Monasticism with Jonathan

4:03 PM Wednesday. Today's reading is  Prologue (5) – The Rule of Benedict , together with the equivalent sections in  RB 1980  and  Commentary for Benedictine Oblates . Today's listening is the first 28 minutes of  Christian Meditation: The Basic Teaching . "Swami Satyananda (1909–1961), a Hindu monk and founder of the Pure Life Society in Malaya, first initiated Father John Main into mantra meditation in 1955. While serving in the British Colonial Service in Kuala Lumpur, Main learned to meditate using a mantra to achieve stillness from Satyananda, which he later adapted into a Christian contemplative practice." (Gemini) For more on the relationship between John Cassian and Benedictine spirituality, see also  Of Solitude and Contemplation | Monastery of the Holy Cross . End 5:35 PM.

3:15 PM Tuesday. Today's reading is  Prologue (4) – The Rule of Benedict , together with the equivalent sections in  RB 1980  and  Commentary for Benedictine Oblates . This is the first time I have noticed a discrepancy in the number of sentences included in the readings. The matter is not entirely resolved by turning to  Daily Reading from the Rule of Saint Benedict: Text, English. OSB.  Gemini indicates that monasteries are free to adapt the daily division of the Rule in accordance with local traditions. Researching the discrepancy directs my attention to a website that deserves additional study during this 122-day Benedictine deep dive:  OSB DOT ORG . It is also important for me to dig deeper into  WCCM | The World Community for Christian Meditation . In the spring of 2024, I took an online course from Contemplative Outreach titled  Centering Prayer as Practice and Process , so I am somewhat familiar with Father Thomas Keating on the Cist...

4:07 PM Monday. Today's reading is  Prologue (3) – The Rule of Benedict , together with the equivalent sections in RB 1980 and Commentary for Benedictine Oblates . I received a kind reply from Andrew and responded as follows: It is very kind of you to publish my comment, Andrew, and to welcome future sharing! I will aim to update you at a few key points along my 122-day journey through the Rule from May 2 to August 31, including at the end, God willing. Thank you for moderating :) Jonathan Video at top:  Ep. 3 – Desiring True & Everlasting Life – The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life /w Kris McGregor .

3:23 PM EDT Sunday. Today's reading is  Prologue (2) – The Rule of Benedict . This afternoon I find myself profoundly humbled by the RB and the commentaries I have just read on it. I don't think I should do much more than absorb the transmission of divine light I am receiving from the authors of  The Rule of Benedict  and Commentary for Benedictine Oblates . I have to work hard to remind myself that it's okay that I am not yet baptized and that my Christology is probably too low on some days and too high on others. It's okay that I am not a formal Benedictine oblate, and it's okay that I will be considering Luther's arguments against monastic vows later this year. This is an important step in my discernment nevertheless, and God is hopefully pleased with my commitment to run this four-month Benedictine marathon. I am reluctant to comment on The Rule of Benedict website again.  I don't want to deface the serenity of a stunningly beautiful cloister...