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X-WR-CALDESC:An hour before mealtime\, the kitchen workers of the week s
hould each receive a drink and some bread over and above the regular porti
on\, so that at mealtime\, they may serve one another without grumbling or
hardship. On solemn days\, however\, they should wait until after the dis
missal.\n\nWork done in the Benedictine tradition is supposed to be re
gular\, it is supposed to be productive\, it is supposed to be worthwhile
but it is not supposed to be impossible. Give help where it is needed\, th
e Rule says. Give whatever it takes to make it possible\, the Rule says. G
ive people whatever they need to do it without grumbling. The servers are
to serve\, not starve. They are to eat before the others so that they don'
t wind up resenting the fact that others are eating and become bitter or r
eluctant in their service. It is a salutary and sobering thought in an age
that exploits the poor and the illiterate with impunity for the sake of t
he comfort of the rich\, paying workers too little to live on and working
them too hard to live\, and then calling it 'working your way up' or the '
plight' of the unskilled laborer.\n\nBenedictine spirituality does not set
out to burden some for the sake of the others in the name of community. I
t sets out to make work possible for all so that the community can thrive
in joy. Any group\, any family\, that makes life wonderful for some of its
members at the expense of the others\, no matter how good the work or how
satisfied the group\, is not operating in a Benedictine spirituality. It
is\, at best\, simply dealing in some kind of holy exploitation\, but it i
s exploitation nevertheless.\n\nOn Sunday immediately after Lauds\, tho
se beginning as well as those completing their week of service should make
a profound bow in the oratory before all and ask for their prayers. Let t
he server completing the week recite this verse: 'Blessed are you\, O God\
, who have helped me and comforted me (Dn 3:52\, Ps 86:17).' After this ve
rse has been said three times the server receives a blessing. Then the one
beginning the service follows and says: 'O God\, come to my assistance\;
O God\, make haste to help me (Ps 70:2).' And all repeat this verse three
times. When they have received a blessing\, the servers begin their servic
e.\n\nIn 'The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers' it is written: 'It is wis
e to work as well as to study the Torah: between the two you will forget t
o sin.' To make sure we do not forget that humble work is as sacred and sa
nctifying as prayer\, Benedict blesses the kitchen servers of the week in
the middle of the chapel. With that simple but powerful gesture all of lif
e begins to look different for everyone. Suddenly it is not made up of 'hi
gher' and 'lower' activities anymore. It is all--manual labor and mystical
meditation--one straight beam of light on the road to fullness of humanit
y. One activity without the other\, prayer without the creative and compas
sionate potential of work or work without the transcending quality of pray
er\, lists heavily to the empty side of life. The blessing prayer for the
weekly servers in the midst of the community not only ordains the monastic
to serve the community but it also brings together both dimensions of lif
e\, the transcendent and the transforming\, in one clear arc: Prayer is no
t for its own sake and the world of manual work is not a lesser world than
chapel.\n\nWe are all meant both to pray and work\, each of them influenc
ing and fulfilling the other.
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UID:4ecc4f20-9a65-43da-acef-d1a323626efc
DTSTAMP:20260418T191326Z
DESCRIPTION:An hour before mealtime\, the kitchen workers of the week sh
ould each receive a drink and some bread over and above the regular portio
n\, so that at mealtime\, they may serve one another without grumbling or
hardship. On solemn days\, however\, they should wait until after the dism
issal.\n\nWork done in the Benedictine tradition is supposed to be reg
ular\, it is supposed to be productive\, it is supposed to be worthwhile b
ut it is not supposed to be impossible. Give help where it is needed\, the
Rule says. Give whatever it takes to make it possible\, the Rule says. Gi
ve people whatever they need to do it without grumbling. The servers are t
o serve\, not starve. They are to eat before the others so that they don't
wind up resenting the fact that others are eating and become bitter or re
luctant in their service. It is a salutary and sobering thought in an age
that exploits the poor and the illiterate with impunity for the sake of th
e comfort of the rich\, paying workers too little to live on and working t
hem too hard to live\, and then calling it 'working your way up' or the 'p
light' of the unskilled laborer.\n\nBenedictine spirituality does not set
out to burden some for the sake of the others in the name of community. It
sets out to make work possible for all so that the community can thrive i
n joy. Any group\, any family\, that makes life wonderful for some of its
members at the expense of the others\, no matter how good the work or how
satisfied the group\, is not operating in a Benedictine spirituality. It i
s\, at best\, simply dealing in some kind of holy exploitation\, but it is
exploitation nevertheless.\n\nOn Sunday immediately after Lauds\, thos
e beginning as well as those completing their week of service should make
a profound bow in the oratory before all and ask for their prayers. Let th
e server completing the week recite this verse: 'Blessed are you\, O God\,
who have helped me and comforted me (Dn 3:52\, Ps 86:17).' After this ver
se has been said three times the server receives a blessing. Then the one
beginning the service follows and says: 'O God\, come to my assistance\; O
God\, make haste to help me (Ps 70:2).' And all repeat this verse three t
imes. When they have received a blessing\, the servers begin their service
.\n\nIn 'The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers' it is written: 'It is wise
to work as well as to study the Torah: between the two you will forget to
sin.' To make sure we do not forget that humble work is as sacred and san
ctifying as prayer\, Benedict blesses the kitchen servers of the week in t
he middle of the chapel. With that simple but powerful gesture all of life
begins to look different for everyone. Suddenly it is not made up of 'hig
her' and 'lower' activities anymore. It is all--manual labor and mystical
meditation--one straight beam of light on the road to fullness of humanity
. One activity without the other\, prayer without the creative and compass
ionate potential of work or work without the transcending quality of praye
r\, lists heavily to the empty side of life. The blessing prayer for the w
eekly servers in the midst of the community not only ordains the monastic
to serve the community but it also brings together both dimensions of life
\, the transcendent and the transforming\, in one clear arc: Prayer is not
for its own sake and the world of manual work is not a lesser world than
chapel.\n\nWe are all meant both to pray and work\, each of them influenci
ng and fulfilling the other.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241113T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241113T235900
LOCATION:Chapter 35
SUMMARY:Kitchen Servers of the Week
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END:VCALENDAR