- Are
there any papers or works/studies or
documentation/history or research on the subject of the
exclaustrated - praxis customs - of carthusians living
in the open world (starting with Saint Bruno himself -
called by the Pope in Rome for example ) and
its relationship with the claustrated statutory
customs focused praxis of carthusian monks and nuns ?
- There
are of course also historically documented former
carthusians who left and who kept and maybe adapted
"some" of the "spirit" of Saint Bruno to their open
world life ?
- Others
who were attracted to the Carthusian life like Saint
Thomas Moore for example, who borrowed certain
ascetic practices from the Carthusians; for many years
he wore
a hair shirt next his skin, and followed the rules of
Church discipline for
Fridays and vigils; every day he assisted at a Mass
and recited the Little
Office of Our Lady.?
- Any
research/reflexions on this, or
references/bibliography would be helpful to understand
distill the "sacred space" of Saint Bruno's charism
through customs/life - as tried to be lived by the
claustrated carthusians, and as in power (to be tried)
to be lived also by exclaustrated carthusians, but
also and this is what is interesting to SBPCLC: by Lay
persons, like us, in the open world, married, with
children, working, or celibate, etc..
- There
is a stunning modern day inspired commitment by the
Carthusians through a manifestation of the Holy Spirit
definitely, otherwise the Carthusians would not commit
themselves, to proposing "guidelines" to Lay Faithful
- RE: the 11 guidelines, Selignac project.
- Is
this revolutionary for the carthusians ? but is
being
similar to efforts by other orders to have had third
orders or lay associates or oblates, etc.
- The
carthusians statutes are a collection of customs, the
11 guidelines (April 26, 2003) give points of
reference grounded in carthusian values - of which are
the principle of developing through experience "lay or
open world customs" ( for Lay Faithful in the open
world) to live in this "sacred central space" as much
as is possible also and to develop and live daily (and
propose to the Church) a "Saint Bruno" spirituality in
the open world.
- How
did exclaustrated and former carthusians best
maintain/develop/balance their "praxis" to dwell
(while in the open world) in "this eremus which is so
uninhabitable to worldlings"?
- Do
we have specific anecdotal references to Brother
Gregory's praxis-horarium concrete life - outside
the cloister
- and/or other historically providentially
exclaustrated Carthusians - (like Hugh of Lincoln and
all special "open world" carthusians) in the applied
Spirit of Saint Bruno - outside the structuring
cloister praxis-horarium.
- How
do anecdotal historic praxis references about
exclaustrated missioned carthusians deal with what - Krijn
Pansters describes/develops/qualifies as an
"essentially reactionary" Saint Bruno/carthusian
charism/spirituality: 'From a spiritual point of
view the sacred space of the Carthusian community
can be said to comprise three concentric circles:
the eremus (charterhouse), the cella (cel), and the
sinus (inner self). This ‘topography of solitude and
introversion’ reflects a centripetal dynamics, a
movement directed inward and towards the centre'.
(The Carthusians in the Low Countries, p. 24,
forthcoming). 'Denys the Carthusian
always refers to mundus. He presents it – in true
medieval fashion – as the place of mortal, carnal
(as opposed to spiritual) human beings, a world
fraught with corruption and hazards where the devil
holds sway. To Carthusians this world, which should
be spurned, not loved , is uninhabitable. They have
left it behind and sought the solitude and seclusion
of the charterhouse, the eremus, which is so
uninhabitable to worldlings' (The
Carthusians in the Low Countries, p. 62,
forthcoming).
