A Little Benedictine Oblate Manual

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I'm not sure how doctrinally sound this book is. Benedict" , I would suggest: Can be purchased online from the Abbey. This IS a good introduction for people who are contemplating life as an oblate and know absolutely nothing about it at this point! I wouldn't call this book "profound" by any means -- nor was it intended to be! It is just one man attempting to convey applications that worked for him.

I was a monastic aspirant for about 10 years until my Spiritual Father directed me toward asceticism rather than monasticism.

A Little Benedictine Oblate Manual

The author is a Benedictine oblate -- a lay person affiliated with a particular Benedictine monastery. This very short booklet contains just a few of his personal thoughts on his spiritual life. While there is nothing here that contradicts the Rule of St. Benedict, it is very, very sparse in helpful advice for those considering becoming an oblate. An Invitation to Oblate Life" by Br. Benet's book gives a full picture of what it means to be an oblate.

It is also very well written and very engaging. As a co-director of Oblates for a Virginia monastery I would highly recommend Br. I appreciate what Mr. Nugent tried to do, but I would strongly suggest he seek out someone to edit his writing. Near as I can tell, this book is for folks who are already Benedictine Oblates, or at least have a solid idea of what one is.

The author provides his experiences and opinions on such a spiritual life. If you read the book blurb on Goodreads or Audible, it seems this book is meant to spark ideas or conversation for folks already living the life as Oblates or considering doing so. So I went to the Wikipedia Article to educate myself. While the book blurb says this little book would be useful for beginners to experts, I will say this is better suited to the expert, or at least someone who has a solid idea of many of the practices, prayers, and religious terms used.

I do not and therefore, felt lost much of the time. That definitely applies here and that is a positive message. However, the author does tend to ramble. Several times, the author refers to his past job where he worked and lived on a boat, before he got an office job and became an Oblate. Personally, I think this would be a fascinating tale: Why did he decide to leave the ship life?

The issues I have today are easier to turn in to smaller things. If I wait, If I pray, problems will be answered. When the life-giving Word of God dwelt in human flesh, he changed it into that good thing which is distinctively his, namely, life; and by being wholly united to the flesh in a way beyond our comprehension, he gave it the life-giving power which he has by his very nature. Therefore, the body of Christ gives life to those who receive it. Its presence in mortal men expels death and drives away corruption because it contains within itself in his entirety the Word who totally abolishes corruption.

Cyril of Alexandria, bishop, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. By habit, I then turn to my left to put my bag and coat on a chair. As I do, I am always aware, out of the corner of my eye, of the gentle light emanating from the side room where the Tabernacle sits quietly and invitingly. I know, too, that my Catholic and Episcopalian friends turn to face the Tabernacle when they enter the chapel and then offer their reverence to our Lord.

But so far, I have not shared in that practice—and as I reflect on this, I am disturbed—because I have no good reasons not to offer that act of reverence. My only reasons are the weak ones of habit and inertia. So instead, as I reflect upon what I am not doing, a more reasonable and faithful question almost asks itself: Because one can hardly go wrong by listening to the voices of Scripture and Tradition, it helps to turn to the New Testament, which provides Christians with several inspiring pictures of life in heaven, a life of worship of God, where His faithful offer endless praise to the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of their Spirit.

One example arises in St. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Phil.

Every knee is bent, so that all people and creatures—those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—are bowing in homage to our Lord.

At the same time, the vision tells us that every voice makes a common confession: John wrote his apocalypse. His Revelation builds upon the vision of St. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever.

Paul offers, but at the same time, the essentials remain consistent: God the Father sits on His throne; His Son, the Lamb, flanks Him; and they are encircled both by the uncounted multitudes and by the whole company of heaven. These are just two instances from the New Testament that envision the life of the faithful in the presence of the Lord of heaven.

Digging deeper would help to extend the list. One could also recall the time when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary embrace the feet of their risen Lord and offer Him homage when He meets up with them on their way to tell His disciples that the angel at the tomb had just told them He was risen.

At the root, these and other testimonies from the Scriptures tell us that the faithful naturally bow before God and offer Him worship and praise. One can see in many places, then, the influence of the tradition of bowing. Christians often bow their heads to pray. Many bow at the naming of the triune God in corporate prayer, either by inclining the head or by bowing profoundly. Even in many Protestant traditions, acolytes will bow at the altar before and after lighting the candles. In some traditions, when the cross or crucifix is carried in procession, congregants will bow as the emblem of faith passes by them.

In the Stations of the Cross, kneeling accompanies the offering of praise at each station: But having inventoried those many ways that inclining the head, bowing, and kneeling form parts of the vocabulary of gestures in worship, most Protestants draw a hard, uncrossable line at genuflecting in the direction of the Tabernacle in a Catholic Church. What really could be the reason? A thought experiment might help.

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If any of us were to walk into a sanctuary and were to see, out of the corner of the eye, the risen Christ Himself sitting on a chair off to the side, is there anyone who would not bow? Our bowing for prayer and our kneeling for Communion tell us we have at least a vestigial muscle memory of genuflection. So, when our eyes of faith perceive Christ present in our midst, we naturally show Him the honor due Him.

Does this mean that our eyes are blinded to His presence in the Tabernacle? We can trust their eyes of faith to see what we cannot see for ourselves. One final question to ask is whether, by not genuflecting at the Tabernacle, we are in fact confessing by our actions—or inactions—that we believe Christ is manifestly absent from the consecrated Host. For some Protestants, this may be the truth of the matter, as they believe that in Holy Communion the bread and wine never become the body and blood of our Lord.

The elements signify His body and blood; they remind us of His sacrifice; but they remain bread and wine, and only bread and wine. On the other hand, some Protestants trust that in the Eucharist they encounter the real presence of the risen Christ in the bread, His body, and in the wine, His blood. They would say that He is physically present to the Church in the elements, just as touchable in Communion to the congregants in the nave of the Church as He was palpable to the disciples sitting in the bow of one of their fishing boats on the Seas of Galilee.

One might think this view of Holy Communion would lead to reverence for the elements—the bread and the wine—even after the liturgy has ended. In some cases, this may be so, as in the occasional Lutheran parish with a Tabernacle. Sometimes the altar guild or the clergy will consume the remainders or pour the wine onto the ground, but rarely in Protestant churches will Christians reserve the elements and hold them in reverence. In the end, then, would I place enough trust in a theology that claims Christ has placed an expiration date and time on His promise to come to us in the bread and cup?

This leads me to and leaves me in a wonderful and wild place. The next time I come to the chapel at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, or to any Catholic Church, I am entering into the presence of the risen Lamb of God, the crucified and exalted Christ. This is the posture and the proclamation of all who adore our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to share a few insights about how we should prepare our hearts for the work that we do, with the help of Esther de Waal, Joan Chittister, Richard Foster, and others. Benedictine work is not about what to do or what not to do.

It is about stability, conversion, and obedience, which are bound together by common threads. They are so intermingled with one another that it is difficult to not talk about all three when attempting to define just one. There should be no evasion of this duty, but that is what many of us do very well. Whether that is by procrastinating the things we do not want to do because they may slow us down, or they are depressing, and we avoid them by filling time up with activities like checking our Facebook account every few minutes.

It is certitude that God is everywhere and we have no need to seek God elsewhere, as the kingdom of God begins within each of us. Esther de Waal writes: To be open is to have space for God and others in our lives. Although known by different names today, it can be much the same in our time. What do we do when we feel that way? Have we tried to do things differently? In this school of his let us hope that following faithfully his instructions, nothing distasteful nor burdensome will be demanded of us, but if it has to be so in order to overcome our egoism and lead us into the depths of true love let us not become disheartened, nor frightened and so ignore the narrow path in spite of its tight entrance—the path which leads directly to the fullness of life.

Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline speaks of self-righteous service, which carries with it a negative connotation and one that we should not follow.

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She shares what she has learned from the monastery bell, calling the sisters to prayer several times each day: How can we do that in response to those things that are annoying to us? From whom must we seek permission to work mindfully, heartfully, soulfully? The permission we need may be from our very own selves.

Reflection

Jesus does not call those who are worthy to be called, but those he wants, or as Saint Paul says, God takes pity on whomever he wishes, and has mercy on whomever he pleases. So what counts is not what we will or try to do, but the mercy of God. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. There are many guides and books that give excellent wisdom for those who would seek to make an offering of their lives to God. Still there is little practical information about how about how to go about the day to day business of being a Benedictine Oblate. But if you need new materials, new practices, new ideas or attitudes; then just consider reading this booklet.

This little book is a collection of suggestions and who knows maybe one will turn out to be just the thing that makes all the difference. These are strictly my experiences and opinions. I hope that they will be of some assistance to you as you try get closer to God. It is strictly my reflections on my daily prayer practices and my prayer life which have been extremely productive.

Blessings to all Oblates of Saint Benedict. Kindle Edition , 27 pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Feb 28, Susan rated it liked it Shelves: Near as I can tell, this book is for folks who are already Benedictine Oblates, or at least have a solid idea of what one is.

The author provides his experiences and opinions on such a spiritual life. If you read the book blurb on Goodreads or Audible, it seems this book is meant to spark ideas or conversation for folks already living the life as Oblates or considering doing so. So I went Near as I can tell, this book is for folks who are already Benedictine Oblates, or at least have a solid idea of what one is.

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