Reflection Paper by Brother Paul Howard, on
Seeking the Absolute Love by Mayeuel de Druille, OSB I found Seeking the Absolute Love: Founders of Christian Monasticism to be an extremely valuable and instructive book. The author, Mayeuel de Druille, OSB, is a French Benedictine who has been involved in the foundation of monasteries throughout the world. His introduction addresses the challenges facing today's religious as we encounter the changing realities of the modern world. He believes that study of the thought and lives of the founding fathers of Christian monasticism can be of great value, especially for new forms of religious life such as CSL-B. The first chapter deals with Clement of Alexandria. Clement's pre-monastic doctrine, like the culture of Alexandria itself, was a synthesis of Judaic and Hellenistic thought and practice. He felt that Christian ideas must be able to adapt to new cultures and concepts. Central to his thought is the concept of apathia, or deep tranquility, that results from the complete mastery of one's passions and thoughts. This concept was adopted by later monastic thought. Clement helped to introduce Christianity to the realms of Greek and Roman philosophy and culture and, consequently, to interact with surrounding cultures on an entirely new level. Clement's thought was extended and expanded by his student, Origen, whose many writings include his thoughts on monastic life. As in his other writings, Origen interprets scripture more for its mystical, rather than its literal, meaning. He led a communal life, along with several of his closest disciples, which was devoted to the love of Christ as the Divine Logos. He viewed the spiritual life as a progressive journey to God where we, like Christ, achieve a type of Transfiguration in union with God. It was Origen and his thought which had the most significant influence on the development of Egyptian monasticism. And it was in Egypt that monastic life, largely due to Anathasius' Life of Anthony, was first accepted as a valued and legitimate form of Christian life. During his many difficult struggles with all types of temptations Anthony relied upon his attachment to the living Christ as his source of strength. Key features of Anthony's faith were a joy and faith in the presence of God, with special emphasis that "the Kingdom of God is within us." Anthony's concepts of semi-hermetrical monasteries were developed into an early cenobitism by St. Pachomious and his disciples. Pachomious took existing forms of religious life and developed one of the most highly organized forms of early monasticism. He founded several large monasteries, each with its own superior. These were modeled on Roman army encampments. His monastic system was based on scripture and organized around a formal rule. For Pachomious and his followers monastic life was constant battle for the perfection of life within the Christian community. Obedience was of central importance in a monastic community based on mutual love and modeled upon the apostolic life of the infant church. The Desert Fathers (and Mothers) emphasized the importance of trials in the monastic life. Monks were often viewed as the soldiers of Christ whose chief weapon in battle was prayer, assisted by patience and perseverance. The monasticism of Syria and Palestine were marked by extreme asceticism. St. Ephrem stressed the importance of inner, as well as outer sincerity. Under St. Chariton we find the first "laura' and the development of a monasticism that was both ermetrical and cenobitic. De Druille now turns his attention to one of the most important figures in monastic history, St. Basil. Basil's goal was to create an up to date guide for Christians which avoided the extremes found in some existing forms of monastic life. I found it notable that the Rule of St. Basil was written not solely for monks, but for groups of seriously dedicated Christians in general. His was the first rule to focus upon the superior as the leader and guide of the community. Like Benedict, Basil sought to achieve a balance between work and prayer through a reliance upon the Gospel of Christ. St. Gregory Nazianzen, a friend and contemporary of Basil, held virginity in the highest regard and viewed it as a desire for union with God, or the Absolute. On this basis he chose Mary as the ideal model of Christian life. St. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's younger brother, was a philosopher who applied Platonic concepts to monastic spirituality, placing great emphasis on liturgy and the sacraments. In doing so, he tied his brother's monastic ideals to a deeply Christian and Trinitarian theology. St. John Chrystostom spent four years as an anchorite and continued to live with a monastic austerity throughout the remainder of his life. He was regarded by Cassian as his spiritual master whose monastic life and ideals form a background of Cassian's own writings. St. John emphasized a life of prayer involving a total surrender of self to the love of God. He viewed religious life a s a sign and witness of the Incarnation. St. Jerome's monastic writings are confined to letters and scripture commentaries. He also translated the Rule of St. Pachomius into Latin. He was heavily influenced by Origen and, interestingly, he presents the monastic profession of vows as a renewal of baptism that removes sin in a way similar to martyrdom. Anticipating Benedict, he places great importance on hospitality and the proper treatment of guests. Augustine centered his monasticism on Acts 4: 32 -35, relying upon the sharing of possessions as in the early church. His rule is divided into two parts - general principles and practical applications. He felt monastic life should be based on the model of the Holy Trinity as a unity of peace and love, working in cooperation through God's grace. Practically, there was a strong emphasis on voluntary poverty. One of the most important founders of Christian monasticism, Cassian, spent several years in Palestine and Egypt. Forced to flee to Constantinople, he came under the influence of St. John Chrystostom. He later traveled to Rome and on to Marseilles where he spent the rest of his life and founded two monasteries. His Institutes detail life in the Egyptian monasteries. The Conferences discuss the spiritual doctrine on which this life was based. His aim was to transmit to the West the traditions of Eastern monasticism, especially those of Egypt. One essential role of the monk was to be an example for other Christians. For the monk himself monastic training and tradition were given prime place. The goal of religious life was to purify the heart of vice, thus allowing the flowering of a life of contemplation. De Druille next turns his attention to the development of Western rules. Most western rules, including the Rule of St. Benedict, are based on three more or less independent rules, those of Basil, the Rule of the Fathers, and the Rule of St. Augustine. Beginning with the Rule of the Master we see the formalization of regulations for admission, the replacement of individual cells with dormitories, detailed regulations for the Divine Office, and the common use of the term abbot. A strong emphasis was also placed on lectio divina. The Rule of the Master was the most organized and rich of the pre-Benedictine rules and provides a link between the writings of Cassian and the Rule of St. Benedict. It shows originality in its synthesis of other monastic rules into an unified whole. For the first time we come across the ideal of the monastery as a School of the Lord's Service. The rule stresses the importance of the virtues of obedience, silence, and humility. The arrangement of the Office is modeled on that of Cassian. Now, at long last we have arrived at the Rule of our Holy Father Benedict. De Druille views Benedict's teachings as a pivotal and vital meeting point of Eastern and Western monastic traditions. Drawing largely from the Rule of the Master, Benedict condensed, clarified, and moderated it, crafting the best of it into a powerful synthesis of Eastern and Western monastic teaching. By doing so Benedict created a flexible rule which can be adapted to various types of communities, including the Companions of St. Luke-Benedictine - a rule which is as vital today as when it was first written. The final chapter focuses on St. Bernard's interpretation of the Benedictine rule. He found in the Rule's ladder of humility a parallel ladder of love, whereby the monk attains union with God by the means of love. It culminates in a mystical love of God that involves our participation, via the Holy Spirit, in the life of the Trinity. In Bernard's writing we encounter the mystery of Christ's humanity and the central role of Mary in Christian religious life. Br. Paul Howard
The 12th Sunday After Pentecost, 2002
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