Faith & Life Inspirational Message

I try to follow the daily lectionary---daily reading---even though I don’t always mention it.   I find the lectionary to be an available, designated group of readings that help me focus for some time.   I know how important discipline is in a variety of aspects of life.   Discipline is part of my spiritual regimen, although I don’t do as well as I want to do.   Clearly, discipline plays a role in other areas, such as physical exercise, eating, etc.             The lectionary makes it a little easier for me to engage some practice.   The lectionary I follow is the one from the Benedictine monastic tradition.   I like the fact that monks around the world are doing the same readings from the Psalms that I am doing.   And they are also hearing the same passages from the Old and New Testament that I read.   It is not the same thing as being there with them, but when I can’t be with them, I like ...

A regular reader of this inspirational reflection series knows that one of my spiritual disciplines is to spend a little daily time with the lectionary.   A lectionary simply is a group of readings.   Lectio in Latin means to “read.”   The lectionary I follow comes from the world of Benedictine monks.   The traditional Benedictine monastery used to have seven periods during the day when the monks would gather for worship.   Most monasteries today have reduced this to four or five daily gatherings.      The lectionary readings have been chosen by representatives of the group.   Hence for the Benedictines they know every monastery across the land is reading the same set of readings at the same appointed gathering.   The Psalms play a central role in the lectionary.   Every Benedictine monastery would read from the Psalms at every gathering.   For one who grew up as a Quaker, this was a totally new experience.   As I have...

Last night I turned to the last prayers of the day, which are focused around a couple readings from the Psalms and a Biblical passage.   The night prayer in the monastery is called Compline.   When I visit a monastery, I think it may be my favorite part of the day.   It “finishes” off the day of worship and work and the monks head to their rooms and a night’s sleep.   When I visit one of my favorite monasteries, Gethsemani in Kentucky, Compline comes at 7:30pm.   It is not a long service.   This is understandable when you realize the monks will be up again and in the sanctuary at 3:15am!   What’s interesting is that for much of the year, the monks begin in the darkness and conclude in the darkness.   I like Compline during those months when the sun has already gone down and the monks and the visitors gather in the soft lights for the last service.   As the service is ending, the lights are turned out and only one or two lights make the exi...

Last night I turned to the lectionary.   The last time of worship and devotion in the lectionary is called Compline.   When I visit a monastery, it is my favorite one of all periods   of worship.   If you go to a rigorous monastery, like Gethsemani where I take my students, you have seven worship periods throughout the day.   The first one begins at 3:15, which is a tough one for normal people.   The remaining six periods structure the day in a way that is very different for most of us. The day culminates in the evening with Compline.   For much of the year here in the Northern hemisphere, it is dark when Compline is conducted.   A common theme of Compline is prayers for rest and, perhaps, protection.   Compline finishes or “completes” the day.   One is ready for bed and the preparation for a new day. Last night when I turned to the lectionary readings for Compline, I was directed to the words of the Psalmist found in Psalm 13...

Recently on my pilgrimage to the monastery, the students and I participated in one full twenty-four hour round of the Divine Office, as it is called.   The first aspect of that is Vigils, which happens at 3:15 am.   Vigils is a good name, coming from the Latin meaning, “to keep watch” or “vigilance.”   At the other end of the cycle is Compline, which obviously has the sense of “completing.” I loved Compline.   Because of the time of the winter season when we were there, it was already dark outside when we entered the sanctuary for Compline.   The darkness led to a more mysterious sense for us as we walked through the darkness in silence into the sanctuary.   Because we had been up so early, it was easy to understand why the day did seem like it was nearly complete.   It was easy to know that if we followed this schedule on a daily basis, as the monks do, we would have to head to bed fairly soon after Compline.   No 11:00pm news and Jay Leno ...