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Welcome
to the Benedictine Oblates Website
Dear Friends,
Pentecost
Sunday marks the end of Eastertide and the return to "ordinary
time". Yet, for the apostles, it marked the beginning
of a very extra-ordinary time. For us too, this is not a time
to sit back and relax but to concentrate on the daily struggle
to overcome our weaknesses. The Rule of St Benedict for the
end of May and beginning of June describes the way of humility.
Chief among the qualities to be acquired is that of obedience.
By this, St. Benedict did not mean simply the monk's obedience
to his abbot but his obedience to everyone around him. The
monk, and therefore the oblate, is to place himself at the
service of everyone in his community.
For people
unfamiliar with the Benedictine way, being obedient to all
can seem to be a rather passive, even lazy, attitude to life.
They imagine it as just drifting along leaving others to make
all the decisions. For those who have tried it, they realise
that it is quite the opposite! Cardinal Newman, who had been
tested in this area many times, said that one of the greatest
sources of virtue was in doing something in a spirit of obedience
even when one knew that the other person was wrong. St Benedict
would have replied that even more virtue could be gained by
obeying without grumbling. Grumbling was clearly one of St
Benedict's pet hates as he mentions it several times.
So this
ordinary time can be made extraordinary by practising obedience
without grumbling. I wonder if St Benedict would have allowed
an exception for comments on the great British Summer?
We wish
you every blessing.
Pax
UK Oblates Team
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