Chapter 48: Daily manual labor (paragraphs 1-2)
Idleness is the enemy of the soul, therefore all the community must be occupied at definite times in manual labour and at other time in lectio divina. (From para. 1 of Ch. 48 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
For me, to be idle is a recognizable but unsatisfying state, characterized by distractibility and fantasy, and it is not true rest. I find that the difficult but true remedy for idleness is a discipline of giving one-pointed attention, and the openness of spirit that comes from that, through hands-on work, through an inner listening to the Word. I know I am not idle if my soul is resting in God.
For me, to be idle is a recognizable but unsatisfying state, characterized by distractibility and fantasy, and it is not true rest. I find that the difficult but true remedy for idleness is a discipline of giving one-pointed attention, and the openness of spirit that comes from that, through hands-on work, through an inner listening to the Word. I know I am not idle if my soul is resting in God.
Idleness is the enemy of the soul. So is busyness. I tend to go for the latter. So this is a reminder for me not to be distracted by so many concerns but rather be always conscious and rooted to what is only essential.
ReplyDelete“Let all things be done with moderation, however,
ReplyDeletefor the sake of the faint-hearted.” I hear Benedict and you, Abba, gently here warning me about my perfectionistic compulsivity and hyperactive and workaholic inclinations. Too readily I can forget your sweet and light yoke you invite me to take up instead.