A Deeper Prayer Tradition from the Monastic Movement in Europe

A Deeper Life of Prayer and Work

Becoming too active in work and life can make us miss the balance that is needed to obtain both health of body and soul. This is where the practice of meditation and contemplation can help restore that balance. Meditation is simply reading the Scriptures. The Sunday or weekday readings are the best as you can also integrate the homilies given by the priest-presiders at the Mass. After meditation, all that is needed is to stay before an image you are devoted to: the Sacred Heart, our Mother of Perpetual Help, or the best - the Blessed Sacrament in the parish. Meditation and contemplation can restore that balance we need from the activities that involve us in the world. It will help us see "through Heaven's eyes", and ground our souls back in God. If one has opportunity to read the lives of Benedictine saints and their writings, these can also help in understanding how to meditate and contemplate. Foremost among these Benedictines are the abbots of the Benedictine Monastery at Cluny.

The Great Abbots of the Monastery of Cluny

Monasticism began in the early centuries of the Church. These monasteries championed a way of life based on prayer - especially meditation and contemplation. But as with all things that exist in the world, sometimes secular influences can dilute, so to speak, the purity of the monastic spirituality. So, everytime this happens in monasticism there is always a return to the original spirit of St. Benedict. When many monasteries in Europe began to lose their autonomy and started to be controlled by powerful secular leaders, certain leaders, both secular and religious usually come to the forefront to restore the purity of the monastic spirit. One of these leaders was Duke William of Aquitaine. William of Aquitaine founded a monastery at Cluny, France. This monastery became the beginning of the reform movement in monasticism. Through Cluny and its spiritual influence, monasteries regained their autonomy and independence from influential secular rulers. Cluny's spirit of reform was led by seven great saintly abbots who also acted as peacemakers and negotiators in the politics of Europe at the time. The first three of these saintly abbots were St. Berno, St. Odo and St. Aymard.

Sts. Berno, Odo and Aymard, Benedictine Abbots of Cluny

St. Berno

After Duke William of Aquitaine founded the monastery of Cluny in ca. 908-910 A.D., he chose St. Berno to be its first abbot. St. Berno came from a wealthy family. Born in Burgundy, he joined the Benedictines at Martin's, Autun, and then became abbot of Baume-les-Messiers. He reformed Baume-les-Messiers and then founded a monastery at Gigny. As Duke William established St. Berno as Cluny's first abbot, Berno led the monastery well from ca. 909-927 A.D.

St. Odo

St. Odo was known as a reformer and was widely respected throughout Europe. He succeeded St. Berno as the second abbot of Cluny. Born near Le Mans, France, he was raised in the household of Duke William of Aquitaine. He received his tonsure at age 19, a canonry at St. Martin's at Tours, and then spent several years studying in Paris. St. Odo was a monk under St. Berno at Baume-les-Messiers. When St. Berno was transferred to Cluny, St. Odo was named director of the Baume MOnastery school. Odo eventually became abbot of Baume in 924 A.D. When St. Berno passed away, St. Odo succeeded him at Cluny. He continued St. Berno's work of reformation and was also authorized by Pope John XI to reform the monasteries of northern France and Italy. St. Odo was a peacemaker and negotiator in the politics of his time. After successfully persuading secular rulers to let monasteries be independent, he died at Tours on November 18, 942. St. Odo had written hymns, treatises, and a biographical sketch on the life of St. Gerard of Aurillac - a count who built a church and abbey at Aurillac.

St. Aymard

St. Aymard succeeded St. Odo and became the third abbot of Cluny. He worked to continue St. Odo's reforms. In 954 A.D., St. Aymard became blind and took Majolus as his coadjutor. St. Aymard eventually resigned because of his blindness and spent the last years of his life in Cluny until his death in October 5, 965 A.D.

Sources of this blog posts

• A History of the Church, by Franzen and Dolan
• A Concise History of the Catholic Church, by Thomas Bokenkotter
• Lives of the Saints, by Richard P. McBrien
• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney

29th Sunday of the Year (C): 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:12

Sunday Readings for Your Reflection: Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Liturgical readings
Exodus 17:8-13
Psalm 121
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:12
Luke 18:1-8

"Sacred Scripture, the source of wisdom"


You must remain faithful
to what you have learned
        and believed
because you know
who your teachers were.


Likewise,
from your infancy
you have known the Sacred Scriptures,


        the source of wisdom
        which through faith in Jesus Christ
        leads to salvation.


All Scripture is inspired of God


and


is useful for teaching
        - for reproof,
        correction,
        and training in holiness


so that the man of God
may be fully competent
and equipped for every good work


In the presence of God
and of Christ Jesus,


who is coming to judge
the living and the dead,


and by his appearing
and his kingly power,


I charge you to preach the word,


to stay with this task


whether convenient
or inconvenient


- correcting,
reproving,
appealing


- constantly teaching
and never losing patience.




Scripture verses for reflection:
"The Lord is your guardian...he is beside you at your right hand." (Psalm 121)
"Timothy must remain faithful to what he has learned and believed." (2 Timothy)
"All Scripture is useful for correction and training in holiness." (2 Timothy)