, forgiveness, duty, and above all, love. APA Segal, E. This game should be gender- locked, in my opinion. Save your friends and family from their unfortunate ends or damn them to their tragic fate.
    [Show full text]
  • What They Wear the Observer | FEBRUARY 2020 | 1 in the Habit
    SPECIAL SECTION FEBRUARY 2020 Inside Poor Clare Colettines ....... 2 Benedictines of Marmion Abbey What .............................. 4 Everyday Wear for Priests ......... 6 Priests’ Vestments ...... 8 Deacons’ Attire .......................... 10 Monsignors’ They Attire .............. 12 Bishops’ Attire ........................... 14 — Text and photos by Amanda Hudson, news editor; design by Sharon Boehlefeld, features editor Wear Learn the names of the everyday and liturgical attire worn by bishops, monsignors, priests, deacons and religious in the Rockford Diocese. And learn what each piece of clothing means in the lives of those who have given themselves to the service of God. What They Wear The Observer | FEBRUARY 2020 | 1 In the Habit Mother Habits Span Centuries Dominica Stein, PCC he wearing n The hood — of habits in humility; religious com- n The belt — purity; munities goes and Tback to the early 300s. n The scapular — The Armenian manual labor. monks founded by For women, a veil Eustatius in 318 was part of the habit, were the first to originating from the have their entire rite of consecrated community virgins as a bride of dress alike. Belt placement Christ. Using a veil was Having “the members an adaptation of the societal practice (dress) the same,” says where married women covered their Mother Dominica Stein, hair when in public. Poor Clare Colettines, “was a Putting on the habit was an symbol of unity. The wearing of outward sign of profession in a the habit was a symbol of leaving religious order. Early on, those the secular life to give oneself to joining an order were clothed in the God.” order’s habit almost immediately.
    [Show full text]
  • The Religious Foundations of Western Law
    Catholic University Law Review Volume 24 Issue 3 Spring 1975 Article 4 1975 The Religious Foundations of Western Law Harold J. Berman Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview Recommended Citation Harold J. Berman, The Religious Foundations of Western Law, 24 Cath. U. L. Rev. 490 (1975). Available at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview/vol24/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Catholic University Law Review by an authorized editor of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS OF WESTERN LAWt Harold 1. Berman* I. THE WESTERN LEGAL TRADITION The Western legal tradition, like Western civilization as a whole, is under- going in the 20th century a crisis greater than any other in its history, since it is a crisis generated not only from within Western experience but also from without. From within, social, economic, and political transformations of un- precedented magnitude have put a tremendous strain upon traditional legal institutions and legal values in virtually all countries of the West. Yet there have been other periods of revolutionary upheaval in previous centuries, and we have somehow survived them. What is new is the confrontation with non- Western civilizations and non-Western philosophies. In the past, Western man has confidently carried his law with him throughout the world. The world today, however, is more suspicious than ever before of Western "legal- ism." Eastern man and Southern man offer other alternatives.
    [Show full text]
  • Travels in America: Aelred Carlyle, His American “Allies,” and Anglican Benedictine Monasticism Rene Kollar Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
    Travels in America: Aelred Carlyle, His American “Allies,” and Anglican Benedictine Monasticism Rene Kollar Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania N FEBRUARY 1913, Abbot Aelred Carlyle and a majority of the Benedictine monks of Caldey Island, South Wales, renounced the Anglican Church and converted to I Roman Catholicism.1 For years, the Caldey Island monastery had been a show piece of Anglo-Catholicism and a testimony to the catholic heritage of the Anglican Church, but when Charles Gore, the Bishop of Oxford, tried to regularize their status within Anglicanism by forcing Carlyle and the monks to agree to a series of demands which would radically alter their High Church liturgy and devotions, the monks voted to join the Church of Rome. The demands of the Great War, however, strained the fragile finances of the island monastery, and during the spring of 1918, Abbot Carlyle traveled to America to solicit funds for his monastery. “And it was indeed sheer necessity that took me away from the quiet shores of Caldey,” he told the readers of Pax, the community’s magazine, but “Caldey has suffered grievously through the war.”2 Abbot Carlyle saw a possible solution to his problems. “In our need we turned to our Catholic Allies in the United States, and my duty seemed obvious that I should accept the invitation I had received to go to New York to plead in person the cause of Caldey there.” Carlyle had not forgotten lessons from the past. During his years as an Anglican monk, the American connection proved to be an important asset in the realization of his monastic dreams.
    [Show full text]
  • Demythologizing Celibacy Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism
    DEMYTHOLOGIZING CELIBACY Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism William Skudlarek, OSB LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org Cover design by David Manahan, OSB. Photo by Lee Hanley. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 2008 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, transla- tion, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written per- mission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, P.O. Box 7500, College- ville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 123456789 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Skudlarek, William. Demythologizing celibacy : practical wisdom from Christian and Buddhist monasticism / William Skudlarek. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8146-2947-5 1. Celibacy—Catholic Church—Comparative studies. 2. Monastic and religious life—Comparative studies. 3. Celibacy—Buddhism—Comparative studies. 4. Monastic and religious life (Buddhism)—Comparative studies. I. Title. BX2435.S555 2008 248.4'7—dc22 2007046544 Contents Introduction v Chapter 1 One Path, Different Destinations Buddhist and Catholic Motives
    [Show full text]
  • Why Be a Monk?
    Why be a monk? What is a monk? One who strives to love God with all his heart, all his soul and all his mind and all his strength, and to love his neighbor as himself. Monasticism is the heart of the Christian Church. It is radical discipleship to Christ, taking the Lord at His word in the Scriptures, and striving to live by it in an integral way. Monasticism is not about being all dressed up. It is not about doing all the church services. It is not about being involved in church politics, or even knowing about them. Monasticism is not about religion—all the practices, beliefs, rituals and traditions. It is not about ascetic acts. It is not about a solitary life of pursuing one’s own religious path. Monasticism is about living the Gospel without compromise. It is about living in Christ by the Holy Spirit, and growing by grace to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Monasticism is about life lived in obedience to Christ, in self-denial and bearing the cross of whatever suffering God sends us to help us work out our salvation. Monasticism is about working out our salvation in a community of like- minded men, by learning to love our brother “who is our life” (St Silouan). A monastery is a single body, a sacramental community of the Church, like a marriage. It is a community in which each is present to help the other work out his salvation. We are not saved alone. We are saved as the Body of Christ.
    [Show full text]
  • Prayer Beads in Japanese Soto Sect
    4 Prayer Beads in Japanese Sōtō Zen Michaela Mross WHen a lay parishioner visits a Buddhist temple, he or she usually car- ries a Buddhist rosary.1 It marks a parishioner versus the occasional visi- tor and is considered a necessary item of proper attire. For most Japanese, not wearing a rosary when putting the hands in prayer or reverence seems to be improper.2 Likewise, the official webpage of the Sōtō Zen school instructs lay followers to not forget prayer beads when attending funerals or memorial services. Parishioners should further put a rosary on the lowest shelf of their home altar, ready to be used during prayers.3 Also, the members of the choirs singing Buddhist hymns at Sōtō tem- ples wear short rosaries while singing and playing a bell. Thus, prayer beads serve “as sources of identification,” to borrow John Kieschnick’s words.4 The rosary is an especially interesting object because— besides the robe or o- kesa— “prayer beads are kept closer to the practitioner than any other ritual object. They become physical evidence of faith, devotion, and practice.”5 In contrast to Tendai, Shingon, or Pure Land clerics, Sōtō clerics rarely use prayer beads in ritual settings. Moreover, images of Zen masters usu- ally do not depict monks or nuns holding prayer beads; instead, a fly-whisk or another kind of staff signifies their status as a Zen cleric. Therefore, Buddhist rosaries are typically not associated with Zen. Nevertheless, prayer beads have been used for various purposes in the Sōtō school as well. This chapter aims to illuminate some of the functions and interpre- tations of the rosary in Japanese Sōtō Zen.
    [Show full text]
  • Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church
    CONGREGATION FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE IDENTITY AND MISSION OF THE RELIGIOUS BROTHER IN THE CHURCH "And you are all brothers" (Mt 23:8) Vatican, October 4th, 2015 Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi 1 INTRODUCTION 1. Brother 2. To whom is this document addressed? 3. A framework for our reflection 4. Outline of this Document 1. RELIGIOUS BROTHERS IN THE CHURCH-COMMUNION "I have chosen you as a covenant of the people" (Is 42:6) 5. Putting a face on the covenant 6. In communion with the People of God 7. A living memorial for the Church’s awareness 8. Rediscovering the common treasure 9. A renewed project 10. Developing the common treasure 11. Brother: a Christian experience from the beginning 2. THE IDENTITY OF RELIGIOUS BROTHER: A mystery of communion for mission 12. Memory of the love of Christ: "The same thing you must do ..." (Jn 13:14-15) I. THE MYSTERY: BROTHERHOOD, THE GIFT WE RECEIVE 13. Witness and mediator: "We believe in the love of God" 14. Consecrated by the Spirit 15. Public commitment: making the face of Jesus-brother visible today 16. Exercise of the baptismal priesthood 17. Like all his brothers in all things 18. Profession: a unique consecration, expressed in different vows 19. An incarnated and unifying spirituality 20. A spirituality of the Word in order to live the Mystery "at home" with Mary II. COMMUNION: BROTHERHOOD, THE GIFT WE SHARE 21. From the gift we receive to the gift we share: "That they be one so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21) 22.
    [Show full text]