Chapter 48: Daily manual labour (paragraphs 3-5)
From the first of October to the beginning of Lent they should devote themselves to lectio divina until the end of he second hour, at which time they gather for Terce and then they work at the tasks assigned them until the ninth hour.
(From para. 3 of Ch. 48 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
In my translation of the Rule, there's a note on Roman timekeeping: "For the Romans, each day (from dawn to dusk) and each night (from dusk till dawn) was divided into twelve 'hours'. The actual length of these 'hours' varied according to the season; in summer they were longer during the day and shorter at night, but in winter they were shorter during the day and longer at night." This stunning passage makes me reflect on time as something to be embodied in a deeply confluent way. I imagine myself responding innocently to the movement of light through dark, like a flower or an animal, and I realize a new insight in recognizing the moment of Christ.
(From para. 3 of Ch. 48 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
In my translation of the Rule, there's a note on Roman timekeeping: "For the Romans, each day (from dawn to dusk) and each night (from dusk till dawn) was divided into twelve 'hours'. The actual length of these 'hours' varied according to the season; in summer they were longer during the day and shorter at night, but in winter they were shorter during the day and longer at night." This stunning passage makes me reflect on time as something to be embodied in a deeply confluent way. I imagine myself responding innocently to the movement of light through dark, like a flower or an animal, and I realize a new insight in recognizing the moment of Christ.
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