Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 1-2)

Renounce your own desires and ambitions so as to be free to follow Christ. (From para. 2 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, 1997.)

If I don't follow my own desires and ambitions today, what am I going to do? St Benedict is telling me to to follow Christ. And for that, I need to let go of not only my desires and ambitions, but also my ego's idea of what it means to be free. And that way is through selfless attention. If I do my best today with with selfless attention, my heart is not weighed down, but free.