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 ways and so be made worthless. (From para. 7 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
This is a long and difficult sentence for me, because although I'm heartened by the clarity of purpose in "seeking God", the word at the end, "worthless" falls hard upon me. I want to understand that word, for myself, as that feeling I experience when I'm confronted with something bigger than I can handle, but then realize redemption is always a choice.
Yes, Abba, falling in love with you more and more each day and joyfully surrendering to your Reality is what humility is all about. I experience that love through the simple practice of my twice-daily repetition of the mantra in the stillness of meditation, my daily humility/Reality exercise.
ReplyDelete"We must be vigilant every hour...or God may observe us "falling"...into evil." From meditation where the mantra awakens in me the presence of God, I try to keep that awareness of God's presence everywhere. But O Lord, as soon as I lose that awareness of you, even though you remain with me always, I am not with you and my weaknesses overcome me. Call to me out of the depths, O Lord, so that I may hear your voice and be with you once again.
ReplyDelete"We must be on guard therefore against evil desires for death lies close by the gate of pleasure.". I have to be always conscious and discerning of the things that make me tick or those that excite me for there may be those that will lead to the death of my soul. To learn to discern is to learn to listen. To learn to listen is to meditate faithfully.
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