Chapter 40: The proper amount of drink to be provided
St Paul says that each of us has a special gift from God, one kind for one of us and quite a different one for another. That reflection makes me reluctant to decide on the measure of food and drink for others. (From para. 1 of Ch. 40 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
St. Benedict's vision of how the gifts of the Spirit can penetrate my life at seemingly simple and mundane levels (e.g., how much I drink or food I need), helps me to realize in what embodied and ordinary ways grace builds on nature.
"wine makes even the wise fall away" If yesterday, St. Benedict talks about food, today it is about wine. Following through on the teaching on moderation, let nothing in excess be done. For to me, anything in excess has a tendency to "get into the mind" which may lead me to fall. It is true with wine, with accomplishment, even spiritual practice ...
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