The monastery is the place in which Benedict clearly establishes the communal life as fostering ongoing conversion. In the Prologue of the Rule, Benedict sets the tone for the entire enterprise of the monastic life in community. At the outset, the monks are instructed to obsculta, to listen with the ear of the heart (Obsculta, o fili, praecepta magistri, et inclina aurem cordis tui, et admonitionem pii patris libenter excipe et efficaciter comple…) (RB Prol. 1). Benedict’s plea to listen with “the ear of the heart” seems to imply the engagement of the whole being toward instructions which feed the soul and foster conversion. Benedict would surely have been aware of this. His experience as a hermit in a cave in Subiaco, as abbot of Monte Cassino, and his knowledge of the ancient …show more content…
In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing hard, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love. Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. (RB Prol. 45-48)
Here we learn from Benedict that the road to salvation is paved in the monastery by living the monastic life in service to God. His intention is not to lay out anything so harsh as to make salvation unattainable, and, as an understanding father would, tells his children not to run from the road though at first it be narrow. Benedict is convinced that under the guidance of the Rule, service to God in the monastery will lead to salvation. It is from this understanding that the school for the Lord’s service becomes a haven for conversion. To be sure, the successful administration of the school rests on the teacher to teach the children in the prescribed ways. The teacher would, of course, be the
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
As a leader candidate, I can understand the challenges and multiplicity of complications that administrators must face each day. However, I will not accept any remote possibility that the students must be affected by some flaws of the school organization. We all as leaders, must be strategic with people, time, and money to guide our students towards an academic success.
One of the biggest spiritual reforms was the development of monasteries. Before this time monasteries were a place for social revolutionaries and rejects, but St. Benedict set up a code of values for these monasteries that emphasized such values as prayer, poverty, obedience and chastity. Therefore, monasteries became an acceptable way to show devotion to God and the church.
Late in the fifth century the son of a well-off family in Italy left for isolation on his mission to truly seek god. This man was St. Benedict, who is credited with the first establishment of the concept of withdrawing from all temptation for Christian beliefs in the west. St. Benedict left his home and went to the top of a mountain, where he established a monastic community. In this community the individuals who resided there, constantly reiterated their faith. They sacrificed whatever they may have had to prove their true commitment to God. This became an early ideal of Christianity, that one must suffer loss and sacrifice to prove their loyalty to the faith. It was believed in this time period that if one is content with only what they truly need one is freer to think about other people and to think about God . These individuals were called Regular Clergies (monks) and were considered heroes of the faith.
...void money at all costs, but many cannot resist women or wine, all without recognizing the hypocrisy. It is important to note that while the observance of these superficial rules makes men of religion and monks think that they are getting closer to the original ideals of Christianity, they are actually straying farther from one of Christianity’s most basic principles, simplicity. Each monk points to his own sacrifices and particularities of faith, never remembering that Christ judges each based off of his own standard of charity. However, the thing which Erasmus criticizes the most about monks, and one of the biggest sources of corruption he sees in the church, that they hold the key to the confessional. They know that they hold the power to rectify a person’s relationship with God, and can abuse this power freely, despite the fact that this is highly immoral.
The teacher of my educational philosophy will be one able to understand the student, to create respect between student and teacher relationship. A human being with quality, seeking to understand and get to each of your students, you must be a motivator for students.The teacher must possess all possible skills and implement them in the development of their classes. As for the evaluation of each student will be done through practical examinations in which the student demonstrated by implementing what they have learned in class. oral examinations in each individual student will use critical thinking about a topic of the class will also be performed, these tests will be evaluated so that each student must be prepared to defend or criticize a subject given orally by the teacher in
The Rule of Benedict was written as a tool for unifying and standardizing the practices of medieval monasteries by laying out a list of rules and regulations all monks were expected to adhere to. Before this document was published (and even a while after, before it gained popularity) anyone could call themselves a monk, regardless of how they chose to practice. Benedict’s rule served as a way to legitimize monasticism and create from that a way of life.
In Abbot Mark’s lecture, he taught the Freshman class about one of the forefathers of Christianity and this college. Saint Benedict’s journey to God perfectly exemplifies the phenomenon that as one’s position in life changes, they must to alter the values they practice and live by in order to achieve the same goal. An acetic hermit should seek the virtue of self-discipline as they must create guidelines that will allow themselves to develop a deeper relationship with God, while a monk who is an acting member of a greater community must practice strict obedience so that he can better the community and his relationship to God. It is important for a liberal art’s student to understand what truths should be sought in what setting so that they too
(Chaucer, 6) Taken from the Order of Saint Benedict's website are some of the Rules of Saint Benedict to which The Monk should be abiding by, including, though not limited to: little to no material property, working with hands six hours a day, spending leisure time on prayer, fasting, and service of neighbour. Certainly, it is worth mentioning that the subject of prayer was not even mentioned once throughout The Monk's entire introduction. Even more evident are his many personal belongings (considerably flashy, valuable ones at that), denial of work, and eating habits. Christianity having had a rather strong hold on the status of late 14th century England, hypocrisy in religion (this one specifically) holds potential to become a dangerous influence on its surroundings (people, specifically).
The author is trying to get across that it takes our break with sin and totality of our commentitment with christ. Also the author is trying to use this document as a way to spread the concept of christian monasticism. “ The standard for acknowledging a saint continued to be martyrdom but now extended to include extreme self-deprivation, heroic resistance to temptation, and extraordinary virtue manifested especially in
Benedict, also known as benedictine rule. Through his lifetime, St. benedict originally sought out his monastic life as a hermit but eventually preferred the communal lifestyle compared to a secluded one. In the mid-sixth century, he found Monte Cassino which became “one of the largest monasteries and most important intellectual centers in Europe.” His rule came from the motto of “ora et labora” which meant “pray and work”. Within his rules, was a very detailed description on how a monk would spend their days with the monastery walls.
Benedict is the distribution of goods within the community. St. Benedict based the practice of poverty on the ideal of a community of goods. Monks, “without an order from the abbot, no one may presume to give, receive or retain anything as his own” , because “since monks may not have the free disposal even of their own bodies and wills.” The monks were very much limited to having a lot of possessions, their lifestyle did not require much, and they had what was needed and not more. Excessive possessions were a distraction for the monks; they needed to be free in order to live a healthy life in the community focused on prayer and work. Monastic poverty was conversions to a life were the most important task was to seek God. The monks were expected to have a positive attitude and value of material things as well as a wise administration of the house of God. According to this, the community or monastery had the necessary assets to develop its life. In summary, the monks had to completely renounce their property and try to live in such a way that eliminated from them the tendency towards
Many of us believe that our regime is on the path to decay into tyranny. Whether the problem arises by our leader or the many, our regime is in decay. In order to establish true justice in our regime, we must look at Monasticism as a rule of life for the guardians of our regime. They are a necessity in our regime. Monasticism is a community of individuals who seek the highest of the greatest goods to be contained in their cluttered society.
Subsequently, throughout his lifetime, he established a further 11 monasteries all around the world. All who follow this Order observe the Rule of Saint Benedict, generally abbreviated to RB. This book was created in 535-540 AD, by St Benedict himself, which outlines and dictates the values, beliefs and practices, in which all Benedictine monks follow and weave into their daily lives. This Roman Catholic order carries on a monastic tradition, or a monkhood. Those who want reception into each individual monastic communities, must take their vows, which involves a solemn promise.
Singh, Niranjan and Samiti, Navodaya Vidyalaya. “Role of teacher in a school.” navodaya.nic.in, n.d. Web. November 1 2011 from: