WCCM Oblate Blog: Reflections from Daily Reading of the Rule of St. Benedict

WCCM Benedictine Oblates are encouraged to read a designated portion of the Rule daily, and to write a brief, personal response. I hope that this blog will support our Oblate community in this practice. Please, keep blog entries brief and in a first-person ("I") voice. Refrain from discussing, offering an opinion, or commenting on other entries. Simply consider how a particular section of the Rule is speaking to you in your present circumstances.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 15)

The eighth step of humility teaches us to do nothing which goes beyond what is approved and encouraged by the common rule of the monastery and the example of our seniors. (Para. 8 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Here I read that respect for tradition is balanced by the innovative nature of the Spirit that is grounded in God.

2 comments:

AnonymousOctober 11, 2013 at 1:03 AM
Oh, my God! Lack of humility is my ongoing challenge...
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valOctober 17, 2013 at 3:20 AM
Rule and example take me out of self-dependency, complacency, and narrow-mindedness about the spiritual life. As one who desires to follow Christ "more nearly", John Main "endorses" for me the simple steps of meditation , especially, learning to say the mantra from the beginning to the end of my meditation which helps me "to pay attention", and "to open my being to the being of God". The Benedictine Rule is there spelling out for me daily how to put that meditation into daily living. Plusthere are the Saints to give me example through their writings. I need to turn to these gifts to help me move my self out of indolence in order to know and follow Christ more diligently.
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