Chapter 67: Those who are sent on a journey
Those who are sent on a journey should commend themselves to the prayers of all the community as well as of the superior and, at the last prayer of the work of God in the oratory, there should always be a memento of all who may be absent. (From Ch. 67 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
How much -- really mindless -- coming and going do I do, day in and day out? May my awareness expand to include all the little journeys I make, on behalf of myself or others, in and out the door, up and down the steps, in and out of the car. May all these little journeys become part of the flow of continuous prayer that keeps me living in a mutual gaze with God.
“When the brethren return from a journey, at the end of each canonical hour of the work of God on the day they return, let them lie prostrate on the floor of the oratory and beg the prayers of all on account of any faults which may have surprised them on the road, through the hearing or seeing of something evil, or through idle talk.” (St. Benedicts Rule for Monasteries transl. by Leonard Doyle). Fidelity to my twice-daily meditation and the mantra perhaps is my equivalent to my prostrating on the floor of the oratory. Even on the days when I fulfill this twice-daily commitment, I am quickly reminded how my “tree-full-of-monkeys mind” is alive and well. How much I need the prayers and support of my brothers and sisters to faithfully make you my priority, Abba, through this daily practice.
ReplyDeleteThis is what is beautiful about being in a community. We are assured of prayers from one another. And being in communion with the Holy Spirit gives me the confidence that in this earthly journey, there is Someone praying for me... praying within me in the language of the Loving Father.
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