Chapter 52: The oratory of the monastery
The oratory must be simply a place of prayer, as the name itself implies, and it must not be used for any other activities at all nor as a place for storage of any kind. (From Ch. 52 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
The mantra is a way of poverty; it leads to purity of heart. It's a way of letting go of the emotional baggage that can cram my own inner room.
I need sacred space, too, excusive space to focus on you, Father. How hard it is sometime to escape my multi-tasking mind, that tree full of monkeys in my head swinging from one branch to another. I let the plethora overtake me yesterday and missed my second meditation period. Learning to plan my days around time with you, Abba, rather than vice versa is so darn daily!
ReplyDeleteWherever I go, my heart and breath go with me, whether it is to my room where I can find space and silence, or to a Church, or to a meditation group in someone's home or elsewhere. What matters is intention and attention. Attention to breathing slows the mind down so that intention can become stronger through the mantra. The "oratory" is there with me and I am in the "oratory".
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