<p><em>Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam, Prior</em></p>
<p>I was talking to my brothers in Chapter the other day about this article that our former prior general Emanuele wrote, in which he spoke about the tensions of the continuities within our Camaldolese charism, seemingly contradictory things that our charism tries to hold together. And the story of Saint Raniero, who we celebrate August 12th, highlights two of the tensions that Emanuele lists. First of all, on the one hand there is the rigorous monastic commitment within the environs of the monastery, and on the other hand there is service to the Church. How to hold those two together, or see the continuity between them? And another one Emanuele mentions is solitary asceticism on the one hand and martyrdom on the other, martyrdom "to the point of the actual shedding of blood or at least (the martyrdom) of unconditional love." What's the continuity between those two? Saint Raniero is one of those who holds the tensions together very well.</p>
