Chapter 63: Community order (paragraphs 2-3)
In that way they will conform to scripture which says they should try to be the first to show respect for each other. (From para. 2 of Ch. 63 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
In my glimpses of what continuous prayer must be like, I realize that gazing on the other with love, a non-possessive love reflective of the other's inner beauty, is a wondrous aspect of living in a sphere of mutual respect.
let him always think
ReplyDeleteof the account he will have to render to God
for all his decisions and his deeds.
...
I don't believe God judges me, but when I make decisions that put space between me and God, I lose opportunities that may never again present themselves. It is too easy for me to be distracted from rather than in communion with God.
Help me, Abba, to find and embrace my place in your order, your garden of planet earth where you have placed me. Finding and loving that place, one day at a time, is my path to freedom and reality and joy beyond measure.
ReplyDelete"Be the first to show respect for each other..." Indeed, in the economy of God's love it is the opposite. I should always be the one to first offer respect. In case I am the junior it is through honoring my seniors. In case, I am the senior, it is through love.
ReplyDelete