*3.3. Dimensions of Everyday Practices*

In Benedictine life, everything has a "liturgical" character (Quartier 2011a). When Benedict talks about the cellarer of the monastery, the monastic father stresses that everyday practices presuppose a liturgical attitude: "He will regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected" (Fry 1980, vol. 31, p. 10). This liturgical attitude implies not only a certain style of treating goods and other persons, but—even more importantly—a moral claim, as Michaele Puzicha comments on this chapter: "Sharing of goods, sensible use of property and care for the poor belong to the duties mentioned here" (Puzicha 2002, p. 295). Thus, the attitude of the cellarer is not only applicable to economic circumstances, but needs the virtues related to himself, the other and God (Quartier 2011b). Further on in the chapter, it says: "Above all, let him be humble. If goods are not available to meet a request, he will offer a kind word in reply. [ ... ] For he must remember what the Scripture says that person deserves who leads one of the little ones astray" (Fry 1980, vol. 31, pp. 13, 16).

The virtues of humility and generosity are founded in the responsibility of the monk towards God. St Benedict refers to the Gospel of Matthew, here: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Mt 18,6). The negative motivation to avoid the ultimate punishment by God becomes a positive one in the liturgical life of a monk, by giving his everyday practices a structure open to the meaning of being responsible for himself and the other because of the dedication of his life to God. The transcendent motivation for moral behaviour is not only a question of an inner conviction, but also of outer ritualising actions. The formal attitude of acting everywhere and at every moment, such as in the liturgical setting of the Eucharist ("sacred vessels of the altar"), reminds the monk of the deeper meaning of everything he does.

Even in the context of the monastery, it is difficult to keep the meaning of your everyday practices concerning yourself, the other and God open. This is the reason why Benedict quotes such a harsh passage from the Bible. Outside the monastery, where there is not a given frame of behaviour and a rather small community, it must be even more difficult to enact symbolic practices that express personal humility and generosity. For example, as Rosa points out, a calm and peaceful manner, often understood as purely directed for the benefit of personal wellbeing and a salve against the "acceleration" of life, has both a "functional" and an "oppositional" meaning in society. It contributes to a climate of social responsibility and solidarity (Rosa 2010, pp. 50–51). Monastic life forms a counterpoint of social life in a world continuously speeding up and harming the individual, the social relations and the relationship with God. The ritualization of everyday practices is a manifestation of a responsible and empathetic way of life. How is this manifestation of a religious consciousness enacted and experienced by oblates, who often live in the midst of the acceleration and alienation of themselves, the others and God? Three dimensions were found in the answers: self, other and God. Illustrative quotes are provided in the following figure (Figure 3):


**Figure 3.** Dimensions of everyday practices—quotes.

Generally speaking, it was discovered that the oblates mentioned their responsibility towards God most frequently as the content of everyday practices (Table 10). In their answers, they largely describe the support and safety they experience from God. Second, they talk about their responsibility for others, especially being open to the other and receptive to his or her presence. The third motive is being responsible for themselves. Hence, differences emerge depending on the monastic context the respondents are affiliated to. Self-related meaning is found to be much stronger among the respondents of St Benedict Abbey. It may be that the classical monastic paradigm of being on your own finds its echoes in how the oblates talk about their everyday practices. The other-related meaning is stressed most strongly by oblates of St Adelbert. It might be that the community and its service for people via the shop and the journal influences how oblates understand Benedictine everyday practice. In St Willibrord, the God-related dimension is mentioned more frequently than average. The offer of meditation and other programmes by the monks probably has an influence here.

**Table 10.** Dimensions of everyday practices and monastic context.


n = 53; numbers: relative number of merged quotes in %.

When the frequency of mentioning self-related meaning of everyday practices related to the personal context of the age of the respondents is considered, younger oblates show a much higher number of merged quotes than the other groups (Table 11). Those who are 50 or younger might be more concerned with giving shape to their own life, whilst they still have the opportunity to do so. The same applies to other-related meanings, although the difference with middle-aged and older respondents is smaller. The God-related content of everyday practices is more often mentioned by respondents above 50, even more frequently above 70. An explanation could be that, at a later stage in life, the reliance of God in life becomes more explicit.

**Table 11.** Dimensions of everyday practices and personal context—age.


n = 53; numbers: relative number of merged quotes in %.

Finally, the differences among respondents with different church affiliations were striking, especially among Protestants (Table 12). They mentioned self-centred meaning much more often, which may be explained with the duty ethics dominant in their religious education. They are less oriented towards others and God but see their own responsibility first. Catholics and members of smaller ecclesial groups do not differ that significantly from the average.


**Table 12.** Dimensions of everyday practices and personal context—church affiliation.

n = 53; numbers: relative number of merged quotes in %.

To summarise the everyday practices with regard to their structure and meaning, it can generally be said that oblates talk mostly about God-related meanings, even more so when they are older. Protestants refer to self-related meaning more than other groups; for them, this is the most important category. When asked about the specific monastic meaning of the everyday practices that the respondents acquire from being an oblate, it is remarkable that the theological basis for their moral attitudes covers all three dimensions: self, other, and God. A frequently given response is that "God is present every moment of the day and in everything you do". The differences concerning the monastic context show how oblates are indeed influenced by the spiritual accents of the abbeys they are affiliated with. It was also observed that their attitude towards their everyday practices is formed by the personal context they transfer the ritual to.
