Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 8-9)
It is above all important that monastic superiors should not underrate or think lightly of the salvation of the souls committed to them by giving too much attention to transient affairs of this world which have no lasting value.
(From para. 8 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
Am I in the presence of God as I move throughout my day, or am I in the fabrications of my ego?
(From para. 8 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
Am I in the presence of God as I move throughout my day, or am I in the fabrications of my ego?
It is above all important that monastic superiors should not underrate or think lightly of the salvation of the souls committed to them by giving too much attention to transient affairs of this world which have no lasting value.
ReplyDeleteI would very much like to see people from a very different point of view other than my own and the transient values of this world. It is difficult because those views and values have become ingrained in me. “This ability to stand back…without rushing to judgment, is foundational for spiritual seeing. It is the primary form of “dying to the self” that Jesus lived personally and the Buddha taught experientially”(from The Naked Now:Learning to See as the Mystics See, by Richard Rohr, p.33)
Where else can I begin that dying to self and continue that dying other than in the meditation practice? Here is where I first encounter the real meaning of laying “aside thoughts, words, and images”(from Prayer in the 21st Century, Laurence Freeman,OSB) about God, the self and others. As I move from the meditation seat to the world, I trust that Christ will help me to bring that authentic, humble and selfless attention to those who challenge me everyday.