BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//eriebenedictines.org//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.30.10// CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH UID:95192695-fb91-4b47-800f-5b17b50ec0ad X-WR-CALDESC:From Easter to Pentecost\, the monastics eat at noon and ta ke supper in the evening. Beginning with Pentecost and continuing througho ut the summer\, the members fast until midafternoon on Wednesday and Frida y\, unless they are working in the fields or the summer heat is oppressive .\n\nOn the other days they eat dinner at noon. Indeed\, the abbot or prio ress may decide that they should continue to eat dinner at noon every day if they have work in the fields or if the summer heat remains extreme. Sim ilarly\, they should so regulate and arrange all matters that souls may be saved and the members may go about their activities without justifiable g rumbling.\n\nThe Rule of Benedict divides the year's meal schedules in to four parts. From Easter to Pentecost there are no fast days and the mea ls are taken at noon and before sundown. After Pentecost\, Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days\, as they were for all Christians of the period\, an d the meal\, probably the only meal of the day was to be delayed\, the Rul e mandates\, until about three o'clock. But the law is no sooner made unti l Benedictine spirituality raises its fresh and liberating head again and softens the prescription with 'unless.' Unless it would be too hard to do. Unless they are too tired to wait. Unless the day is too hot to add one m ore difficulty to it. Then\, the abbot or prioress and only the abbot or p rioress may decide to mitigate the Rule\, to change the law\, to allow the relaxation. And that is the issue. It is the abbot or prioress who decide s what the change will be\, not the individual monastic. Life\, in other w ords\, is not of our own choosing. The vagaries of life are not under our control. Circumstances change things and real spirituality demands that we be prepared at all times to accept them with faith and hope.\n\nIt isn't that Benedictine spirituality is meant to be lax\, it is that it is meant to be sensible and it is meant to be serene. What is the use of making up difficulties when all we really have to do in life is to learn to bear wel l what must\, under any circumstances\, be borne.\n\nFrom the thirteent h of September to the beginning of Lent\, they always take their meal in m idafternoon. Finally\, from the beginning of Lent to Easter\, they eat tow ards evening. Let Vespers be celebrated early enough so that there is no n eed for a lamp while eating\, and that everything can be finished by dayli ght. Indeed\, at all times let supper or the hour of the fast-day meal be so scheduled that everything can be done by daylight.\n\nThe third per iod of the year\, from September 13 to Ash Wednesday\, was the period know n as 'the monastic Lent.' Here\, Benedictine spirituality called for a mea sure above and beyond the norm. To do simply what was required was not eno ugh. Benedictine spirituality called for extra effort in the development o f the spiritual life. It is an interesting insertion in a Rule that otherw ise seems to be based on exceptions\, mitigation\, differences\, basic Chr istian practice and the law of averages.\n\nIndeed\, Benedictine spiritual ity is clearly rooted in living ordinary life with extraordinary awareness and commitment\, a characteristic\, in fact\, that is common to monastici sm both East and West. As the Zen Masters teach: 'One day a new disciple c ame up to the master Joshu. 'I have just entered the brotherhood\,' the di sciple said. 'and I am anxious to learn the first principle of Zen. Will y ou please teach it to me?' he asked. So Joshu said\, 'Have you eaten your supper?' And the novice answered\, 'Yes\, I have eaten.' So Joshu said\, ' Then now wash your bowl.''\n\nThe first principle of Benedictinism\, too\, is to do what must be done with special care and special zeal so that doi ng it can change our consciousness and carve our souls into the kind of be auty that comes from simple things. It is so easy to go through life looki ng feverishly for special ways to find God when God is most of all to be f ound in doing common things with uncommon conscientiousness.\n X-WR-RELCALID:e6423bb7bc3fd21657ce15fc91720aaf X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RDATE:20251102T020000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RDATE:20260308T020000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:d025dd9d-185d-4c92-8122-5b46d86ddf0e DTSTAMP:20260411T101140Z DESCRIPTION:From Easter to Pentecost\, the monastics eat at noon and tak e supper in the evening. Beginning with Pentecost and continuing throughou t the summer\, the members fast until midafternoon on Wednesday and Friday \, unless they are working in the fields or the summer heat is oppressive. \n\nOn the other days they eat dinner at noon. Indeed\, the abbot or prior ess may decide that they should continue to eat dinner at noon every day i f they have work in the fields or if the summer heat remains extreme. Simi larly\, they should so regulate and arrange all matters that souls may be saved and the members may go about their activities without justifiable gr umbling.\n\nThe Rule of Benedict divides the year's meal schedules int o four parts. From Easter to Pentecost there are no fast days and the meal s are taken at noon and before sundown. After Pentecost\, Wednesdays and F ridays are fast days\, as they were for all Christians of the period\, and the meal\, probably the only meal of the day was to be delayed\, the Rule mandates\, until about three o'clock. But the law is no sooner made until Benedictine spirituality raises its fresh and liberating head again and s oftens the prescription with 'unless.' Unless it would be too hard to do. Unless they are too tired to wait. Unless the day is too hot to add one mo re difficulty to it. Then\, the abbot or prioress and only the abbot or pr ioress may decide to mitigate the Rule\, to change the law\, to allow the relaxation. And that is the issue. It is the abbot or prioress who decides what the change will be\, not the individual monastic. Life\, in other wo rds\, is not of our own choosing. The vagaries of life are not under our c ontrol. Circumstances change things and real spirituality demands that we be prepared at all times to accept them with faith and hope.\n\nIt isn't t hat Benedictine spirituality is meant to be lax\, it is that it is meant t o be sensible and it is meant to be serene. What is the use of making up d ifficulties when all we really have to do in life is to learn to bear well what must\, under any circumstances\, be borne.\n\nFrom the thirteenth of September to the beginning of Lent\, they always take their meal in mi dafternoon. Finally\, from the beginning of Lent to Easter\, they eat towa rds evening. Let Vespers be celebrated early enough so that there is no ne ed for a lamp while eating\, and that everything can be finished by daylig ht. Indeed\, at all times let supper or the hour of the fast-day meal be s o scheduled that everything can be done by daylight.\n\nThe third peri od of the year\, from September 13 to Ash Wednesday\, was the period known as 'the monastic Lent.' Here\, Benedictine spirituality called for a meas ure above and beyond the norm. To do simply what was required was not enou gh. Benedictine spirituality called for extra effort in the development of the spiritual life. It is an interesting insertion in a Rule that otherwi se seems to be based on exceptions\, mitigation\, differences\, basic Chri stian practice and the law of averages.\n\nIndeed\, Benedictine spirituali ty is clearly rooted in living ordinary life with extraordinary awareness and commitment\, a characteristic\, in fact\, that is common to monasticis m both East and West. As the Zen Masters teach: 'One day a new disciple ca me up to the master Joshu. 'I have just entered the brotherhood\,' the dis ciple said. 'and I am anxious to learn the first principle of Zen. Will yo u please teach it to me?' he asked. So Joshu said\, 'Have you eaten your s upper?' And the novice answered\, 'Yes\, I have eaten.' So Joshu said\, 'T hen now wash your bowl.''\n\nThe first principle of Benedictinism\, too\, is to do what must be done with special care and special zeal so that doin g it can change our consciousness and carve our souls into the kind of bea uty that comes from simple things. It is so easy to go through life lookin g feverishly for special ways to find God when God is most of all to be fo und in doing common things with uncommon conscientiousness.\n DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250320T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250320T235900 LOCATION:Chapter 41 SUMMARY:The Times for Meals END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR