In our Oblate
Chapter, St. Anthony of the Desert,
it has long been our policy not to talk Church politics in our Chapter Meetings,
and certainly not to talk national politics. The reason for this is simple. Our
members may have a number of differing opinions, and they may be strongly held;
discussing them would deflect us from our central purpose. We gather together
for one reason only and that is to seek the Face of God.
An Oblate Chapter
should be a refuge in the midst of a troubled sea. There are a number of “hot
button” issues affecting The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion; and
there are some recent decisions in the United States that create deep concern
for Christian people. Airing them in a Chapter Meeting creates more heat than
light. Our approach to the human situation is quite different from that of the
world. At the heart of our Chapter Meetings are the Daily Offices and the
singing of Psalms. We pray the psalms on a regular basis, not skipping any,
because they address all of the issues that affect the human heart. Jesus
himself prayed the psalms and when we pray the psalms today, we pray them with
him, and with the Church universal.
Joan Chittister,
O.S.B. reflects the mind of St. Benedict when she says:
“The Benedictine is
not to pick and choose at random the psalms that will be said. The Benedictine
is not to pick some psalms but not others. The Benedictine is to pray the
entire psalter in an orderly way, regardless of mood, irrespective of impulses,
despite personal preferences. Anything other than a regular recitation and
total immersion in the psalms is, to Benedict’s way of thinking, spiritual
sloth. Ours is to be a full spiritual palate. Readings may be shortened if
situations warrant but the psalms never. We are to tap into every human
situation that the psalms describe and learn to respond to them with an open
soul, an unfettered heart, and out of the mind of God.” [i]
[i]
Joan Chittister, The Rule of St. Benedict: Insights for the Ages, (New
York: Crossroads, 1997), p. 89.
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