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AT THE SAME TIME
April, 2008 As Spring flows into Summer, I am reminded of something I read recently: We tend to notice those things which are noisy. Most of them are not good news. The good news can be found in that which works quietly and steadliy. Here in Northern California we had an abundance of rain in January and February. Quietly, nature began to come alive. First the tiny buds on trees and plants; then, an explosion of color and texture - all very quietly. The music of the seasons resonates with the seasons of our lives. Everything in life has a rhythm. As you read the introductory reflection, “At The Same Time,” notice the rhythm - we are intimately connected with everyone and everything. The rhythm of our one little life effects the whole world. So what are we doing when we come together and sit in silent meditation? We are opening ourselves to the Divine within and around us, connecting with a global network of meditators in various Traditions, and effecting change quietly and steadily. Because it is not noisy, you don't read about it in the newspapers or hear about it on the local news. Like nature, contemplative prayer slowly changes us and our universe. As Thomas Keating says, “The Holy Spirit is God's DNA and it is in everything.” May we continue to respond to this simple, quiet, transforming practice. Much love,
ITS YOUR MONEY Thank you for continuing to support Hesed - for our monthly sponsors and donors and for those of you who send a check or leave a donation when you can. At of the end of March (our quarterly report) we had: $15,508.57 in our checking account and $49,202.67 in our Oppenheimer Money Market Savings Account. There are some minor repairs that need to be done in the house and some replacements that need to be made, so if you could send an extra donation, it would be greatly appreciated. Every penny is a blessing - as are all of you.
HESED ANNUAL RETREAT On February 8th, 2008, the Hesed Community gathered once again at Vallambrosa for our annual retreat. This year we were guided by Sr. Ephrem Hollermann, OSB, former Prioress of St Benedict Monastery in Miinnesota . The over arching theme of Sr EphremÕs presentations was to examine the Vision of the Rule of Benedict and to ask: How does it become my personal spirituality and How does it become our spirituality as a Community? In addition what do Benedictine ideals of Leadership mean for new leadership at Hesed? Sister Ephrem examined these themes in four distinct talks. Friday evening she examined “spirituality” and the four Realms of Meaning and Experience in our lives: Everyday life; theory; fantasy & dreams; and the mysterious or the transcendent. If we want to reflect on the greatest source of meaning in our own life, we need to assess the particular accent or weight of the reality of each of these realms. Sister offered the question for our reflection: Which of these realms of experience is most real to me? To our Hesed Community. Research bears out that for most people the world of everyday life is the realm of greatest significance. So it would be safe to conclude that oneÕs spirituality has its foundation in the everyday world and specifically in the 7 aspects of our world: intersubjectivity, space, flow of time, individual biography, everyday knowledge, relevance and actions & projects. Our spirituality is born out of these basic elements of everyday life? When everyday life and transcendency connect, when the everyday interacts with the mysterious and the transcendent, spirituality happens. This phenomena might explain why the Rule of Benedict originated as a “guide for practical living” rather than a spiritual treatise. The realm of everyday life is absolutely key in Benedictine Spirituality. Saturday morning, SisterÕs. presentation examined the particulars of Benedictine Spirituality weaving an analysis of the Rule with her own journey and search for the Benedictine Spirituality. Her journey brought her to a distillation which she shared with us (a handout) that lists the basic spiritual assumptions according to Benedict. In examining the Rule -- she brought us back to the question of how does the vision of the Rule of Benedict become my personal spirituality/our spirituality as a community? She offered us the additional reflection of “Has the spirituality of the Rule so penetrated my mind, heart, soul and body, that I act and react in my everyday life, to the degree that it has truly, irreversibly become my spirituality? Saturday Afternoon we zeroed in on a couple of topics in Benedictine spirituality that Sr. Ephrem identified as possibly being of particular significance to Hesed: What is the meaning of “community” for Hesed? We examined two prominent biblical themes of community: “Covenant” from the Hebrew Scriptures and the “Body of Christ” in the New Testament Scriptures. Clearly the vision of community in BenedictÕs Rule takes for granted the biblical notion of “covenant” and is deeply rooted in his understanding of the Body of Christ. Underlying both these biblical themes is the high esteem for human persons. Sister further explored how respect for persons is the glue of connectedness. She concluded her examination by looking at Benedict and Human Connectedness; Benedict and Hospitality. BenedictÕs vision of community is that “vision of wholeness” so deeply rooted in the biblical tradition and a theology of human relations based upon respect, that which is owed to every human person and is the “glue” that keeps the whole intact. Hospitality is at the heart of connectedness. The Benedictine practice of hospitality is pre-conditioned by intentionality, the commitment we make to one another to be community. We make commitment not for our own sake, but for the sake of the Church and the world. Hospitality is an act of God, in which we open ourselves to greet the guest in a Godly way. In Benedictine Hospitality we make room for God. Benedictine hospitality teaches us that to become whole ourselves we must learn to let others in, and that hospitality is the only way to a true encounter with God. Sister Ephrem left us to ponder the implications of this in our own lives as well as in the vision of who we want to be as “Hesed Community.” Sister EphremÕs final presentation was on LIfe-giving Authority and Leadership. She began by speaking about obedience in Benedictine spirituality -- as obedience is indeed the life-giving authority. The responsibilities of obedience are stated in the Prologue to the Rule. We must bring a kind of physical readiness, and emotional readiness and a readiness of the will. Then we must “carry out effectively” in other words bring a readiness for action. It is through the labor of obedience by which we “may return to God from whom we have departed by the sloth of disobedience.” Sister spoke on the Benedictine Wisdom of Leadership and referenced Ruth Fox, the current prioress in Richardton, North Dakota, who described the seven pillars of wisdom in Benedictine Leadership as: Holding the Place of Christ; Visioning for the Future; Caring with Compassion; Communicating with Respect; Discerning with Peace; Remembering Contemplatively and tending to self. Sister Ephrem encouraged us to consider these pillars when we reflect upon BarbaraÕs question: What do Benedictine essentials and lifegiving authority mean for new leadership at Hesed? In conclusion, wisdom leadership in Benedictine spirituality is based on relationships, not on a hierarchical pyramid structure of power. The leader according to the way of Benedict invites the participation of all members. Consultation and involvement of others takes considerable time and patience, but the results are more likely to bring satisfaction to all. In Benedictine spirituality: Christ is the reason we come together, Christ is the reason we stay together, Christ is the glue that keeps us together, Christ is our goal. Preferring nothing whatever to Christ ... may he lead us all together to everlasting life (RB 4:21, 72:11-12). Written by Paula Sbragia-Zoricic OSB, ob.
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