Chapter 58: The reception of candidates for the community (paragraphs 4-5)
When the decision is made that novices are to be accepted, then they come before the whole community in the oratory to make solemn promise of stability, fidelity to monastic life and obedience.
(From para. 4 of Ch. 58 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
These three foundational Benedictine precepts have become the most important touchstone in my life, as they are all ever-deepening expressions of what meditation means to me. Today, I would say that stability keeps me rooted in God in my heart, when my ego makes its own pleas for action. Fidelity to monastic life keeps me open to growth, which usually involves coming to terms with forgiveness. And obedience means conforming to my true self, not the comfortable habits of my false self.
These three foundational Benedictine precepts have become the most important touchstone in my life, as they are all ever-deepening expressions of what meditation means to me. Today, I would say that stability keeps me rooted in God in my heart, when my ego makes its own pleas for action. Fidelity to monastic life keeps me open to growth, which usually involves coming to terms with forgiveness. And obedience means conforming to my true self, not the comfortable habits of my false self.
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