Commentary on Chapter 6 of the Rule of Benedict Silence here is considered not only as rules about when to speak but the reason, and meaning of the ‘spirit’ of silence. Benedict is a practical not an abstract theologian. ‘The one who prays is a theologian and a theologian is one who prays’, said Evagrius. […]
Poverty and Simplicity
The Piazza dell’Independenza in Asuncion, capital of Paraguay, stands out strikingly from most of the city as a well-manicured beauty spot. Tourism always presents the most orderly face of a country and then cosmeticises its flaws and self-contradictions with interesting facts and statistics. It is like the Epcot world in Florida where the pavilion on […]
Four Principles or Attitudes
St Benedict was a Roman. Like any good Roman he had a flair for organization, a concern for order, a respect for authority. Monastic life for him was to be structured; it was to follow a rule and a hierarchical chain of command. He was founding his monasteries at the time the Roman Empire was […]