Podcasts about Cistercians

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; born in Belgium, and was placed in the Benedictine convent at the age of 12; a vision of Christ compelled her to become a Benedictine; she had many mystical experiences, levitated, and had a form of the stigmata; to avoid being made abbess, she joined the Cistercians; she was known for her spiritual wisdom and miracles; she was blind during the last eleven years of her life. Luthgard is revered as a leading mystic of the Thirteenth Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42

St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines, and was one of the Church's true mystics. He opposed the “intentionalism” of the heretic Peter Abelard with his quip: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” He also opposed an anti-pope, corrected a king, brokered peace in Europe, and had to nuance the doctrine of “just war” in the face of Christian losses in the Crusades. Links Check out this article on St. Barnard of Clairvaux and the Active Life: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/bernard-clairvaux-and-active-life/?repos=6&subrepos=0&searchid=2539743 Here's the Classics of Western Spirituality volume on St. Bernard: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2917-5/bernard-of-clairvaux.aspx SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com Dr. Papandrea's YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch To ask questions, make comments, or interact with Dr. Papandrea, join the conversation in the Original Church Community: https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/ Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

Episode: 1376 Frére Jacques: The canonical hours and mechanical clocks.  Today, religious practice and the mechanical clock.

St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was born to be a knight, and grew up in a castle, but he chose to be a different kind of knight - a true prayer warrior - and he supported the invention of the Christian knight by endorsing the Knights Templar. He would be the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines. He was a strong advocate of devotion to Our Lady, and of orthodox doctrine, and he would turn down the office of bishop in six different cities. Listen in to find out what “mellifluous” means!  Links SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com Dr. Papandrea's YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch To ask questions, make comments, or interact with Dr. Papandrea, join the conversation in the Original Church Community: https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/ Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/  

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we remember the extremely influential medieval order of the Cistercians. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley: https://shop.1517.org/products/9781962654708-the-impossible-prize Ditching the Checklist by Mark Mattes: https://shop.1517.org/products/9781962654791-ditching-the-checklist Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation, Book 1 of 2 by Amy Mantravadi: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1962654753?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FCNEEK60MVNVPCEGKBD8_5&starsLeft=1  More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (gillespie.media).

Full Text of ReadingsSixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 78The Saint of the day is Saint Gilbert of SempringhamSaint Gilbert of Sempringham's Story Gilbert was born in Sempringham, England, into a wealthy family, but he followed a path quite different from that expected of him as the son of a Norman knight. Sent to France for his higher education, he decided to pursue seminary studies. He returned to England not yet ordained a priest, and inherited several estates from his father. But Gilbert avoided the easy life he could have led under the circumstances. Instead he lived a simple life at a parish, sharing as much as possible with the poor. Following his ordination to the priesthood he served as parish priest at Sempringham. Among the congregation were seven young women who had expressed to him their desire to live in religious life. In response, Gilbert had a house built for them adjacent to the Church. There they lived an austere life, but one which attracted ever more numbers; eventually lay sisters and lay brothers were added to work the land. The religious order formed eventually became known as the Gilbertines, though Gilbert had hoped the Cistercians or some other existing order would take on the responsibility of establishing a rule of life for the new order. The Gilbertines, the only religious order of English origin founded during the Middle Ages, continued to thrive. But the order came to an end when King Henry VIII suppressed all Catholic monasteries. Over the years a special custom grew up in the houses of the order called “the plate of the Lord Jesus.” The best portions of the dinner were put on a special plate and shared with the poor, reflecting Gilbert's lifelong concern for less fortunate people. Throughout his life, Gilbert lived simply, consumed little food, and spent a good portion of many nights in prayer. Despite the rigors of such a life he died at well over age 100. Reflection When he came into his father's wealth, Gilbert could have lived a life of luxury, as many of his fellow priests did at the time. Instead, he chose to share his wealth with the poor. The charming habit of filling “the plate of the Lord Jesus” in the monasteries he established reflected his concern. Today's Operation Rice Bowl echoes that habit: eating a simpler meal and letting the difference in the grocery bill help feed the hungry. Click here for quotes from Catholic saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Episode: 1311 The Cistercian order, power technology, and innovation.  Today, let's talk about monks and waterwheels.

Sunday's introit, taken from Psalm 83/84 forms a large part of today's discussion and music for the Liturgical Looking Glass as well as a meandering into the realms of schools of chant and what the Cistercians contributed to the tradition, taking us into the halls of Boulaur (so to speak) in anticipation of St Bernard's feast. THE LITURGICAL LOOKING GLASS is a programme that looks at the liturgy of the week ahead and music that is inspired by it either directly or indirectly. It is written by Nick Swarbrick and co-presented by Tim Hutchinson. It airs every Friday at 10am and is rebroadcast at 10pm. If you enjoyed this programme, please consider making a once off or monthly donation to Radio Maria England by visiting www.RadioMariaEngland.uk or calling 0300 302 1251 during office hours. It is only through the ongoing support of our listeners that we continue to be a Christian voice by your side.

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Dominic, priest Lectionary: 410The Saint of the day is Saint DominicSaint Dominic’s Story If he hadn't taken a trip with his bishop, Dominic would probably have remained within the structure of contemplative life; after the trip, he spent the rest of his life being a contemplative in active apostolic work. Born in old Castile, Spain, Dominic was trained for the priesthood by a priest-uncle, studied the arts and theology, and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma, where there was an attempt to revive the apostolic common life described in Acts of the Apostles. On a journey through France with his bishop, Dominic came face to face with the then virulent Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. The Albigensians–or Cathari, “the pure ones”–held to two principles—one good, one evil—in the world. All matter is evil—hence they denied the Incarnation and the sacraments. On the same principle, they abstained from procreation and took a minimum of food and drink. The inner circle led what some people regarded as a heroic life of purity and asceticism not shared by ordinary followers. Dominic sensed the need for the Church to combat this heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. He saw immediately why the preaching crusade was not succeeding: the ordinary people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. Understandably, they were not impressed by the Catholic preachers who traveled with horse and retinues, stayed at the best inns and had servants. Dominic therefore, with three Cistercians, began itinerant preaching according to the gospel ideal. He continued this work for 10 years, being successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. His fellow preachers gradually became a community, and in 1215 Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse, the beginning of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Dominic’s ideal, and that of his Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” or “to speak only of God or with God.” Reflection The Dominican ideal, like that of all religious communities, is for the imitation, not merely the admiration, of the rest of the Church. The effective combining of contemplation and activity is the vocation of truck driver Smith as well as theologian Aquinas. Acquired contemplation is the tranquil abiding in the presence of God, and is an integral part of any full human life. It must be the wellspring of all Christian activity. Saint Dominic is the Patron Saint of: AstronomersDominican Republic Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Dominic, 1170-1221; on a journey through France, he came face-to-face with the Albigensian heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it; Dominic and three Cistercians began itinerant preaching, and eventually became a community, the beginning of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans; Dominic's ideal, and that of his Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/8/24 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Benedict, abbot Lectionary: 386The Saint of the day is Saint BenedictSaint Benedict’s Story It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career. Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb. He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose Benedict as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Reflection The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church. Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of: EuropeKidney DiseaseMonasticsPoisoningSchoolchildren Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Full Text of ReadingsFriday after Ash Wednesday Lectionary: 221The Saint of the day is Saint Gilbert of SempringhamSaint Gilbert of Sempringham's Story Gilbert was born in Sempringham, England, into a wealthy family, but he followed a path quite different from that expected of him as the son of a Norman knight. Sent to France for his higher education, he decided to pursue seminary studies. He returned to England not yet ordained a priest, and inherited several estates from his father. But Gilbert avoided the easy life he could have led under the circumstances. Instead he lived a simple life at a parish, sharing as much as possible with the poor. Following his ordination to the priesthood he served as parish priest at Sempringham. Among the congregation were seven young women who had expressed to him their desire to live in religious life. In response, Gilbert had a house built for them adjacent to the Church. There they lived an austere life, but one which attracted ever more numbers; eventually lay sisters and lay brothers were added to work the land. The religious order formed eventually became known as the Gilbertines, though Gilbert had hoped the Cistercians or some other existing order would take on the responsibility of establishing a rule of life for the new order. The Gilbertines, the only religious order of English origin founded during the Middle Ages, continued to thrive. But the order came to an end when King Henry VIII suppressed all Catholic monasteries. Over the years a special custom grew up in the houses of the order called “the plate of the Lord Jesus.” The best portions of the dinner were put on a special plate and shared with the poor, reflecting Gilbert's lifelong concern for less fortunate people. Throughout his life, Gilbert lived simply, consumed little food, and spent a good portion of many nights in prayer. Despite the rigors of such a life he died at well over age 100. Reflection When he came into his father's wealth, Gilbert could have lived a life of luxury, as many of his fellow priests did at the time. Instead, he chose to share his wealth with the poor. The charming habit of filling “the plate of the Lord Jesus” in the monasteries he established reflected his concern. Today's Operation Rice Bowl echoes that habit: eating a simpler meal and letting the difference in the grocery bill help feed the hungry. Click here for quotes from Catholic saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Episode #150 of the Gotta Be Saints PodcastOn this episode, I spoke with Dr. Gerry Crete about his new book and how it can help the listener recover from stress and anxiety. During our conversation, we covered:- His background as a licensed marriage and family therapist- An overview of his book, "Litanies of the Heart"- The effects of "original trauma"- The different parts of who we are- And much more...Biography:Gerry Ken Crete, PhD, is a marriage and family therapist and professional counselor specializing in the treatment of trauma and addictions, as well as marriage counseling and treatment of clergy and religious. He is an IFS-informed, Ego State Therapy trained, EMDR Consultant. Dr. Crete is the founder of Transfiguration Counseling and Coaching (www.transfigurationcounseling.com) which provides video counseling, coaching, and spiritual care consulting, and has offices in downtown Cumming, GA , Epiphany of our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church in Roswell, GA, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta, GA, and St. Michael's Catholic Church in Gastonia, North Carolina. He is also the co-founder of Souls and Hearts (www.soulsandhearts.com) which is an online platform providing mental health education to Catholics through courses, podcasts, blogs, and online communities. Dr. Crete hosted his own podcast, Be with the Word, and has been a recurring guest on Matt Fradd's podcast Pints with Aquinas. Dr. Crete has facilitated numerous retreats and workshops for various Catholic dioceses, and he has provided consultation for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and United States, and the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists). He is a regular writer for Exodus 90, and has provided mental health meditations for the Hallow app. Dr. Crete has been married over 30 years and has three grown children. He was born in Ottawa, Canada, earned his doctorate from the University of Georgia, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Crete has been married for over 30 years, and he has three grown children. Buy his book here.Our Sponsors:This is a Good Catholic Podcast.  If you're interested in purchasing a Good Catholic digital series, use code GBS for 20% off your total order.Looking for the perfect Catholic gift? Check out The Catholic Company and find it today! Use code BRENDAN20 for 20% off your next purchase! Support the show

I'm finally back on my shit, folks. Lots of PPM coming at you.  Subscribe to the PPM Patreon to access the full version: patreon.com/ParaPowerMapping In Pt. II of our survey of curious evidence possibly indicating a continuum from Catholic military orders like the Knights Templar, Hospitaller, & Knights of the Cross with the Red Star to esoteric Protestant movements like Rosicrucianism... on to Freemasonry and all the way to the Red Cross, we discuss:  The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ & the Temple of Solomon origin story; the Knight & Grand Master Hugues de Payens; Pope Innocent II; King Baldwin; Solomon's Temple; passing mention of Baphomet & decapitated reliquary legends; Bernard of Clairvaux; Cistercians; the Templars as favored "charity" of Euro aristocracy & the Holy See (another Red Cross similarity); transmutation into transnational corporation; Red Cross & Swiss neutrality kinda mirrored in the fact the vast majority of Templars were noncombatants; Knights Hospitaller history; Blessed Gerard; Church of the Holy Sepulchre; militarization during du Puys reign; Hospitaller heraldry also evoking RC & Templars; the "Bohemian" (Austrian, Czech, & German) Knights of the Cross w/ the Red Star, directly inspired by the Hospitallers; similarly to the Templars & ARC, a society initially intended to serve the poor & sick gradually morphs into amorphous corporation; Archbishop of Prague becoming de facto Grandmaster of the Order for a 150 years (15/ 1600s), using Red Star coffers to subsidize the bishops' lifestyle; Swiss founders of the Red Cross; Swiss General & army engineer Guillaume Henri Dufour; his service as Captain w/ Napoleon's forces; reception of the Legion d'Honneur; engineering suspension bridges & gas lights; his tutelage of Napoleon's nephew at a military academy (possible indication of Freemasonic connections); Dufour's parents living in exile from Switzerland at the time of his birth bc of their involvement in the Genevan Revolution of 1782; Dufour playing a major role in the transition from Old Swiss Confederacy to modern Swiss confederation thru his military campaign against the Catholic cantons (Sonderbund); the most famous of the Swiss founders—Henry Dunant; Calvinist upbringing; Dunant's v instructive involvement in founding the first YMCA in Switzerland; uncanny connections b/w the YMCA & the Red Cross, which dbls back to previous EPs on the Wall St. Putsch & W.D. Pelley; Business Plot organizer & American Legion financer Grayson MP Murphy serving as ARC commissioner in Europe; stray thoughts about the utility of these kinds of orgs for both espionage & colonial purposes; Dunant's colonial business venture in French-controlled Algeria; the Battle of Solferino, which he witnessed bc he was traveling to meet Napoleon III & secure land rights; likelihood that Dunant's business was at least super exploitative if not dependent on slave labor; his ouster from the Red Cross "Committee of Five" after Credit Genevois's bankruptcy, causing him to become embroiled in financial scandal; his probable embezzlement of RC funds, judging by the fact Moynier et al refused him awards monies that had initially been promised; after 25 years of poverty & obscurity, Dunant becomes the darling of Euro aristocrats & receives the VERY 1ST Nobel Peace Prize; bringing us to the instructive life of Alfred Nobel—Swedish chemist, arms trader, & industrial espionage agent; invention of dynamite; the 90 armaments factories he owned at the end of his life; accusations in French press that Nobel committed "high treason" & spied on a French inventor following his decision to sign a prod. contract for 100ks of kgs of the propellant "Ballistite" w/ the Italian gov't; all of which brings us back to the Red Cross's role in the perpetuation of warfare.  Songs:  | Death Grips - "Bitch Please" (had to for the Templar reference) |  | Tyler, the Creator feat. Lil Wayne - "Hot Wind Blows" |  | Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "Higgs Boson Blues" | 

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of  St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Patron Saint of the Cisterians  | August 20   Our saint for today is St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the saint considered as the “Most influential Churchman of Europe in the 12th century” and one of the greatest spiritual masters of all times. Bernard was born of noble parentage at the Castle of Fontaines, near Dijon, Burgundy, France in 1090. At age nine, he was sent to Chitillon for classical studies. A little later, he took up Theology and Holy Scripture. Tall, handsome, slender, with great charm and passion for learning, he was known for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. He was wealthy, intelligent, industrious and was very attractive to the world, but God had a special design for him and he chose to follow the voice of God calling him to a holier kind of life. After the death of his mother, Bernard was resolved to become a monk. At age 23, he persuaded his two uncles and five brothers, (his father would follow later), together with several friends to enter the austere community of the Cistercians at Citeaux, which at that time was a dying community on account of no vocations entering. Their entrance was the turning point of the monastery in Citaeux. Soon many others followed them. Three years after professing the vows, due to his great piety and fervor, Bernard was chosen with twelve other religious to open a new monastery in a place called the Valley of Bitterness because of its poor conditions. Bernard and his companions suffered hunger, cold, and the absence of many necessities of life. When people knew about them, relief soon came. The place would later be called Clara Vallis or Bright Valley, which evolved to be called Clairvaux. Bernard was chosen as Abbot of Clairvaux, a responsibility he held until his death. Soon Bernard and Clairvaux became famous because of his personality, his holy life, his beautiful style of writing, his eloquence in his sermons, and his wise counsellings that even Popes followed his advice. By defending the teachings of the Church he was involved in controversies, but he emerged victorious because he was on the right track. Bernard became adviser, not only to Popes, but also to kings, princes, and noblemen. He was a healer of schisms, reformer of a monastic Order, theologian, Scripture scholar, eloquent preacher, a mystic, mariologist and sublime devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary, zealous defender of the Crusade.  He wrote poems and songs about Jesus and Mary. His “Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus” is a favorite prayer to many. Due to his extraordinary achievements, he was several times offered to become a Bishop, but he refused them all, preferring the austerity of monastic life. Yet as a monk, Bernard spent much time in travelling because of his many involvements: writing, giving lectures, giving counsels, opening monasteries, etc. From Clairvaux, he travelled to many parts of Europe to open monasteries, which numbered 163 in all. Before his death, many had still been added.Many miracles happened even while he was still alive. One time he restored the power of speech to an old man that he might confess his sins before he died. Another time, an immense number of flies, that had infested the Church of Foigny, died instantly after the excommunication he made on them. Bernard died at Clairvaux on August 20, 1153 at the age of 63. His remains are venerated at the cathedral of Troyes, Champagne, France. He was canonized on January 18, 1174, 21 years after his death. He was the first Cistercian to be placed in the calendar of the saints. In 1830, he was given the title “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Pius VIII. Dear St. Bernard, we pray to you for priests and consecrated men and women. May they strive for a holy life, faithfully follow God's commands, and imitate your great love for Jesus and Mary.”  

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Lectionary: 408The Saint of the day is Saint DominicSaint Dominic’s Story If he hadn't taken a trip with his bishop, Dominic would probably have remained within the structure of contemplative life; after the trip, he spent the rest of his life being a contemplative in active apostolic work. Born in old Castile, Spain, Dominic was trained for the priesthood by a priest-uncle, studied the arts and theology, and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma, where there was an attempt to revive the apostolic common life described in Acts of the Apostles. On a journey through France with his bishop, Dominic came face to face with the then virulent Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. The Albigensians–or Cathari, “the pure ones”–held to two principles—one good, one evil—in the world. All matter is evil—hence they denied the Incarnation and the sacraments. On the same principle, they abstained from procreation and took a minimum of food and drink. The inner circle led what some people regarded as a heroic life of purity and asceticism not shared by ordinary followers. Dominic sensed the need for the Church to combat this heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. He saw immediately why the preaching crusade was not succeeding: the ordinary people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. Understandably, they were not impressed by the Catholic preachers who traveled with horse and retinues, stayed at the best inns and had servants. Dominic therefore, with three Cistercians, began itinerant preaching according to the gospel ideal. He continued this work for 10 years, being successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. His fellow preachers gradually became a community, and in 1215 Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse, the beginning of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Dominic’s ideal, and that of his Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” or “to speak only of God or with God.” Reflection The Dominican ideal, like that of all religious communities, is for the imitation, not merely the admiration, of the rest of the Church. The effective combining of contemplation and activity is the vocation of truck driver Smith as well as theologian Aquinas. Acquired contemplation is the tranquil abiding in the presence of God, and is an integral part of any full human life. It must be the wellspring of all Christian activity. Saint Dominic is the Patron Saint of: AstronomersDominican Republic Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Lectionary: 384The Saint of the day is Saint BenedictSaint Benedict’s Story It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career. Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb. He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose Benedict as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Reflection The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church. Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of: EuropeKidney DiseaseMonasticsPoisoningSchoolchildren Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Catholic Drive Time - 877-757-9424 Date – Monday, April 17th - 2023 – St. Stephen Harding St. Stephen Harding was an English noble who consecrated himself to the monastic life in the Abbey of Sherbonne. He later joined the Abbey of Molesme in France under the direction of St. Robert and Blessed Alberic, but when the monastery declined, they left with St. Stephen and 18 other monks to establish a new abbey in Cîteaux, known as the Cistercians. St. Stephen became the abbot and wrote the statutes of the monastery, which were approved by Pope Paschal II. He fought to maintain strict observance and prayed for novices, and eventually St. Bernard and his companions arrived, leading to the establishment of the Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Stephen died in 1134, known for his humility and dedication to the monastic life. St. Stephen Harding, Pray for us. INTRO – Happy Monday And – at 15 past the hour, most popular kids show in the world supports trans ideas Also – at 30 past the hour, Joe Pojman comes on to give update on the abortion pill. Shawn and Tiffany Pham Veni Sancte Spiritus COME, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Oremus: O GOD, Who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Adrian Social Media IG: @ffonze Twitter: @AdrianFonze Facebook: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Catholic Conversations Tito Social Media Twitter: @TitoEdwards Visit our website to learn more about us, find a local GRN radio station, a schedule of our programming and so much more. http://grnonline.com/

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Patron Saint of the Forty Hours l  April 16  “Our comfort is not in this world,” words spoken by St. Benedict Joseph Labre, our saint for today, who due to his detachment from the comfort and pleasure of this world lived the life of a mendicant. St. Benedict Joseph Labre was born in 1748 in Arras, north of France to a middle class family. As a boy, Benedict Joseph was very amiable but with remarkable seriousness. He practiced self-restraint, which is ascetically called “mortification.” He also had a great horror for what was positively wrong or whatever could lead to something wrong. At the age of sixteen, he told his uncle, a parish priest, that he wanted to be a Trappist monk but his parents were against it. Any way, he tried to apply for admission, but the monks found him to be too delicate in health. He later attempted to join the Carthusians and the Cistercians, but each rejected him saying he was not suited for community life. He was therefore inspired to live a pilgrim's life, following the examples of Alexius of Rome and of St. Roch: to abandon his parents, his country,  and live a painful, penitential, poor and prayerful life in the midst of the world. He joined instead the Third Order of St. Francis, which was designed for lay people. He made pilgrimages to holy places and lived on the streets, eating what he could beg from the people. Benedict Joseph travelled to Rome on foot, then visited the major shrines of Europe: Loreto, Assisi, Naples, Bari in Italy; Einsieden in Switzerland; Paray-le-Monial in France; Santiago de Compostela in Spain. During such trips he would always travel on foot. He often slept in the open, wore muddy and ragged cloths. Often, he would visit a shrine several times. Despite being a poor beggar, he was very much concerned of the other poor around him and shared whatever little he had received. He was always absorbed in prayer and rarely talked. When visiting a church, he would spend many hours in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. His contemplation of the crowning of Jesus with thorns would cause him to levitate or bilocate. He was also said to have cured some of the other beggars he met and multiplied bread for them. Benedict Joseph's behavior was considered madness by the standards of this world, but his contemporaries considered it holiness. A few years before his death. Benedict Joseph lived for a time in the ruins of the Colosseum in Rome and would only go out to make a yearly pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto in Marches, Italy. He became a  familiar figure in Rome and became known as the “Saint of the Forty Hours” referring to his great devotion to the Eucharistic adoration. As a mendicant, he was called the “beggar of Rome.” The day before he died he collapsed on the steps of the church of Santa Maria ai Monti, a few blocks away from the Colosseum. He was taken to a house behind the church and died on April 16, 1783, during Holy Week. He was buried in the church of Santa Maria ai Monti. Very soon a cult grew since people considered him a saint even when he was still alive. Benedict Joseph's Confessor, Fr. Marconi, attributed 136 cures three months after Benedict Joseph Labre's death. These miracles were instrumental in the conversion of Rev. Fr. John Thayer, the first American Protestant clergyman to Catholicism, who was residing in Rome at the time of Benedict Joseph's death. Benedict Joseph was proclaimed Venerable by Pope Pius IX in 1859. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881. His liturgical feast is celebrated on April 16. His outstanding Virtues are: piety, humility, integrity, temperance, fortitude, charity, honesty, patience and contentment  “Lord, through the prayer of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, help us to seek heavenly things and reject the comforts and pleasures of this world.”

This is a reading of a selection of pointers and teachings by Father Keating on the healing and transformative power of centering prayer. They are taken from numerous texts written by him. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O. (March 7, 1923 – October 25, 2018) was an American Catholic monk and priest of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (also known as Trappists). Keating was known as one of the principal developers of Centering Prayer, a contemporary method of contemplative prayer that emerged from St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts. Fr. Keating was an internationally renowned theologian and an accomplished author. He traveled the world to speak with laypeople and communities about contemplative Christian practices and the psychology of the spiritual journey. He helped found the Snowmass Interreligious Conference, which had its first meeting in the fall of 1983 and continued meeting annually.

Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 338The Saint of the day is Saint Gilbert of SempringhamSaint Gilbert of Sempringham's Story Gilbert was born in Sempringham, England, into a wealthy family, but he followed a path quite different from that expected of him as the son of a Norman knight. Sent to France for his higher education, he decided to pursue seminary studies. He returned to England not yet ordained a priest, and inherited several estates from his father. But Gilbert avoided the easy life he could have led under the circumstances. Instead he lived a simple life at a parish, sharing as much as possible with the poor. Following his ordination to the priesthood he served as parish priest at Sempringham. Among the congregation were seven young women who had expressed to him their desire to live in religious life. In response, Gilbert had a house built for them adjacent to the Church. There they lived an austere life, but one which attracted ever more numbers; eventually lay sisters and lay brothers were added to work the land. The religious order formed eventually became known as the Gilbertines, though Gilbert had hoped the Cistercians or some other existing order would take on the responsibility of establishing a rule of life for the new order. The Gilbertines, the only religious order of English origin founded during the Middle Ages, continued to thrive. But the order came to an end when King Henry VIII suppressed all Catholic monasteries. Over the years a special custom grew up in the houses of the order called “the plate of the Lord Jesus.” The best portions of the dinner were put on a special plate and shared with the poor, reflecting Gilbert's lifelong concern for less fortunate people. Throughout his life, Gilbert lived simply, consumed little food, and spent a good portion of many nights in prayer. Despite the rigors of such a life he died at well over age 100. Reflection When he came into his father's wealth, Gilbert could have lived a life of luxury, as many of his fellow priests did at the time. Instead, he chose to share his wealth with the poor. The charming habit of filling “the plate of the Lord Jesus” in the monasteries he established reflected his concern. Today's Operation Rice Bowl echoes that habit: eating a simpler meal and letting the difference in the grocery bill help feed the hungry. Click here for quotes from Catholic saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Today's Topics: 1) At a recent conference, Lech Walesa, friend of Saint John Paul II and key player in the defeat of Soviet communism in Poland, exposed the lies of the ideology that has claimed the lives of millions of people around the world. “Leftists have taken over this attitude of taking care of the people, of helping the poor,” Walesa said. “Beware of slogans, because they always propagate them, but they never keep their promises. They have never fulfilled them and they're not going to fulfill them” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252886/lech-walesa-friend-of-st-john-paul-ii-exposes-the-lies-of-communism 2, 3) Uses of Holy Water every Catholic should know. A group of lay Cistercians put together 14 ways Catholics should avail themselves of this powerful sacramental https://laycistercians.com/how-to-use-holy-water/ 4) Your body, your gift: Rachael Killackey explains the difference between the "flesh," which we should resist, and our bodies, which are meant to be loved, sacrificed in love, and welcomed into the happiness of heaven. Your body is not the enemy and here's why https://www.magdalaministries.org/blog/the-body-is-not-the-enemy

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Lectionary: 413All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint DominicIf he hadn't taken a trip with his bishop, Dominic would probably have remained within the structure of contemplative life; after the trip, he spent the rest of his life being a contemplative in active apostolic work. Born in old Castile, Spain, Dominic was trained for the priesthood by a priest-uncle, studied the arts and theology, and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma, where there was an attempt to revive the apostolic common life described in Acts of the Apostles. On a journey through France with his bishop, Dominic came face to face with the then virulent Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. The Albigensians--or Cathari, “the pure ones”--held to two principles—one good, one evil—in the world. All matter is evil—hence they denied the Incarnation and the sacraments. On the same principle, they abstained from procreation and took a minimum of food and drink. The inner circle led what some people regarded as a heroic life of purity and asceticism not shared by ordinary followers. Dominic sensed the need for the Church to combat this heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. He saw immediately why the preaching crusade was not succeeding: the ordinary people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. Understandably, they were not impressed by the Catholic preachers who traveled with horse and retinues, stayed at the best inns and had servants. Dominic therefore, with three Cistercians, began itinerant preaching according to the gospel ideal. He continued this work for 10 years, being successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. His fellow preachers gradually became a community, and in 1215 Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse, the beginning of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Dominic's ideal, and that of his Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” or “to speak only of God or with God.” Reflection The Dominican ideal, like that of all religious communities, is for the imitation, not merely the admiration, of the rest of the Church. The effective combining of contemplation and activity is the vocation of truck driver Smith as well as theologian Aquinas. Acquired contemplation is the tranquil abiding in the presence of God, and is an integral part of any full human life. It must be the wellspring of all Christian activity. Saint Dominic is the Patron Saint of: Astronomers Dominican Republic Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Church History - Part 18 Church in the Middle Ages 1 Today we look briefly at a monastic revival in the Middle Ages! As we saw last time, under the leadership of Hildebrande and Innocent III, there was a revival of monastic orders. Let us look briefly at some of the prime people from this period of our Church History. Cistercians This order of monks was founded in 1097 in France, the village we know now as Cîteaux, by a group of Benedictine Monks including Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Citeaux and Stephen Harding. The Cistericans are also known as the White Monks due to the colour of their clothing over which a black head-dress is worn. The Cistercians lifestyle emphasizes a manual labour rather than scholarship, an ascetic lifestyle and self-sufficiency. Many Cistercian abbeys supported themselves through brewing ales and from agriculture. One man who helped them spread rapidly throughout Europe was the next person we will learn about – Bernard of Clairvaux, who entered the monastery in the early 1100s with 30 companions. Bernard of Clairveaux (1097-1153) He was one of the most influential leaders and stressed a devotional relationship with God, and led many men into a monastic lifestyle. Here are some quotes attributed to him, which reflect this: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” “There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.” “Many of those who are humiliated are not humble. Some react to humiliation with anger, others with patience, and others with freedom. The first are culpable, the next harmless, the last just.” By the end of the 12th century, wealth & laxity had crept into the monastic movement and as a result, declined rapidly. However, the preaching monks soon became more important. Preaching Monks These monks lived together under a strict rule, but went into the community to teach and preach. Friars were the most important preaching monks. Two such orders were the Franciscans (Grey Friars, Lesser Friars) and the Dominicans Francis of Assisi (1182-1276) The founder of the Franciscans was probably the man who is one of the most known monks of all. Francis was born the son of a wealthy Italian cloth merchant Pietro di Bernardone. During his early adulthood, Francis lived a typical life of most young and wealthy men, and even fought as a soldier. He had a vision when at war in 1204, which directed him back to Assisi. Here he lost his taste for his wealth and worldly life. Francis gave away his possessions to live a simple lifestyle, begging and giving to the poor and caring for the sick. He gained many followers and was given his official status by Pope Gregory IX, when on July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint. Francis' lifestyle and teaching stressed simplicity, poverty, genuine devotion to God, preaching and charity. Here is a copy of his famous prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen. Dominicans (Black Friars, founded 1220). This order of Monks was founded by a Spanish priest, Dominic de Guzman. While he made his headquarters in Rome, he did travel widely to visit the growing brotherhood of friars under the Dominican movement. They were renowned for the fact that they owned no property and had no revenues – simply trusting in God to provide. He emphasised the Friars role of teaching and they rapidly spread throughout the lands. They quickly became known as the "Watchdogs of the Lord", and were renowned for hunting down heretics. Here are some quotes attributed to him: Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword; wear humility rather than fine clothes. A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil. Tap or click here to save download this as an audio mp3 file

Do you prefer your observance strict or common? No matter, Kevin and Scott cover both as they travel back to the eleventh century to recount the history of the monks and nuns of the Order of Cistercians.

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Lectionary: 389All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint BenedictIt is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career. Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb. He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose Benedict as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Reflection The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church. Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of: Europe Kidney Disease Monastics Poisoning Schoolchildren Click here for a downloadable quote from Saint Benedict! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

In this episode of The Catholic Gentleman, Sam and John discuss the growth in atheism, the order of white monks, and discerning God's will. We are joined by a Cistercian Monk, Fr. John Bayer, who shares his incredible story of discernment in where God was clearly seeking him. We dive into his years as a monk and his passion for discerning the balance between Faith and Reason. In this episode we discuss; How do we harmonize Faith and Reason correctly How modern atheists have to deny themselves Learn to inspire those that have lost their faith How a good butt-kicking can help us understand God And more… Fr. John Bayer, O. Cist. was born in Texas in 1984. He entered Our Lady of Dallas in August, 2007. He made his first temporary vows on August 20, 2008, and he made his solemn profession on August 19, 2012. He was ordained priest on August 10, 2013. He is Form Master for Class 2025 and he teaches English Lab, Latin and Theology at Cistercian Preparatory School. He is also an adjunct professor of theology at the University of Dallas. Fr. John began teaching at Cistercian Preparatory School and studying for the priesthood at the University of Dallas. In 2012, he traveled to Rome to continue his graduate studies at Pontifical Gregorian University, where he defended his dissertation on St. Anselm of Canterbury in 2019. In addition to good philosophy and theology, Fr. John loves athletics, hiking, camping, and marveling prayerfully in nature. Cistercians in Texas - https://abbey.cistercian.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 337All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Gilbert of SempringhamGilbert was born in Sempringham, England, into a wealthy family, but he followed a path quite different from that expected of him as the son of a Norman knight. Sent to France for his higher education, he decided to pursue seminary studies. He returned to England not yet ordained a priest, and inherited several estates from his father. But Gilbert avoided the easy life he could have led under the circumstances. Instead he lived a simple life at a parish, sharing as much as possible with the poor. Following his ordination to the priesthood he served as parish priest at Sempringham. Among the congregation were seven young women who had expressed to him their desire to live in religious life. In response, Gilbert had a house built for them adjacent to the Church. There they lived an austere life, but one which attracted ever more numbers; eventually lay sisters and lay brothers were added to work the land. The religious order formed eventually became known as the Gilbertines, though Gilbert had hoped the Cistercians or some other existing order would take on the responsibility of establishing a rule of life for the new order. The Gilbertines, the only religious order of English origin founded during the Middle Ages, continued to thrive. But the order came to an end when King Henry VIII suppressed all Catholic monasteries. Over the years a special custom grew up in the houses of the order called “the plate of the Lord Jesus.” The best portions of the dinner were put on a special plate and shared with the poor, reflecting Gilbert's lifelong concern for less fortunate people. Throughout his life, Gilbert lived simply, consumed little food, and spent a good portion of many nights in prayer. Despite the rigors of such a life he died at well over age 100. Reflection When he came into his father's wealth, Gilbert could have lived a life of luxury, as many of his fellow priests did at the time. Instead, he chose to share his wealth with the poor. The charming habit of filling “the plate of the Lord Jesus” in the monasteries he established reflected his concern. Today's Operation Rice Bowl echoes that habit: eating a simpler meal and letting the difference in the grocery bill help feed the hungry. Click here for quotes from Catholic saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Where did these ideas of the square, level and plumb come from? Were these working tools being used symbolically by Freemasonry in 1717? Where did we get the idea of the third degree from. Is the Lost Word of Freemasonry pure Egyptian or Chinese? Brother Christopher Earnshaw, author of The Spiritual Freemasonry Series shares some of his insights into the origins of Freemasonry and its spiritual aspects that may have come directly from China. We have an awesome discussion about strong parallels among the Benedictine, Cistercians and Chinese. What? Join us as we have the only conversation worth having, the one that helps us to understand what Freemasonry can and maybe should be. Follow me at Instagram @Instagram email me at Masonicmuscle357@gmail.com You can find Christopher Earnshaw at author.earnshaw@gmail.com Website: chris-earnshaw.com Facebook - facebook.com/spiritualfreemasonry twitter - @AuthorEarnshaw Masonry in 7 Minutes Podcast #chinese #origins #Freemasonry #secrets #ceremonies #eosterica #spiritual #spirituality #education #peculiar #Benedictine #Cistercian #trivium #sevenliberalartsandsciences #ritual #cipher #story #allegory #steganography #masonicmuscle #emperor #divinerighttorule #squareandcompass --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cesar-rubio5/support

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX | PATRON OF THE CISTERIANS Feast Day: AUGUST 20 Our saint for today is St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the saint considered as the “Most influential Churchman of Europe in the 12th century” and one of the greatest spiritual masters of all times. Bernard was born of noble parentage at the Castle of Fontaines, near Dijon, Burgundy, France in 1090. At age nine, he was sent to Chitillon for classical studies. A little later, he took up Theology and Holy Scripture. Tall, handsome, slender, with great charm and passion for learning, he was known for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. He was wealthy, intelligent, industrious and was very attractive to the world, but God had a special design for him and he chose to follow the voice of God calling him to a holier kind of life. After the death of his mother, Bernard was resolved to become a monk. At age 23, he persuaded his two uncles and five brothers, (his father would follow later), together with several friends to enter the austere community of the Cistercians at Citeaux, which at that time was a dying community on account of no vocations entering. Their entrance was the turning point of the monastery in Citaeux. Soon many others followed them. Three years after professing the vows, due to his great piety and fervor, Bernard was chosen with twelve other religious to open a new monastery in a place called the Valley of Bitterness because of its poor conditions. Bernard and his companions suffered hunger, cold, and the absence of many necessities of life. When people knew about them, relief soon came. The place would later be called Clara Vallis or Bright Valley, which evolved to be called Clairvaux. Bernard was chosen as Abbot of Clairvaux, a responsibility he held until his death. Soon Bernard and Clairvaux became famous because of his personality, his holy life, his beautiful style of writing, his eloquence in his sermons, and his wise counsellings that even Popes followed his advice. By defending the teachings of the Church he was involved in controversies, but he emerged victorious because he was on the right track. Bernard became adviser, not only to Popes, but also to kings, princes, and noblemen. He was a healer of schisms, reformer of a monastic Order, theologian, Scripture scholar, eloquent preacher, a mystic, mariologist and sublime devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary, zealous defender of the Crusade. He wrote poems and songs about Jesus and Mary. His “Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus” is a favorite prayer to many. Due to his extraordinary achievements, he was several times offered to become a Bishop, but he refused them all, preferring the austerity of monastic life. Yet as a monk, Bernard spent much time in travelling because of his many involvements: writing, giving lectures, giving counsels, opening monasteries, etc. From Clairvaux, he travelled to many parts of Europe to open monasteries, which numbered 163 in all. Before his death, many had still been added.Many miracles happened even while he was still alive. One time he restored the power of speech to an old man that he might confess his sins before he died. Another time, an immense number of flies, that had infested the Church of Foigny, died instantly after the excommunication he made on them. Bernard died at Clairvaux on August 20, 1153 at the age of 63. His remains are venerated at the cathedral of Troyes, Champagne, France. He was canonized on January 18, 1174, 21 years after his death. He was the first Cistercian to be placed in the calendar of the saints. In 1830, he was given the title “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Pius VIII. Dear St. Bernard, we pray to you for priests and consecrated men and women. May they strive for a holy life, faithfully follow God's commands, and imitate your great love for Jesus and Mary.”

In this episode of Medieval Church History, Msgr. Michael John Witt talks about The Cistercians Reform the Cluniac Reformers.

Full Text of ReadingsNineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 116All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint DominicIf he hadn't taken a trip with his bishop, Dominic would probably have remained within the structure of contemplative life; after the trip, he spent the rest of his life being a contemplative in active apostolic work. Born in old Castile, Spain, Dominic was trained for the priesthood by a priest-uncle, studied the arts and theology, and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma, where there was an attempt to revive the apostolic common life described in Acts of the Apostles. On a journey through France with his bishop, Dominic came face to face with the then virulent Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. The Albigensians--or Cathari, “the pure ones”--held to two principles—one good, one evil—in the world. All matter is evil—hence they denied the Incarnation and the sacraments. On the same principle, they abstained from procreation and took a minimum of food and drink. The inner circle led what some people regarded as a heroic life of purity and asceticism not shared by ordinary followers. Dominic sensed the need for the Church to combat this heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. He saw immediately why the preaching crusade was not succeeding: the ordinary people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. Understandably, they were not impressed by the Catholic preachers who traveled with horse and retinues, stayed at the best inns and had servants. Dominic therefore, with three Cistercians, began itinerant preaching according to the gospel ideal. He continued this work for 10 years, being successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. His fellow preachers gradually became a community, and in 1215 Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse, the beginning of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. Dominic's ideal, and that of his Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” or “to speak only of God or with God.” Reflection The Dominican ideal, like that of all religious communities, is for the imitation, not merely the admiration, of the rest of the Church. The effective combining of contemplation and activity is the vocation of truck driver Smith as well as theologian Aquinas. Acquired contemplation is the tranquil abiding in the presence of God, and is an integral part of any full human life. It must be the wellspring of all Christian activity. Saint Dominic is the Patron Saint of: Astronomers Dominican Republic Saint of the Day Copyright Franciscan Media

The Cistercian Monks and the Masonic Ritual, Catholicism vs. Anglicanism and Calvinism, the winners of wars write the history that they want you to know. Does censorship exist within the Masonic Fraternity? Has there been a war within the Craft and who were the winners and who were the losers? If we are speculative masons then why don't we speculate more in lodge and during stated meetings or after a ceremony? Academia is always pushing a certain line and if you push against that you will not get your work published and it will be hard to have your voice heard. When some researchers found evidence of weather erosion on the sphinx Egyptology went into to full denial mode and a censorship camping. Anyone who pushed back got defunded and ridiculed. I read again from a book called The Rule of Saint Benedict and Masonic Ritual - The Origin of Masonic Usages, Customs and Ritual" by Alberto Moreno Moreno. Rule of Saint Benedict Antony Sutton Secret Establishment of America : The Skull and Bones Cistercian Monks were renown as master builders and the brethren in white Benedictine Monks Lay Brothers Craftsman initiatic ceremonies Graham Hancock John Anthony West Robert Schcoh Robert Buaval #egyptology #oaths #obligations #initiation #regiusmanuscript #speculation #trivium #grammar #logic #rhetoric --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cesar-rubio5/support

Full Text of ReadingsFifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 104All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint BenedictIt is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career. Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb. He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose Benedict as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Reflection The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church. Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of: Europe Kidney Disease Monastics Poisoning Schoolchildren Click here for a downloadable quote from Saint Benedict! Saint of the Day Copyright Franciscan Media

Learn what the pillars of man are and how to strengthen them. The skull and bones, more Cistercians, Knights Templar and the Kirkwall Scroll. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cesar-rubio5/support

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; one of the outstanding mystics of the Middle Ages; born in Belgium, became a Benedictine and had many mystical experiences; to avoid being made an abbess, she joined the Cistercians; blind for the final eleven years of her life Office […]

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; one of the outstanding mystics of the Middle Ages; born in Belgium, became a Benedictine and had many mystical experiences; to avoid being made an abbess, she joined the Cistercians; blind for the final eleven years of her life Office […] All show notes at Daybreak for June 16, 2021 - This podcast produced by Relevant Radio

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 320All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Thomas AquinasOn Jan. 28, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge.Blessed John Paul II, in his 1998 letter Fides et Ratio, said St. Thomas had the great merit of giving pride of place to the harmony which exists between faith and reason, knowing that both the light of reason and the light of faith come from God Hence there can be no contradiction between them.Thomas was born during 1225 into a noble family, having relatives among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict.The boy's intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10. At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students.It is said that a hermit, before Thomas' birth, told Theodora that she would have a son who would enter the Dominican Order and so great will be his learning and sanctity that in his day no one will be found to equal him. In his adolescence, Thomas' friendship with a holy Dominican inspired him to join them.His family, however, did not envision the brilliant young man as a penniless and celibate preacher. His brothers kidnapped him from the Dominicans, took him to the family's castle, and at one point even sent a woman to seduce him whom Thomas drove out by brandishing a poker from the fireplace.Under pressure from both the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, Thomas' brothers allowed him to escape from captivity. He traveled to Rome and received the Pope's blessing upon his vocation, which would soon take him to Paris to study with the theologian later canonized as Saint Albert the Great.Thomas' silent demeanor caused other students to nickname him the Dumb Ox. Albert, however, discovered that the young man was a brilliant thinker, and proclaimed: We call him the Dumb Ox, but he will give such a bellow in learning as will be heard all over the world.By the time he was 23, Thomas was teaching alongside his mentor at the university of Cologne. During 1248, he published his first commentaries on the pre-Christian Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose insights on nature, logic, and metaphysics would inform Thomas' approach to Catholic theology.Around the middle of the century Thomas was ordained to the priesthood, in which he showed great reverence for the liturgy and skill as a homilist. In keeping with the Dominican order's charism for preaching, he strove to bring his own family to a sincere practice of the faith, and largely succeeded.St. Thomas' best-known achievements, however, are his works of theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae, and the great Summa Theologica which was placed on the altar along with the Bible at the 16th century Council of Trent for easy reference during discussions.In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had seen things that make my writings look like straw. But he complied with a request to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches.On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament's Song of Songs.The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. Nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: I adore you, my God and my Redeemer for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.I hope I have never advanced any tenet as your word, which I had not learned from you, he told God, before making his last communion. If through ignorance I have done otherwise, I revoke everything of that kind, and submit all my writings to the judgment of the holy Roman Church.His last words were addressed to one of the Cistercians who asked for a word of spiritual guidance. Be assured that he who shall always walk faithfully in (God's) presence, always ready to give him an account of all his actions, shall never be separated from him by consenting to sin, he declared.St. Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323, and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that seminarians should learn under the guidance of St. Thomas, in order to illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

On Episode 20 of WCAT Radio’s “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” show-host Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis interviews this week’s guest, Fr. Isaac Slater, O.C.S.O. regarding his life as a Trappist Monk at the Abbey of the Genesee. Fr. Isaac Slater O.C.S.O, is a Roman Catholic Priest, and the Vocations Director for the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, New York. The Abbey of the Genesee was founded from the Abbey of Gethsemani, in Trappist, Kentucky in 1951, and is part of the larger Cistercian family of priests and nuns which traces its origins to the year 1098. Cistercians follow the Rule of St. Benedict, and thus are part of the larger Benedictine family of religious as well. The Constitution of the Order describes the unique contemplative charism to which their communal life is ordered: “The monks dedicate themselves to the worship of God in a hidden life within the monastery under the Rule of St. Benedict. They lead a monastic way of life, in solitude and silence, in assiduous prayer and joyful penitence. . . . (Constitution §2).” In this episode, Fr. Isaac discusses his own personal vocational call to the contemplative monastic life- a life of profound beauty, immense joy, and immeasurable love. Among the unique aspects of the vocation of a fully professed Trappist monk is the recognition of the call to love. In this interview, Fr. Isaac discusses the exceptional emphasis on the devotion to love that is intrinsic to the vocation of a Cistercian of the Strict Observance. In describing the role of a newly professed monk, the Abbey of the Genesee’s website states: “The primary responsibility of the newly professed monk is to love with all his heart. The vows presuppose this love and express it exteriorly by incorporating him into a state of life which has no other reason for existence than the love of Christ and all that implies.” In Episode 20, Fr. Isaac Slater describes the typical day of a Cistercian at the Abbey of the Genesee and details the process of formation and profession of vows. The rhythm of daily life is punctuated with prayer, contemplation, liturgy, community, and work. In addition to exercising the virtue of hospitality by running a retreat house, the Trappist Monks of the Abbey of the Genesee support themselves by baking and selling delicious Monks’ Bread, biscotti, cheese crisps, and nut-butters. A link to their on-line store can be found on the Abbey’s website: https://www.geneseeabbey.org.

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Pius X, Pope Lectionary: 423All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Bernard de ClairvauxOn August 20 the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor of the Church thanks to his writings and sermons which greatly influenced Europe during the 12th century, and his numerousefforts which helped to avoid a schism in the Church in 1130.Born in 1090, Bernard spent his early years near Dijon, France before leaving to joining the Cistercians at the age of 22. He was well educated and so passionate about his faith that he convinced his brothers, his uncle, and many of his friends to join him at the abbey.Bernard first entered the abbey at Citeaux, but only three years later was sent with 12 other monks to establish another monastery in the Diocese of Champagne. The monastery came to be known Clairvaux (Valley of Light). He led the other monks there as the abbot for the rest of his life.St. Bernard knew how to harmonize the contemplative life with important missionary work, as the Pope noted in 2006. However, the saints strict observance of silence and contemplation did not impede him from living a very intense apostolic life. His humility and his commitment to tame his impetuous temperament were exemplary, he said.The Pope also highlighted the saints focus on the truth that God, who is love, created mankind out of love and that mans salvation consists of adhering firmly to Divine love, revealed through the crucified and risen Christ. The richness of St. Bernards preaching and his theology were not in pursuing new paths, the Pope said, but in succeeding to propose the truth of the faith in a clear and incisive way so as to fascinate the listener and lead the person to prayer.St. Bernard is also well-known for his Marian devotion, especially in using and promoting the "Memorare" prayer. He became widely known throughout Europe and was consulted by Popes and political leaders. He died in 1153 and was canonized less than three decades later in 1174.In August 2008, Pope Benedict spoke of the saint during his weekly general audience. He recalled that Pope Pius VIII labeled the Honey-Sweet Doctor for his eloquence and that he traveled throughout Europe defending the Christian faith. Benedict XVI added, He was also remembered as a Doctor of Mariology, not because he wrote extensively on Our Lady, but because he understood her essential role in the Church, presenting her as the perfect model of the monastic life and of every other form of the Christian life. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

In this new 3 part series we’re trying something a little bit different, we’re going to try and think about the monastery from deep time up to the present day. The monastery is an almost unique architectural typology; in its continuity, the specificity of the brief and its legacy and afterlife. In this first episode we discuss the origins of the monastery, and the conflict that arises between differing visions of monastic life in 11-12th century France. What role should architecture, art, sculptural decoration, gold, marble and jewels play in the life of a monk sworn to poverty? How can the architecture and style of monasteries give voice to the ideologies of the monastic orders that live in them? We will be thinking about the afterlife of monasteries in the fervent imagination of modernism in later episodes. Make sure you visit our pinned instagram story to see images of the amazing buildings we are discussing. This episode is sponsored by Blue Crow Media, who publish lushly designed architectural maps of cities all over the world, from brutalist Sydney to Art Deco New York. Use the offer code aboutbuildings to get 10% off if you buy before the end of August. Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. For this episode we will very shortly be releasing a Patreon bonus on Umberto Eco's post-modern genre mashup 'The Name of the Rose'. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us! Follow us on twitter // instagram // facebook We’re on the web at aboutbuildingsandcities.org This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; entered a Benedictine convent at the age of 12; favored with many mystical experiences; later joined the Cistercians; blind during the last eleven years of her life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/16/20 Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48 All show notes at Daybreak for June 16, 2020 - This podcast produced by Relevant Radio

Full Text of ReadingsTuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 366)All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. LutgardisSt. Lutgardis is the patron saint of the blind and physically disabled. Born in the 12th century, she came to her vocation in part due to her fathers bad business sense. Her father lost her dowry in a failed business venture and sent her to a Benedictine convent at the age of 12.A few years later, she received a vision of Christ showing her his wounds, and at age 20 she became a Benedictine nun. Her visions continued and she is said to have levitated and dripped blood from her head when meditating on the Passion.Seeking a stricter life, she joined the Cistercians and displayed the gifts of healing, prophecy, spiritual wisdom and teaching on the Gospels.She accepted the blindness that afflicted her for the last 11 years of her life as a gift that helped reduce the distractions of the outside world. In her last vision, Christ told her when she was to die, the day after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, June 16, 1246. She was 64. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

As we learn to stay home, we can learn to "stay home" deeply within our hearts. So as you shelter in place, stay home, or perhaps put your own life at risk on the front lines of essential services and medical care, let these words of God bring your heart peace. “Be still, and know that I am God, exalted over nations, exalted over earth!” (Psalm 46) This pandemic is not more powerful than God who holds us all in the palm of his hand. Having “outward stillness” imposed on us through “lockdowns” gives us the opportunity to search for the tiny flickering lights of inner stillness, the relieved sighing of our exhausted hearts that we are not alone, that the darkness has never and will never overcome the divine plan at work in the world’s history. As the Abbot General of the Cistercians said in his recent letter, “A time of trial can make people harsher or more sensitive, more indifferent or more compassionate. Fundamentally, all depends on the love with which we live them out, and this above all is what Christ comes to grant us and to awaken in us with his presence. Any trial whatever comes and goes, but if we live it with love, the wound that the trial cuts into our lives will be able to remain open, like that on the Body of the Risen One, like an ever surging spring of compassion.”

As we learn to stay home, we can learn to "stay home" deeply within our hearts. So as you shelter in place, stay home, or perhaps put your own life at risk on the front lines of essential services and medical care, let these words of God bring your heart peace. “Be still, and know that I am God, exalted over nations, exalted over earth!” (Psalm 46) This pandemic is not more powerful than God who holds us all in the palm of his hand. Having “outward stillness” imposed on us through “lockdowns” gives us the opportunity to search for the tiny flickering lights of inner stillness, the relieved sighing of our exhausted hearts that we are not alone, that the darkness has never and will never overcome the divine plan at work in the world’s history. As the Abbot General of the Cistercians said in his recent letter, “A time of trial can make people harsher or more sensitive, more indifferent or more compassionate. Fundamentally, all depends on the love with which we live them out, and this above all is what Christ comes to grant us and to awaken in us with his presence. Any trial whatever comes and goes, but if we live it with love, the wound that the trial cuts into our lives will be able to remain open, like that on the Body of the Risen One, like an ever surging spring of compassion.”

For decades, Scott Wolter has honed his skills in the sciences looking for historical answers within the natural world. Now, he continues his quest for the truth on Travel Channel in the new season of “America Unearthed,” that premiered on, May 28 at 10 p.m.. In these one-hour series, he explores some of America's deepest secrets, digging up mysteries that have been hidden until now. Using his background as a forensic geologist and teaming up with eyewitnesses and other experts in their respective fields, he is determined to find new evidence and ultimately the proof that's been buried in time suggesting history isn't what we've been told. As with many journeys of this nature, the destination is very elusive and often takes us in directions not anticipated or expected.  Scott shares with us the mystery of the Hooked X, and where it has led him.  From ancient Cistercians to the Knights templar, Early Native Americans to the free Masons, Akhenaten to the founding fathers … and beyond. http://scottwolteranswers.blogspot.com/2019/ https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/travel-channel-resurrects-america-unearthed-hosted-by-forensic-geologist-scott-wolter/

For decades, Scott Wolter has honed his skills in the sciences looking for historical answers within the natural world. Now, he continues his quest for the truth on Travel Channel in the new season of “America Unearthed,” that premiered on, May 28 at 10 p.m.. In these one-hour series, he explores some of America’s deepest secrets, digging up mysteries that have been hidden until now. Using his background as a forensic geologist and teaming up with eyewitnesses and other experts in their respective fields, he is determined to find new evidence and ultimately the proof that’s been buried in time suggesting history isn’t what we’ve been told.As with many journeys of this nature, the destination is very elusive and often takes us in directions not anticipated or expected. Scott shares with us the mystery of the Hooked X, and where it has led him. From ancient Cistercians to the Knights templar, Early Native Americans to the free Masons, Akhenaten to the founding fathers … and beyond.http://scottwolteranswers.blogspot.com/2019/https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/travel-channel-resurrects-america-unearthed-hosted-by-forensic-geologist-scott-wolter/

For decades, Scott Wolter has honed his skills in the sciences looking for historical answers within the natural world. Now, he continues his quest for the truth on Travel Channel in the new season of “America Unearthed,” that premiered on, May 28 at 10 p.m.. In these one-hour series, he explores some of America’s deepest secrets, digging up mysteries that have been hidden until now. Using his background as a forensic geologist and teaming up with eyewitnesses and other experts in their respective fields, he is determined to find new evidence and ultimately the proof that’s been buried in time suggesting history isn’t what we’ve been told. As with many journeys of this nature, the destination is very elusive and often takes us in directions not anticipated or expected.  Scott shares with us the mystery of the Hooked X, and where it has led him.  From ancient Cistercians to the Knights templar, Early Native Americans to the free Masons, Akhenaten to the founding fathers … and beyond. http://scottwolteranswers.blogspot.com/2019/ https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/travel-channel-resurrects-america-unearthed-hosted-by-forensic-geologist-scott-wolter/

In the second hour, hosts Jeanine Bitzan and Roxane Salonen joined Sister Mary Bede to talk about her calling to the Cistercians in Wisconsin. It was then time for our 10-Minute Tour of local events. Rick Kline joined our hosts to talk about the fun event in Aberdeen, the Cavalier Trap Shoot. Finally, our hosts spoke with Fr. Mark McCormick about the 7th Annual Bishop's Fishing Tournament in Fort Pierre, SD.

In the second hour, hosts Jeanine Bitzan and Roxane Salonen joined Sister Mary Bede to talk about her calling to the Cistercians in Wisconsin. It was then time for our 10-Minute Tour of local events. Rick Kline joined our hosts to talk about the fun event in Aberdeen, the Cavalier Trap Shoot. Finally, our hosts spoke with Fr. Mark McCormick about the 7th Annual Bishop's Fishing Tournament in Fort Pierre, SD.

We go deep on this complex matter with Tim Hogan, the leader of a surviving Templar lineage, like: Whence did they come? What did they do? Why were they crushed? Where did they flee? What were they searching for & did they find it? Why was it of great importance & danger? Were they bankers, architects, masons, occultists, soldiers, farmers, or a political force? How is John the Baptist relevant? Did they mine in America? Why did they raise round churches? What's the relation to Cistercians, Sufis, Druze, Kabalists, Gnostics, Rosicrucians, Masons, & other minor spiritual currents? How does Atlantis fit in? And we expose yet more secrets...   :: :: :: ::   All programs are gratis & listener funded. Please consider supporting our work and help cover costs by donating, subscribing to our channel, liking & sharing our posts. Subscribing to our website (https://www.forumborealis.net/contribute) gives you direct access to all shows before public release + various bonus & backstage clips. Our shows are chronologically arranged in different series collected in separate playlists.   :: :: :: ::   * Covert History of the Knights Templar (Part 1 & 2) - A conversation with Timothy Hogan (S04P01)   * © Forum Borealis. May not be reproduced in any commercial way.   * Guest: G.M. Timothy Hogan (http://www.forumborealis.net/guests)   * Recorded: 21 November 2015   * Bumper music used with cordial permission from © Loopus.net   * This Program is part of our fourth series called FROM SOLOMONS TEMPLE TO ARCADIA (http://www.forumborealis.net/series)        

I'm reading Abbot Jean-Baptiste Chautard's classic book on the interior life, the Soul of the Apostolate. This book is so good that it has been given the thumbs up by three popes: Pope Pius X (had a copy on his nightstand, Benedict XV ( who wrote a foreword for it), and Benedict XVI (who cited it during his visit to Lourdes in 2008). As a fundraiser, Dom Chautard's guidance is priceless because he offers recommendations for being a "soldier of Christ" who takes "zealous action." Cistercians, like you and me, had to fundraise at times. Here are three recommendations I have learned from Dom Chautard on fundraising correctly as a Catholic. You can learn more here: http://bit.ly/2MvXFdU

Fr. Martin and Steve take a look at a branch of the Order of Cistercians known as Trappists – discussing their daily lives and how they maintain their abbeys and cloisters. Oh yeah, they make beer too.

Episode 48: Convictions (Season 3, Episode 2)Synopsis: In which a mad bomber terrorizes the station and a number of pilgrims begin to arrive. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517641/?ref_=ttep_ep2http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/046.html Mode Training is a philosophical/quasi-religious doctrine from David Gerrold's “War Against the Chtorr” series. It is intended to let individuals move beyond human psychologies. The founder of the movement writes under the pseudonym of “Solomon Short.” Make of that what you will. Brother Theo's monastery is New Melleray Abbey in Iowa. The monks there are Cistercians or Trappists, who make a darn fine jam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Melleray_Abbey Gene Roddenberry was indeed an ardent humanist and disdainful of religion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry#Religious_views Somehow we had a whole conversation about religion and spirituality in sci-fi without mentioning either incarnation of Battlestar Galactica. You should probably be listening to a better podcast. In the 13th century Pope Innocent IV sent a letter to Guyuk, Khan of the Mongols, telling him that the Mongol forces should stop attacking Christendom and maybe even convert to Christianity. Guyuk's response to the Pope: "You must say with a sincere heart ‘We will be your subjects; we will give you our strength.' You must in person come with your kings, all together, without exception, to render us service and pay us homage. Only then will we acknowledge your submission. And if you do not follow the order of God, and go against our orders, we will know you as our enemy."https://ballandalus.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/mongol-papal-encounter-letter-exchange-between-pope-innocent-iv-and-guyuk-khan-in-1245-1246/ Babylon 5 Season 3 intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9EbGd1AlMg Space: 1999 Season One theme. Mixing 2001's orchestral epicness with funk electric guitar that for some reason actually works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLhdY6_juDkSeason Two leans fully into the disco horns. Whether it “works” is best left as an exercise for the reader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsmefY94E_0 

A French order supported by Normans becomes a Welsh mainstay in the 12th century. Please consider becoming a supporter at:http://patreon.com/WelshHistory You can find everything we do at DistractionsMedia.com Music: Celtic Impulse - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100297 Artist: http://incompetech.com

Praying with the Masters Today 2 by Bernard McGinn Meditatio Talks Series 2018 B Apr-Jun Track 1 of 10

The Madonna finds herself high above the famous “Rhondas” at Our Lady of Penrhys and Ffynnon Mair (St Mary’s Well) time honored sites in South Wales.   Constant Procession tells of key apparitions of the Virgin Mary since she passed on from the world and how she serves humanity through Christianity. The origin of these podcasts began with my book; Constant Procession. I've read the entire book from cover to cover (Installments 1-49.) Each installment runs about 7 minutes in length. To listen from the beginning Installments since Podcast 50 are an extended series of additional stories about the history of the Virgin Mary that are not found in the book. Constant Procession; the podcast; is published every Tuesday morning and has links and more information for each episode at ConstantProcession.com An e-book copy of the book can be found on the website http://ConstantProcession.com I value feedback through the comments section on my website or better via email at NikosSteves@gmail.com

The burren – County Clare   The Burren in west County Clare is our featured destination in this podcast.  Entire books are written about this 200 acres of rocky limestone that borders the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a landscape of myths and legends and sacred ground with archaeological remnants that date back thousands of years. It’s also a landscape of contrasts – the gray rock against the blue sky, mountains and hills that rise out of a seemingly endless flat bedrock. The contrasts are particularly powerful in the spring when the flowers of the Burren come into bloom.  Tiny little orchids pop up in between the slabs of limestone   Most people who visit the Burren drive through and stop at the most famous locations such as the Poulnabrone dolmen or the Burren Perfumery. They take the obligatory photo of Lamanegh Castle and maybe stop at Corcomroe Abbey.    The Buren is a sacred landscape.  The poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue, who was from the Burren region said of the Burren: It’s a bare limestone landscape. And I often think that the forms of the limestone are so abstract and aesthetic, it is as if they were all laid down by some wild surrealistic kind of deity. Being a child and coming out into that, it was like a huge wild invitation to extend your imagination. Quote extracted from the Onbeing podcast – March 18, 2016 I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been to the Burren. On my first trip to Ireland, I had no role in planning the itinerary. I simply went along with friends who’d invited me and enjoyed the sites they chose.  I can recall my friend, Hal McConnell – a great mystic with a brilliant and the planner of our Ireland tour saying, “Now, we’ll enter a mystical landscape – the Burren where everything seems harsh and stark, but there’s an underlying sacredness about the place.   Though you can catch glimpses of the highlights by driving through, a better experience is to walk the Burren. Get out into the landscape and place yourself in that sacred space.  It’s so worth stopping, moving, absorbing that special energy unique to the Burren.   Or better yet, treat yourself to a walking tour led by a guide who knows his or her way around and can reveal parts of the landscape you won’t be able to see on your own.  Our favorite Burren tour guide is Tony Kirby. And he’s our guest on this podcast.   Interview with Tony Kirby   Tony Kirby is full time tour operator offering walking tours through the Burren. He’s been offering these tours for 15 years through his company, Heart of the Burren Walking Tours www.heartofburrenwalks.com Tony Kirby Facebook Page The Burren and the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide by Tony Kirby Tony comments about the Burren that it is a rare global landform – limestone pavement. Of world importance botanically for its unique mélange of wild flowers. Exceedingly rich cultural (archaeological) landscape – “a vast memorial to bygone cultures” with a 6,000-year-old story of low-scale pastoralism. The Burren’s natural and cultural landscape is home to much legend and mythology.
 His favorite site in the Burren is St Colmán’s Hermitage – a mainland equivalent of Skellig Michael. A hermitage of Early Christian origin set in mature forest at the base of the region’s sheerest cliff. Rich in legend of the Saint Colmán. The Burren (200 sq miles) is less visited than other big-ticket Irish Atlantic destinations like the Cliffs of Moher, peninsular Kerry, Connemara, the Aran islands and Galway city. However, those that visit the Burrren are struck by how important a heritage landscape it is internationally and secondly by the fact the extensive rocky landscape is in part man-made i.e. caused by prehistoric agri-vandalism. Tony’s has a blog about the Burren that is done with renowned landscape photographer Carsten Krieger at  www.burrentales.com Tony is soon launching a site with photographer Karin Funke. - The Holy Wells of the Burren www.burrenholywells.com Launching website very soon – The Killeens of the Burren. Killeens are burial grounds of unbaptised children. Politics by W.B. Yeats   corcomroe Abbey   Corcomroe Abbey is a 12th century monastic ruin that was once occupied by the Cistercians. It is a place of two worlds. If you ever wanted test yourself for sensitivity to the otherworld, this would be a perfect spot to start.   Have you ever felt like you were being surrounded by memories?  Graveyards do this to me. I know I feel differently when I cross the threshold into a graveyard… but if I really examine what it is that I’m feeling, it’s a swirling around of memories – the stories of the dead, of those who mourned them, stood by the gravesides, came back and visited, the sculpture who created the ornate markers, the stone cutter who etched the names into stone…   Corcomroe projects its memories into the landscape. If you quiet yourself as you approach the abbey ruins, you’ll begin to feel the memories. This often happens to me in monastic ruins, but none so much as at Corcomroe.   Notice the details.  They’ll speak to you. In your mind, talk to the effigy of the Chieftain king. Internally hear what he says to you.  Look above him and notice the smile on the bishop’s face. With your inner eye, see the monks walking the cloister walk.  Follow them, hear their prayers. It is so easy to step back in time here.   I have this little spiritual exercise I do when I walk in the wild places. As I internally communicate with the spirit world, I find that I’m often confirmed by the shape of hearts. Heart shaped stones, shapes in the trees, clouds, leaves on the ground.  I see hearts. But only at these special times.  The last time I was Corcomroe, I snapped a picture with my phone of the gable wall with the large window. I didn’t see it until I looked at the digital image – but there – big as life on the wall was shadow cast by the sun in the perfect shape of a heart. I’ll post that picture in the Shownotes.   The effigy of King Conor O’Brien is what people tend to remember about Corcomroe. And that’s just what was intended some 750 years ago when it placed there.   In 1268 Conor O'Brien, Lord Thomond and his son, his daughter, his grandson and a number of others were slain in a battle very near the abbey. Conor O'Brien's body was laid in a tomb under the floor of Corcomroe abbey against the north wall. A niche was cut in over it and an effigy placed on top of the tomb. This effigy atop King Conor O'Brien's tomb is one of only two effigies of Irish kings. the two kings died about the same time and the effigies appear identical.   Beneath the floor next to him are the graves of some of his warriors.   This short poem appeared in the Irish Monthly in 1911 by R.M.G.     Conor O'Brien of the kings. How sound you sleep in Corcomroe!  The night wind in the choir sings  The hymns of many a year ago.   What day was that when you were borne By warriors from the field of red !  Your blade was broke, your side was torn:  They laid you in your royal bed.   They ripped the chancel's paven floor  And laid your warriors there in rows:  Their requiem is the tempest's roar,  Their souls are sped where no man knows.   ~Background music Long Road Ahead by Kevin MadLeod – incompetech.com          Corcomroe Abbey – Monastic Ruins in the Burren by Mindie Burgoyne     Thank you for listening to the Thin Places Travel Podcast. You can find us on the web at thinplacespodcast.com. You can also find me on twitter at @travelhags and facebook.com/thinplaces.  And if you enjoyed this episode, please give us quick rating and review on iTunes – under Thin Places Travel Podcast. And consider subscribing.  In our next episode, our guest will be Mary Reynolds, an Irish garden and landscape designer famous for her wild gardens and her focus on bringing back the wild places. So long, for now. 

Wheeling and dealing on a weekday evening, sportsball gets a foot in the door, simulating simulations, tidally locked exoplanets and other cool space stuff that will take forever to get to, lunar tourism and this podcast train is bound for Silly Town. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Coughing along, singing our song… [00:00] Entomology etymology: there’s two XKCDs for that A truly Hall Of Fame cereal, brought to you by the 80s Pretty much Tom’s crack-of-dawn routine Ira Glass and “the NPR voice” (not everyone likes it) Following follow-up [09:19] Can you find Tom’s limerick in HI 77? A closed refutation, and an open discussion, of momentum in sport Living in a simulation? Don’t think too hard about it… Space [21:59] The ultra-cool TRAPPIST–1 Playing with the Drake equation Tom’s Star Destroyer mineral rights: 16 Psyche The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance are pretty chill “One of these days, Elon…” [45:18] “…pow - straight to the moon!” Can one enjoy reading Ender’s Game despite its author? We shall see… Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)

  Rebroadcast of the long running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour", a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org Born Michel Carlier in France, Frater Maxime Carlier, O.C.S.O., was a Trappist monk of Our Lady of Scourmont Abbey at Forges in the municipality of Chimay, Belgium. He entered the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance at Chimay in 1911, having already served two years in the army, and professed simple vows in 1913. In August of 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, he was once again pressed into military service. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant, and during the intense fighting he often rescued his fellow soldiers without concern for his own safety. Frater Maxime was twice wounded in battle, and he was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal for bravery. After three years of bloody conflict, just before leaving his post to go on furlough, he was killed in action during a German bombardment at the Yser River in 1917, and he died at the age of 26.

Now a romantic ruin, Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire was a thriving industrial hub for the Cistercian order of monks in the 12th Century. Here Bettany meets archaeologist Mark Newman to bring the Abbey to life once more and to explore the impact of the Cistercians, the first truly pan-European movement, on Britain’s economy. Bettany meets Head of Landscape, Michael Ridsdale, to discuss how the ruined abbey became a folly to the Studley Royal Estate in the 18th Century, and how he and his team of gardeners are presenting the site for modern visitors. Finally, Bettany returns to the east end of the Abbey to learn from Mark how cutting-edge technology has revealed an exciting new find, which sheds fresh light on the monks’ beliefs. For more information about Fountains Abbey, including opening times and dates, go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey-and-studley-royal-water-garden See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rebroadcast of the long running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour", a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org St. Joan de Lestonnac was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1556. She married at the age of seventeen. The happy marriage produced four children, but her husband died suddenly in 1597. After her children were raised, she entered the Cistercian monastery at Toulouse. Joan was forced to leave the Cistercians when she became afflicted with poor health. She returned to Bordeaux with the idea of forming a new congregation, and several young girls joined her as novices. They ministered to victims of a plague that struck Bordeaux, and they were determined to counteract the evils of heresy promulgated by Calvinism. Thus was formed the Congregation of the Religious of Notre Dame of Bordeaux. In 1608, Joan and her companions received the religious habit from the Archbishop of Bordeaux. Joan was elected superior in 1610, and many miracles occurred at her tomb. She was canonized in 1949 by Pope Pius XII.

Rebroadcast of the long running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour", a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org St. Benedict Joseph Labre - Patron of Unmarried men (bachelors), rejects, mental illness, mentally ill people, insanity, beggars, hobos, the homeless. Called "the Beggar of Rome," a pilgrim recluse. He was born in Amettes, France, on March 25, 1748, the eldest of eighteen children. Studying under his uncle, a parish priest, at Erin, France, Benedict tried to join the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians but was refused by these orders. In 1770, he made a pilgrimage to the major shrines of Europe, settling in Rome in 1774. There he lived near the Colosseum and earned fame for his sanctity. Benedict was devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and attended the Forty Hours devotion in the city. He died in Rome on April 16, and was beatified in 1860. He was canonized in 1883.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Mother Maureen, Sr. Evelyn, Sr. Katy, Sr. Janice, and Sr. Evelyn of Mount Saint Mary Abbey, Wrentham, Mass. Links from today's show: Today's topics: Trappist nuns who make world-famous chocolate Summary of today's show: They say it's the best kept secret in New England and along a quiet, tree-lined road in the rural town of Wrentham sits an unassuming monastery of contemplative women who make chocolate beloved around the world. Scot Landry goes on location to Mount Saint Mary's Abbey, where the Trappist nuns support their way of life by making and selling Trappistine Quality Candy (perfect for Christmas gifts!) and practice the Cistercian life of liturgy, labor, and lectio divina. Join us on a rare behind-the-scenes look at life in a place where life moves at a different pace. 1st segment: St. Mary Abbey in Wrentham is the first abbey of Cistercian abbey of nuns in the United States. We are on location in Wrentham to share with you their way of life and show Mother Maureen, Sister Katy and Sister Evelyn join us today. Scot asked Mother Maureen about the origins of the Cistercians. The order was founded in 1098 by Benedictines living in a culture that didn't allow for the full expression of the Benedictine way of life. These monks missed the manual labor as well as the solitude and prayer that comes with less involvement in secular affairs. So they went off into the thick woods of France with the Church's blessing to work the land and find a purer balance of the Benedictine way of life: Liturgy, labor, and lectio divina. This way of life took off like wildfire. Scot said at some point the Cistercians underwent a reform which resulted in the Trappists, formally called the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Mother Maureen said the order looked back to its roots which helped it to survive difficult times, including the French revolution. Scot said there are other Cistercians abbeys in the US, including 12 for women. Sr. Katy said there is usually a monastery of nuns located near a monastery of women. The Abbey in Spencer, Mass., was already here and then Cardinal Cushing in 1949 asked for the sisters to come from Ireland to found this monastery. The numbers grew very quickly and they began to make foundations elsewhere. The first was in Iowa and the second in Arizona and third in West Virginia. Scot said they take a vow of stability. They promise to stay in the abbey for the rest of their life. Sr. Katy said the exception is if they make a new foundation, but if they come it's their intention to stay in the community until death. It's a blessing to have that continuation. It's a little bit of heaven because we believe after death we will be together forever. She said they never get bored with one another because they're always changing. Scot said there are 45 nuns in this monastery. Sr. Katy said they're starting to see young women come to visit again. They don't like to take them too young because the life is quite radical and so they would like them to have some maturity. Mother Maureen said about 1/4 of the nuns are from New England and 1/4 from the rest of the United States and since the 1990s they've had many more from overseas, so about 1/4 are from 10 different countries. And if they count the ones in the cemetery, about 1/4 are from New York state. She said there are more monasteries of men than women and there are some countries with Cistercian monasteries for men, but not women, so women who are interested in the monastic spirituality in the life will seek out the community. Scot said when they make a vow of stability to this community, they are leaving behind their country and they are discerning God's will that this community is where they will stay the rest of their days. She said when you have people from a number of cultures living together, it relativizes the culture and brings you to the essence of religious life. Scot asked how the diversity of background adds to the life. Sr. Katy said they are gifted and blessed to have so many cultures involved here. God has a wonderful sense of humor and a wonderful treasure he gives to us not just in accepting the other, but in being accepted and being able to live together. You come for one reason: to live for God. Other reasons can include the life of prayer, the life of work, the life of community, but in the end when everything else falls away, the one thing you have left is God. That is proven when you have so many people from so many cultures. Scot said when you live a life of stability with a very regimented schedule, that might not appeal to someone coming from a busy life. He asked Sr. Evelyn as the novice mistress how she helps seekers to adjust to the life of the abbey. She said when someone does come, most of the time they're very grateful for the simple life and they say to themselves they don't know how they dealt with the old way. Most who come have already started to live a prayer life outside and have had to give up a lot of their activities so when they come they plunge in. After a while, when you have a routine, you start to live within and the adventure is really within. You realize that God is really the adventure, because he's speaking to you in this quiet life. Scot asked Mother Maureen how she discerned her vocation. She said her father gave her the book the by Thomas Merton when she was 15. Her dad loved Dorothy Day, who played a big part in Merton's life. When she finished the book, she realized that it was a mirror of a desire she didn't know she'd had. When she told her dad, he said it wasn't why he gave her the book, but it was too late. It was a seed that grew in her. Scot asked Sr. Katy about her vocation. Her parents were very supportive of what she wanted to do in her life. She'd been in an another order for a number of years before coming to the Trappistines. As a little girl she'd wanted to be a sister, but that got put on the shelf during high school. As she came to graduation she felt God pulling her in this direction. She also tried nursing and entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and was with them for years. That community would often go to a nearby men's monastery for Mass and prayers and felt a growing call for the solitude that was there and the vocation came from deep within and there was nothing to do but follow it. She loved the Daughters of Charity, this was the right move to make. She's never regretted it. Sr. Evelyn is Scottish and came to Canada with no intention of entering a monastery. She got the call as she left Scotland. She desired to love God as much as she could and she went around to all kinds of other active orders, but she had a desire for the contemplative life. The person helping her thought she was too extroverted for contemplative life. The book that really struck her was the book She was told that she should go to America rather than stay in Canada because she didn't speak French. She finally came to the abbey and the day she walked in the door,she knew she was home. Scot asked her how an extrovert can live a life of silence every day. She said the silence was what attracted her because the silence helps her to pray. She's a talker, but what she really loves most is the silence. 2nd segment: Scot said life in the abbey is about Liturgy, Lectio Divina, and Labor. The liturgical life includes seven times of prayer each day. Mother Maureen said St. Benedict loved the phrase from the Psalm, seven times a day I have praised you. The figurative meaning is giving the life wholly in praise. They rise before dawn, at 3:20am, to begin the day with prayer. This is key to Cistercian spirituality, rising in the night to meet with God. All the activities of the community revolve around those hours of prayer, so each part of the day is blessed by liturgical praise. Scot asked the other times during the day they pray the Divine Office. Mother Maureen said Morning Prayer is a 6:30, followed by Mass. They have three little hours and then a solemn evening hour of Vespers and then Compline at 7:15 at which time they go to sleep. All the prayers are in the chapel in community, except the Ninth Hour, at noon, which is prayed wherever they are working. Scot asked Sr. Katy about Lectio. She said Lectio Divina is one of the most important aspects of their life. It includes Scripture reading. It feeds the heart and soul. It's different from reading a book to study or for pleasure. It goes to the heart and it's never finished and can never be replaced by anything else. You carry the word or phrase you receive throughout the day and comes back to you as they day goes on. Some sisters use the readings from daily Mass for Lectio. Not everyone uses the same readings. Scot said his sense is that it's deep, slow, and short reading. Not a chapter in a book, but a paragraph or sentence. Sr. Katy said it's important to read it slowly and several times. A word might catch you or a phrase and it's important to stay with that. Sometimes nothing comes and that's okay too. God can speak in the silence. Scot asked for what they could tell listeners to integrate it into their own prayer lives. She suggested setting aside a particular time of day, perhaps in the morning. Don't feel you need to read something in its entirety, take it slow. Read it over and over again. Try to carry it with you throughout the day. Scot asked Sr. Evelyn why Labor is such important part of the life of a Cistercian nun. She said part of their life is to live by the labor of their hands. They've chosen that they want to live by their labor and take care of their own needs. Different aspects of life have different labors. There is a prayer in work that reveals what's going on in your heart. You are in prayer, you are in one place. When you're in work, it reveals the depth of character, especially when things don't go well. Being able to see work as a gift and to offer your whole heart in your work can amplify the prayer before or after that. Scot asked what forms of labor there are at the abbey. In addition to candy making, there is the office work they do. They have a flock of sheep to care for and groundskeeping and building maintenance. There is plenty of cooking, housework, and taking care of the sick in the infirmary. They have a bindery and a shoe shop as well. Scot asked Mother Maureen if the sisters rotate among the jobs or stay at one job. She said they do try to have a balance of detachment and using people's gifts. Some of the work is more technical so a person who has work like that, like actually cooking or treasurer has to have certain skills. It varies, some keep their jobs longer than others. There is a common good and a personal good and they try their best to balance those. Scot asked Sr. Katy how a woman might want to discern whether this is the way of life for them. Sr. Katy would invite them to a monastic weekend, which they offer twice per year. It gives them an overview and closeup view of the way they live. If the woman and the community feel it might be prudent for them, they invite them back to live in the guest house for about a week. The next step is for them to come inside and live with them for up to six weeks. After that would be acceptance into the order as a postulant. She said she makes clear that their number one work is prayer. They don't work in schools or hospitals. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Janice, who oversees the business operations of Trappistine Candy. He said we've learned that labor is one of the ways the nuns grow in their faith. He asked her about the candy business here. She said they make a variety of candy and offer them in various combination. Their bestseller is butternut munch in milk chocolate and dark chocolate. They also make several kinds of fudge. They also make milk and ark chocolate squares. Scot asked what makes it unique. Sr. Janice it's made with love and prayers and when they make it they remember those who supply them with the goods to make it or support them by purchasing it because it supports their life and vocations. People can buy it at the gift store, but they can also purchase it online. Sr. Janice said their candy has gone to every continent, but Antarctica. The bulk of their business is domestic and have many customers who use their candy for gift-giving. Some people from far away have heard about them and found them online and just buy the candy. If people wanted to order the candy, they can go to or call 1-866-549-8929. They sell well more than 1,000 orders at Christmas. Scot said it's obviously well more than 1,000 by the humble look on Sr. Janice's face. Scot asked her what the one thing about she wanted to share about their candy. She said the sisters have a contest to see which state purchases the most candy: It's usually Massachusetts or New York. New York won once, but Massachusetts has carried the pennant for the past 40 years. 4th segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Pamela and she is the new media expert in the abbey. He asked how embracing new media is part of their work. She handles the website and Facebook page for the abbey. She also troubleshoots anything in the monastery as well. They had their first website back in the 1990s, as soon as it was possible. It's been important for their work, not just for vocations, but also for supporting the general Catholic population. They have visitors from all over the world and there's a general hunger among people to find the authentic Christian life. It has helped with vocations. If the website wasn't there they would think the sisters out of touch. She said, if used properly and with discretion, Facebook is a way to evangelize. They use it to reach not just family and friends, but all people interested in their life. She often posts about events and photos. She posts prayer requests, summaries of homilies, and the like. People sometimes submit prayer requests through the Facebook page and through a form on their website. Scot said they also have a Flickr.com page and there are a lot of photos from recent events at the Abbey. Sr. Pamela said they just opened it this summer. As a Mac user she had been using a .Mac account, but since that is closing, she's moved to Flickr. Scot said being able to communicate with the outside world connects what they do here in the community with the universal Church. She said when people do come here to visit they often comment on that connection. Mother Maureen finished by saying that every Christian has a call to reflect the life of Jesus in some way, but no person or group can exhaust the mystery of Jesus. They are called to express the love of Christ in their life of community. Each person's journey in their prayer life is uncharted, but it is all about entering into the heart of Christ and his prayer.

Gerry McDonnell gives a talk for the Ian Ramsay Seminar Series on 24th February 2011. Iron was fundamental to the construction and operation of any large scale building in medieval Europe, whether castle or abbey. The long-standing interpretation of the development of iron smelting technology in England argued for a step change in technology in the late 15th Century when small scale bloomery iron production was replaced by blast furnaces producing a tonne of cast iron per day. This model has been undermined by the recent evidence of 'blast-furnaces' in Scandinavia in the 10/11th centuries AD. Therefore the Cistercians monasteries with their strong European network could play a major role in the evolution of iron technology in Europe spanning the critical period of technological development between 1000-1500AD. This presentation will outline the history of Rievaulx Abbey. It will summarise the results of archaeological fieldwork conducted on the home granges of Rievaulx. It will include examples of survey and excavation, and post-excavation analysis of the material. It will demonstrate that the development of iron technology is not revolutionary as argued by the earlier model but evolutionary. The presentation will conclude with a brief discussion of the post-monastic Rievaulx iron industry, which will argue for a continuity of technological development that culminated in the Industrial Revolution

An afternoon with eminent Welsh historian and heritage officer of Blaenau Gwent, Frank Olding, who was a foundt of information, I try my hand at my school Welsh Again, This foundation happened after a serious battele wbetween the Welsh and the Anglo Saxons, when the Saxons wiped out the whole royal family of Powys, except Heledd, the Princess, who sickened of life, retired up the mountain to found a religious community in the sixth century with the servivors and remaining holy men. She is the author of Can Heledd, poetry written about the battle beginning the 'Hall of Cynddylan is lonely tonight' sung to an old Welsh Air. We discuss Arthur, recusancy in the area, the Cistercians and the reformation and we ring the bells! Post about the Monmouthshire links to Guernsey! And the  joke section is back!  

This episode of CS is titled – Monks.We took a look at the hermits in Episode 18 and delved into the beginnings of the monastic movement that swept the Church. The hermits were those who left the city to live an ultra-ascetic life of isolation; literally fleeing from the world. Others who longed for the ascetic life could not abide the lack of fellowship and so retreated from the world to live in sequestered communes called monasteries & nunneries.The men were called monks and the women; the feminine form of the same word – nonnus, or nuns. In recent episodes, we've seen that the ascetic lifestyle of both hermits & monks was considered the ideal expression of devotion to God during the 4th & 5th Centuries. We're going to spend more time looking at monastery-life now because it proves central to the development of the faith during the Middle Ages, particularly in Western Europe but also in the East.Let's review from Episode 18 the roots of monasticism . . .Leisure time to converse about philosophy with friends was highly prized in the ancient world. It was fashionable for public figures to express a yearning for such intellectual leisure, or “otium” as they called it; but of course, they were much too busy serving their fellow man. It became hip to adopt the attitude, “I'm so busy with my duties, I don't get much ‘Me-time'.”Occasionally, as the famous Roman orator & Senator Cicero portrayed it, they scored such time for philosophical reflection by retiring to write on themes such as duty, friendship & old age. That towering intellect & theologian Augustine of Hippo had the same wish as a young man, & when he became a Christian in 386, left his professorship in oratory to devote his life to contemplation & writing. He retreated with a group of friends, his son & his mother, to a home on Lake Como, to discuss, then write about The Happy Life, Order & other such subjects, in which both classical philosophy and Christianity shared an interest. When he returned to his hometown of Tagaste in North Africa, he set up a community in which he & his friends could lead a monastic life, apart from the world, studying scripture & praying. Augustine's contemporary, Jerome; translator of the Latin Vulgate, felt the same tug. He too made an attempt to live apart from the world.The Christian version of this yearning for a life of philosophical retirement had an important difference from the pagan version. While reading & meditation remained central, the call to do it in concert w/others who set themselves apart from the world was added.For the monks and nuns who sought such a communal life, the crucial thing was the call to a way of life which would make it possible to ‘go apart' & spend time w/God in prayer and worship.Prayer was the Opus Dei, the ‘work of God'.As it was originally conceived, to become a monk or nun was an attempt to obey to the full the commandment to love God with all one is & has. In the Middle Ages, it was also understood as a fulfillment of the command to love one's neighbor, for monks & nuns were supposed to be primarily praying for the world. They really did believe they were performing an important task on behalf of lost souls. So among the members of a monastery, there were those who prayed, those who ruled, and those who worked. The most important to society were those who prayed. Ideally, while monks & nuns might have different duties based on their station & assignment, they all engaged in both work & prayer.But a difference developed between the monastic movements of East & West.In the East, the Desert Fathers set the pattern. They were hermits who adopted extreme forms of asceticism, and came to be regarded as powerhouses of spiritual influence; authorities who could assist ordinary people w/their problems. The Stylites, for example, lived on platforms on high poles; an object of reverence to those who came to ask their spiritual advice. Others, shut off from the world in caves or huts, denied themselves contact with the temptations of the world, especially women. There was in this an obvious preoccupation with the dangers of the flesh, which was partly a legacy of the Greek dualists' conviction that matter was inherently evil.I want to pause here & make a personal, pastoral observation. So warning! – Blatant opinion follows.You can't read the New Testament without seeing a clear call to holiness. But that holiness is a work of God's grace as the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live a life pleasing to God. New Testament holiness is a joyous privilege, not a heavy burden & duty. It enhances life, never diminishes it.This is what Jesus modeled so well, and why genuine seekers after God were drawn to Him. He was attractive! He didn't just do holiness, He WAS Holy. Yet no one had more life. Where He went, dead things came to life!As Jesus' followers, we're supposed to be holy in the same way. But if we're honest, for many, holiness is conceived of as a dry, boring, life-sucking burden of moral perfection.Real holiness isn't religious rule-keeping. It isn't a list of moral proscriptions; a set of “Don't's! Or I will smite thee w/Divine Wrath & cast thy wretched soul into the eternal flames.”New Testament holiness is a mark of Real Life, the one Jesus rose again to give us. It's Jesus living in & thru us. The holy life is a FLOURISHING life.The Desert Fathers & hermits who followed their example were heavily influenced by the dualist Greek worldview that all matter was evil & only the spirit was good. Holiness meant an attempt to avoid any shred of physical pleasure while retreating into the life of the mind. This thinking was a major force influencing the monastic movement as it moved both East & West. But in the East, the monks were hermits who pursued their lifestyles in isolation while in the West, they tended to pursue them in concert & communal life.As we go on we'll see that some monastic leaders realized casting holiness as a negative denial of the flesh rather than a positive embracing of the love & truth of Christ was an error they sought to reform.Indeed, one of the premier teachings of Jesus adopted by monks & applied literally was  Matt. 19:21, “Sell your possession, give to the poor.” Jesus & the Twelve Apostles were cast as ideal monks.The early Church also faced the challenge of several aberrant groups who espoused a rigorous asceticism & used it as a badge of moral superiority. So some Christians thought a way to refute their error was by showing them up when it came to austere devotion.Even those believers who rejected the error of dualism justified asceticism by saying they renounced what was merely good in favor of what was best; a higher spiritual mode of living.Understood this way, the monasticism began as a protest movement in the Early Church. Church leaders like Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea & even Augustine co-opted & domesticated the monastic impulse, bringing it into the standard Church world.In the East, while monks might live in a group, they didn't seek for community. They didn't converse & work together in a common cause. They simply shared cells next to one another. Each followed his own schedule. Their only contact was that they ate & prayed together. This tradition continues to this day on Mount Athos in northern Greece, where monks live in solitude & prayer in cells high on the cliffs. Food is lowered to them in baskets.Monastic communities and those seeking to be monks or nuns exploded in popularity in the 4th Century. This popularity was born out of a protest on the part of many at the growing secularization they witnessed in the institutional church. The persecution everyone was so ready to be over not long before was now looked back upon almost nostalgically. Sure the Church was hammered, but at least following Jesus meant something and the seriousness with which people pursued spiritual things was palpable. Now it seemed every third person called themselves a Christian without much concern to be like Jesus. The monastic life was a way to recover what had been lost from the glory days of the persecuted but pure Church.One of the first set of rules for monastic communities was developed by someone with whom we're already familiar, Basil the Great, leader of the Cappadocian Fathers who hammered out the orthodox understanding of the Nicene Creed. Basil was born into one of the most remarkable families in Christian history. His grandmother, father, mother, sister, & two younger brothers, were all venerated as saints. Wow – imagine being the black sheep in that family! All you had to do to qualify for that dubious title was fail to make your bed.Besides taking the lead with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus in hammering out the exact terminology that would be used to define the Orthodox position on the Trinity, Basil was an early advocate & organizer of monastic life. Taking a cue from his sister Macrina, who'd founded a monastery on some of the family's property at Annessi, Basil visited the ascetics of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, then founded his own monastery, also at Annessi around 358. For the monks there he drew up a rule for their lives called Asceticon; sometimes referred to as the Longer & Shorter Rules. It consisted of 55 major regulations & 313 lesser guidelines. While each monastery during this time followed its own order, more and more began adopting Basil's template.The first rule to present a rival to Basil's was the Rule of Augustine.In our last couple episodes on Augustine, we saw that when he returned to Tagaste, he and his friends formed a community committed to serving God. At the bishop of the church at Hippo, Augustine founded a monastery, turning the episcopal digs into a monastic community specifically for priests. It became a spiritual nursery that produced many African bishops.These priest-monks were a corporate reflection of Augustine's ideal of the whole Church: a witness to the future kingdom of God. The Rule associated with Augustine, and the monastic orders of monks and nuns that bear his name, emphasize “Living in freedom under grace.” They sought for their monastery to be a microcosm of the City of God, longing for mystical union with Him, but firmly rooted in the love and service of others, both within the community and the world.There's no mention of Augustine's Rule, in his own literary work called Retractions or Possidius's Catalogue, but there's evidence of a monastic rule attributed to Augustine a century after his death. Benedict of Nursia, who we'll get to next, knew of & was influenced by it, as were several other founders of religious orders. There are existing monastic communities today that still hearken back to the Augustinian Rule as the core of their order's life.A crucial development in Western monasticism took place in the 6th Century when Benedict of Nursia withdrew w/a group of friends to try to live the ascetic life. This prompted him to give serious thought to the way in which the ‘religious life' should be organized. Benedict arranged for groups of 12 monks to live together in small communities. Then he moved to Monte Cassino where, in 529, he set up the monastery which was to become the headquarters of the Benedictine Order. The rule of life he drew up there was a synthesis of elements in existing rules for monastic life. From this point on, the Rule of St Benedict set the standard for living the religious life until the 12th Century.The Rule of St Benedict achieved a balance between body & soul. It aimed at moderation & order. It said those who went apart from the world to live lives dedicated to God should not subject themselves to extreme asceticism. They should live in poverty & chastity, & in obedience to their abbot, but they should not feel the need to brutalize their flesh w/things like scourges & hair-shirts. They should eat moderately but not starve themselves. They should balance their time in a regular & orderly way between manual work, reading & prayer—which as their real work for God. There were to be 7 regular acts of worship in the day, known as ‘hours', attended by the entire community. In Benedict's vision, the monastic yoke was to be sweet; the burden light. The monastery was a ‘school' of the Lord's service, in which the baptized soul made progress in the Christian life.A common feature of monastic life in the West was that it was largely reserved for the upper classes. Serfs didn't have the freedom to become monks. The houses of monks & nuns were the recipients of noble & royal patronage, because a noble assumed by supporting such a holy endeavor, he was earning points w/God.  Remember as well that while the first-born son stood to inherit everything, later sons were a potential cause of unrest if they decided to contest the elder brother's birthright. So these ‘spare' children of noble birth were often given to monastic communes by their families. They were then charged with carrying the religious duty for the entire family. They were a spiritual surrogate whose task was to produce a surplus of godliness the rest of the family could draw on. Rich and powerful families gave monasteries lands, for the good of the souls of their members. Rulers and soldiers were too busy to attend to their spiritual lives as they should, so ‘professionals' were drawn from their family to help by doing it on their behalf.A consequence of this was that, in the later Middle Ages, the abbot or abbess was usually a nobleman or woman. She was often chosen because of being the highest in birth in the monastery or convent and not because of any natural powers of leadership or outstanding spirituality. Chaucer's cruel 14th Century caricature of a prioress depicts a woman who would have been much more at home in a country house playing w/her dogs.This noble patronage of monastic communities was both a source of their economic success & their eventual moral & spiritual decay. Monastic houses that became rich & were filled with those who'd not chosen to enter the religious life, but had been put there by parents, usually became decadent. The Cluniac reforms of the 10th Century were a consequence of the recognition there needed to be a tightening up of things if the Benedictine order was not to be utterly lost. In the commune at Cluny and the houses which imitated it, standards were high, although here, too, there was a danger of distortion of the original Benedictine vision. Cluniac houses had extra rules and a degree of rigidity which compromised the original simplicity of the Benedictine plan.At the end of the 11th Century, several developments radically altered the range of choice for those in the West who wanted to enter a monastery. The first was a change of fashion, which encouraged married couples of mature years to decide to end their days in monastic life. A knight who'd fought his wars might make an agreement with his wife that they would go off into separate religious houses.But these mature adults weren't the only ones entering monasteries. It became fashionable for younger people to head off to a monastery where education was top-rank. Then monasteries began to specialize in various pursuits. It was a time of experimentation.Out of this period of experiment came one immensely important new order, the Cistercians. They used the Benedictine rule but had a different set of priorities. The first was a determination to protect themselves from the dangers which could come from growing too rich.You might ask, “Hold on Lance, how could people who've taken a vow of poverty get rich?”There's the rub. Yes, monks & nuns vowed poverty.  But their lifestyle included diligence in work. And some brilliant minds had joined the monasteries, so they'd devised some ingenious methods for going about their work in a more productive manner, enhancing yields for crops & the invention of new products. Being deft businessmen, they worked good deals and maximized profits, which went into the monastery's account. But individual monks did not profit thereby. The funds were used to expand the monastery's resources & facilities. This led to even higher profits. Which were then used in plushing up the monastery even more. The cells got nicer, the food better, the grounds more sumptuous, the library more expansive.  The monks got new habits. Outwardly, things were the same, they owned nothing personally, but in fact, their monastic world was upgraded significantly.The Cistercians responded to this by building houses in remote places & keeping them as simple, bare lodgings. They also made a place for people from the lower classes who had vocations but wanted to give themselves more completely to God. These were called “lay brothers.”The startling early success of the Cistercians was due to Bernard of Clairvaux. When he decided to enter a newly founded Cistercian monastery, he took with him a group of his friends & relatives. Because of his oratory skill & praise for the Cistercian model, recruitment proceed so rapidly many more houses had to be founded in quick succession. He was made abbot of one of them at Clairvaux, from which he draws his name. He went on to become a leading figure in the monastic world & European politics. He spoke so movingly he was useful as a diplomatic emissary, as well as a preacher.We'll hear more about him in a later episode.Other monastic experiments weren't so successful. The willingness to try new forms of the life gave a platform for some short-lived endeavors by the eccentric. There are always those who think their idea is THE way it ought to be. Either because they lack common sense or have no skill at recruiting others, they fall apart. So many pushed on the boundaries of monastic life that one writer thought it would be helpful to review the available modes in the 12th Century. His work covered all the possibilities of monastic & priestly life.The 12th Century saw the creation of new monastic orders. In Paris, the Victorines produced leading academic figures & teachers. The Premonstratensians were a group of Western monks who took on the monumental task of healing the rift between the Eastern & Western churches. The problem was, there was no corresponding monastic group IN the East.But that's getting way ahead of ourselves as we try to keep to a closer narrative timeline.In future episodes, we'll revisit the monks & monasteries of the Eastern & Western Church because it was often from their ranks the movers of church history were drawn.

This 58th Episode of CS is titled – Monk Business Part 1 and is the first of several episodes in which we'll take a look at monastic movements in Church History.I realize that may not sound terribly exciting to some. The prospect of digging into this part of the story didn't hold much interest for me either, until I realized how rich it is. You see, being a bit of a fan for the work of J. Edwin Orr, I love the history of revival. Well, it turns out each new monastic movement was often a fresh move of God's Spirit in renewal. Several were a new wineskin for God's work.The roots of monasticism are worth taking some time to unpack. Let's get started . . .Leisure time to converse about philosophy with friends was prized in the ancient world. Even if someone didn't have the intellectual chops to wax eloquent on philosophy, it was still fashionable to express a yearning for such intellectual leisure, or “otium” as it was  called; but of course, they were much too busy serving their fellow man. It was the ancient version of, “I just don't have any ‘Me-time'.”Sometimes, as the famous Roman orator Cicero, the ancients did score the time for such reflection and enlightened discussion and retired to write on themes such as duty, friendship, and old age. That towering intellect and theologian, Augustine of Hippo had the same wish as a young man, and when he became a Christian in 386, left his professorship in oratory to devote his life to contemplation and writing. He retreated with a group of friends, his son and his mother, to a home on Lake Como, to discuss, then write about The Happy Life, Order and other such subjects, in which both classical philosophy and Christianity shared an interest. When he returned to his hometown in North Africa, he set up a community in which he and his friends could lead a monastic life, apart from the world, studying scripture and praying. Augustine's contemporary, Jerome; translator of the Latin Bible known as the Vulgate, felt the same tug, and he, too, made a series of attempts to live apart from the world so he could give himself to philosophical reflection.Ah; the Good Life!This sense of a divine ‘call' to a Christian version of this life of ‘philosophical retirement' had an important difference from the older, pagan version. While reading and meditation remained central, the call to do it in concert with others who also set themselves apart from the world both spiritually and physically was added to the mix.For the monks and nuns who sought such a communal life, the crucial thing was the call to a way of life which would make it possible to ‘go apart' and spend time with God in prayer and worship. Prayer was the opus dei, the ‘work of God'.As it was originally conceived, to become a monk or nun was to attempt to obey to the full the commandment to love God with all one is and has. In the Middle Ages, it was also understood to be a fulfillment of the command to love one's neighbor, for monks and nuns prayed for the world. They really believed prayer was an important task on behalf of a morally and spiritually needy world of lost souls. So among the members of a monastery, there were those who prayed, those who ruled, and those who worked. The most important to society, were those who prayed.A difference developed between the monastic movements in the East and West. In the East, the Desert Fathers set the pattern. They were hermits who adopted extreme forms of piety and asceticism. They were regarded as powerhouses of spiritual influence; authorities who could assist ordinary people with their problems. The Stylites, for example, lived on high platforms; sitting atop poles, and were an object of reverence to those who came to ask advice. Others, shut off from the world in caves or huts, sought to deny themselves any contact with the temptations of ‘the world', especially women. There was in this an obvious preoccupation with the dangers of the flesh, which was partly a legacy of the Greek dualists' conviction that matter and the physical world were unredeemably  evil.I pause to make a personal, pastoral observation. So warning! – Blatant opinion follows.You can't read the NT without seeing the call to holiness in the Christian Life. But that holiness is a work of God's grace as the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live a life pleasing to God. NT holiness is a joyous privilege, not a heavy burden and duty. NT holiness enhances life, never diminishes it.This is what Jesus modeled so well; and it's why genuine seekers after God were drawn to him. He was attractive. He didn't just do holiness, He WAS Holy. Yet no one had more life. And everywhere He went, dead things came to life!As Jesus' followers, we're supposed to be holy in the same way. But if we're honest, we'd have to admit that for the vast majority, holiness is conceived as a dry, boring, life-sucking burden of moral perfection.Real holiness isn't religious rule-keeping. It isn't a list of moral proscriptions; a set of “Don't's! Or I will smite thee with Divine Wrath and cast thy wretched soul into the eternal flames!”NT holiness is a mark of Real Life, the one Jesus rose again to give us. It's Jesus living in and thru us.The Desert Fathers and hermits who followed their example were heavily influenced by the dualist Greek worldview that all matter was evil and only the spirit was good. Holiness meant an attempt to avoid any shred of physical pleasure while retreating into the life of the mind. This thinking was the major force influencing the monastic movement as it moved both East and West. But in the East, the monks were hermits who pursued their lifestyles in isolation while in the West, they tended to pursue them in concert and communal life.As we go on we'll see that some monastic leaders realized casting holiness as a negative denial of the flesh rather than a positive embracing of the love and truth of Christ was an error they sought to reform.In the East, while monks might live in a group, they didn't seek for community. They didn't converse or work together in a common cause. They simply shared cells next to one another. And each followed his own schedule. Their only real contact was that they ate together and might pray together. This tradition continues to this day on Mount Athos in northern Greece, where monks live in solitude and prayer in cells high on the cliffs, food lowered to them in baskets.A crucial development in Western monasticism took place in the 6th C, when Benedict of Nursia withdrew with a group of friends to live an ascetic life. This prompted him to give serious thought to the way in which the ‘religious life' should be organized. Benedict arranged for groups of 12 monks to live together in small communities. Then he moved to Monte Cassino where, in 529, he set up the monastery which was to become the mother house of the Benedictine Order. The rule of life he drew up there was a synthesis of elements in existing rules for monastic life. From this point on, the Rule of St Benedict set the standard for living the religious life until the 12th C.The Rule achieved a good working balance between the body and soul. It aimed at moderation and order. It said that those who went apart from the world to live lives dedicated to God should not subject themselves to extreme asceticism. They should live in poverty and chastity, and in obedience to their abbot, but they shouldn't feel the need to brutalize their flesh with things like scourges and hair-shirts. They should eat moderately but not starve. They should balance their time in a regular and orderly way between manual work, reading and prayer—their real work for God. There were to be seven regular acts of worship in the day, known as ‘hours', attended by the entire community. In Benedict's vision, the monastic yoke was to be sweet; the burden light. The monastery was a ‘school' of the Lord's service, in which the baptized soul made progress in the Christian life.In the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, nuns formed a significant part of the population. There were several ‘double monasteries', where communities of monks and nuns lived side by side. Several female abbots, called ‘abbesses' proved to be outstanding leaders. Hilda, the Abbess of the double monastery at Whitby played a major role at the Synod of Whitby in 664.A common feature of monastic life in the West was that it was largely reserved for the upper classes. Serfs generally didn't have the freedom to become monks. The houses of monks and nuns were the recipients of noble and royal patronage, usually because the nobility thought by supporting such a holy endeavor, they promoted their spiritual case with God.  Remember as well that while the first-born son stood to inherit everything, later sons were a potential cause of unrest if they decided to vie with their elder brother in gaining the birthright. So these ‘spare' children of good birth were often given to monastic communes by their families. They were then charged with carrying the religious duty for the entire family. They were a kind of “spiritual surrogate” whose task was to produce a surplus of godliness the rest of the family could draw from. Rich and powerful families gave monasteries, lands and estates, for the good of the souls of their members. Rulers and soldiers were too busy to attend to their spiritual lives,  so ‘professionals' drawn from their own families could help them by doing it on their behalf.A consequence of this was that, in the late Middle Ages, the abbot or abbess was usually a nobleman or woman. She/He was often chosen because of being the highest in birth in the monastery or convent, and not because of any natural powers of leadership or outstanding spirituality. Chaucer's cruel 14th C caricature of a prioress depicts a woman who would have been much more at home in a country house playing with her pet dogs.In these features of noble patronage of the religious life lay not only the stamp of society's approval, but also the potential for decay. Monastic houses that became rich and were filled with those who'd not chosen to enter the religious life, but had been put there in childhood, often became decadent. The Cluniac reforms of the 10th C were a consequence of the recognition that there would need to be a tightening of the ship if the Benedictine order was not to be lost altogether. In the commune at Cluny and the houses which imitated it, standards were high, although here, too, there was a danger of distortion of the original Benedictine vision. Cluniac houses had extra rules and a degree of rigidity which compromised the original simplicity of Benedictine life.At the end of the 11th C, several developments radically altered the range of choice for those in the West who wanted to enter a monastery. The first was a change of fashion, which encouraged married couples of mature years to decide to end their days as a monk or nun. A knight who'd fought his wars might make an agreement with his wife that they would go off into separate religious houses. Adult entry of this sort was by those who really did want to be there, and it had the potential to alter the balance in favor of serious commitment.But these mature adults weren't the only one's entering monasteries. It became fashionable for younger people to head off to a monastery where education had become top-rank. Then monasteries began to specialize in various pursuits. It was a time of experimentation.Out of this period of experiment came one immensely important new order, the Cistercians. They used the Benedictine rule, but had a different set of priorities. The first was a determination to protect themselves from the dangers which could come from growing too rich.“Too rich?” you might ask. “How's that possible if they'd taken a vow of poverty?”Ah à There's the rub.Yes; monks and nuns vowed poverty, but their lifestyle included diligence in work. And some brilliant minds had joined the monasteries, so they'd devised ingenious methods for going about their work in a more productive manner, enhancing yields of crops and products. Being deft businessmen, they worked good deals and maximized profits, which went in to the monastery's account. But individual monks, of course, didn't profit thereby. The funds were used to expand the monastery's resources and facilities. This led to even higher profits. Which were then used in plushing up the monastery itself. The monks' cells got nicer, the food better, the grounds more sumptuous, the library more expansive.  The monks got new outfits. Outwardly things technically were the same, they owned nothing personally, but in fact, their monastic world was upgraded significantly.The Cistercians responded to this by building houses in remote places and keeping them as simple, bare lodgings. They also made a place for people from the lower social classes who had vocations but wanted to give themselves more completely to God for a period of time. These were called “lay brothers.”The rather startling early success of the Cistercians was due to Bernard of Clairvaux. When he decided to enter a newly founded Cistercian monastery, he took with him a group of friends and relatives. Because of his oratory skill and praise for the Cistercian model, recruitment proceed so rapidly many more houses had to be founded in quick succession. He was made abbot of one of them at Clairvaux, from which he draws his name. He went on to become a leading figure in the monastic world and in politics. He spoke so well and so movingly that he was useful as a diplomatic emissary, as well as a preacher. You may remember he was one of the premier reasons the Crusades were able to rally so many to their campaign.Other monastic experiments weren't so successful. The willingness to try new forms of the monastic life gave a platform for some short-lived endeavors by the eccentric. There are always those who think their idea is THE way it ought to be done. Either because they lack common sense or have no skill at recruiting, they fall apart. So many were engaged in pushing forward the boundaries of monastic life one writer thought it would be helpful to review the available modes in the 12th C. His work covered all the possibilities, from the Benedictines and reformed Benedictines, to priests who didn't live enclosed lives, but who were allowed to work in the world—and the various sorts of hermits.The only real rival to the Rule of St Benedict was the ‘Rule' of Augustine, which was adopted by church leaders. These differed from monks, in that they were priests who could be active in the wider social community, for example, by serving in a parish church. They weren't living under a monastic rule which confined a monk for life to the house in which he was consecrated. Priests serving in a cathedral, for example, were encouraged to live in a city but under a code like the Augustinian rule which was well-adapted to their needs.The 12th C saw the creation of new monastic orders. In Paris, the Victorines produced leading academic figures and teachers. The Premonstratensians were a group of Latin monks who took on the massive task of healing the rift between the Eastern and Western churches. The problem was, there was no corresponding monastic group in the East.We'll pick it up at this point next time.Monasticism is an important part of Church History because of the huge impact it had shaping the faith of common Christians throughout the Middle Ages and on into the Renaissance. Some of the monastic leaders are the great pillars of the faith. We can't really understand them without knowing a little about the world they lived in.As we end this episode, I want to again say thanks to all those listeners and subscribers who've “liked” and left comments on the CS FB page.I'd also like to say how appreciative I am to those who've gone to the iTunes subscription page for CS and left a positive review. We've developed a large listener base.Any donation to CS is appreciated.Finally, for interested subscribers, I want to invite you to take a listen to the sermon podcast for the church I serve; Calvary Chapel Oxnard. I teach expositionally through the Bible. You can subscribe via iTunes, just do a search for Calvary Chapel Oxnard podcast, or link to the calvaryoxnard.org website.