Lectures and Texts - Monastic Spiritual Theology

BEHIND the monastic understanding of “the contemplative life” stands the towering figure of Plato, whose philosophical system provided both the underlying concepts and the language that would ultimately be used to describe the experience of beholding The Divine. In these first three lectures and texts we will discover Plato, the mystical theologian who longs for union with "The One" [God] and who believes that this union is both facilitated and anticipated by contemplation: that is, by seeing through and beyond superficial appearances into the deeper realities and truths hidden within ordinary circumstances and objects.
Please read Louth, chapter 1, pp. 1-17, “Plato”, in conjunction with these lectures and texts.

FIRST an introductory lecture will present several fundamental concepts:
1) Introd. to Plato: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THEN We will turn to Plato's Republic for two stories that were constantly read and extensively commented throughout classical antiquity and into the medieval and renaissance periods:
2) The Parable of the Caves: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
3) The Myth of Er: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THROUGHOUT the monastic tradition references abound to an inward "ascent" from earth to heaven. As we have seen in Plato's "Myth of Er", this notion long predates Christianity. Now we will see how Cicero retold Plato's myth for the Latin-speaking world in his "Dream of Scipio", creating a classic that would be read, until relatively recently, by nearly every educated person in the Christian West. [Those interested in learning more about the influence of "The Dream of Scipio" in the middle ages will find C.S. Lewis' The Discarded Image a valuable and very readable introduction.]

SOME modern scholars, such as Alexander Golitzin , believe that early monastic models of contemplative ascent may owe as much or more to Jewish apocrypha than to Plato (or Cicero). We will look briefly at excerpts from The Book of Enoch, an text from the Jewish pseudepigrapha (intertestamental literature) that certainly influenced some of the authors of the New Testament. Fr. Golitzin emphasizes how this text depicts the Jewish prophet as a "seer", one whose vision of the heavenly places authenticates his moral message. Fr. Golitzin believes the intertestamental seer is the true forerunner of the monastic contemplative; however, it should be noted that his theories have not yet won widespread acceptance ( a link to his website, - optional for this course - may be found in the Syllabus and in "External Links").

THE ancient sources we have read all presume a dynamic interrelationship between contemplative experience and ascetical practice (i.e. virtue). This dynamic understanding has sometimes been obscured in Christian tradition by the desire to define "steps" or "stages" of spiritual progress: [This will be a review for some of you who have already seen this in a previous webcourse]:

THE terms kataphatic (the “way of affirmation”) and apophatic (the “way of denial”) were first introduced in the sixth century; but it is only in modern times that they have become widely-used by Christian spiritual theologians to distinguish two contrasting poles of theology and spirituality. We will first review their meaning and application:

NEXT we will review biblical texts, often cited by monastic authors, that illustrate both spiritual ascent into the “vision of God” and the kataphatic and apophatic “ways”:

THE story of the martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicity will help us understand how spiritual vision was popularly associated with the holiness and intercessory power of the seer. [We should bear in mind while reading this text that early monks and nuns were considered to be the spiritual successors of the martyrs as seers and intercessors]

FINALLY, Saints Antony, Evagrius, and Benedict afford models of spiritual vision that expands or widens the heart of the seer.

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 1:
The Interrelationship between VIRTUE (Asceticism) and CONTEMPLATION

We have looked at Greco-Roman, Jewish and Christian sources that depict an interrelationship between the ascetical or “active” pole of spiritual life and the “contemplative” or visionary, mystical pole:

Plato (the “prisoners in the cave” and Er, the soldier-returned-from-death);

Cicero’s Dream of Scipio;

the prophet-mystic hero of the Book of Enoch;

the Christian martyrs Sts. Perpetual and Felicity;

and Sts.Benedict and Scholastica in the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory the Great.

As we will see throughout the rest of this course, a large part of monastic spiritual theology consists of an attempt to articulate and practice a balanced rhythm between the active and contemplative dimensions of spiritual life. What are your initial reactions to these sources and the lessons implicit within them? Do you think they have any contemporary relevance or value?

THE history of early Christian monasticism will be reviewed with particular emphasis on the roles of: (1) Antony, the “first hermit”; and (2) the communities of Nitria and Kellia, founded by Amoun. Important sources from the early monastic tradition will be studied from perspective of the interrelationship between anchorites and cenobites: that is, the necessity for both solitary life and ongoing experience of community.

Particular attention will be paid to models of spiritual progress suggested in the Life of Antony. Please read the following in conjunction with these lectures and texts: 1) Louth, ch. 6, pp. 98-131. 2) RB-80, Introd., “The Origins of Monasticism in the Eastern Church,” pp. 12-34. and Appendix 5, “Monastic Formation and Profession”, pp. 437-466. [Also available for download from "Course Documents" and strongly recommended (but not required) are the first two chapters of Derwas Chitty's book, The Desert A City.]

NEXT we will review the origins of the important early Egyptian desert communities of Nitria, Kellia, and Scetis

THE Life of Antony is rightly regarded as one of the most influential Christian spiritual texts ever written. It is fascinating to reflect on the spiritual "progam" Antony is said to have followed as an early model of spiritual formation. [N.B. these lectures will be familiar to those who have taken the course on Christian Asceticism]

WE continue our study of the interrelationship between anchorites and cenobites with: (1) selections from the Apophthegmata (Sayings) of the Desert Mothers and Fathers; (2) selections from the rules of Basil and Benedict; (3) and review articles on the eremitical (hermit) traditions in the Christian East and West.

Particular attention will be paid to hints on the formation of hermits and cenobites in the the 3^rd chapter of Basil’s Rule, and the 1^st and 72^nd chapters of the Rule of Benedict. Please read the following in conjunction with these lectures and texts: 1) RB-80: Appendix 5, “Monastic Formation and Profession”, pp. 437-466.

16) The Apophthegmata (Sayings)
of the Desert Fathers and Mothers: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

TWO modern articles, one by a nun-historian, the other by a monk-bishop, will help us appreciate the the complex interdependency of coenobium and hermitage

OUR study of the history and role of lectio divina in Christian monasticism will begin with an introduction to the theory, key terminology, and biblical origins of practices related to biblical meditation and prayer. Please read Louf ch. 4, in conjunction with these lectures and texts.

A PRACTICAL introduction to lectio divina will describe the different aspects and traditional terminology of this practice.

TWO texts, one ancient and one modern, will highlight both the antiquity and contemporary relevance of lectio divina.

THE practice of so-called “group lectio divina” has become popular and widely-practiced in recent years. We will examine this approach, noting both the advantages and limitations it imposes.

HAVING reviewed the origins and current practice of lectio divina, we may now use our understanding of this practice as a key that will help unlock several ancient texts. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher and contemporary of Jesus, describes methods of meditating and and praying the scriptures that were employed by Jewish monks and nuns in Egypt and Israel during the early years of the first century.

NEXT, two medieval sources will highlight contrasting but related approaches to lectio divina: Guigo the Carthusian will depict the use of this practice in the monasteries; Hugh of St. Victor will suggest how it was applied in the more academic setting of the nascent universities of Western Europe.

FINALLY a chapter on “Sacred Learning” from Fr. Jean Leclercq’s magisterial study of monastic culture will help consolidate what we have learned and anticipate what we will study in section seven of this course, on the interrelationship between lectio divina and contemplative exegesis (the mystical interpretation of Sacred Scripture).

29) Jean Leclercq :“The Love of Learning and the Desire for God”, ch. 5: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 2: Lectio Divina

We have studied the monastic practice of lectio divina, a method of meditating on the Bible that is supposed to lead the practitioner from the text of Scripture into prayer. How does this method of meditation correspond to the models we have discussed of a healthy balance between: (a) spiritual “activity” and “receptivity”, and (b) “apophatic and kataphatic prayer? What could be the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to meditating on the Bible?

WE begin with a discussion of psalmody and hymnody in the New Testament and the early church. The alternating rhythm of chanted psalmody and silent prayer in the liturgy of the hours of the early monastic tradition will be studied. Please read Louf ch. 5, in conjunction with these lectures.

NEXT we will study the developing enthusiasm for psalmody characteristic of the early monastic movement, and attested both in the Apophthegmata and in Athanasius' writings:

31) Athanasius and Antony on the Value of Psalmody: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

JOHN Cassian offers one of the clearest descriptions of the practice and spirituality of monastic psalmody, followed by prayer, in late fourth-century Egypt:

EVAGRIUS Ponticus offers a spiritual understanding of the intertwining rhythm of psalmody of prayer, defining the goal and practice of each pole:

BASIL the Great, Evagrius' teacher and spiritual master, provides practical recommendations for those who pray the psalms together in community:

IN Gregory of Nyssa we find a liturgical spirituality that fuses psalmody together with traditions of spiritual ascent we glimpsed in Plato and Cicero:

CHAPTERS Nineteen and Twenty of Benedict's Rule provide a pattern for the developing western approach to psalmody, and summarize the tradition we have studied thus far.

OUR study of early monastic psalmody and prayer concludes with a summary of this tradition by Fr. Gabriel Bunge. Many of these insights are discussed in broader historical context in the Introduction and Chapter 1 (pp. 17-50) of Fr. Bunge's book Earthen Vessels, which should be read either before or after reviewing the following on-line material:

FINALLY, a modern commentator on the Psalms raises the question how we are to apply in the present day what we have learned from early monasticism: (It will be obvious from the content that this lecture was recorded two years ago, prior to the death of Pope John Paul II)

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 3: Monastic Psalmody

We studied and experienced together something of the monastic practice of psalmody. What are your reactions to the fact that this practice holds such a central place in monastic culture and theological reflection? What do you think of the descriptions in Evagrius, Cassian and Gregory of Nyssa of the interrelationship between psalmody and prayer?

IN this section of our course we will apply what we have learned concerning the rhythms of psalmody and prayer to the broader context of Christian worship. We will discover that in the early Church and in the monastic tradition, a principal place and source of contemplative prayer is the celebration of the liturgy. The basis of liturgical prayer will be sought in the interaction between spiritual “activity” and “receptivity” already studied in the monastic practice of psalmody. The application to liturgical spirituality of the doctrine of theosis or “divinization” will be studied in selections from the writings of Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Athanasius, Dionysius the Areopagite, and Gertrude the Great. The tradition of “contemplative exegesis” of liturgical rites in Dionysius and Maximus Confessor will be considered, together with their western exponent, Abbot Suger of Cluny. Please read RB-80 Appendix 3, “The Liturgical Code in the Rule of Benedict”, pp. 379-414; Louth, ch 8; pp. 159-178, and Louf ch. 7, in conjunction with these lectures.

EARLY Christian mystagogy (the spiritual interpretation of ritual gestures, liturgical actions and prayers) is introduced in an ancient and famous series of homilies intended for Christian catechumens

ANOTHER series of catechetical homilies places mystical theology squarely at the beginning of Christian formation: the Song of Songs is suggested as a model for those about to be baptized:

ONE of the greatest and most influential Christian mystical theologians was a monk who called himself Dionysius, He presents the liturgy not only as a source of contemplative wisdom and vision, but also as a means of theosis - divinization. He also wrote the most influential text in Christian tradition on apophatic theology, The Mystical Theology, given here in full. Please read Louth, ch 8; pp. 159-178, in conjunction with these two texts and lectures.

42) Dionysius the (pseudo-) Areopagite: (selections): AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

43) Dionysius the (pseudo-) Areopagite: The Mystical Theology: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE notion that liturgical prayer transforms the one who participates in the liturgy is developed further by the monk-bishop, Maximos Confessor:

WE turn to several monastic authors in order to see how the liturgical themes we have studied also reflect the heart of monastic spirituality. In conjunction with these texts please read RB-80 Appendix 3, “The Liturgical Code in the Rule of Benedict”, pp. 379-414.

AGAIN we reflect on themes raised by Fr. Jean Leclercq, this time on the subject of the role of liturgy in monastic culture.

THE intermingling of music and the visual arts in the monastic liturgical tradition is suggested in brief texts from the medieval promoter of gothic architecture, the Benedictine Abbot Suger of St. Denys in Paris.

VISUAL aids to liturgical prayer reached a highpoint in medieval books of hours:

ONE of the greatest liturgical theologians and mystics of the Middle Ages was Gertrude the Great, a nun of Helfta, Germany:

THE concept of liturgical prayer as an act of inward and outward-directed consecration was stressed in the doctrine of the Royal Priesthood of the faithful at Vatican II::

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 4: Monastic Liturgical Prayer

1) We have highlighted the importance of liturgical prayer in monastic spirituality: it is the most important (and time-consuming!) thing the whole monastic community does together, occupying in some communities between three and five hours each day. What are your reactions to the idea that this practice is primary and central to Christian monastic identity: in other words, that all other works of the monastery (such as pastoral ministry and teaching) are secondary to liturgical prayer?
2) We have studied texts in which the liturgy is described as “divinizing”; and, indeed, this notion retains an important place in the mystical theology of the Christian East. In the West this teaching first cooled, and then simmered well below the surface for several centuries; but it is undergoing a modern revival. Is this a good thing?
3) What are your reactions to our glimpse at the music and visual arts of medieval monasticism? Are they primarily “period pieces” or do they have something to say to us today?

WE turn again to the perennial monastic preoccupation with sacred scripture, but now with an increased sensitivity to the rhythms of silence and speech, spiritual activity and receptivity, that have traditionally undergirded the reverent study of Sacred Text in monasteries. We will note in particular how the study and interpretation of the Bible came to be regarded as a kind of laboratory in which the reader learned how to discern the presence and purposes of God in human history, and thus also in each human soul.

FIRST with assistance from Fr. Jean Leclercq we familiarize ourselves with the principal characteristics of what we will call "contemplative exegesis" In conjunction with this introduction please read (1) Chapter Four ("Devotion to Heaven") from The Love of Learning and the Desire for God, A Study of Monastic Culture, Jean Leclercq, O.S.B. ; (2) "The Interpretation of Scripture", RB 80, Appendix 6; and .Louth, ch 4.

NEXT we will observe the origins and growth of this tradition in a text from Clement of Alexandria

ORIGEN offers both a rationale for spiritual exegesis and a methodology that becames universal in the Christian Church:

IN the Gnostikos of Evagrius Ponticus the spiritual exegete is identified with what we would call a spiritual director or spiritual Abba/Amma

JOHN Cassian adapts the exegetical approaches of Clement, Origen, and Evagrius into a fourfold "method" of spiritual exegesis that becomes universally known and practiced in both monastic and lay circles throughout the Christian West.

THE method of Cassian is applied and popularized by Eucherius of Lyons, who creates a spiritual "glossary" intended to aid those who read Scripture in search of spiritual meanings. His efforts hint at an anxiety that the capacity of each believer to practice contemplative exegesis may be fading: instead of relying on the believer's personal practice of lectio divina, Eucherius offers it's fruit in a condensed, packaged form.

IN the homilies of Peter Chrysologus allegorical exegesis is offered to the laity.

THE story of Caedmon in Bede's Ecclesiastical History is a multilayered recommendation of spiritual exegesis. We "read" the story of Caedmon, whom Bede portrays as the flowering of Northumbrian monastic culture: the inner meaning of history is revealed in the life of a simple cowherd Meanwhile, within the story itself, Caedmon discovers how to contemplate and sing the inner, sacred meaning of the events of his own life.
[Also included on this page is a text which we, unfortunately, do not have time to study in any detail. If you wish, you may read "Br. Drythelm's Vision of Hell," a (not-always-consoling) witness to the Celtic monastic tradition; but it is not discussed in the audio lecture. Perhaps another time!]

FINALLY, in a text from the Liturgy of the Hours we encounter one of the most glorious examples of allegorical exegesis in Christian tradition. Christ's descent into hell invites a meditation on the transforming power of Christ's healing, transfiguring Passion: sacred history affords a window into the deeper meaning of our own personal faults and failures. As we saw in Evagrius, salvation history provides the key to understanding and offering back to God our own individual story.

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 5: Contemplative Exegesis

We have reviewed the practice of contemplative (allegorical) exegesis that Christianity inherited from Judaism and Platonism through Philo of Alexandria; and, in particular, we noted the form such exegesis took in the writings of the nuns Hildegard of Bingen and Gertrude of Helfta.
1) Did you find our discussion of this method helpful as a window into the spiritual experience of ancient and medieval monastic authors? What did you discover?
2) Do you believe allegorical or contemplative exegesis can still be practiced today? How can it coexist with modern scientific exegesis?

THE origins of the Christian tradition of monologistic (short-phrase) prayer can be found in the Scriptures and early Christian reflection on the command to pray without ceasing. We will also note in passing several defining characteristics of the later Jesus Prayer-tradition, that will help us identify the remote origins of this practice

59) Biblical and Early Patristic Sources; Introduction to the Jesus Prayer: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE principal patristic source to which all contemporary Christian exponents of monologistic prayer point is John Cassian. In his Ninth and Tenth Conferences Cassian extols the virtues of formula prayer and reveals the formula given to him by Abba Isaac:

BEFORE plunging headlong into the mysteries of eastern hesychastic prayer with Bishop Kallistos, it will be helpful to remind ourselves of a developing parallel monologistic prayer-form in the Christian West: namely, the rosary. While the rosary is not a specifically monastic devotion, it arose, as we shall see, out of the monastic practice of psalmody and the growing conviction that those unfamiliar with the psalms ought to be permitted to substitute more easily-memorized, simple prayers.

THE most knowledgeable and experienced living author on the subject of the Jesus Prayer and the Hesychastic tradition is Bishop Kallistos Ware. The four articles that follow contain the substance of his lectures on this subject at Oxford, and are unparalleled in their clarity and depth. Although I urge you to read all four articles, the one that could be skipped (if absolutely necessary!) is § 64 on Symeon the New Theologian. If you read all four you will almost certainly be able to take pride in having become one of the most knowledgeable authorities on this subject in your area!

63) The [5^th-9^thCentury] Origins of the Jesus Prayer, Diadochus of Photike, Gaza, Sinai: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

LESS authoritative than Bishop Kallistos' magisterial treatment, but nonetheless of great interest, are Thomas Spidlik's articles on the Jesus Prayer. In addition to a discussion of the physical technique of the hesychasts he describes the principles according to which recitation of the Jesus Prayer may in some circumstances be substituted for specific hours of the Divine Office (!!).

67) Spidlik, sel. from Prayer: The Spirituality of the Christian East: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

AGAINST the background of the traditions we have studied it is possible to assess two modern variants of traditional Christian monologistic prayer: Centering Prayer and the “Christian Meditation” of John Main.

(GauchoSpace) DISCUSSION 6: Monologistic Prayer

We discussed the medieval origins and practice of monologistic prayer in Eastern monasticism (the “Jesus Prayer”) and in Western Christianity (the Rosary).
   1) Despite their apparent similiarities, what do you find significant about the differences between these two ways of using “short phrase” or “formula” prayer?
   2) What, in your opinion, are the potential benefits and pitfalls of these methods of prayer?
   3) [optional question] Do you have any experience (or opinions) in regarded to more recent variants of these prayer-forms, such as “Centering Prayer”, or Fr. John Main’s “Christian Meditation”?

THE last council to be fully acknowledged in both the Christian East and West is the Second Council of Nicæa, the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which met just after the patristic era (as it is usually defined) in 787. This council reflects a strange and destructive period of iconoclasm, during which an entire epoch of Christian art was almost completely destroyed – by zealous Christians.

FIRST we will survey Christian imagery and iconography in the centuries that preceded the iconoclastic controversy, tracing the legend of the Icon "not made by human hands" and reviewing a summary of the spirituality of icons:
68) Early Christian Images: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
70) The (Abgar) Legend of the Icon "Not Made by Human Hands": AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
71) Kallistos Ware on the Spirituality of Icons: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

NEXT we will note the painful period of the iconoclastic controversy and the text of the Seventh Ecumenical Council:
72) The Iconoclastic Crisis: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
73) The Second Council of Nicea: (selections): AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

FINALLY, we will allow the patristic era to reach forward into the middle ages and beyond by noting features of Christian iconography both characteristic of the Christian East and common to East and West:.
74) Christian Iconography After Iconoclasm: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
75) Eastern and Western Images of the Blessed Trinity, : AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

IN this section of our course we familiarize ourselves with different models of spiritual direction employed today in the Christian East and West. After comparing and contrasting these approaches, we will note several additional hallmarks of the spiritual direction relationship that will offer focal points for our study of early Christian sources.

WE will first consider an introduction to spiritual direction by Bishop Kallistos Ware, one of the foremost exponents of Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality. Bishop Kallistos is a retired Oxford professor and monk of the Greek Orthodox monastery on the island of Patmos:

(76) Ware, Spiritual Direction in the Christian East; AUDIO_LECTURE _;_ TEXT_FILE (remember to start the audio-lecture first, then minimize the player, then click on the link to the text file and scroll down as directed. Click on the Lectures and Assignments link to return to this “portal” page)

NEXT, we will look at a discussion of Roman Catholic spiritual direction by Thomas (“Fr. Louis”) Merton, OCSO, a Trappist spiritual writer. There are two lecture for this text, both using the same text webpage:

THEN a contemporary Benedictine abbot will suggest hallmarks of spiritual direction to which we will refer throughout this course:

(79) Abbot Francis Benedict, O.S.B., Implications of Spiritual Direction: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE introduction to our textbook presents Five Models of Spiritual Direction in the Early Church. These models will serve as reference points throughout the rest of our course.

THE subject of monastic reform and renewal is vast; and we must of necessity confine ourselves to a very few representative examples. We begin with an overview of themes and epochs of monastic reform:

OUR first model of monastic reform and renewal is the wonderfully paradoxical example of St. Benedict. For nearly eighteen hundred years the concept of "monastic reform" has usually meant return from lax observance to stricter, more literal interpretation of monastic ideals. St. Benedict, however, does not institute a stricter form of monastic life; instead, he modifies his principal source, the anonymous Rule of the Master, in the direction of greater compassion and gentleness. We will note first the Master's positive contributions, especially his notion of monasticism as a renewal of the baptismal covenant. Then in a second lecture we will observe the more negative elements the Master emphasizes, such as an individualistic model of the monastery as a burdensome "school" of painful obedience. [Students who have already taken "Christian Asceticism" will find §70-72 to be a review]

82) The Rule of the Master [Part 1]: Monasticism as renewal of baptismal covenant: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

83) The Rule of the Master [Part 2]: Monasticism as the burdonsome School of suffering with Christ. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE [note that this is the same text file as in §70)

SAINT Benedict reforms and renews monastic observance, not by abolishing, but by carefully, respectfully adjusting and editing his primary source, the Rule of the Master. A word or phrase inserted here, a phrase or whole chapter deleted there: this is his methodology. In this way the former observance is revered and at the same time energized in the direction of greater compassion and discretion. For Benedict the monastic "School" is a place where the whole community grows in "widened-hearted" charity and runs together into a transcendent, unspeakable encounter with the loving Father:

84) The Rule of St. Benedict [The Prologue]: To run with widened heart: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE founder of the Abbey of Solesmes in France, Prosper Guéranger, affords an example of a modern renewer of monastic life. He was also the founder of the "Liturgical Movement" in the Catholic Church. His unfinished magnum opus, The Liturgical Year inspired subsequent generations with his conviction that the principal treasure of all who look to St. Benedict as their founder is the Work of God, communal liturgical prayer. An article by Dame Eanswythe Edwards, O.S.B., of Stanbrook abbey in England affords a glimpse of the transforming effect of Dom Guéranger's vision on her monastery:

85) Prosper Gueranger, Preface to The Liturgical Year. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

86) Eanswythe Edwards, The Influence of Prosper Guéranger AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

[Optional Text: for those who wish to read more by Prosper Guéranger the following link may be of interest: TEXT_FILE ]

THE living out of Guéranger's dream can be discerned in the Post-Vatican II General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, which invites the whole people of God, not only nuns and monks, to incorporate in their own lives the riches of the Divine Office.

87) The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

WE conclude with a specifically monastic adaptation of Abbot Guéranger's vision combined with the spiritual insights of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours. For Benedictine nuns and monks the document that established the norms for reform of the Divine Office is the Thesaurus Liturgiae Hororum Monasticae, the Sourcebook for the Monastic Liturgy of the Hours. The first section of this document, the "Directory for Carrying Out the Work of God" provides a rich theological and spiritual meditation on how timeless monastic values are to be adapted to the present generation of monks and nuns.

88) Thesaurus Liturgiae Hororum Monasticae [selections]: . AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE