Monastic Rhythm

It's odd to me...that something experienced over a short, 5-day period...could uncover such a deep longing within me. During my time in Pecos, one of the things that I found deeply helpful, and hated most to leave behind, was the steady monastic rhythm. We rise, we pray, spend time in silence, we sing, we eat, we work….we rest. The daily prayer included Vigils (6:30am), lectio (7:00am), and Lauds (7:30am); after breakfast and a few hours of activity, midday prayer (Noon), followed by a few more hours of work; then Vespers (5:00pm), dinner, and Compline before bed.
When I first got there, the liturgy was strange to me and I felt smothered by an intense sense of loneliness. The last two days of the retreat became more restful...it got to where I was longing for the time that the bell would ring and we could go to the chapel...into the silence...with the voices of the Brothers and Sisters leading us once again through the Psalms and prayers. On the last day I skipped the final lecture (it was even on St. Francis!!) so I could go sit alone in the chapel before midday prayer. The rhythm becomes a life-giving entity...that somehow allows the mind to dwell more continuously on the Source of Life.

After I got home, I had to opportunity to meet and talk with a man who used to be a Franciscan monk. He talked about that rhythm. He talked about the joys of a contemplative life. But he emphasized the importance of finding that rhythm in everyday life outside the monastery. It must be possible to find a place of full integration…this is my hope.

Here are a few paragraphs from an excellent article by Christine Sine entitled, "Why a Rule of Life?"....check out the full article when you can.

...For many of us, the thought of developing a rule of life conjures up images of legalistic rules and regulations that take away the joy of spontaneous expressions of faith. This was what my friend Michael thought when he first went to spend a few weeks at a local monastery: “You know this business of stopping for prayer five times a day? I thought it would be really restricting,” he told me. “I actually found the opposite to be true. We all knew that no matter what we were doing, when the chapel bell rang, we laid down our tools and headed for prayer. It took the focus away from work as the most important thing to God.”

Creating a rule of life should be a response to being loved by God, and feeling moved to become what God calls us to be in this world. It makes us very aware of how we spend our time each day and of how we might spend it better. Our awareness of this gap motivates us to change so that God becomes our focus rather than work or family or even Christian ministry. A rule can give us the courage and discipline to form new routines that reward us with growing intimacy with God. In her helpful book Why Not Celebrate! Sara Wenger Shenk says, “If it isn’t possible to know the quickening presence of God in the everyday routine, one might as well ship religiosity off to a seminary library and leave it there. Either God is God of all of life, or God is on the reserve shelf, available and relevant only to a sanctified elite.” The daily repetition of simple practices that focus our hearts on God does far more to nurture deep, meaningful spiritual growth than the occasional “mountain top” experience...

...Establishing a rule usually begins with disciplines of prayer and the daily reading of Scripture, but it also provides time for study and reflection, encompasses physical work, time to celebrate with and serve others, and the need for leisure and rest. Practicing a rule of life is a community affair. Practicing our faith in community with others moves us against the grain of our individualistic culture. There is strength in joining forces with others who have a similar hunger and desire to live the way of Jesus in the here and now.
I am convinced that to be a follower of Christ we must intentionally work to develop spiritual practices that put our faith and its rhythms at the center of all we are and do. Only then can we find a healthy life of stability and richness that easily withstands the pressures and stresses of our culture.