"Blessed are the poor in spirit".
Benedictine European Monasticism's three basic principles -
and they have meaning for all Christians of course - were and still are -
POVERTY
CHASTITY and
OBEDIENCE.
I discuss these previously in this "THINK TANK".
I was thinking that particularly in Europe and North America many, many human beings have no material wants of any kind. On the contrary many, many have far more than they need! etc....
Hence Christianity's and Monasticism's imperative to feed, clothe and satisfy the material needs of others is quite superfluous often.
One of Christianity's original reasons for success was it's loving care for everyone, its explicit sharing, its explicit rejection of property, its holding things in common, its effectively (Non-Marxist) communism.
The beginnings of what could maybe be called Christian socialism - though this would be on a societal level.
Christian communities and churches were "mini welfare states with no bureaucracy"!
This was very unusual in the Eastern Mediterranean cities of the first century!....
And a reason for the growth of the new religion!....
The holding of things in common spoken of in the New Testament was applied and practised quite strictly!
It would MAYBE now be similar to what is called libertarian socialism of a kind. It was new at the time.
Property was renounced by Jesus and this tradition has continued throughout Christian history.
The point to make is that there is so much "property" owned by so many people nowadays that renouncing it becomes meaningless because there is so much of it available!... :).....
What we have in Europe and have had for some time is perhaps "SPIRITUAL POVERTY".
I am reminded at this point of Andre' Malraux's (should be far more) FAMOUS words --
"The 21st Century will be spiritual or it will not be a century at all."
"Man cannot live on bread alone" and if everyone is fed and clothed and housed etc. - and many people have food, clothes and housing enough SEVERAL TIMES OVER - then people and societies are unhappy and troubled for OTHER reasons.....
A much more up-to-date cultural Christianity should thus address a "SPIRITUAL POVERTY"
................................................
Monasticism requires the monk or monastic or simple-liver to
LIVE in poverty but also RELIEVE the poverty of other who have need of its relieving!....
Living in poverty does not just mean living in MATERIAL poverty!
It means being "poor in spirit!"....
RELIEVING MATERIAL POVERTY is less required nowadays.......
RELIEVING a "SPIRITUAL POVERTY" is maybe more required nowadays!
Helping people to appreciate NATURE alone is one thing that I would suggest!
Rather than cars and motorways etc.!......
Not caring that you haven't had an expensive extravagant holiday for years even though everyone else seems to have!.....
I have a friend who drinks all day because he is unhappy or unsatisified.
He has enough money to satisfy ALL his needs for food, clothing, housing and then some.
BUT he chooses to drink all day and hence probably to an early grave! WHY?
He needs relieving of a SPIRITUAL POVERTY, I would say!
The modern friar can and should help with this!.....
The society around us can be OVER-CONSUMERIST (Advertizing culture, "JOBISM" etc.) which can contribute to general unhappiness.
Maybe the man who drinks all day is feeling guilty or regretful.
A modern friar can let him know he has a brother and that his mistakes are forgiven and that there is more to life than the deadly dull routine of daily drunkenness!.....
2016.
I am no longer a Christian of any kind but I leave this here as it is still very relevant to my views.
When I refer to "spiritual" it should be born in mind that in my case I mean spiritual but not religious.
Benedictine European Monasticism's three basic principles -
and they have meaning for all Christians of course - were and still are -
POVERTY
CHASTITY and
OBEDIENCE.
I discuss these previously in this "THINK TANK".
I was thinking that particularly in Europe and North America many, many human beings have no material wants of any kind. On the contrary many, many have far more than they need! etc....
Hence Christianity's and Monasticism's imperative to feed, clothe and satisfy the material needs of others is quite superfluous often.
One of Christianity's original reasons for success was it's loving care for everyone, its explicit sharing, its explicit rejection of property, its holding things in common, its effectively (Non-Marxist) communism.
The beginnings of what could maybe be called Christian socialism - though this would be on a societal level.
Christian communities and churches were "mini welfare states with no bureaucracy"!
This was very unusual in the Eastern Mediterranean cities of the first century!....
And a reason for the growth of the new religion!....
The holding of things in common spoken of in the New Testament was applied and practised quite strictly!
It would MAYBE now be similar to what is called libertarian socialism of a kind. It was new at the time.
Property was renounced by Jesus and this tradition has continued throughout Christian history.
The point to make is that there is so much "property" owned by so many people nowadays that renouncing it becomes meaningless because there is so much of it available!... :).....
What we have in Europe and have had for some time is perhaps "SPIRITUAL POVERTY".
I am reminded at this point of Andre' Malraux's (should be far more) FAMOUS words --
"The 21st Century will be spiritual or it will not be a century at all."
"Man cannot live on bread alone" and if everyone is fed and clothed and housed etc. - and many people have food, clothes and housing enough SEVERAL TIMES OVER - then people and societies are unhappy and troubled for OTHER reasons.....
A much more up-to-date cultural Christianity should thus address a "SPIRITUAL POVERTY"
................................................
Monasticism requires the monk or monastic or simple-liver to
LIVE in poverty but also RELIEVE the poverty of other who have need of its relieving!....
Living in poverty does not just mean living in MATERIAL poverty!
It means being "poor in spirit!"....
RELIEVING MATERIAL POVERTY is less required nowadays.......
RELIEVING a "SPIRITUAL POVERTY" is maybe more required nowadays!
Helping people to appreciate NATURE alone is one thing that I would suggest!
Rather than cars and motorways etc.!......
Not caring that you haven't had an expensive extravagant holiday for years even though everyone else seems to have!.....
I have a friend who drinks all day because he is unhappy or unsatisified.
He has enough money to satisfy ALL his needs for food, clothing, housing and then some.
BUT he chooses to drink all day and hence probably to an early grave! WHY?
He needs relieving of a SPIRITUAL POVERTY, I would say!
The modern friar can and should help with this!.....
The society around us can be OVER-CONSUMERIST (Advertizing culture, "JOBISM" etc.) which can contribute to general unhappiness.
Maybe the man who drinks all day is feeling guilty or regretful.
A modern friar can let him know he has a brother and that his mistakes are forgiven and that there is more to life than the deadly dull routine of daily drunkenness!.....
2016.
I am no longer a Christian of any kind but I leave this here as it is still very relevant to my views.
When I refer to "spiritual" it should be born in mind that in my case I mean spiritual but not religious.