Do not gratify the promptings of the flesh Galatians 5:16; hate the urgings of self-will. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 59-60) What is “the flesh”? “The flesh” is a Christian metaphor. The struggle represented by “the flesh” consists of our efforts to do good and to reject evil. It’s this vital spiritual struggle that builds …
Category Archives: Chapter 4-The Tools for Good Works
Redemption
Place your hope in God alone. If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 41-43) Glaciers are receding, and at first the mountains they leave behind are as …
Endure Persecution For The Sake Of Justice
Endure persecution for the sake of justice (Matthew 5:10). (RB 4. 33) Brace yourself. To endure implies time, maybe a long time. Persecution is not a one-off, an insult from a passing stranger, a violation of a specific right on a particular occasion. Persecution involves systematic, sustained, deliberate attack, targeting you. So we’re talking about …
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Love Your Enemies
Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6: 27-35). (RB 4. 31) Loving your enemies sounds like a nice idea until you actually have enemies yourself. An enemy is not merely someone with whom you disagree. You can disagree with your friends passionately and perpetually. Nor is an enemy an opponent in a game. An opponent recognizes …
Bear Injuries Patiently
Do not repay one bad turn with another 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9. Do not injure anyone, but bear injuries patiently. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 29-30) First of all, bearing injuries patiently is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of goodness. Only the strong bear up. Only the good restrain themselves when …
Help The Troubled
You must relieve the lot of the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick (Matthew 25:36), and bury the dead. Go to help the troubled and console the sorrowing. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 14-19) There’s all the trouble in the world, and there’s what you can do about it. Not much. You don’t know the …
Fix The Physical
Treasure chastity. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 64) The obvious difference between a rule written for monks and a rule for married couples is that whereas monks take a vow of celibacy, married couples take a vow of sex. A Christian marriage requires sex with the same person until death. Not continuously, of course. It’s …
Hold Yourself Together
You must not be proud, nor be given to wine Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3. Refrain from too much eating or sleeping, and from laziness Romans 12:11. Do not grumble or speak ill of others. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 34-40) Hold yourself together. You let yourself go when you begin to imagine yourself superior to other people. Or maybe you …
Housewife Manifesto
Housewife Definition And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 74-77) Despair is a housewife with a televisionpeering through channels at the world passing her by.She seeks hope, but what a difficult decisionto turn off the screen and go sing a lullaby. So, what do you do all day, Ms. …
Friendly Faces Feel
Have a great horror of hell. Yearn for everlasting life with holy desire. Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.… Do not love immoderate or boisterous laughter. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 45-54) There are those who remind you that you’re going to die, and encourage you to think about eternity. …