Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 7)

We must, therefore, prepare our hearts and bodies to serve him under the guidance of holy obedience. Conscious in this undertaking of our own weakness let us ask the Lord to give us through grace the help we need. (From para. 7 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

When I examine what it means to me to "prepare my heart and body" in this way, I realize I'm called to a clearing out of attachments. I recall that elsewhere in the Rule Benedict tells me to eliminate the "thoughtless compromises that have crept in", as well as to make sure that my heart and body are not "weighed down". The mantra teaches me not to cling to distractions. Obedience, in this sense, means letting go.

Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 6)

For that very reason also, so that we may mend our evil ways, the days of our mortal lives are allowed us as a sort of truce for improvement. (From para. 6 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I associate the word "truce" with warfare, but the roots of the word are in "truth". What better reason for me to live each new day, than to come closer to the truth of who I am, in the reality of the Spirit, with the mantra as my guide.

Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 3)

Any, then, who accept the name of abbot or abbess should give a lead to their disciples by two distinct methods of teaching -- by example of the lives they lead (and that is the most important way) and by the words they use in their teaching. (From para. 3 of Ch. 2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

"To give a lead" -- I recognize that as a parent of grown-up children my main job is to listen, to support, and, perhaps, gently to remind them how to choose a good path. I can listen, I can model, but what I can't do is control. Leadership is not about control but about love.

Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 5)

And so now to prepare ourselves for the journey before us let us renew our faith and set ourselves high standards by which to lead our lives. (From para. 5 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Perhaps the highest standard of all for me is Christ's teaching to live in the here and now. How would suffering, especially self-generated habits of mind, be transformed, if I encountered life without judgement or fear? What would break through in the now?

Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 4)

What gentler encouragement could we have, my dear brothers and sisters, than that word from the Lord calling us to himself in such a way! We can see with what loving concern the Lord points out to us the path of life. (From para. 4 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I'm struck by Benedict's choice of the words "gentle" and "loving", because, as a teacher of meditation, those are two words I rely on to encourage people to say the mantra without harshness or force. The mantra is a word calling me to the Lord, and it is gentle and loving, the way the Lord points out to me the path of life.

Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 3)

Let us open our eyes to the light that can change us into the likeness of God. Let our ears be alert to the stirring call of his voice crying to us everyday: today, if you should hear his voice, do not harden your hearts,(From para. 3 of The Prologue to The Rule from Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

St. Benedict is urging me to open my eyes, attune my ears, soften my heart. I am tempted, at first, to understand these senses in only the spiritual sense, but I have a hunch that the picture is much bigger than that. I think the bigger picture is that both physical and spiritual is transformed in the unifying power of selfless attention.

Prologue to The Rule (paragraphs 1-2)

Listen, child of God, to the guidance of your teacher. Attend to the message you hear and make sure that it pierces to your heart, so that you may accept with willing freedom and fulfil by the way you live the directions that come from your loving Father. (From para. 1 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1973.)

I stand waiting to be delivered -- into a new day or a new experience or a new phase of my life -- and the words "child of God" don't strike me with the sentimentality that they sometimes do. They remind me that I am already loved, and I welcome all the vulnerability and strength this freedom gives me. I welcome the loving guidance of my Inner Teacher.