Henceforth I worked no more alone despite / memories of bitterness, gall and slight…
Tag Archives: St Benedict’s rule
Cultivate Silence
My children, “…diligently cultivate silence…” (Be still and know that I am God.) Rule of St. Benedict 42 The spiritual discipline of silence has an age-old history. In the spectrum of spiritual disciplines, it belongs to the category of fasting. Exercises such as fasting–from food or from mental stimulus–not only benefit our physical and mental …
Choose Your Destination
Choose your destination before you set out on a path. Their law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy. Anything they believe in and choose, they call holy; anything they dislike, they consider forbidden (Rule of St. Benedict, 1.8-9) So . . . if you’re thinking that this is a description of …
Silent Night, Holy Dawn
Elegant Definition We absolutely condemn in all places any vulgarity. . . . (Rule of St. Benedict 6.8) In the beginning, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. He spoke, and called forth formed things. To live a holy life is to move within these forms willingly. A holy life is an elegant life. …
Zip It
I said, I have resolved to keep watch over my ways that I may never sin with my tongue. I have put a guard on my mouth…. [Psalm 39:1-3] (Rule of St. Benedict 6.1-6) Keep your mouth shut? It’s awfully hard to do. It’s especially difficult in a competitive environment, where talking is part of the …
Trust And Obey
The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience, which comes naturally to those who cherish Christ above all.… [T]hey carry out the superior’s order as promptly as if the command came from God himself.… This very obedience, however, will be acceptable to God and agreeable to men only if compliance with what is commanded is …
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 …