Benedictine Values and Creation Care

Prayer:

Benedictine life is enfolded in prayer. Through our daily rhythm of prayer, we affirm that our life is rooted and grounded in God, the ultimate giver of life on our planet. When we understand Creation as an expression of God’s very being, mindful engagement with the natural world becomes a form of prayer, and our experiences in nature become sacraments.

Deep listening:

The first sentence of the Rule of Saint Benedict instructs us to “Listen carefully…and incline the ear of [our] heart.” Deep listening extends beyond our perception of sound. It demands that we open our mind, our heart, and all our senses. When we open ourselves fully to the natural world, we perceive Christ, the creative Word, in every rock, every stream, every tree, every living creature. We understand that God speaks to us through Creation. In his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis implores us to “hear…the cry of the earth.” When we shift our focus from our personal wants, and turn our attention to the world around us, we perceive the wounds humans have inflicted on nature. Our understanding that God is present in Creation impels us to take action to heal those wounds.

Humility:

The value of humility, which comes from the Latin word for earth, is the recognition that we are not self-sufficient and in control.  We rely on the earth for life in the same way we rely on God, and we live in gratitude for the gifts we are given. Remember we have much to learn. Observe and listen carefully.  We are called to reverence, not mastery, of the great mystery of Creation.

Simplicity:

The Benedictine concept of “enoughness,” in which each person has what they need, and no one has significantly more than they need, provides a foundation for sustainable living.

Community:

Life in community is the foundation of the Benedictine way.  In the same way, we are dependent on the ultimate community of all life on our planet.  To be part of a community is to respect, honor, and give back to that community.

Stability:

In the Benedictine tradition, monastics commit to remaining within a particular human community. This concept may be expanded to mean commitment to a particular bioregion. As we put down roots within a bioregion, we develop an understanding of its plants, creatures, and natural cycles. This connection fosters concern for the region’s ecological health.

Reverent stewardship:

Saint Benedict called on his disciples to treat the most ordinary goods and tools as sacred. In the same way, we are called to treat earth with reverence, as a holy, sustaining gift from God. When we experience God as immanent in Creation, it becomes unthinkable to degrade or waste natural resources: to harm the earth is to show disrespect to God’s very self.

Service:

Creation is our ultimate community. If God is immanent in Creation, when we serve Creation, we serve God. Benedictine values encourage us to prioritize giving over taking, to focus on the well-being of others rather than seeking to satisfy our own wants. It involves acts of humility, hospitality, and generosity, reflecting the love and care that God has for all Creation. We honor God by protecting and nurturing his Creation. Environmental stewardship is an essential expression of Benedictine service and involves taking responsibility for the earth and working towards its preservation and restoration both now and for generations to come.

Hospitality:

Saint Benedict said, “We welcome all as Christ.” God is present not just in people, but in Creation. We recognize Christ, the creative Word, as calling us to extend hospitality beyond welcoming guests to include a profound respect and care for all of Creation. When we work to conserve natural places that welcome visitors—from vast national parks to small, local patches of woods—we practice a radical form of hospitality. Wild places offer renewal to people weary of the hectic pace of modern urban life and deep healing to troubled souls.

Peacemaking:

Benedictines are committed to creative peacemaking rooted in the instruction in Chapter Four of the Rule of Saint Benedict and taken from Ephesians 4:26. If we have a dispute with someone, we are encouraged to make peace before the sun goes down. The Rule emphasizes the importance of addressing issues promptly, before they lead to greater discord. Our misuse of nature’s resources is causing scarcity of water for drinking and agriculture, food insecurity, and severe weather events that displace increasingly large numbers of people. These conditions can generate conflict.  When we work to restore ecosystem health, we are working to promote a more just and peaceful world, in which all people have access to the resources they need. When we nurture the earth, we are embodying a deeper spiritual peace that flows from love and responsibility.

Transformation:

We engage with Creation to share the transcendent love of our Creator God. We facilitate the experience of discovery, joy, gratitude, and awe in Creation. We encourage knowing the inseparable connection of ourselves, Creation and our loving Creator. This understanding naturally supports awareness of breaks in our essential relationships to Creation.  As we connect and enliven, that understanding strengthens vision and determination for actions to restore wholeness.