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X-WR-CALDESC:When they are to be received\, they come before the whole comm
 unity in the oratory and promise stability\, fidelity to the monastic life
 \, and obedience. This is done in the presence of God and the saints to im
 press on the novices that if they ever act otherwise\, they will surely be
  condemned by the one they mock.\n\nThey state their promise in a document
  drawn up in the name of the saints whose relics are there and of the prio
 ress or abbot\, who is present. Novices write out this document themselves
 \, or if they are illiterate\, then they ask someone else to write it for 
 them\, but put their mark to it and with their own hand lay it on the alta
 r. After they have put it there\, the novice begins the verse: 'Receive me
 \, O God\, as you have promised\, and I shall live\; do not disappoint me 
 in my hope (Ps 119:116).' The whole community repeats the verse three time
 s\, and adds the Doxology. Then the novices prostrate themselves at the fe
 et of each member to ask prayers\, and from that very day they are to be c
 ounted as one of the community.\n\nBenedictine life is rooted in three dim
 ensions: commitment to a community\, fidelity to a monastic way of life an
 d obedience. It is a life that sees sanctification as a by-product of huma
 n society\, the development of a new way of thinking and living\, and a to
 tal openness to the constantly emerging challenges of the God-life within 
 us. To pursue a Benedictine spirituality\, we must carry our part of the h
 uman race and allow it to mold and polish and temper us. We are to be peop
 le who see the globe through eyes softened by the gospel. We are to see ch
 ange and challenge in life as God's voice in our ears. Benedictine spiritu
 ality goes into the heart in order to embrace the world. It forms us diffe
 rently than the world forms us but it does not attempt to shape us indepen
 dently of the real world around us. The whole point of the profession cere
 mony itself is quite the opposite. We are\, in fact\, to make this commitm
 ent consciously and knowledgeably and publicly\, in the presence of the co
 mmunity\, the communion of saints that are represented by the relics of th
 e church\, and the leader of the community. This is a declaration that bin
 ds us to others and raises us beyond the changing feelings of the day to t
 he obligations of a lifetime.\n\nIf they have any possessions\, they shoul
 d either give them to the poor beforehand\, or make a formal donation of t
 hem to the monastery\, without keeping back a single thing for themselves\
 , well aware that from that day they will not have even their own body at 
 their disposal. Then and there in the oratory\, they are to be stripped of
  everything of their own that they are wearing and clothed in what belongs
  to the monastery. The clothing taken from them is to be put away and kept
  safely in the wardrobe\, so that\, should they ever agree to the devil's 
 suggestion and leave the monastery--which God forbid--they can be stripped
  of the clothing of the monastery before they are cast out. But that docum
 ent of theirs which the prioress or abbot took from the altar should not b
 e given back to them but kept in the monastery.\n\nThis passage of the Rul
 e points out in a particularly graphic way that Benedictine spirituality d
 emands a total change of the way we relate to life. In the first place\, m
 onastics are to depend entirely on the community for their support. They d
 on't bring with them the family wealth and they don't have any claim to pe
 rsonal property\, not even their clothes. They give everything that they h
 ave gained up to the time of their entry into the community either to the 
 poor or to the monastery itself. From then on\, it is the support of the c
 ommunity and the providence of God upon which they are to depend\, not on 
 their savings\, not on their business acumen\, not on their relatives and 
 connections. From then on they go through life as a people whose trust is 
 in God and who are responsible for one another. The purpose\, of course\, 
 is to free a person forcibly from the agenda of the world. 'Those who have
  cattle have care\,' an African proverb teaches. We 'can't serve God and m
 ammon\,' the scriptures say. The point of Benedictine spirituality is that
  we have to decide\, once and for all\, what we are about and then live in
  a way that makes that possible and makes that real.
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DTSTART:20251102T020000
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UID:e35f4e26-44b2-48dc-a1ea-772218aad765
DTSTAMP:20260514T195041Z
DESCRIPTION:When they are to be received\, they come before the whole commu
 nity in the oratory and promise stability\, fidelity to the monastic life\
 , and obedience. This is done in the presence of God and the saints to imp
 ress on the novices that if they ever act otherwise\, they will surely be 
 condemned by the one they mock.\n\nThey state their promise in a document 
 drawn up in the name of the saints whose relics are there and of the prior
 ess or abbot\, who is present. Novices write out this document themselves\
 , or if they are illiterate\, then they ask someone else to write it for t
 hem\, but put their mark to it and with their own hand lay it on the altar
 . After they have put it there\, the novice begins the verse: 'Receive me\
 , O God\, as you have promised\, and I shall live\; do not disappoint me i
 n my hope (Ps 119:116).' The whole community repeats the verse three times
 \, and adds the Doxology. Then the novices prostrate themselves at the fee
 t of each member to ask prayers\, and from that very day they are to be co
 unted as one of the community.\n\nBenedictine life is rooted in three dime
 nsions: commitment to a community\, fidelity to a monastic way of life and
  obedience. It is a life that sees sanctification as a by-product of human
  society\, the development of a new way of thinking and living\, and a tot
 al openness to the constantly emerging challenges of the God-life within u
 s. To pursue a Benedictine spirituality\, we must carry our part of the hu
 man race and allow it to mold and polish and temper us. We are to be peopl
 e who see the globe through eyes softened by the gospel. We are to see cha
 nge and challenge in life as God's voice in our ears. Benedictine spiritua
 lity goes into the heart in order to embrace the world. It forms us differ
 ently than the world forms us but it does not attempt to shape us independ
 ently of the real world around us. The whole point of the profession cerem
 ony itself is quite the opposite. We are\, in fact\, to make this commitme
 nt consciously and knowledgeably and publicly\, in the presence of the com
 munity\, the communion of saints that are represented by the relics of the
  church\, and the leader of the community. This is a declaration that bind
 s us to others and raises us beyond the changing feelings of the day to th
 e obligations of a lifetime.\n\nIf they have any possessions\, they should
  either give them to the poor beforehand\, or make a formal donation of th
 em to the monastery\, without keeping back a single thing for themselves\,
  well aware that from that day they will not have even their own body at t
 heir disposal. Then and there in the oratory\, they are to be stripped of 
 everything of their own that they are wearing and clothed in what belongs 
 to the monastery. The clothing taken from them is to be put away and kept 
 safely in the wardrobe\, so that\, should they ever agree to the devil's s
 uggestion and leave the monastery--which God forbid--they can be stripped 
 of the clothing of the monastery before they are cast out. But that docume
 nt of theirs which the prioress or abbot took from the altar should not be
  given back to them but kept in the monastery.\n\nThis passage of the Rule
  points out in a particularly graphic way that Benedictine spirituality de
 mands a total change of the way we relate to life. In the first place\, mo
 nastics are to depend entirely on the community for their support. They do
 n't bring with them the family wealth and they don't have any claim to per
 sonal property\, not even their clothes. They give everything that they ha
 ve gained up to the time of their entry into the community either to the p
 oor or to the monastery itself. From then on\, it is the support of the co
 mmunity and the providence of God upon which they are to depend\, not on t
 heir savings\, not on their business acumen\, not on their relatives and c
 onnections. From then on they go through life as a people whose trust is i
 n God and who are responsible for one another. The purpose\, of course\, i
 s to free a person forcibly from the agenda of the world. 'Those who have 
 cattle have care\,' an African proverb teaches. We 'can't serve God and ma
 mmon\,' the scriptures say. The point of Benedictine spirituality is that 
 we have to decide\, once and for all\, what we are about and then live in 
 a way that makes that possible and makes that real.
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251212T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251212T235900
LOCATION:
SUMMARY:Chapter 58\, The Procedure for Receiving Members
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR