Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 8)

The second step of humility is not to love having our own way nor to delight in our own desires. (From para. 8 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Meditation brings me close to my true self, my true source, the source of selfless action. Family and community bring me plenty of opportunities to learn to practice selflessness.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 7)

And so, if the eyes of the Lord are watching the good and the wicked, and if at all times the Lord looks down from heaven on the sons and daughters of men to see if any show understanding in seeking God, and if the angels assigned to care for us report our deeds to the Lord day and night, we must be on our guard every hour or else, as the psalmist says, the time may come when God will observe us falling into evil and so made worthless. (From para. 7 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

In seeking God, I find God already seeking me.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraphs 6-7)

As to pursuing our own will we are warned against that when scripture says to us: turn away from your desires; and in the Lord's prayer itself we pray that his will may be brought to fulfillment in us.
(From para. 6 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I feel visceral sense, even if subtle, of a blow to my false self, my ego, my will, in interactions with other people, when I'm misunderstood or when I can't control a situation in the way I think it should go. I sense a disruption, and in this critical moment, if I turn to the presence of God, his spirit of truth can expand in me.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 5)

One who follows that way finds protection at all times from sin and vice of thought, of tongue, of hand, of foot, of self-will and of disordered sensual desire, so as to lead a life that is completely open before the scrutiny of God and of his angels who watch over us from hour to hour. (From para. 5 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

If my life is completely open to the scrutiny of God, then I'm also completely open to his tenderness, and protected by his living, loving Spirit.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 4)

The first step of humility is to cherish at all times the sense of awe with which we should turn to God. (From para. 4 of Ch. 7 of Saint  Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It seems to me that St. Benedict aligns humility with seeing reality, which must be a state of continuous selfless prayer.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraphs 1-3)

[Jesus] taught us by these words that whenever one of us is raised to a position of prominence there is always an element of pride involved. (From para. 1 of Ch 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I can learn to recognize and let go of these experiences of pride, by turning my attention to what really matters: the awesome power of the Spirit working through right relationship.

Chapter 6: Cherishing silence in the monastery

I am guarded about the way I speak and have accepted silence in humility refraining even from words that are good. (From para. 1 of Ch. 6 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I read St. Benedict's words as going far beyond the adage, "Think before you speak". His advice to me is to discern when not to speak at all, when to let go of words that are automatic or controlling,  even if well-intentioned. Reverent silence (read: selfless attention) is the medium of presence to reality.

Chapter 5: Monastic obedience (paragraph 4)

We should remember, however, that such obedience will be acceptable to God and rewarding to us, if we carry out the orders given us in a way that is not fearful, nor slow, nor half-hearted, nor marred by murmuring or the sort of compliance that betrays resentment. (From para. 4 of Ch. 5 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I think that in the way St. Benedict describes carrying out obedience, he almost describes obedience itself. I believe that an open, responsive heart is grounded in Christ and not marred by resentment.

Chapter 5: Monastic obedience (paragraphs 1-3)

The first step on the way to humility is to obey an order without delaying for a moment. That is a response which comes easily to those who hold nothing dearer that Christ himself. (From para. 1 of Ch. 5 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It makes sense to me that Benedict would put a chapter on obedience right after a chapter on good practice.  Obedience of the heart means a loving responsiveness to God, to the other, to reality.

Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 9-13)

The workshop in which we are called to work along these lines with steady perseverance is the enclosure of the monastery and stability in community life. (From para. 13 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

What does stability mean in my daily, family life? It means being grounded in the loving discipline of meditation, where I learn to live more consistently in reality.

Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 6-8)

Keep the reality of death always before your eyes, have a care about how you act every hour of your life and be sure that God is present everywhere and that he certainly sees and understands what you are about.  (From para. 7 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Keeping the reality of death before my eyes is not always pleasant, but it makes me feel more real. It's something I learn from meditation. Each time I say the mantra I practice letting go of my false self to reach the depths of God.

Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 3-5)

Don't harbour in your heart any trace of deceit nor pretend to be at peace with another when you are not; don't abandon the true standards of charity. (From para. 3 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

There's much for me to ponder here: Don't pretend to be at peace.  I could rationalize times when it would make sense to do so.  But Benedict is calling me to the hard work of integrity.

Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 1-2)

The first of all things to aim at is to love the Lord God with your whole heart and soul and strength and then to love your neighbour as much as you do yourself. (From para. 1 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

To live in peace I must learn to identify my resentments and let them go, so that my heart may expand.

Chapter 3: Calling the community together for consultation (paragraphs 2-3)

Such an ideal can be achieved only if everyone duly conforms to the authority of the Rule and no one gives way to self-will by deviating from it.  (From para. 2 of Ch. 3 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It seems to me that health in a community or family comes from honoring relationships and responsibility, rather than self-centeredness.

Chapter 3: Calling the community together for consultation (paragraph 1)

We have insisted that all the community should be summoned for such consultation, because it often happens that the Lord makes the best course clear to one of the youngest. (From para. 1 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It's in learning to be simple that my light shines more clearly.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 8-9)

It is above all important that monastic superiors should not underrate or think lightly of the salvation of the souls committed to them by giving too much attention to transient affairs of this world which have no lasting value. (From para. 8 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

The mantra teaches me to let go of distractions, and practice selfless attention. As this practice expands into my ordinary life, some "transient affairs" can become extraordinary, if they are done in the name of being present to the other and to the Other.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 7)

It is the task of superiors to adapt with sympathetic understanding to the needs of each so that they may not only avoid any loss but even have the joy of increasing the number of good sheep in the flock committed to them. (From para. 7 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It's my job, too, to grow in compassion, seeing the unique gifts and needs of the other. Inwardly, I encounter God's compassion awaiting me in meditation. Outwardly, this compassion grows through human relationship.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 5 & 6)

This means that they should criticize more sternly those who are undisciplined and unruly; they should entreat those who are obedient, docile and patient so as to encourage their progress, but they should rebuke and punish those who take a feckless attitude or show contempt for what they are taught. (From para. 5 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I must enter the silence of my own heart and find God there, in order to know myself in relation to him. Then I am able to see others with the eye of my heart.  In this way I can see them for who they truly are.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 4)

Otherwise all must keep their proper place in the community order, because whether slave or free we are all one in Christ and we owe an equal service in the army of one Lord, who shows no special favour to one rather than another. (From para. 4 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Benedict's words are "culture-upending".  Jesus came to call us friends, and to teach us how to be in right relationship with each other.  The army metaphor falls short for me here, because Benedict is describing a culture transformed into one of peace and justice.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 3)

Of course, whenever they teach a disciple that something is wrong they should themselves show by the practical example they give that it must not be done. (From para. 3 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB.)

Through meditation, I hope that the "inner" and the "outer" parts of myself become more integrated, and I'm grateful when I see some little fruit of this is my relationships with others.

Chapter 2:  Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 1, continued)

In fact they should remember that they will have to account in the awesome judgement of God both for their own teaching and also for the obedience of their disciples. (From para. 1 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

What this passage says to me is that I'm not to project blame on  anyone for my own faults, but be responsible for the impact my example is having on others.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 1)

...everything he or she commands or teaches should be like a leaven of the holiness that comes from God infused into the minds of their disciples. (From para. 1 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)


What does it mean to me to be a leaven in community? To lighten another's burden, to give encouragement and support, to touch another's heart with tenderness.

Chapter 1: Four approaches to monastic life

[Gyrovagues] are always on the move; they never settle to put down the roots of stability; it is their own wills that they serve as they seek the satisfaction of their own gross appetites. (From para. 4 of Ch. 1 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I experience stability as a quality of heart which is always there when I remember to return to it.

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 8)

Then we shall never think of deserting his guidance; we shall persevere in fidelity to his teaching in the monastery until death so that through our patience we may be granted some part in Christ's own passion and thus in the end receive a share in his kingdom. (From para. 8 of Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Something as simple as patience -- over something mundane, trivial, and often requiring some degree of physical self-control -- situates me within Jesus' ultimate self-giving that transforms the world.

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 7)

We must, therefore, prepare our hearts and bodies to serve him under the guidance of holy obedience. (From para. 7 of the Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It seems to me that as I get older and, I hope, wiser, I also become more embodied.  "God has skin", as I recently read, and I experience that truth in the incarnational nature of meditation, in the growing awareness of the force that creates and sustains my physicalness. Embodiment is a kind of consciousness it seems, that guides me to care for my body in a way that honors its divine element, and prepares my body for loving service. 

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 6)

It is in the light of that teaching that the Lord waits for us every day to see if we will respond by our deeds, as we should, to his holy guidance. (From para. 6 of Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

"Doing good deeds" sound a bit old-fashioned to my ears, and ladened with work ethic.  But I do ask myself how I will respond to Lord's guidance -- with more kindness, gentleness, patience, I hope, and openness to the transformative power of true relationship?

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 5)

And so to prepare ourselves for the journey before us let us renew our faith and set ourselves high standards by which to lead our lives. The gospel should be our guide in following the way of Christ to prepare ourselves for his presence in the kingdom to which he has called us. (From para. 5 of the Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

The highest standard by which I can lead my life is to live the Gospel right now, where I am, and with those around me, discovering, through relationship, God within and among us.

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 4)

What gentler encouragement could we have, my dear brothers and sisters, than that word from the Lord calling us to himself in such a way! We can see with what loving concern the Lord point out to us the path of life. (From para. 4 of the Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Jesus calls out to me in friendship.  This friendship, this relationship, with the God who loves me first, and longs for my faithfulness to him, is, it seems to me, the ultimate source of transformation.

Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 3)

Let us open our eyes to the light that can change us into the likeness of God. (From para. 3 of tbe Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

As simple as that.  Opening my eyes.  Seeing the reality of the other, of the present moment, the oneness of creation.  A mantra of Christ-consciousness.

Prologue to The Rule (paragraphs 1-2)

This, then, is the beginning of my advice: make prayer the first step in anything worthwhile that you attempt. (From para. 2 of the Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

My first step: Turn away from my false self, toward the other, in selfless relationship.  This is the reality where I will find God's grace.