Chapter 48: Daily manual labor (paragraphs 3-5)

From the first of October to the beginning of Lent they should devote themselves to lectio divina until the end of the second hour, at which time they gather for Terce and then they work at the tasks assigned to them until the ninth hour. (From para. 3 of Ch. 48 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

My copy of the Rule carries a special note on "hours" in the Rule: "For the Romans, each day (from dawn to dusk) and each night (from dusk to dawn) was divided into twelve 'hours'. The actual length of these 'hours' varied according to the season.... Timekeeping, therefore, called for a special expertise and flexibility." I like the idea that, in my own life, time can have a malleable quality, and that it's  my choice whether I use it to create stress or freedom.