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Benedict’s Way with Betsy Aylin (Dec 21st)
December 21, 2022 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm CST
Free
An Exploration Of A Way Of Being In The World
We truly welcome new participants at any time, so please join us!
In a fast paced, conflictual world, it is difficult to find an anchor that keeps us centered on what is most important and draws us to live in ways that are personally authentic, intentional, compassionate and spiritually sustaining.
This on-going Eremos offering provides an opportunity to explore the rich tradition of Benedictine spirituality as a way to enrich the spiritual depth and meaning of our lives and as a guide to everyday living.
This meeting will be from 11:30 to 1pm while we are meeting virtually. Meetings will begin with a short noon-day prayer, silence and then we will focus on a different Benedictine theme or teaching, looking at these from the perspective of this unique and challenging moment. Appropriate short readings will be provided and discussed.
From Betsy Aylin, convener: I am convening this group to have companions in exploring the Benedictine way. My first exposure to Benedict’s Rule was in seminary in 1978, and I kept returning to it through the many changes in my life. A decade or more ago, on a visit to St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, I was conferring with Fr Micah, one of the monks, expressing my sense of peace and at-home-ness at the monastery and bemoaning the difficulty of visiting the monastery so far from home. Hearing my longing, Fr. Micah suggested that I look into becoming a Benedictine Oblate. After some research I found Osage Monastery (now a retreat center) in Oklahoma and there I became an Oblate, committing to a life-long exploration of what it means to follow Benedicts path in a world very different from his. One aspect of the Benedictine path is that it is communal—lived with others. So I am drawn to make this offering to share the journey with those who are similarly interested.
FEE:
Your first session is free, then we ask that you pay a one-time $20 registration to become part of the group. Donations made over time in thanksgiving for the group are welcome, but optional.
FACILITATOR:
Betsy Aylin
“It is a gentle, tender invitation,
this call to create within ourselves
a Monastery of the Heart.
It is the call to go down deep
into the self
in order to find there
the God who urges us
to come out of ourselves
to do the work of God,
to live in union with God
in the world around us…
…we will find that God stands waiting
to sustain us,
and support us,
and fulfill us
at every turn.”
By the Invitation by Joan Chittister
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Betsy Aylin
Betsy Aylin, PhD is a long time member of the Eremos community. She has a Masters in Religion from the Seminary of the Southwest and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. Betsy has led retreats and workshops on an array of spiritual topics and is in her 15th year of leading a Centering Prayer group in central Austin. Betsy’s professional work includes facilitation of a wide variety of meetings and planning events, team building, leadership development and organization development.
