Memento Mori, Memento Vivere

"Where shall I look for Enlightenment?" the disciple asked.

"Here," the elder said.

"When will it happen?" the disciple wanted to know.

"It is happening right now," the elder said.

"Then why don't I experience it?" the disciple asked.

And the elder answered, "Because you do not look."

"But what should I look for?" the disciple wanted to know.

And the disciple smiled and answered, "Nothing.  Just look."

"But at what?" the disciple insisted.

"Anything your eyes alight upon," the elder continued.

"Well, then, must I look in a special kind of way?" the disciple asked.

"No," the elder said.

"Why ever not?" the disciple persisted.

And the elder said quietly, "Because to look you must be here.  The problem is that you are most certainly somewhere else."

Lately I've been reading a book on Benedictine living for those not in monastic communities.  St. Benedict's Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living, by Jane Tomaine, has certainly been one of the most practical books on Benedictine spirituality for non-monastics that I have ever read.

For example, she writes, "Those outside of a convent or monastery might think of the vows as values...that can guide our lives."  p. 43

The vows (values) that she refers to are the three vows which a Benedictine professes upon being received into the the community as a brother or sister.  These are: stability, obedience, and conversion of life.

Tomaine is an Episcopal priest, and not an oblate or associate of any particular Benedictine order, but strives to live according to her own understanding of the Rule of Benedict, that ancient manual for Christians living in community, which has endured in monasteries and convents and beyond for over 1500 years because it has the ability to adapt to whatever environment the community is in - and Jane Tomaine points out that we are all living in community, even though all our communities are not the same.

So I've taken some notes on the three vows (values) illuminated by St. Benedict's Toolbox:

Stability: from the Latin stare "to stand, to stand up, or to be still."  "Stability says stay put physically and emotionally (p. 64)."  "We need to stay connected to others and to commit to these relationships fully (p. 53)."

Obedience: from the Latin obaudire "to listen thoroughly."  "Listening is what the vow is all about (p. 78)."  "Set aside what you are doing.  Focus your attention on the person before you to discern what God is asking you to do (p. 64)."  "True obedience, healthy obedience, comes when we place God in the center of our lives to help us balance our needs with the needs of others (Pp. 65-66)."

Conversion: from the Latin conversatio morum "conversion of life."  "Change and grow.  Be transformed by the Spirit (para. p. 84)."  There seems to be some recent scholarship on the root of Benedict's writings on conversion.  It has also been translated conversio morum.  Their are different meanings associated with both.  Conversatio is also the root of conversation.  I've found significant discussions on both of these translations and how they are different, but here are my thoughts on this: We are changed (conversio) by actively participating (conversatio) in our relationships with God and with each other in community.  "Conversion of life encourages a positive and constructive response to  change (p. 87)."

How do the three vows (values) work together?

Benedictine community is about people ministering to each other.

"One of the most important tools...is to listen for God in our daily lives and to find God in the people and in the world around us.  To do this we need to be present right where we are at any given moment.  Benedict asks us to live in the present moment.  He says, stay put (stability), listen to the people and to life around you and respond to who God is calling you to be and what God is asking you to do (obedience), and be open to the ways in which God will transform you as you live the Christian life (conversion of life).  Benedict wants us to live in the present moment, fully alert to the now and ready to respond, whether we are at work, with our family, with friends, or with God in prayer (p. 183)."

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere.