Seeking God

Book Review.
DeWaal, Esther. Seeking God. The way of St. Benedict. Harper Collins Religious. 1996.
Comment. Henry.
Esther is a British historian who has been recognized with an honorary doctorate degree for her work in making the way of St. Benedict accessible to lay men and women. Esther’s religion comes from the Anglican tradition.
As a ‘compendium’ to my reading of this book, I also viewed a DVD done by a BBC film crew. It is called ‘The Monastery” and is made up of three ‘episodes’ each being around an hour in viewing time. Six men were selected from a large number of volunteers to spend 40 days at Worth Abbey, a St Benedict monastery in Sussex. They were non Catholics and represented a great variety of ‘life experiences’. Together, they experienced a crash course in Benedictine living. Anthony came from a life of publishing in London. Peter was a retired teacher. Gary came from Ireland, a committed Christian who as a young adult had spent twelve years in prison. Tony worked for an organization as a soft porn producer. Nicholas was a PhD student who had spent some time as a Buddhist monk. The personal and inter-personal conflicts that happened to these men during their time at the Abbey are explored in the episodes. The whole presentation becomes a very interesting explanation of Benedictine life from the point of view of an ‘outsider’ and from the monks. Apparently the reading of Esther’s book was an assignment given to the men before they arrived at the Abbey.
St Benedict was born around 480 in a family of high station. He left his studies in Rome to live in a cave as a hermit. He was never a priest himself. He received food from a monk who agreed to keep his whereabouts a secret. He was discovered by some disciples with whom he established monasteries. He settled in Monte Cassino with a group of monks. His sister, St Scholastica, lived nearby with her community of nuns. His life is described by St Gregory in the “Dialogues”. (3) For St Benedict the monastery became a community of love.
There are three Benedictine vows: “obedience, stability and conversatio morum”. (13) Followers of St Benedict are described as “recruits for the army, workmen in God’s workshop, pilgrims and disciples”. (13) The appeal is to ordinary people. The goal of the Rule (of Benedict) is to “put nothing before the service of Christ”. (19)
The Rule begins with listening, an essential of learning. It requires “every fibre of our being”. (27) Obedience and serving are always preceded by hearing and listening. These lead to serenity and freedom.
The standards of the vow of stability are presented without apology. The choice to enter (the order) comes with non-negotiable commitments. Enclosure (which may seem prison like) is fundamental to stability.
“St Benedict’s concept of conversatio morum can be interpreted as a commitment to total inner transformation of one sort or another.” (54) There can be no new life without change. Life in the monastery is built around a rhythm of prayer, study and work that accommodates body, soul and spirit. Benedictine monks are challenged with a life of moderation concerning material things. St Benedict was very much opposed to private ownership which he considered a vice. “Material things are sacramenta, symbols that reveal the beauty and the goodness of their creator.” (88) People are to be served as representatives of God, in whose image they are made, with love and humility. “St Benedict finds Christ in people.” (99)
Authority is explained as a responsibility of love, not a system to facilitate management and control. “Prayer lies at the very heart of Benedictine life.” (129) It is explained as “a continuing dialogue with Christ”. (131) The reading of Scripture is fundamental to this conversation.
Note: I want to make a few follow up comments about the DVD I referred to in my opening comment. Having ‘lay people’ spend time in a monastery was probably unique to everyone in the “experiment”. All the visitors spoke of their experience as being positive. It would be interesting to hear from the film crew regarding their observations. The book and the DVD are an effective resource