The monastic choir is also a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who bestows the particular charism or ministry of prayer. Christ is present in the assembly that gathers and proclaims God’s Word, and the assembly receives Christ truly present in the bread and wine, his Body and Blood, at the Eucharist. The two modes of public liturgical prayer–the Divine Office and the Mass–are great testimonies to Christ-in-our-midst. Many parishes today also maintain this venerable custom.īy a “ministry of prayer,” the praying Church, the monastic choir, continues the work of salvation through Christ present in Word and in Sacrament when the Eucharist is celebrated. This does not discount the charism of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to which some contemplative communities are devoted. The prayer is for the Church and the good of all, outwardly directed, for “the growth of the Body of Christ” as Saint Paul calls it in Ephesians 4:15. The monastic community is one that has received the call to “pray without ceasing.” This does not mean a perpetual presence in church, but rather a call to “pray always,” in whatever occupation is being undertaken. It could be said that the Holy Spirit bestows the gift or charism of prayer, or a ministry of prayer, to the individual members and to the contemplative community as a whole. For those in more contemplative and monastic communities the Opus Dei is a special charism, that is, gift of the Holy Spirit. Sayings and Stories from the Desert FathersĮvery community that prays the Divine Office, however large or small that community might be, should be aware of being a praying Church which represents the Universal Church.How We Pray and Chant – Monastic life has prayer at its very heart.Abbot’s Archives – Personal reflections from our abbots across the years.Subscriptions – We can add you to our postal or electronic mailing lists for monastery news and homilies.Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, “Corpus Christi”.Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A.Take yourself on a virtual tour around our Monastery.
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