Chapter 43: Late-comers for the work of God or in the refectory (paragraphs 4-5)
In the refectory all must come to table together so as to offer their grace together as one community.
(From para. 4 of Ch. 43 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
(From para. 4 of Ch. 43 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
Benedict puts great emphasis on the community as one body in offering thanks to God, and in eating together. This challenges the appetites of my poor little ego. But Benedict also fosters for me a compelling vision of a creation theology, in which I, as a creature, am indissolubly bound to the cycle of life and grace that sustains me on every level.
In Chapter 42, we learn that we can't use the community as an excuse for ignoring God. In this chapter, we learn that we can't use God as an excuse for ignoring the community.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of Mark 12:30 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”