RIP Rodney, we miss you but so glad to have this precious talk, and wonderful memories of so many meetings and much joy! A true believer and a gentle man.
Thank you Father Thompson from Oregon, USA. As a former Evangelical/Pentacostal but first Baptist(fun youth group), but now Catholic at Easter Vigil 2020, I am floored how big and wide and rich and dynamic the RCC and church history is. I love visiting Mt. Angel now a lot. May I have the honor to befriend a hermit and his wisdom.
Hi Jon, welcome to the Catholic Church, Rodney hasn't much of a social media presence at the moment (this video was recorded and posted by a friend of a friend at the talk) but I will pass on your comment when I next see him. Though he lived in a monastery for some time, Rodney was never ordained as a Priest. Late Oct/Nov is a good time to pray for the souls in purgatory. All the best, Brian H
What an interesting journey, Jon. I wish you every blessing and direction from the Holy Spirit as you've sought after our Lord so faithfully and fervently.
Thank you for this. Very much enjoyed listening. May I ask you which monastery you were a member of? I'm an oblate of Prinknash Abbey and have a great interest in the eremitic life and the writings of the desert fathers. Pax
@@stuart2010ificationDoes it appeal to God? Jesus did not hide away to appeal to His own feelings, but went out among the people actually benefitting them by His actions & presence. Why should we decide to do the opposite, just because the lifestyle appeals to us?
@@scented-leafpelargonium3366Jesus loved solitary communion with the Father and spent a huge amount of his time in solitude. Read Luke again, or Mark or Matt to a lesser extent… He often has to be sought out for miracles and teaches His disciples to be quiet and pray. If that’s not enough remember the first 30 years of Jesus life were lived unmarried, without a family, working quietly, reading scripture, and praying.. exactly like a hermit. Moses and Elijah too spent large amounts of time in solitude to be with God Secondly, the idea that the vocation of prayer in solitude is wrong implies that prayer doesn’t work, that God doesn’t want to cause things by the human cooperation of our prayers. He does… prayer works! God alone knows what the prayers of holy souls on earth have done, how many disasters prevented, miracles done, conversions made, who knows? Finally, remember Paul’s “variety of gifts” and the idea of the church as the “body of Christ”. We aren’t Jesus because we aren’t God… but together we make up the body of Christ on earth each imperfectly continuing a bit of His ministry and example. Some teach and minister, some raise families, and a very special few have that vocation to pray on behalf of the entire world with Jesus in silent solitude. Those few hundred or maybe at most a few thousand out of 2 billion christians give their whole undivided attention to the Lord to imitate Him on behalf of us all. And if the standard defence of the solitary contemplative life isn’t enough remember that Brother or Dom (not sure which) Rodney is actually a lay minister of the church 4 days a week visiting the sick and taking Holy Communion to them and a teacher in a parish prayer group as he reveals in the vid
RIP Rodney, we miss you but so glad to have this precious talk, and wonderful memories of so many meetings and much joy! A true believer and a gentle man.
I remember dear Rodney form the noviate at Downside ( Brother Andrew) when I was in the school. Always a holy and gentleman.
Thank you Father Thompson from Oregon, USA. As a former Evangelical/Pentacostal but first Baptist(fun youth group), but now Catholic at Easter Vigil 2020, I am floored how big and wide and rich and dynamic the RCC and church history is. I love visiting Mt. Angel now a lot. May I have the honor to befriend a hermit and his wisdom.
Hi Jon, welcome to the Catholic Church, Rodney hasn't much of a social media presence at the moment (this video was recorded and posted by a friend of a friend at the talk) but I will pass on your comment when I next see him. Though he lived in a monastery for some time, Rodney was never ordained as a Priest. Late Oct/Nov is a good time to pray for the souls in purgatory. All the best, Brian H
What an interesting journey, Jon. I wish you every blessing and direction from the Holy Spirit as you've sought after our Lord so faithfully and fervently.
'When you stop trying to be like other people, you end up being yourself. Which is who you were meant to be in the first place!' Anon.
Thank you for this. Very much enjoyed listening. May I ask you which monastery you were a member of? I'm an oblate of Prinknash Abbey and have a great interest in the eremitic life and the writings of the desert fathers. Pax
This way of life appeals to me. I have never been to Prinknash but thinking about being an oblate with Quarr Abbey on the IOW.
Rodney was a monk (and briefly a teacher and also a former student) at Downside Abbey before becoming a hermit.
@@stuart2010ification Quarr Abbey is a wonderful monastery. Be interesting to hear about your search as an oblate. Anthony
@@stuart2010ificationDoes it appeal to God? Jesus did not hide away to appeal to His own feelings, but went out among the people actually benefitting them by His actions & presence. Why should we decide to do the opposite, just because the lifestyle appeals to us?
@@scented-leafpelargonium3366Jesus loved solitary communion with the Father and spent a huge amount of his time in solitude. Read Luke again, or Mark or Matt to a lesser extent… He often has to be sought out for miracles and teaches His disciples to be quiet and pray. If that’s not enough remember the first 30 years of Jesus life were lived unmarried, without a family, working quietly, reading scripture, and praying.. exactly like a hermit. Moses and Elijah too spent large amounts of time in solitude to be with God
Secondly, the idea that the vocation of prayer in solitude is wrong implies that prayer doesn’t work, that God doesn’t want to cause things by the human cooperation of our prayers. He does… prayer works! God alone knows what the prayers of holy souls on earth have done, how many disasters prevented, miracles done, conversions made, who knows?
Finally, remember Paul’s “variety of gifts” and the idea of the church as the “body of Christ”. We aren’t Jesus because we aren’t God… but together we make up the body of Christ on earth each imperfectly continuing a bit of His ministry and example. Some teach and minister, some raise families, and a very special few have that vocation to pray on behalf of the entire world with Jesus in silent solitude. Those few hundred or maybe at most a few thousand out of 2 billion christians give their whole undivided attention to the Lord to imitate Him on behalf of us all.
And if the standard defence of the solitary contemplative life isn’t enough remember that Brother or Dom (not sure which) Rodney is actually a lay minister of the church 4 days a week visiting the sick and taking Holy Communion to them and a teacher in a parish prayer group as he reveals in the vid
Interesting man
I am interisted with your life. Can you guide me