In one of his earlier writings, our late Superior General, +Alexander, said that he thought that of all the western religious traditions, the Benedictine spirit seemed to him to be the most congenial and suitable for study by Basilians. I’m not sure if he explained why, but I’ve been thinking about the Basilian counsels of patience, stability, sincerity as a modern interpretation or extension of the traditional monastic vows of stability, obedience, and reformation or conversion of life. This might be part of what he was thinking.
For the sake of comparison, it might be worth considering the vows or promises of several other religious communities. The medieval Beguines, for example, were guided by the three virtues of charity, humility, and companionship. While many religious orders take the “evangelical” vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the contemporary Anglican Dominicans frame the vows as simplicity, purity, and obedience.
For Basilians living in the world, perhaps the monastic vow of obedience becomes for us the counsel of sincerity, and it is usually seen in connection with the response to Jesus when he said, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” Inasmuch as the Society is dispersed and the members largely autonomous and self-supporting, the notion of obedience can give rise to questions: to whom do we owe obedience? Surely, to Christ, and his commandment is simple: “love one another as I have loved you.” For us to be sincere in our vocation as Christians, we are called to live as much as possible honestly, authentically, and without pretense, and to receive all guests as Christ (Rule of Benedict Chapter 53). We are called to extend the blessing of hospitality to all who come to us.
Perhaps the Basilian counsel of patience reflects directly on the monastic vow of conversion or reformation of life. We understand that we are called to follow Christ and that is the work of a lifetime. For us who live and work in the world, the call for some of us may be to see the holiness and sacredness of creation in daily work, in family life, and in community activities. The Basilian motto laborare est orare, similar to the Benedictine ora et labora, calls and reminds us to find the holiness in daily work and to understand that work and prayer are woven together in this life. We are not called to separate ourselves, but we are urged to engage as fully as possible in the work and family life and in the community life to which we are called.
Finally, the Basilian counsel of stability is most like the vow of the same name, but perhaps it may play out somewhat differently. It is often said that nothing in the world is constant, except for change. So many people regularly change homes and jobs, so many marriages end in divorce, so many clergy are bi-vocational owing to economic challenges, and the velocity of technological, social, political, and economic change is overwhelming. Our call is to seek God, to seek to follow Jesus Christ, and to seek ways to link our work, family life, worship, and prayer to the values and teachings of Jesus as we discover them through frequent study and meditative reading. We are not called to stay in one place, for that may lead to stagnation. Our call is to abide in Christ, as he is in us, and to see that the Kingdom of God is within us.