Learning From the Land: In the School of Saint Benedict

From the newsletter of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Monastery:

As we enter the Lenten season- leaving behind the splendors of Christmas and looking forward now to that other pole of the liturgical year which is Easter- we discover that the greater simplicity and sobriety of this time of year lends itself well to a meditation on man's proper place in the universe as caretaker of creation.

For many years now ecology has aroused much interest, not only in regard to the immediate practical decisions that must be made by governments and businesses, but also as a topic of discussion in the broader cultural context. Our contemporaries seem to experience an ever increasing alienation from nature and a need to somehow "re-connect" with the earth, while scientists continue to point to signs that the ecological balance of the natural world is being seriously compromised by the excesses of our technology.

The Church too has participated in the discussion. The Holy Father recently alluded to these questions in an address to the members of the Roman Curia (December 22, 2008):

Since faith in the Creator is an essential part of the Christian creed, the
Church cannot and must not limit herself to passing on to the faithful the
message of salvation alone. She has a responsibility towards creation, and must
also publicly assert this responsibility. In so doing, she must not only defend
earth, water and air as gifts of creation belonging to all. She must also
protect man from self-destruction.

What does the great monastic tradition issuing from Saint Benedict have to say about this essential relationship with creation?
In fact, for men and women living in Saint Benedict's day, the question would have had little meaning. The vast majority of human beings lived in rural areas then and for them life was intimately and necessarily connected to the rhythm of nature. The day's activities were programmed according to the hours of sunlight. The year was punctuated by the various seasons in which planting, harvesting and every important task found its appointed time. In such a world, excepting the case of a few very rich people in large cities, it was scarcely possible to become disconnected from the rhythm of creation.

Nonetheless there is much in the wisdom of Saint Benedict that speaks to our present needs in terms of returning to a wiser way of life, a life closer to the land.
( to be continued)