Tomorrow (19 June) is the feast of one of my favourite saints, St Romuald (b. 953 – d. June 19, 1027). I appreciate him most because of the charism, the lifestyle that he facilitated – a focus on solitude, community, and mission.
Here is my post on the millennium celebrations of Camaldoli which I was privileged to visit.
Here is my post on New Camaldoli, where I was blessed to have a retreat.
And here is his Brief Rule, which sounds surprisingly contemporary:
Sit in your cell as in paradise.
Put the whole world behind you and forget it.
Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish.
The path you must follow is in the Psalms – never leave it.If you have just come to the monastery,
and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want,
take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart
and to understand them with your mind.And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up;
hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.Realise above all that you are in God’s presence,
and stand there with the attitude of one who stands
before the emperor.Empty yourself completely and sit waiting,
content with the grace of God,
like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing
but what his mother brings him.
