The rhythm of the saints

May 18, 10:39 AMFaith & Culture ExaminerDr. Bob Beltz

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         The cloisters at St. Jeronimos, Lisbon, Portugal

I left my mind in Barcelona.  It could just be jet lag.  For the last two weeks, I've been on an extended date with my wife.  It was a kind of third honeymoon, celebrating our thirty-fifth anniversary. Fortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were forced to either use about a half-million reward points accumulated over the last ten years, or lose them.  We opted for "use" rather than "lose" and were able to fly to Portugal and Spain and stay in nice hotels for ten days, all covered by the points - and my wife's incredible tenacity and creativity.

We spent half our time in old Lisbon, and the other half in old Barcelona.  Our days were spent walking the city, hanging out at sidewalk café's, eating at great little restaurants, and sleeping as late as we wanted.  Now that I have you totally envious, I’ll get to the point of this musing.  We also visited enough old churches and monasteries that the trip should have qualified as a pilgrimage.  Just about any major European city has its share of spectacular old churches, and Lisbon and Barcelona are no exception.  But what I’m really fascinated by are the old monasteries, which are far less numerous than the churches. 

In Lisbon, we traveled to nearby Belem to visit the Monastery of St. Jeronimos.  In English, we would call him St. Jerome, and I can’t seem to make any connection between Jeronimos and Geronimo.  The monastery is hailed as a masterpiece of fifteenth century Portuguese architecture and is a major tourist attraction.  Unfortunately, it no longer functions as a monastery.  During our time in Barcelona, we took a train an hour outside the city to visit the St. Maria of Montserrat monastery.  Located up a small mountain that rises abruptly twenty-five hundred feet above the town of Montserrat, there has been a monastic presence here since 800 AD when a group of monks began to live in caves on the mountain.  Unlike St. Jeronimos, St. Maria is an active church and an active Benedictine monastery – as well as one heck of a tourist attraction.

Monastic movements trace their origins back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire and began a long, slow slide into conformity with the culture, rather than being a prophetic voice challenging it.  I like the definition of a monk given by Henri Nouwen: 

   One who unmasks through his criticism the illusions of society and who wants to change the world in spirit and in truth.

Monastic movements are governed by “rules.”  They form a kind of contract to which a man or woman desiring to join the movement commits.  One of the earliest was The Rule of Benedict.  He was the founder of the Benedictine movement, dating from the sixth century.  St. Maria’s is a Benedictine monastery that practices a “rule” that is fifteen hundred years old.  It involves a life-style of community, simplicity, work, worship, and hospitality.  There is a rhythm to the life of a Benedictine monk.  Work is balanced with reading of the bible, prayer, fellowship, worship and service.  It is a rhythm that moves back and forth between engagement with the culture and retreat from it.  Retreat becomes a vehicle to become refreshed and renewed and more effective when reengagement with the culture occurs.  The monastery itself becomes a message to the world and place where those who do not choose the life of a monk can still come for spiritual refreshing and direction.

I’m a Protestant.  There are not a lot of Protestant monasteries.  I’ve always wanted to start one.  I took the first step ten years ago by creating St. Bruno’s – the world’s first virtual monastery.  I became a virtual monk and the virtual abbot of the monastery.  A number of my friends became virtual monks – both men and women.  Some thought I was joking.  I wasn’t.  I want the balance of the monastic life to be more reflected in the rhythms of my own life.  I need more balance.  What might the “Rule of Bruno” look like?  Here are a few ideas: 

• Strive daily to read from the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Gospel.
• Set aside some time, or times, daily for prayer.
• Be involved in the life of a spiritual community.
• Go on retreats of silence and solitude on a regular basis.
• Find a way to serve the poor.
• Become involved in some international ministry. (Most of us need a better global perspective.)
• Live more simply.
• Take care of yourself.
• Love Jesus and the obvious people he has placed in your life. 

That seems like a reasonable place to start.  I spent yesterday on a river, fly-fishing with my son and a good friend.  We took some time to read Psalm 136.  Then we read from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and finally we read a small part of the Gospel of Mark.  We prayed briefly, we “broke bread”, and we fished.  Today, I’m back to work.  If the time spent relaxing, praying, engaged with the scriptures, and enjoying fellowship changes the quality of this day, then I’ll be a monk.