Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
Tomorrow Simon and I will be joined by guest musician Will Boesl for our monthly Contemplative Prayer Service. Our theme this month is the 6th principle of the Monk Manifesto, Sabbath. Here is an excerpt from our Monk in the World self-study retreat.
Principle 6: I commit to rhythms of rest and renewal through the regular practice of Sabbath and resist a culture of busyness that measures my worth by what I do.
The work of the monk is important, but equally important are rhythms of rest and restoration. The Rule of Benedict is exquisitely balanced in this way. In a world which runs nonstop where we are always accessible, we have to make the choice to step out from under its tyranny of demands. Sabbath calls us to restore ourselves and remember that the world will go on without our labors. It is ultimately an act of humility which means to remember our earthiness. Sabbath gives honor to our gifts by also acknowledging our limitations.
Sabbath may be one of the most important practices we have. As Tricia Hersey so wisely writes in her book Rest is Resistance, rest can be an act of resistance in a culture that wants to exploit and deplete our labor so others can profit. When we practice Sabbath, however that looks for our lives, we are saying enough. We are claiming rest as necessary and holy and so good.
Connected to the seasons of each day’s rise and fall, we are called to embrace times of fallowness, of doing nothing, of simply being. Sabbath offers us this gift and helps to cultivate a contemplative commitment in the world. . . .
Sabbath is not a doing, but a way of being in the world. It calls to us again and again to return to the still place within, to rest in the presence of the Beloved, and to know ourselves as loved simply for who we are. In those spaces of rest comes renewal, with dreams for new possibilities. As a culture we face so many issues that feel impossible to tackle in meaningful ways. One way to begin is to allow enough space for visions to enter, to step back and see what happens when we slow down our pace first. . . .
April Yamasaki describes Sabbath as not just an act of self-care, but community care: “Sabbath was not self-care in the narrow sense of the word but was about more broadly caring for the community and for creation . . . Instead of individual soul care, the Sabbath addresses a community of souls in the context of doing good and caring for community and creation.” The practice of Sabbath weaves us back to our principle of community and how we are called to see ourselves as intimately interrelated. It is good to pause and rest together.
Being a monk in the world means making time for this life-giving rest. A holy pause to reflect on life’s meaning. The monk in the world stays committed to the contemplative way through regular practice, but part of that practice is creating spaciousness and joy.
Join us for our Contemplative Prayer Service tomorrow and deepen into Sabbath together through song, poetry, prayer, and silence.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
