In Abbot Mark’s lecture, he taught the Freshman class about one of the forefathers of Christianity and this college. Saint Benedict lived both as an ascetic hermit in the desert, and then as the leader of a monastery. These two distinct routes to find God allowed Saint Benedict to discover different truths throughout his life. The solitude an ascetic hermit experiences will allow him to examine his own morals and focus on bringing about an inner peace by discovering personal truths, such as the need forgiveness. While monks within a community should seek to learn truths that will allow them to better understand and respect others, such as the need to not pass judgement on others. It is important for a liberal arts student, like myself, to understand …show more content…
He wondered if he could truly come to know God and in search of this answer became a hermit and adopted a life of silence. Ascetic hermits, such as Saint Benedict, must use their own good will to decide that it is best for them to live isolated from others and sacrifice temporal comforts, such as human relationships, in order to find God. They must “suffer hunger, thirst, be watchful and sorrowful…to see if [they] are worthy of God” (Ward pg 8). By limiting oneself of food, water, and human companionship, an ascetic hermit becomes free of any outside distractions and for that reason is better able to reflect on his or her life and values than a monk in a community. It is this inner reflection that can lead to truths that are harder to discover within a …show more content…
Since the ascetic hermits are deprived of human connection they can use their time in the desert to reflect on the people in their lives, and closely examine their relationships with others. When the hermits think of the people who have wronged them in the past they will have the time and concentration needed to find it within themselves to forgive the wronged so that they will “not act in anger or nurse a grudge” in the future (Benedict 27). It is crucial for all people to understand this truth as holding onto animosity will only cause oneself suffering. Saint Benedict also believed that was an important truth and said, “if you have a dispute with someone, make peace with him before the sun goes down” (Benedict 29). Not only does the solitude of an ascetic hermit give him or her the perspective needed to forgive others, it can also allow the hermits to realize the ways in which they have wronged others, and vow to do better by the community in the future. Truths, such as the need for forgiveness, that are discovered through the individual path can often feel more powerful as one learns to believe and follow them on a deep, personal
If they are taught correctly, liberal arts classes have the potential to help “students cross social boundaries in their imaginations. Studying a common core of learning will help orient them to common tasks as citizens; it will challenge or bolster… their views and, in any case, help them understand why not everyone in the world (or in their classroom) agrees with them,” explains Gitlin in his article “The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut.” By exposing students to this in high school, they will be more prepared when this moment occurs in their careers. I, along with many students throughout the country, have been exposed to incorrectly-taught liberal arts classes. Students taking English, for instance, must read specific novels while assessing a theme that is already pointed out to them.
It’s strange that history, English, history has nothing to do with one’s major but it’s a requirement. Bok said “ Liberal art programs seldom take adequate account of the crucial importance of students’ careers- career that will inevitably affect what kind of persons they become, how well they balance the claims of work and family and what opportunities they have to serve others besides themselves” (345). This statement concluded liberal arts major is important, without it, students wouldn't be able to be successful in school. One wouldn't know how to think critically and analyze what one is learning without learning the basic subjects. Even before college, students are required to learn nothing but the basic subjects such as history, English, and math. Liberal arts take a big role in students’ education because it teaches one how to read, write and use critical thinking in the real world such as work, college, and real life
Sanford J. Ungar, a journalist and president of Goucher College, is one of those faculty members actively trying to disprove the accusations against liberal arts colleges and educations. In his February 2010 article from the academic journal The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ungar gives readers many examples of common misunderstandings about liberal arts and then informs them why those examples are incorrect. Appropriately titled, Ungar’s “7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts” is an easy go to guide when a person wants to learn more about liberal arts. These readers, mainly students and parents looking towards a higher degree of education, can read Ungar’s essay and find new knowledge about the liberal arts discipline.
Jesus taught by words and examples so too does Benedict envisage for himself and his followers. Benedict’s Spiritual tools, emphasized, Love of God, Love of neighbor and love of self. Jesus build an intimate relationship with His Father throughout His ministry. (MK6:12)-“He spend the whole night in pray.” (Mk 5:29-32)-Jesus showed love to sinners. Jesus’ whole ministry depicts love Of God, love of neighbor and love of self. Benedict learn from Jesus’ preaching. (Matt 25:31-40) that Jesus is present in everyone (neighbor). Pope Benedict in his encyclical behold the pierce one wrote that being a Christian involves ones neighbor. Judgement will be based on these actions. Jesus is master of the laws and a perfect fulfillment of the law. (MK 2:28) For Benedict, these spiritual tools is in line with what Christ lived and preached because He obeyed the laws of His
In his youth, St. Boniface encountered many priests or clerics who traveled from town to town. Through these spiritual conversations, it became evident to St. Boniface that he wanted to pursue a life with God. Eventually, after continuos begging and his fathers fatal sickness, he was sent to the care of the Monastery of Examchester. (Appleton) It is here, that St. Boniface expressed to the Abbot at the time, that he wanted to live a monastic life. The father of the monastery, after council, granted him his wish. Here is where the saint began to prove his love for God, and could begin his journey of the Christian life. After exceeding all expectations and surpassing the knowledge of his teachers, he moved to a neighboring monastery, called Nursling, whereby he studied under the influence of Abbot Winbert.(St. Boniface Church) Here he gained vast knowledge of scriptures and the spiritual exposition of the Bible. Here, he gained such a reputation that men and women from far and wide traveled to study scriptures under his guidance. At the age of 30 he was humbly ordained a priest and yet another branch of his life was fulfilled.
Forgiveness and justice are very similar than we believe them to be. We believe that justice is
The essay "Forgiveness," written by June Callwood, explores the concept of forgiving and how it influences people's lives for the better. Her work describes many components of forgiveness, such as how difficult it can be to come to terms with, why it is such a crucial part of humanity, and how it affects all people. Her essay aims to prove that forgiveness is the key to living peacefully and explains specific examples of people who have encountered extremely difficult situations in their lives- all of whom found it within themselves to forgive. To clearly portray this message in her writing, Callwood uses several strategies. She includes fear inducing statistics, makes many references to famous events and leaders, and uses a serious convincing tone, all of which are very effective.
Late in the fifth century the son of a well-off family in Italy left for isolation on his mission to truly seek god. This man was St. Benedict, who is credited with the first establishment of the concept of withdrawing from all temptation for Christian beliefs in the west. St. Benedict left his home and went to the top of a mountain, where he established a monastic community. In this community the individuals who resided there, constantly reiterated their faith. They sacrificed whatever they may have had to prove their true commitment to God. This became an early ideal of Christianity, that one must suffer loss and sacrifice to prove their loyalty to the faith. It was believed in this time period that if one is content with only what they truly need one is freer to think about other people and to think about God . These individuals were called Regular Clergies (monks) and were considered heroes of the faith.
In ancient civilization, a liberal arts education was considered essential for free people to take place in civic life; without them people would not be willing to disregard one's traditional values, and analyze a broad variety of arts, humanities, and sciences to create new opinions and ideas. In the 21st century many Americans are doubtful that liberal arts degrees are actually worth the cost of college. In his essay “The New Liberal Arts”, Sanford J. Ungar discusses seven “misconceptions” of liberal arts degrees in modern-day America.
One aphorism that hit me is “To learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others”. I had a few people in my life that had hurt me so much that I hated them. But, I was so miserable that I was not happy. I prayed to God to help me forgive them, a little by little I learned to forgive myself and then forgive them.
In Abbot Mark’s lecture, he taught the Freshman class about one of the forefathers of Christianity and this college. Saint Benedict’s journey to God perfectly exemplifies the phenomenon that as one’s position in life changes, they must to alter the values they practice and live by in order to achieve the same goal. An acetic hermit should seek the virtue of self-discipline as they must create guidelines that will allow themselves to develop a deeper relationship with God, while a monk who is an acting member of a greater community must practice strict obedience so that he can better the community and his relationship to God. It is important for a liberal art’s student to understand what truths should be sought in what setting so that they too
A crucial topic being debated on in today’s society is core principles and disciplines. When debated and discussed, these two immense topics bring up discussion on liberal art colleges and their education. “Liberal Arts” can be translated in many different ways depending on perspectives. So what exactly is a liberal arts college/education? Patrick Connelly states, “A liberal arts college is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences. It aims to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capacities for students” (Pg.18). Students who attend liberal art colleges experience broad and vast knowledge to create intellectual capacities that public universities will not provide. Essentially a liberal arts college gives a selected “Core” education to students to develop their skills and improve their weaknesses. Liberal arts are thought to be extremely necessary or very pointless depending on perspective. For example, two articles by two different authors explain liberal arts in a completely different way and opposite perspectives. The first
The Eightfold Path labels all of the rights of monks and helps guide them to peace within themselves. The Eightfold Path guides monks and nuns towards Nirvana through eight simple principles. The first principle, the Right of Understanding, explains the significance of understanding situations the way they occur instead of understanding things from one’s personal experiences. “Right thought involves our intentions. The spirit in which we approach everything” (Sach). These two rights form into its own category ...
As we see monasticism, we will begin to realize that monastic churches are against the institutional churches and against the increasing secularization of the church. Therefore we know monasticism will never peace with Constantine knowing they do not hold firmly to the Christian faith. Nevertheless, According Louis Sullivan he says that the landscape of desolation, was sought as the proper setting for life with God alone.
A strong Christian lesson on the true nature of forgiveness can be found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount: