Contrast Benedict’s idea of the monastic life with Merton’s view.  Merton seems to be frustrated with monastic life, yet he does follow Benedict’s Rule as he goes about his Firewatch – he prays and reflects as he does his work.  Though Merton seems to have a negative view of the monastery, Benedict’s Rule clearly influences his prayer life profoundly. 

If you were to apply Benedict’s Rule to your own life, would your soul feel closer to God in different situations during work and rest as Merton, or do you feel that you would experience more of the frustration of Merton?

What are the difficult questions that Merton asks during the Firewatch, and is he expecting a direct answer from God or divine inspiration to seek his own answers in accordance with our course topic, Faith Seeking Understanding?

St. John Cassian vs. St. Benedict

St. John Cassian's reading is about how people can improve their process of prayer, or how they can do it more effectively. For example, he says that "the aim of every monk and the perfection of his art tends to continual and unbroken perseverance and prayer." In addition, he says that people should rid their minds of any distracting or sinful thoughts and wordly temptations. Their prayers should be pure and genuine and could be more valuable if they are short and silent to prevent those distractions from invading the process.

St. Benedict talks about how monks should live in such a way to ultimately make their way to heaven. He emphasizes peace and doing good as an aim of life, perseverance in avoiding sin and other evil deeds, and being truthful and sincere.

Contemplate the following quotes from St. John Cassian and St. Benedict, respectively:
"For it rests on such foundations, then though heavy storms of passions break over it, though mighty torrents of persecutions beat against it like a battering ram, though a furious tempest of spiritual foes dash against it and attack it, yet not only will no ruin overtake it, but the onslaught will not injure it even in the slightest degree."

"That is why the Lord says in the Gospel: Whoever hears these words of mine and does like them is like a wise man who built his house upon rock; the floods came and the winds blew and beat against the house, but it did not fall: it was founded on rock."

How are the thoughts of St. John Cassian and St. Benedict similar and different with regards to prayer as expressed in the above quotes? Do you think that they are both inspired by the same passages in the Bible? Do you think that they would reach the same conclusion about what makes a prayer effective for an individual? So what do you think - can a person pray effectively without a strong foundation of faith?

Posted By: Lucy Downey, David Bond, and Lindsay Byrnes

Athanasius & the Word

Athanasius proved to be a key spokesperson at the First Council of Nicaea, where the Church officials wrote down the original versionof the Nicene Creed, and is considered a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is well known for his defending the Church against Arianism.

Within the chapters 1-3 Athanasius eludes greatly to theidea of the divinity of Jesus. One could even say that he is the light within the darkness. The darkness is that found in the hedonism of humanity and He is there to be the guiding light to bring all back to His flock. In addition, Athanasius also noted the great detail of the saving actions of Christ not only in his eventual death and resurrection but also his connection to God’s will through the Word that came to be the foundation of creation.

In section 8, Athanasius states that “No part of creation had ever been without Him Who, while ever abiding in union with the Father, yet fills all things that are. But now He entered the world in a new way.” Do you think that this is evident of Deist, Interventionist, or Sustained Creation. Please explain.

In section 16, Athanasius says, “the Word submitted to appear in a body in order that he as man might center their senses on himself and convince them through his human acts that He himself is not man only, but also God” From this quote, do you think Athanasius views Jesus from a Gnostic perspective, or is he fighting against the Gnostic perspective? If he is arguing from a Gnostic perspective, how does that affect his view of the Incarnation?

In section 17, Athanasius says, “The Word was not hedged in by his body, nor did his presence in the body prevent his being present elsewhere as well. When he moved His body He did not cease also to direct theuniverse by His mind and might. No.” In your opinion, is this view compatible with the idea of the Incarnation according to the Church?

Posted by: Mary Cieslak, Brooks Reagan, Brendan Zaleski