Benedictine prayer

[JaredR]

Besides lectio divina, is there a distinctly Benedictine way of prayer? I feel very drawn to the Benedictine Rule. I like the focus on liturgy and communal prayer. However, I haven’t been able to find much information about personal prayer. My prayer life is influenced greatly by the Carmelite spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross; i.e., detachment, poverty of spirit, interior silence, guard of the senses, etc. Is this compatible with the Benedictine Rule or is there a specifically Benedictine philosophy of prayer that I haven’t come across?

Thank you.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Besides lectio divina, is there a distinctly Benedictine way of prayer? I feel very drawn to the Benedictine Rule. I like the focus on liturgy and communal prayer. However, I haven’t been able to find much information about personal prayer. My prayer life is influenced greatly by the Carmelite spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross; i.e., detachment, poverty of spirit, interior silence, guard of the senses, etc. Is this compatible with the Benedictine Rule or is there a specifically Benedictine philosophy of prayer that I haven’t come across?

Thank you.

I may be wrong with this but I think benedictines lean more towards community style of prayer. All the offices of the Litugy of the Hours in common with Mass. I do not think they really have a personal style of prayer that they teach.

Carmelites have a set aside time for personal prayer. We pray Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Mass (usually with Morning Prayer) in common and should have an hour or so of private prayer. In this we are incouraged to meditate but we can do as we wish, we are also encouraged to pray at least one of the other daily offices from the LOTH (I do Daytime (usually mid-day), Nighttime, and try to fit in the Office of the Readings (don’t always get them).

 

[puzzleannie]

as a Benedictine Oblate, our community prayer is liturgy of the hours (which we also pray alone when necessary of course) and lectio divina is our personal prayer, and both are the springboard for personal contemplative prayer. Since the holy rule dignifies daily labor consecrated to God’s glory our work becomes prayer as well.