More on the Benedict Option. . .

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We are entering a period in which the state and private entities (e.g., businesses, universities, media) are going to be further stigmatizing and undermining the institutions and ideas of orthodox Christianity. And the response to this by Christians and their leaders has been by and large grossly inadequate. It is no longer sufficient, I say, to fight as we always fought. Yes, we must fight for our right to practice our religion, but that will be meaningless if our children leave the faith because it has come to mean nothing to them. And leave the faith they will…
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We need to construct alternative forms of community in which the life of faith and virtue, as we see it, can be lived out in a healthy, sustainable manner, amid a hostile culture. We need to build some kind of walls to make a quiet space, so to speak, so that we can tell the church’s story, and our kids can hear it told. We need to have a barrier between ourselves and the village, so that the barbarism of the village doesn’t overwhelm us, and — this is crucial — so that we can be a source of light, of love, and of plain sanity to the people who are chewed up by the barbarism, and are seeking shelter and community…
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I’m not suggesting that we give up the fight in the public square. We have to fight for our religious liberty. I am suggesting that we be realistic about what we can achieve, and even more strongly, that we understand the deeper stakes in this battle. We might win the fight for religious liberty, but watch the faith evaporate within our children and grandchildren’s generation because while we were busy playing the knight, the fields back home lay fallow from lack of cultivation.
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Amen. This is a confusing, dark time to be Catholic, and it may necessitate the creation of a parallel society much like what John Paul II encouraged Polish people to do under Communist rule.
 
Maybe we should create Christian gated communities, with their own churches, schools day care facilities and services, and limit our contact with the outside world for work related purposes and the like?
 
Johann_du_Toit said:
Maybe we should create Christian gated communities, with their own churches, schools day care facilities and services, and limit our contact with the outside world for work related purposes and the like?
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Except that would not be conducive to living out our faith in the world.
What would that message be? “We’ve got it made…the rest of you can just tough it out yourselves”? No, that is not what we are called to do. Many sects try this. I can think of several. It just ends badly in most cases.
We are to be salt and light. We have to persevere in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
 
pianistclare said:
Except that would not be conducive to living out our faith in the world.
What would that message be? “We’ve got it made…the rest of you can just tough it out yourselves”? No, that is not what we are called to do. Many sects try this. I can think of several. It just ends badly in most cases.
We are to be salt and light. We have to persevere in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
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Not to mention that it could lead dangerously to Catholic ghettos…

But we still need to form stronger Catholic communities; I’ve been wondering if the Church should start establishing more Holy Days of Obligation, or make weekday Masses mandatory or something… At any rate, we need stricter adherence to traditions, not looser ones.
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be in the world, but not of the world.

I have noticed that there are more meetings in homes where Rosary groups meet - depending on the size of the home there are 6 to 20 people at a gathering. One gathering is weekly at my home, and the other is about every three weeks at a larger home. There is about 45 minutes of Scriptural Rosary, other prayers and scripture sharing, and then coffee and fellowship.

Also, in my parish and in neighboring parishes there are those who gather for the Rosary before weekday Mass, or right after it.
 
I think the real gist of this is two-fold.

Given the signs of the times,

(a) we need to be conscious of our obligation to spread the Gospel, effectively, particularly to the anti-Christians/pagans/secularist sorts.

(b) We need to do a better job of understanding how to build good and useful Catholic communities (no! not “towns” here, I mean instead local people who know each other and have the same Catholic values).
 
The meaning of the term Benedict Option, which we’ve written quite a bit about, is for the most part unintelligible. The proof of this is that the coiner of the term has called for more discussion and even argumentation about what exactly it is. This person left the Catholic Church and I believe has deep regrets about this. I have a feeling that for the most part the Benedict Option is merely a longing for something which already exists both to provide shelter from the world and to transform the world: the Roman Catholic Church.
 
I response to observations by TofuFish… “This is a confusing, dark time to be Catholic, and it may necessitate the creation of a parallel society much like what John Paul II encouraged Polish people to do under Communist rule.”

I agree. We can’t change the secular society or cultural leanings in the U.S. today. It can’t be done. But we can build or join communities, or live in a supportive role. The answer may very well be to live in alternative forms of community - lives of faith and virtue…in a healthy, sustainable manner.

I would welcome the chance to live near a monastery, or community, and I believe others would too. Not necessarily living behind gated walls. But working to support the community. Actually, I’m surprised we haven’t heard more about this path. Especially for seniors - who have the time, and who need a real purpose.
 
I believe this will happen more and more. In a spontaneous way probably. people are aware that if they want to live an authentic Christian life and raise their kids in the faith that is not diluted by secularism they will have to form thick communities and make the church the focus of their lives. Like back in the early years of Christianity.

The Ben Op could take several forms. Maybe some people will want to live in more closed communities where they live and work. I suspect more people will prefer something less structured and will work in the world, but have a close-nit community where they live. I know this would be my choice.

I have had a misfortune to live my faith alone, rarely making other Catholic friends. That has been extremely difficult and makes me feel like I’m crossing the oceans of secularism in a tiny boat. I have young children and a non believing husband. I need to find a way to have regular interaction with other Catholics, that my children have Catholic friends and feel that living their faith with others is just a normal thing. I am pretty desperate for a Benedict Option right now.😦
 
I think the vacuity of modern times leaves many of us—perhaps most, feeling emotionally and intellectually rootless—and we know the Catholic Church offers much in the way of spiritual and intellectual sustenance.

It’s really THIS that’s attractive about the BO; I do feel that ALL of us have a responsibility to talk about the Gospel through the world.

But I think this can be reasonably done with the BO route.
 
I know I’m late to this thread but I came here specifically to find a thread talking about this.

What Dreher is proposing is very interesting and attractive because it takes the pressure off. Think about it: you get up in the morning and you look to the left and right and there are your neighbors and they have the same beliefs, customs and rituals as you. It’s a very comfortable idea. But I don’t think that is what the gospel is about, and I was proud to see that other people here feel the same.

I don’t think we can run away from any of this. There have been very dark times in the history of the church and Catholic Christians lived, suffered but most of all persevered through those times.

I know this is easy for me to say because I do not have children but I do not think Christ had running as an option. Recently I read an article written by Father John Hardon, S.J. that talked about martyrdom and the different ways it can play out, especially the Martyrdom of Persecution which he refers to as an un-bloody martyrdom. I found it encouraging.

therealpresence.org/archives/Martyrs/Martyrs_001.htm
 
sticknstring73 said:
I know I’m late to this thread but I came here specifically to find a thread talking about this.

What Dreher is proposing is very interesting and attractive because it takes the pressure off. Think about it: you get up in the morning and you look to the left and right and there are your neighbors and they have the same beliefs, customs and rituals as you. It’s a very comfortable idea. But I don’t think that is what the gospel is about, and I was proud to see that other people here feel the same.

I don’t think we can run away from any of this. There have been very dark times in the history of the church and Catholic Christians lived, suffered but most of all persevered through those times.

I know this is easy for me to say because I do not have children but I do not think Christ had running as an option. Recently I read an article written by Father John Hardon, S.J. that talked about martyrdom and the different ways it can play out, especially the Martyrdom of Persecution which he refers to as an un-bloody martyrdom. I found it encouraging.

therealpresence.org/archives/Martyrs/Martyrs_001.htm
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Thanks for that link. That article is great for prayerful pondering…and for discussion. I printed it out.
 
Johann_du_Toit said:
Maybe we should create Christian gated communities, with their own churches, schools day care facilities and services, and limit our contact with the outside world for work related purposes and the like?
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Jesus sent the apostles out to a hostile world to preach the Gospel. Most were martyred obeying that command.
 
Well, for obvious reasons I’m going to resurrect this thread. Maybe I’ll just have to post some new ones on the subject if no one responds…

I just think its ridiculous how much people have a knee-jerk reaction of dismissing this.
The Church isn’t exactly evangelizing that well living in society.
In fact, when we consider that groups like the Amish and Orthodox Jews have very very high retention rates of their children, maybe less than 5% leave, we’ll call it 10% to be liberal. Whereas how much of the next generation have Catholics lost? Have we made up for that number in converts? No.

So, the whole “living in the world and evangelize everyone we interact with” idea really isn’t working. Do we keep even 50% of our children in the Church? I think everyone knows we would be lucky if 50% of our children were practicing Catholics. We all know its way less than that. And that astronomical number of Catholics leaving the pews (Ex-Catholics outnumber Southern Baptists as the second largest “religous group” in this country) is not being replaced by converts. It is being somewhat offset by Hispanic immigrants. But, that is movement of people. On the whole, far more Americans are losing their Catholic faith than are coming to it through evangelism.

The only other thing I’ll say, is that this is modeling itself off of Benedictine monks. Its modeling itself off of Western Monasticism. This is exactly how the Church flourished during the Dark Ages. Did those Benedictines Evangelize? You bet.

That’s the bottom line here. If Benedictine monks fulfill the great commission, then so does anyone who follows the Benedict Option faithfully.
 
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