Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 6-8)
Keep the reality of death always before your eyes, have a care about how you act every hour of your life and be sure that God is present everywhere and that he certainly sees and understands what you are about. (From para. 7 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
In order to see the reality of death and the presence of God, I must live in the present moment with selfless attention. If I can live this way in the present moment, I'm in relationship with my source and my destiny -- coming from love, for love.
In order to see the reality of death and the presence of God, I must live in the present moment with selfless attention. If I can live this way in the present moment, I'm in relationship with my source and my destiny -- coming from love, for love.
I will begin with a quote from Chittister concerning this chapter (The Rule of Benedict, p.61) : “Motives for the spiritual life change as we change, grow as we grow”. Looking back over my life I can see this to be very true where family and children and work prevailed in importance. Paraphrasing Chittister, I can say that at this point now in my life it is the “shattering awareness” of my own mortality that brings me to “brave the thought of a life beyond life” and its claim on me.
ReplyDeleteThis awareness in all truth can shatter one into constriction and fear and a limited consciousness. However, “the way of the mantra”, John Main says, “ is a way
of generosity, of expansion and deepening”(from Silence and Stillness in Every Season, for January 20) making me grow into “a sensitivity to the presence of God”. Before in the early years I felt as the one in control now I know better though I don’t always act on that better knowing. God is always, always, always present to me, of all people. It is my growing awareness of this mystery of the ever present God in Christ that takes place in the most important journey, meditation.