Each morning, in my prayer corner at home, I gaze at a pushpin board before I begin. It is filled with photos of friends who have died over the yearsโsome of whom are Benedictine monks from Mount Angel Abbey, whose witness and friendship are forever etched in my heart.
The great Fr. Augustine DeNoble is one of these monks. He was the confessor whose confession line regularly filled the abbey vestibule. Through him, I witnessed God dispense His limitless mercy on my life.
Another Benedictine, Fr. Paschal Cheline, was my former Vice Rector in Anselm Hall. He was a man filled with joy and genuine care for each of us.
When I make a trip to Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary, I make it a point to visit the monastic cemetery and remember these great men among the countless Benedictine monks who have spent their lives soaring the hilltop, singing the praises of God.
With great anticipation, I look forward to the jubilee year 2029 that marks the 1500th anniversary of the Rule of St. Benedict. St. Benedictโs Rule, shaped by his experience at Monte Casino, has endured throughout human history because it is rooted in practical and attainable wisdom.
This wisdom is needed in todayโs hyper-sensational, fast-paced world. The Benedictine practice of stability can guide modern Christians to find deeper meaning. There are three vignettes to this practice of stability: the heart, the community, and the place.
The Stability of Heart
Stability of heart reminds us of Our Lordโs Sermon on the Mount, when we hear the bold promise of blessedness: โBlessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see Godโ (Mt. 5:8). In reflecting on this beatitude, Pope Francis said, โThis Beatitude speaks of those whose hearts are simple, pure and undefiled, for a heart capable of love admits nothing that might harm, weaken or endanger that loveโ (Gaudete et Exultate, 83).
The stability of the heart is the interior and constant work of seeking God through love of neighbor and care for the self. God sees the hiddenness of our work; He sees the intention rooted in our every action. God lives in our hearts and calls us to holiness by serving others from the heart and not from ego.
The stability of the heart also helps us navigate life in the digital age. As humans, we make mistakes, and life teaches us lessons from them. A heart deeply rooted in Christ helps us be open to others and not lean on a life saturated with machine data. Pope Leo XVI wrote:
We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates. (Magnifica Humanitas, 15)
To be fully human is to fully recognize that we are created out of sheer love in Godโs image, that God calls us into communion with Himself, with others, and with creation (Magnifica Humanitas, 50). The stability of the heart roots us in this fullness of humanity. Trusting in God and His unwavering love, we will make it through every storm of life.
The Stability of Community
Another aspect of stability is community. A monastery is more than a place. A monastery is a community of monastics who follow a rule of life with stability as the rooted principle.
Today, the contemporary Christian can drop in on optional workplace or church events, called โcommunity building,โ yet the very idea of โdropping inโ fosters only fluid, convenient relationships. The Benedictine vision proposes two key ingredients for a lasting community, which are at odds with this idea.
The Liturgy of the Hours is the key ingredient to lasting community. If we wish to learn from the monastics, we will prioritize prayer. Determine a time to pray daily with a group of people. Let the Psalms form your heart. Be patient. In time, a genuine community will form and give root to your spiritual life. Even when you miss a day of meeting together in person or on Zoom, you can still pray alone, and yet never be alone, when praying the Divine Office.
It is only through this regular rhythm and commitment to time, space, and prayer that vulnerability and renewed spirits are formed. If there is anything I have learned as a young Benedictine Oblate, it is that the love of community grows through daily practice; it does not grow out of preference.
Another key to community is the untranslated expression in the Rule of St. Benedict: conversatio morum. It is often understood as “conversion of life” or “fidelity to the monastic way.” It can also be understood as a conversation.
In monastic life, the monk is called to enter into conversation with the other; they are called to live with people of different customs while also sharing common ownership and a commitment to celibacy. The monastics speak well together both in prayer, singing divine praises from the choir stalls, and in conversation, speaking when necessary, valuing peace and hospitality. For the monastic, the art of conversation is rooted deeply in the idea of knowing when to speak and when to be silent. This value sustains the community.
The stability of community also teaches us that where we find ourselves is important.
The Stability of Place
Stability of a place is perhaps the most obvious vignette of stability. We give names to particular places and buildings. Benedictine monasteries serve a particular chapter in human history; some prosper for generations, while others fade into the memory of history. We can find monasteries in a variety of places, from the heart of a metropolitan city to the quiet of a countryside. We are attracted to certain places, and we retreat there to leave the busy world behind, to find God, and to renew our spirit.
Stability of heart, community, and placeโwhat is the point of all this? In the digital world we live in today, we can easily become slaves to the very data we have input into these machines. We can stand still and give in to anxious unrest and doomscrolling, stuck and attached. Or we can choose another way, the well-worn path forged by St. Benedict nearly 1,500 years ago, which reminds us that certain stabilities in life facilitate worldly detachment and hone spiritual focus. Though “stability” might evokes stillness, these practices of heart, community, and place teach us not to be still at all, but to run toward God.
At the beginning of his Rule, Benedict mentions “running” four times. The first three times we run away from sin, but the fourth, curritur, evokes the imagery of running so fast that we fly โon the path of Godโs commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of loveโ (RB, Prologue, 49). The stabilities of heart, community, and place therefore teach us to fly toward God and find Him wherever we are. God is everywhereโHe is in our hearts and in every place we find ourselves, both physically and emotionally. These practices of stability only aid in reminding us that we are never apart from the presence of the Lord.
