Christine Valters Paintner's Blog, page 69

A Different Kind of Fast: A Seven-Part Series for Lent

This week we enter the long desert of the Lenten season. If you participate in a liturgical service, most likely you will be marked with the sign of ashes and the words "from dust you came and to dust you shall return" will echo through the sanctuary space again and again.

St. Benedict writes in his Rule to "keep death daily before your eyes" and Amma Sarah, one of the desert mothers said, "I put my foot out to ascend the ladder, and I place death before my eyes before going up it."

The word for desert in Greek is eremos and literally means "abandonment" and is the term from which we derive the word "hermit." The desert was a place of coming face to face with loneliness and death. Your very existence is threatened in the desert. You can only face up to yourself and to your temptations in life which distract you from a wide-hearted focus on the presence of the sacred in the world.

Death of any kind is rarely a welcome experience. Even when we witness the mysteries of nature year after year reveal the glories of springtime which emerge from winter's fallow landscape. We resist death, we try to numb ourselves from life's inevitable stripping away of our "secure" frameworks. We spend so much energy and money on staying young. But when we turn to face death wide-eyed and fully present, when we feel the fullness of the grief it brings, we also slowly begin to discover the new life awaiting us.

In the desert tradition, death is a friend and companion along the journey. St Francis of Assisi referred to death as "sister" in his famous poem Canticle of Creation. Rather than a presence only at the end of our lives, death can become a companion along each step, heightening our awareness of life's beauty and calling us toward living more fully. Living with Sister Death calls us to greater freedom and responsibility.

Alan Jones describes the desert relationship to death in this way: "Facing death gives our loving force, clarity, and focus. . . even our despair is to be given up and seen as the ego-grasping device that it really is. Despair about ourselves and our world is, perhaps, the ego's last and, therefore, greatest attachment."

I have been sitting with Jones' words and the invitation to fast during Lent, one of the central practices we are called to take on. The first reading for Ash Wednesday is from the prophet Joel summons us to "return to God with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning."

The kind of fast drawing me this season isn't leaving behind of treats like chocolate or other pleasures. This season I am being invited to fast from things like "ego-grasping" and noticing when I so desperately want to be in control, and then yielding myself to a greater wisdom than my own.

I am called to fast from being strong and always trying to hold it all together, and instead embrace the profound grace that comes through my vulnerability and tenderness, to allow a great softening this season.

I am called to fast from anxiety and the endless torrent of thoughts which rise up in my mind to paralyze me with fear of the future, and enter into the radical trust in the abundance at the heart of things, rather than scarcity.

I am called to fast from speed and rushing through my life, causing me to miss the grace shimmering right here in this holy pause.

I am called to fast from multitasking and the destructive energy of inattentiveness to any one thing, so that I get many things done, but none of them well, and none of them nourishing to me. Instead my practice will become a beholding of each thing, each person, each moment.

I am called to fast from endless list-making and too many deadlines, and enter into the quiet and listen for what is ripening and unfolding, what is ready to be born.

I am called to fast from certainty and trust in the great mystery of things.

And then perhaps, I will arrive at Easter and realize those things from which I have fasted I no longer need to take back on again. I will experience a different kind of rising.

*This is the first of a seven-part series on other ways of fasting for the season of Lent from the Abbey archives.

Featured Poet: Julie Cadwallader Staub

Last spring we launched a series with poets whose work we love and want to feature and will continue it moving forward.

Our next poet is Julie Cadwallader Staub whose recent work is centered on the intersection of human experience, nature, the marginalized, and sorrow in the world. Read her poetry and discover more about the connections she makes between poetry and the sacred. "Lister to her read "Trees" below.

https://abbeyofthearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/JCS-recording-of-Trees1.m4a



Jesus Buys a House in South Burlington, VT

I live in a lovely

neighborhood or at least it

used to be, before he

moved in next door.

Now there's a stream of raggy people on bikes,

in cars, most trudging up the street on foot to

his raised ranch.

Those old unkempt men who live under

the bridges and back in the woods.

Those women, streetwalker-types, and

old ones with walkers or canes.

Children too, and migrants, immigrants,

illegals, college kids all the riffraff plus a

few decent people some fancy cars

mixed in.

And he feeds them.

Has an old Weber

grill set up in the front

yard.

I called the police and saw them pull up— I

thought they would shut down the

operation— but apparently he's not

breaking any laws not even disturbing the

peace and today the paper reported that the

officers resigned from their positions and

moved in with him.

And it's true—I've seen them working

side by side with the others serving

food cleaning up weeding that big

garden in the front yard.

The article didn't include what Jesus said, though, that made

those officers leave good jobs to stay with him. What does

he say that makes all those people want to be near him?

Every night he builds a bonfire out front. Stands there

in the light with everyone gathered around him and I

have to tell you—

I don't know why I'm doing this, I'm not the kind of person

who does this kind of thing— but here I am, standing in my

bedroom next to my open window to listen.

Themes of Her Work

My poetry has focused on the intersection of nature, human experience and the sacred.  Though that is still the case, my poetry is moving more in the direction of sorrow in the world. In these times of enormous challenge, I am drawn more than ever to the life and example of Jesus, and the lives of those who are marginalized and beaten down by capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and misogyny, including our precious planet and the infinite number of living beings (including us) who are utterly and completely dependent upon it. 

Turning

There comes a time in every fall

before the leaves begin to turn when

blackbirds group and flock and gather

choosing a tree, a branch, together to

click and call and chorus and clamor

announcing the season has come for

travel.

Then comes a time when all those

birds without a sound or backward

glance pour from every branch

and limb into the air, as if on a

whim but it's a dynamic,

choreographed mass a swoop, a

swerve, a mystery, a dance

and now the tree stands breathless,

amazed at how it was chosen, how it

was changed.

Poetry and the Sacred

I'm walking downtown and see a man pushing a poodle in a stroller. Why would a man be pushing a poodle in a stroller? Is my life more like the poodle's, being pushed in directions that I haven't chosen, or more like the man's? I love the ways God surprises me in everyday life and poses these questions. 

I'm walking my dog and hear a house finch singing its spring song, though it's January. Where is God in this climate crisis? God's creation is sacred, and creation manifests the sacred in an infinite number of ways.  Surely this is the most precious thing, the pearl of great price, and yet--we are destroying it.  What does this little bird teach me?  That we should keep singing as the planet is burning? That there is joy everywhere, even—or especially—in the midst of crisis? 

Poems are everywhere, a manifestation of God in our world, of the sacred among us. Alertness to poetry is alertness to the presence of God for me; then writing the poem is an intense process of listening; then editing (and editing, and editing) the poem deepens that process further. It's a profound experience, the best that I've found yet.

Shine

After the first bus comes and

picks up a dozen passengers, I'm alone

at the bus stop

when an older man approaches me drooling,

dressed in a bright yellow crossing guard vest his

clothes stained, hanging loose from his frame

says Do you have a dollar to

spare Yes, I certainly do, I say

and reach into my bag

...such watery blue eyes he has and

what makes a person drool like that...

Do you believe in God he asks as

I glance down to my wallet to

avoid the ten or the five I say, yes,

I certainly do

and when I look at him again he has

straightened up, and there, beside

Shelburne Road and its four lanes of

traffic in rush hour frenzy,

He makes a sweeping sign of the

cross as high as he can reach as

wide as he can stretch

and says, looking at

me God bless you

and Jesus too.

About Julie Cadwallader Staub

Julie Cadwallader Staub was born in Minneapolis MN. She grew up with her five sisters beside one of Minnesota's lakes.  Her favorite words to hear growing up were, "Now you girls go outside and play." She graduated from Earlham College, a Quaker college in Richmond, Indiana with a degree in Religious Studies, earned a Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University, and has made her career in social justice work, especially for women and children. She found her way home to Vermont in 1992, and has lived near Burlington ever since.

Her poems have been published in Hunger Mountain Review, Potomac Review, Spiritus, ARTS, Comstock Review, and the Connecticut River Review among others; featured on The Writer's Almanac, and included in several anthologies, notably Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems, and Roads Taken: Contemporary Vermont Poetry.

She was awarded a Vermont Council on the Arts grant for poetry in 2001. Her poem Milk won Hunger Mountain Review's 2015 Ruth Stone Poetry Prize, and her poem Turning has been nominated for a 2020 Pushcart Prize. Milk, Turning and sixty other poems are included in her new collection, Wing Over Wing, published in 2019 by Paraclete Press. The first collection of her poems, Face to Face, was published by Cascadia Publishing House in 2010.

You can read her poems and order her books at her website at JulieCSPoetry.com.

Dreaming of Stones

Christine Valters Paintner's new collection of poems Dreaming of Stones has been published by Paraclete Press.

The poems in Dreaming of Stones are about what endures: hope and desire, changing seasons, wild places, love, and the wisdom of mystics. Inspired by the poet's time living in Ireland these readings invite you into deeper ways of seeing the world. They have an incantational quality. Drawing on her commitment as a Benedictine oblate, the poems arise out of a practice of sitting in silence and lectio divina, in which life becomes the holy text.

Monk in the World: Work 5 – Suggestions for Practice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle.

Principle 5: I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.

Consider the ways you might bring more presence to the work you do.  Arise each morning and take time for gratitude for the chance to do work which supports you.  Make time to listen for the sacred whispers of the holy in moments of silence summoning you to offer your gifts.  Create spaciousness so that you can hear the invitation being extended to your heart.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Photo © Christine Valters Paintner

Monk in the World Guest Post: Elaine Pope

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Elaine Pope's reflection "Looking and Seeing."

 Christine Valters Painter calls photography "the practice of cultivating our capacity to see things as they really are" in her book, Eyes of the Heart: Photography as Christian Contemplative Practice, (Notre Dame: Sorin), 2013. 48]. I have been practicing this new spiritual discipline for a couple of years now, ever since I came across it in one of Abbey of the Arts' online retreats. I love the idea of walking slowly and waiting for an image to shimmer into my awareness. And I have found that the action of receiving a photograph, the initial shimmer, the aligning of camera lighting and image, and the final image on the screen all help me see more deeply what is "truly there." It also helps me to see what the Spirit is awakening within me, since the photography is also about the photographer and the viewer of the photograph as much as it is about the image, itself.

That interior aspect of photography became even more evident to me recently. I had just returned from a wonderful trip to Croatia, including the historic port city of Split. Split was founded during the latter days of the Roman Empire by the Emperor Diocletian (244-311CE). He is the first emperor to retire voluntarily, leaving Rome in 305 for the palace he built along the coast of Dalmatia in Spalatum, now called Split. The aqueduct he had built to supply water to the palace still stands and is still part of the waterworks for the modern city. Therefore, it is visible from the side of a major road, with no easily accessible "Photographic Moment" stopping place.  So I was not able to be contemplative when I wanted to get a photograph of the aqueduct with the fields and greenhouse in the foreground. I just put the camera against the window of the bus and clicked the shutter a few times. One of those images is below.

I love this photo. The optical illusion created by the hilly terrain and the perspective of my location when I took the photo causes modern skyscrapers to seem to be standing on the top of the Roman aqueduct.  I didn't notice this when I was lining up the shot. I was just trying to get a "good image" of the aqueduct. So this photograph speaks to me about looking carefully and slowly at a scene and at the photograph, taking time to see things that I missed initially. I have often found interesting juxtapositions like this one when I looked at a picture days after I took it. Once I get home, I notice things – like the buildings that seem to stand on top of the aqueduct – that I didn't notice while taking the photograph; and I can adjust contrast or crop the photo in post-processing. And then I can sit visio divina with the images – original and processed.

While I had been trained as a scientist to observe carefully for what is there and all that is there, I find the process of visio divina and contemplative photography both incorporate the additional elements of observing myself as I observe: my reactions, my reflections, my edit processes, and the still small voice of the Spirit guiding where I look, how I look, why I look, and the compassion with which I look at something or someone. Sometimes, the elements I choose to crop out of the image can be instructive spiritually – part of my shadow self speaking to me of what I do not consider "beautiful" or "necessary" or "present." So I try to keep the original version of the photograph, too. The processed photograph speaks to me of what resonated from the image, that which stirred positive emotions. Both original and processed images tell me of who I am and who I am in the process of becoming.

There is a danger lurking for the unwary in the ability to post-process images, of course. We can't actually post-process life. Yet, we can post-process our reactions to life and our decisions. Ignatius called that the examen. The examen and examining photographs are reminders to slow down and be, to slow down and look. And then, look again. And again. Observation takes time, intentionality, attention and sometimes, repetition.

You may have experienced a time when a travel experience has caused a mental shift in your own life. Did that also change your spiritual landscape?

Elaine Pope is a spiritual director and writer on spirituality, having retired as Director of Adult Religious Formation (M.Div.) and prior to that from research (SB/MS in Materials Engineering) in the semiconductor industry for 30+ years. Her interests are formation, interfaith dialogue, and the intersection of theology and science.

Monk in the World: Work 4 ~ Guided Meditation by Christine + Audio ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle.

Principle 5: I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.

Read the meditation or click below to listen to an audio version.

https://abbeyofthearts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5-Work-Monk-in-the-World-Guided-Meditation.mp3

 

Find a comfortable seated position in a place where you won't be disturbed.  Begin by allowing a few minutes to center yourself and enter into contemplative space.  Let yourself slowly move into silence, release whatever is pulling at your attention, with each inhale imagine you are welcoming in the gift of breath, with each exhale, surrender more deeply into this moment, letting go of what is not needed right now.

We are going to experiment for a few moments with the energetic quality of our bodies.  First, pretend that you feel exhausted and overworked, slump into your chair, feel your whole body wanting to collapse in on itself, imagine you are looking at the clock, counting the minutes until you are free again.  Draw in your most difficult moments at work, and see if you can bring them present in your body, really experiencing what that is like and noticing where you feel this, being present to what is happening within you.

Then take a deep breath and shake that out.

Next, pretend that you feel vital and alive, waking up refreshed and renewed from a good night's sleep, you are strong and energized for the day ahead.  Breathe this experience into your body, imaging it filling you from your toes all the way through your skull, picture a golden energy swirling through your body and a feeling of aliveness and being connected and in love with the world.  Notice how this feels in your body and just take a moment to be present to your experience.

Then take a deep breath and release that experience.

Finally, see if you can find a place somewhere between these two extremes, a level of energy that might be sustainable for you over several hours.  Bring yourself fully aware to what is happening in your body.  Let your body embrace a place of alertness and energy and presence.

Now imagine yourself at work, perhaps at your day job, or doing dishes laundry, or caring for a loved one.  Imagine that the thought has just crossed your mind that you wish this experience were over, that you want it to be later in the day when you are back home or done with this, or on vacation, whatever the story is you tell yourself when you don't want to be doing what you are doing.  Then just notice what is happening in your body.  Become present to your level of energy, see where you feel this in your body or where the energy seems to be blocked.

Then again, shake this out and take another deep breath.

Again, imagine yourself at work or doing chores and imagine that you are bringing yourself fully present to whatever task this is.  There is nothing in the world as important as this moment, as this dish, or writing the next word in this report.  Let your breath be sustained and slow.  See what happens when you bring curiosity and wonder to exactly what you are doing right now.  Bring an attitude of contentment to this moment, as if nothing else were needed for you to feel satisfied.  If distractions arise or your mind wants to fast forward in the day, gently bring it back to this moment.

What if you were not in a hurry to finish your task, but simply allowed yourself to savor the experience as one of the gifts of being human and alive? What if you believed that this moment held the key to your inner transformation?  What if you lived in a way that each moment was a practice of attention and honoring of the sacred at work right here right now?

Now notice your body and its energy.  Pay attention to what you are feeling and where.  Be with whatever your experience is right now.

Make a silent vow to yourself to practice this in your everyday life whenever you can, knowing that there will be many moments when you fall back into old patterns.  Each time this happens, simply begin again, as St. Benedict advises in his Rule. Begin again by remembering that this moment is holy, this moment is all that is needed for an encounter with the divine.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Photo © Christine Valters Paintner

 

Featured Poet: Arianne Braithwaite Lehn

Last spring we launched a series with poets whose work we love and want to feature and will continue it moving forward.

Our next poet is Arianne Braithwaite Lehn whose recent work is centered on prayer with strong themes of acceptance, surrender, intention, and trust. Read her poetry and discover more about the connections she makes between poetry and the sacred. Watch and lister to her read "When I Need Perspective at the Start of the Day" below.

When I need perspective at the start of the day

In this day, O God,

May I be alert.

May I be kind.

May I be compassionate.

May I be authentic,

May I be generous.

May I be forgiving.

May I be honest.

May I be brave.

May I be forgiving (again).

May I be open.

May I be creative.

May I be strong.

May I live from my intentions,

not simply my habits.

And may I hold closely in

prayer the people

you bring to my heart

and mind right now....

May I focus,

may I trust,

and above all,

may I be yours.

Amen.

Themes of Her Work

Much of my current poetry is prayer – when I direct my words toward God, I experience the opening of a unique and powerful channel within my heart and voice. My prayers are meant to help us holistically embrace the mess and beauty of our lives. There are strong themes of acceptance, surrender, intention, and trust. I view life as a pilgrimage, with each of us journeying toward the most sacred site of all – the heart within, where God dwells and our truest selves live, intertwined as one.

When I need to breathe and live into something new

Spirit of Life,

Teach me to breathe…

to gulp with desperate surrender

your life-giving energy,

not out of fear,

but because I am listening

to my primal hungers

and rejoicing in them.

The breath you give me in

this moment is a messenger,

telling me how right now

I am reborn.

I am cared for.

I am called…

Charged with the call

to channel my breath,

your life-force,

toward a gasping world.

Your breath is eternal –

never stopping,

never returning empty.

It continuously flows to

spread life and promise

if I will be a river rather than a dam.

If I listen, I will learn.

I will ride the wind of

your breath now filling me,

letting it carry me away from

my middle anchor to the

edges where I'll grow and glimpse

the purpose you have

for ever-evolving me.

Amen.

Poetry and the Sacred

My experience of the Divine is a continually expanding one. I believe God is always about bringing new dimensions, colors, hues, and ways of seeing life in this world, and that is exactly what the reading and writing of poetry does for me. It brings to life the vibrancy within our ordinary days and our everyday experiences. Poetry settles me into a kind of "soul stillness," which is where I hear God best and follow what God desires ("Be still").

Poetry helps me practice gratitude, which is one of the most foundational spiritual practices I can think of. Because much of my poetry is prayerful in nature, I'm awakened to the tender ways God is present and at work within and around me.

Poetry is not meant to be productive, and there in lies much of its sacred power for me. It centers us in the inherent, unshakeable belovedness of all God's created, and the goodness of our Creator.

Mary

A Poem for Advent

Waiting time is pregnant time.

Hold,

Hope,

Trust.

Possibilities and promise push

my soul to its outer-rim,

making haven in the uncomfortable.

What lies beyond beckons

to what grows within.

"Come…"

Creaking, groaning, stretching,

the womb grows and Hands shape my soul.

I cannot expand any further,

it hurts too much.

This rim.

It's the limit.

Then pain and grace interlock fingers,

holding me fast in perfect embrace.

I breathe into birth

and cry my

raw, new melody.

About Arianne Braithwaite Lehn

Arianne Braithwaite Lehn is a writer, pastor, and creator who is passionate about connection. An ordained clergy-couple minister in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and a team writer for Illustrated Ministry, Arianne is the author of Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life (Chalice Press), and has written for her blog (Ash and Starlight), Upper Disciplines: A book of Daily Devotions 2018 (Upper Room Books), Pause: Moments to Reflect (Passport Media), The Christian Century, Presbyterians Today, These Days, as well as the musical composition of "Ash and Starlight." Arianne lives in Wilmette, IL with her husband and children. Connect with Arianne at ArianneBraithwaiteLehn.com where she blogs and offers a weekly devotional newsletter.

Her book can be purchased at: Amazon, Chalice Press, and other major retailers.

Dreaming of Stones

Christine Valters Paintner's new collection of poems Dreaming of Stones has been published by Paraclete Press.

The poems in Dreaming of Stones are about what endures: hope and desire, changing seasons, wild places, love, and the wisdom of mystics. Inspired by the poet's time living in Ireland these readings invite you into deeper ways of seeing the world. They have an incantational quality. Drawing on her commitment as a Benedictine oblate, the poems arise out of a practice of sitting in silence and lectio divina, in which life becomes the holy text.

Monk in the World: Work 3 ~ Reflection by Christine + Audio

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims,

During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle.

Read on or click below to listen to an audio version of this reflection.

https://abbeyofthearts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5-Monk-in-the-World-Work.mp3

 

Principle 5: "I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways."

We live in a culture where "work" almost seems to be a bad word.  We trudge to our jobs, complain about the hours we keep, work ourselves to exhaustion, and come home and buy more things so we need to work longer hours to sustain us.  For many of us, work is a way to pay the bills, and nothing more.

For others, our work may feel like a calling, but perhaps we go underpaid, underappreciated, and are moving towards depletion and burnout, especially if we are also trapped in the cycle of overconsumption the world around us lures us into.  The giving that once enlivened us may be starting to wear thin, we may be feeling frayed.

But the monastic tradition invites us into a radically different perspective on work.  Joan Chittister writes in her book Wisdom Distilled in the Daily that "(W)ork is fundamental and necessary and physical and holy and spiritual and creative."  Fundamental, necessary, physical, holy, spiritual, creative.

And St. Benedict wrote in his Rule that "When they live by the labor of their hands, as our ancestors and the apostles did, then they are really monastics."  So to be a monk means that work is integral to our lives, earning our way in the world, laboring with dignity are all essential.

This is a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh about doing household chores, and what he says applies equally to our attitude toward our work:

"To my mind, the idea that doing the dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you are not doing them. Once you are standing in front of the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in warm water, it really is not so bad. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have a cup of tea, the time will be unpleasant and not worth living. That would be a pity, for each minute, each second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles! Each bowl I wash, each poem I compose, each time I invite a bell to sound is a miracle, each has exactly the same value. . .

"Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. I must confess it takes me a bit longer to do the dishes, but I live fully in every moment, and I am happy."

The essence of what I receive from his words is that if I am incapable of showing up to my work in the world with full presence and awareness, then I will be incapable of showing up to any part of my life in this way.  Work consumes so many hours of our day, that if we are always wishing for the time to be over, always dreaming about what comes later, then we are cultivating a habit of not staying present to ourselves.

What would it mean for you to bring yourself fully present to each moment of the work you do, aware of the sacredness of it, conscious of the miracles happening all around you?

And what would it mean if your work were not just a means to an end, that is a way to pay the bills, but also a practice in itself of bringing yourself present to each moment, even when the experience doesn't feel radiant and charged with meaning?

The path of the monk in the world is to cultivate this kind of relationship with all tasks and objects, they are each holy, nothing is profane when we bring the eyes of awareness and a heart of presence to what we do and how we move through the world.  In the Rule of Benedict, all the tools of the monastery are considered as sacred as the vessels of the altar.  Each plate and fork is holy, each object that serves us with its function worthy of reverence.

What are the sacred tools of the work you do?  Is your computer a holy vessel?  Is your phone a portal to the divine?

In the Rule, Benedict mentions that the monks should "not be downcast" if they need to gather the harvest. In Benedict's time much of the monk's labor was considered to be the work of slaves.  And yet everyone who came to the monastery, whether wealthy or poor, shared equally in the labor.  How can we find contentment in whatever situation we find ourselves?

Work was and is a holy gift.  Benedict considered the opportunity to earn one's daily food and shelter to be an honorable task.  Not all work feels meaningful, some of it may feel more like drudgery.  And not everything that is considered work is paid labor.  Even if we have a job we love, we still need to do dishes and laundry and clean the bathroom.  Sometimes we have work we dread and still have to come home to the tasks of daily living.  Some of us take care of children or aging parents as full-time work or in addition to our day jobs.

Just in the way the desert mothers and fathers reminded us that our cells can teach us everything, so can the work we return to day after day be a place of inner transformation.  The call of the monk is to bring absolute attention to the work at hand.  When we lose this attention, we also lose our freedom.  When we spend our time wishing we were doing something else, we forget that the sacred is right in our midst.  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "Sufficient to today are the duties of today."  He called us to "spend yourself on the work before you; / well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties / will be the best preparation."  When we are performing a task, the monk is invited to let it be enough, all that is needed in a given moment for fulfillment and transformation.  Part of the contemplative path is recognizing that growth happens in any context and that any situation we find ourselves in can offer us the fullness of grace.

We may be tempted to think that we are working now so we can retire later and finally enjoy life, but the monastic way reminds us that if we do not cultivate contentment in this moment now, we will never know how to savor life later on.

Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast offers this invitation:

"Work, if we don't approach it consciously, will suck us into its demands.  Then we become slaves, no matter how high up we are on the ladder . . . Even people who have jobs they don't like and find meaningless can still be free within them. . .by reminding themselves deliberately and often, why they do them. As long as we do work out of love for those whom we love, we do it for a good reason.  Love is the best reason for our labors.  Love makes what we do and suffer rise like music, like a soaring line of chant."

What would it mean for you to find freedom within the work you do and not feel trapped by its demands?  What would it mean to bring love to your work?

Even in work that feels creative and rises out of our call to be artists involves period of challenging intensity.  As a writer, I always find the editing process one of the most difficult aspects of the work and yet I also recognize it as one of the most valuable.  Writing the words feels like grace most days, flowing with ease.  When I feel blocked a long walk or some time spent cooking often is enough to shift something open.  But I always encounter the most resistance to the editing process, even knowing it is so important to refine the creative work.  In working with my resistance, this experience is part of my own inner transformation.  As I listen for what the work needs in this stage and how it wants to come to birth in the world, I discover my own places which need releasing or ways to express my ideas with more clarity.  We can engage this process in any place where we feel blocks in what we do.

Consider whether there are tasks in your life that you do grudgingly, whether working at a job you dislike, or having to care for a home and family with all of the distractions that entails, or other ordinary life demands.  Then consider whether it is possible for you to remember why you do the work.  Can you do it out of love recognizing that transformation occurs even there?  Are there ways to bring love to things you find challenging and reframe them so that they rise like music and lift up your creative heart?

What is the love that calls you to your labors in the world? Do you need to maintain a job to earn a living? Does this work support your ability to also create and rest and dream?  Does it offer shelter and nourishment to the people you love, including yourself?  How might you bring more love and delight to all of the tasks you are called to?

Joan Chittister also shares these words about work: "In Benedictine spirituality, work is what we do to continue what God wanted done.  Work is co-creative. Keeping a home that is beautiful and ordered and nourishing and artistic is co-creative.  Working in a machine shop that makes gears for tractors is co-creative.  Working in an office that processes loan applications for people who are trying to make life more humane is co-creative. . .We work because the world is unfinished and it is ours to develop.  We work with a vision in mind. . . Work is a commitment to God's service."

Human work is the primary way we care for the world given to us by the Creator.  Through work we help to usher in the unfolding of God's Reign among us, we have an impact on shaping the world around us. We also cultivate ways of seeing this reality already present among us.  Our attention to compassion and creativity is a commitment to laboring alongside the Divine Worker in bringing a more just and beautiful world into being.  The work is so large we may be tempted sometimes to despair or abandon our part, but humility reminds us to honor our gifts and limits.  We are called to do something and to bring our whole hearts to the task, trusting that a greater source than ourselves weaves those tasks together.

What difference would it make if you truly believed that your work makes a difference in the world, that the world needs what you have to offer?  Monastic spirituality reminds us that God invites each one of us in every moment to respond to our unique call.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Photo © Christine Valters Paintner

Call for Submissions – Monk in the World Guest Post Series

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life.

There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to thousands of subscribers.

Please follow these instructions carefully:

Please click this link to read a selection of the posts and get a feel for the tone and quality.
Submit your own post of 700-900 words on the general theme of "How do I live as a monk in the world? How do I bring contemplative presence to my work and/or family?" It works best if you focus your reflection on one aspect of your life or a practice you have, or you might reflect on how someone from the monastic tradition has inspired you. We invite reflections on the practice of living contemplatively.
Please include a head shot and brief bio written in the third person (50 words max). You are welcome to include 1-2 additional images if they help to illustrate your reflection in meaningful ways. All images should be your own. Please make sure the file size of each the images is smaller than 1MB. You can resize your image for free here.
We will be accepting submissions between now and March 1st for publication sometime in the spring and summer of 2020 and beyond (depending on the number of submissions). We reserve the right to make edits to the content as needed (or to request you to make edits) and submitting your reflection does not guarantee publication on the Abbey blog, but we will do our best to include as many of you as possible.
Email your submission to Melinda by March 1st and include the reflection pasted into the body of your email and attach your photo(s).

We will be back in touch with you at the latest by early April to let you know if your post is accepted, if edits are needed, and/or when we have scheduled your post to appear.

Four New Poems from Christine at Impspired

I am really delighted to have four poems published at the online journal impspired! You can read them at this link  – "Wittgenstein in Connemara," "Love Letter," "Nocturne," and "Poetry on Four Paws."

The editor also let me know that the last time they published my poems back in August, it was the most read page on their website and I am the second most read author on their site since starting. What all that means is I have an amazing and wonderfully supportive community of readers which is all a writer can dream of. A deep bow of gratitude to anyone who clicks links to read my poems or other reflections!  You bring my heart much joy. 

Earth Monastery Mentoring Project & Peer Support (New Program)

In April 2020 Christine Valters Paintner's book Earth, Our Original Monastery is being published by Ave Maria Press. The book explores concepts like earth as the original cathedral, scripture, saints, spiritual directors, liturgy, icon, and sacrament through wisdom of the Christian mystics and the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Like most of Christine's books there is a rich array of experiential exercises (both contemplative and creative) included in each chapter that lends itself well to a retreat experience.

We have a companion album of songs being released shortly as well and we are in the process of creating a cycle of morning and evening prayers rooted in these materials with songs, dances, poetry, and visual inspiration. The climate crisis is the most important issue of our time and we would love to offer contemplative and creative resources to help cultivate greater intimacy with the more-than-human world.

An Invitation to Retreat Leaders, Spiritual Directors, Pastors, Adult Religious Educators, & Small Group Facilitators

Christine is looking for folks interested in leading a series of seven (7) retreat days between October 2020 (Feast of St Francis) and April 2021 (Earth Day) on this material locally with your own churches, communities, congregations, and retreat spaces. You would also have some flexibility in adapting the format to your needs both in terms of content and amount of time for each retreat, but Christine's support will be built around this monthly structure.

What we are imagining:

Each monthly retreat or small group gathering would focus on one of the chapters from Christine's book (Earth as Original Cathedral, Scripture, Saints, Spiritual Directors, Icons, Sacraments, and Liturgy).  You would be responsible for locating your site and doing your marketing, although we can compile a geographic list of all the programs taking place to our website.

Christine would offer you (the program leaders) 7 monthly live webinars (recorded for those unable to join live) where she would give an overview for that month's theme and retreat, provide a suggested outline and sequence, and answer any questions you have. We would also have a private discussion forum where the webinars take place, the recordings are available for viewing, and where you would be able to post and share with one another. We are imagining that the peer support you offer to one another will also be a valuable part of this experience.

At the moment we are looking at scheduling the monthly webinars on Mondays at 4 p.m. Ireland time (11 am Eastern time) with the first on September 21st (as Christine is away the first two weeks of October) and the rest on the first Monday of each month, but still to be finalized and confirmed. These will be recorded. It is not required that you attend live, although would be great if many of you are able.

Requirements and Fees

Apply now by sending Christine an email indicating your interest, your background in ministry, and where you see yourself leading this series of programs.
Commit to joining the mentoring group by July 1, 2020.
Once you commit, you register for the 7-week online companion retreat to the book we are offering for the general Abbey of the Arts community in July-August of this summer. All materials there will be available to you forever. Cost will be approximately $150. Partial scholarships are available if cost is a hindrance. Registration will open soon.
Everyone in the group you are leading that attends the series of retreats be asked to purchase their own copy of Christine's book (rather than photocopying pages as handouts). Depending on the group size, you may be able to arrange a bulk discount for multiple copies directly with Ave Maria Press.
You are welcome to charge for your program. If you do then we would ask that you give back 10% of your total program fee each month to Abbey of the Arts to help support Christine's time and this work. This will be on the honor system.
If you are not charging for participation in your program, then we suggest a $100 donation to Abbey of the Arts to help support costs for this mentoring program. (This is in addition to the cost to register for the online companion retreat above). If you are unable to pay the suggested fee then we can negotiate whatever works for your financial situation. We do want to make this accessible to everyone who is interested in participating.
Complete a one-page evaluation midway and at the end of the program to see how things went, how participants engaged, etc. to give us feedback on how the process is going.

Because this is an experiment we may shift how things work as we go along if there seems to be a better way to support all of you. We are excited about the possibility of this mentoring model as a way to bring our resources to more people.