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.