To be read: March 31, July 31, November 30

The life of a monk ought always to be a Lenten observance. ²However, since such virtue is that of few, we advise that during these days of Lent he guard his life with all purity ³and to wash away during these holy days all the shortcomings of other times. ⁴This will be done fittingly, if we restrain ourselves from all vices, and devote ourselves to prayers with tears, to reading, heartfelt penitence, and to abstinence. ⁵During these days, therefore, we will add something to the usual amount of our service, private prayers, abstinence from food and drink, ⁶so that each one offer to God “with the joy of the Holy Spirit”(1 Thes 1:6), of his own desire, something above his prescribed measure. ⁷In other words, let each one deny himself some food, drink, sleep, needless speech, and jesting, and with the gladness of spiritual desire anticipate holy Easter. ⁸Each one, however, should make known to his Abbot what he intends to do, and let it be done with his approval and blessing. ⁹Whatever is done without permission of the spiritual father will be reckoned as presumption and vainglory, and not to merit. ¹⁰Therefore, let all be done with the approval of the Abbot. 

“The life of a monk ought always to be a Lenten observance.” According to the Book of Common Prayer, Lent is the liturgical season “of penitence and fasting” (BCP p. 264f).  You may ask why would anyone would want to live in a perpetual state of penitence and abstinence?  Obviously, Benedict recognizes that we cannot realistically live a continuous Lent.  He acknowledges that to be able to maintain the discipline of penitence is a “virtue…of few”.  But Lent is also the season of preparation for Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection (Lenten preface #2, BCP p. 379); so in that sense our lives truly are a Lenten observance.  We are constantly in a state of preparation for our resurrection in Jesus, looking toward that final consummation when we will be united with Him in His kingdom.  I believe it is safe to say that it is the desire of all faithful Christians to live in that resurrection joy, and it is a promise of God that we shall dwell there (1 Cor. 15:51-52).  But there are no shortcuts into the Kingdom; there is only The Way.  Too many want to live in Easter without experiencing Good Friday.  We want the resurrection without the crucifixion.  That is not The Way.  The Way is in Jesus Christ Who was crucified, Who died, Who descended into hell, THEN was raised by the Father, and Who sits at God’s right hand.  You cannot have Easter without Lent, without walking The Way.

But what Benedict is teaching in this chapter is that our Lenten discipline is a foundational practice for the rest of the year.  We can learn the disciplines in Lent that will help us live our lives in accordance with the Gospel throughout the other seasons of the Church year.  The disciplines that we practice in Lent will help us to walk more closely in The Way.  Note how, before Benedict lists the disciplines of self-denial and abstinence, he says, “During these days, therefore, we will add something to the usual amount of our service…so that each one offer to God ‘with the joy of the Holy Spirit’, of his own desire, something above his prescribed measure.”  A Lenten discipline—a Lenten life—is not primarily about giving up things, it is about learning to add what will help us on The Way, shedding the things that hinder our ability to follow Christ.  Lent is the time to learn the disciplines of the faith “with the joy of the Holy Spirit”.

But we must also recognize that everything we do in Christ affects the entire Body.  It is important that we not rely on our own reason and instincts, but trust those who have been placed in authority over us in Christ.  That is why Benedict instructs that as we prepare for our Lenten discipline “…all be done with the approval of the Abbot”.  We don’t have an Abbot, but we do have people to whom we may look for advice and Godly counsel.  It is always wise to get an objective perspective on our spiritual walk, someone whom we trust to speak the truth into our lives.  Look to your parish priest, your accountability or prayer partner, or your confessor for advice when preparing to make a change in your spiritual discipline.  When we try to do these things on our own, we may find that what we have chosen to do “will be reckoned as presumption and vainglory, and not to merit”.  Seeking the approval and blessing of the clergy or others in authority before making a life change is a healthy practice.

To be read: March 30, July 30, November 29

Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore the brothers ought to have certain times for manual labor as well as time for devout reading. ²Hence, we believe that the time for each will be properly ordered by the following arrangement: ³From Easter until the first of October, they spend their morning from the first until about the fourth hour doing the necessary work, ⁴but from the fourth until the sixth hour they devote to reading. ⁵After Sext and the noonday meal, let them rest in their beds in complete silence; or if anyone desires to read privately, let him do so but without disturbing others. ⁶Let None be said somewhat earlier, about the middle of the eighth hour, and then until Vespers they are to return to the work that is necessary. ⁷If, however, the local conditions or their own poverty should require that they do the work of gathering the harvest themselves, let them not be downcast, ⁸for then they are true monks if they live by the work of their own hands, as did our forefathers and the Apostles. ⁹However, on account of the faint-hearted let all things be done with moderation. ¹⁰From the first of October until the beginning of Lent, let them devote themselves to reading until the end of the second hour. ¹¹At that time Terce is said, and then let all work at their assigned tasks until the ninth hour. ¹²When the first signal for the hour of None is given, each one is to leave their work and be ready when the second signal is given. ¹³Then after the meal let them devote themselves to reading or to the psalms. ¹⁴During the Lenten season let them be free in the morning to read until the third hour, and until the tenth hour let them do the work which is assigned to them. ¹⁵During these days of Lent each one is to receive a book from the library, and is to read it straight through. ¹⁶These books are to be given out at the beginning of the Lenten season. ¹⁷Above all, one or two of the seniors should be appointed to go about the monastery during the time that the brothers devote to reading ¹⁸and to see that no slothful brother be found who gives himself up to idleness or vain talk, and does not attend to his reading, and so is himself unprofitable, but disturbs others. ¹⁹If such a one is found (which God forbid), he is to be punished once or twice if necessary, ²⁰and if he does not amend, he must come under the correction of the Rule in such a way that others may fear. ²¹And further, brothers ought not associate at inappropriate times. ²²On Sunday all are to devote themselves to reading, except those who are appointed to various functions. ²³But if anyone is so careless and slothful that he will not or cannot meditate or read, let some work be given him to do, that he may not be idle. ²⁴Weak and sickly brothers should be given such work or craft that they will not remain idle, but without straining them or driving them away. ²⁵Their weakness must be taken into account by the Abbot. 

Benedict expresses the need for balance between labor and lectio.  This is clearly stated in the first verse of chapter 48:  “Idleness is the enemy of the soul.  Therefore, the brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading.”  The Work of God is to be not only the structure on which our daily routine is built, but the underpinning of everything we do.  Benedict arranges the hours of manual work based on the hours of the Divine Office, and that arrangement varies with the seasons. 

For those of us who live outside the monastery, we do not have a central oratory, nor can we always organize our work around the hours of the Divine Office.  So how is any of this relevant to our life as followers of the Rule?  There are two keys to applying these instructions from the Rule to our lives.  The first is to allow the Work of God to form the structure for our day, making adjustments to the times of the hours, or combining various hours “as best we can” so as to “not neglect our measure of service”.  For example, if you are in a workplace where taking time for Terce and None would be difficult or impossible, combine those little hours with Sext and do the Psalms appointed for all three hours as part of Noonday Prayer on your lunch break.  Maybe your morning routine does not allow time for Vigils, Lauds, and Prime.  You can do Vigils upon arising, then combine Lauds and Prime either at home before work, or combine Vigils and Lauds then say Prime at work when you arrive.  At the very least, we should be conscientious to do Morning and Evening Prayer every day.  

The second key is to recognize our need to make sacred time and sacred space within the context of each work day.  Silence is a gift that we too often neglect.  Making sacred time, and setting aside sacred space for quiet contemplation and lectio is very important.  Even just setting aside five minutes in a quiet corner of home or office, or finding a park bench near your office, or pausing in the car (while parked) before entering the office, or whatever space you can designate, is an opportunity for a Divine encounter.  If the space allows for the opportunity to kneel as Benedict suggests (RB 50:3), and your body will cooperate with the practice, that is so much the better.  But make the time and space regardless.  These are moments of grace that we should not let pass.  And having a permanently specified space in your home designated as “sacred space” is important, too.  That can be your “go to” space for prayer and encounter with God—your personal oratory.

In the Rule, prayer is referred to as “the Work of God.”  Prayer, then, is work and work is prayer in Benedict’s understanding.  His vision, as revealed in this chapter and the overall Rule is that we begin to see that all we do is a work of prayer.  His desire was that we consecrate to God the whole cycle of our day, from rising and drinking our morning coffee, to our drive to work or school, meetings and classes, and household responsibilities, until we crawl into bed for sleep.  When we have given it all to God, we can then rest in His unchanging love.

To be read: March 29, July 29, November 28

Let it be the Abbot’s care to announce the time for the Work of God both by day and by night. He may either announce it himself or entrust this charge to a careful brother, so that everything may be done at the proper time. ²Only those who have been authorized may intone the psalms or the antiphons in their turn after the Abbot. ³No one should presume to sing or read unless he is able to edify the hearers; ⁴and let it be done with humility, seriously, and with reverence as the Abbot has ordered. 

This section of the Rule, chapters 47-52, covers instructions regarding the Work of God and the need to maintain the discipline of the hours.  There is a delicate balance that must be kept between prayer and work, and Benedict is addressing those issues in these chapters. 

Benedict and his monks did not have the benefit of wrist watches, cell phones, or even electric clocks.  This created a need for someone to be responsible to keep an eye on the time and to announce the hour for the Work of God.  It was crucial that some form of notification of the hours be given that all of the brothers could be summoned to attendance in the oratory for the Work of God.  Benedict says that it was “the Abbot’s care to announce the time for the Work of God both by day and by night.”  However, he could delegate that responsibility “to a careful brother”.

As non-cenobitic followers of the Rule, we do not have a common worship space for the daily hours, nor do we have a brother designated as the watchman and herald of the hours.  But we do have clocks; we are surrounded by them.  The monks of Benedict’s day needed the herald because when they were out in the field, ensconced in the work of the kitchen, or tending the garden, it would be easy for them to lose track of the time.  They needed a reminder to lay down the manual work and pick up the Work of God.  We can do the same thing.  We can create our own herald.  I have programmed into my phone a reminder at 9:00 AM, Noon, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM.  So, in the midst of my busy day, if I have become lost in my work and the little hours are in danger of being left unsaid, I am reminded.  And often, if I am busy cooking dinner I lose the hour for Vespers.  But with my phone reminder, I have a herald to call me to the Work of God.  The early morning services of Vigils, Lauds, and Prime are easy for me to keep, so I do not need a reminder for them.  And as for Compline, I have a printed copy of the service on the bookcase headboard of my bed, together with a copy of the Psalms.  Before I lay down, I am reminded by their presence to lay the day’s work and events in the hands of the Lord, and to commend the night hours to Him.

It is good to maintain the discipline of the hours.  If you need to, you can combine the hours, and we will discuss that in more detail in tomorrow’s meditation.  Even if you are keeping a modified discipline, with only Morning, Noonday, and Evening Prayer, with Compline, a little reminder via a phone alarm can help you stick to that discipline.  It is good to have a herald to call us to the Work of God, “so that everything may be done at the proper time”.

To be read: March 28, July 28, November 27

If someone commits a fault while at any work, in the kitchen, in the cellar, in serving, in the bakery, in the garden, at any art or work in any place whatever, ²by breaking or losing something, or failing in any way whatever, ³he must come at once before the Abbot and the community, and of his own accord confess his offense and make satisfaction. ⁴If it becomes known through another, let him be subjected to a greater correction. ⁵If, however, the cause of the offense is secret, let him disclose it to the Abbot alone, or to one of his spiritual Superiors, ⁶who know how to heal their own wounds, and not expose or make public those of others. 

We all make mistakes, and it is common to our human nature to want to hide those mistakes.  But Benedict demands that the one having made the mistake “must come at once before the Abbot and the community, and of his own accord confess his offense and make satisfaction”.  Then Benedict goes on to say that if the monk tries to hide his wrongdoing, he is to be “subjected to a greater correction”.  The hiding of the fault is the greater sin.  When “the cause of the offense is secret,” Benedict explains, “let him disclose it to the Abbot alone, or to one of his spiritual Superiors, who know how to heal their own wounds, and not expose or make public those of others.” 

We all tend, to some measure, toward narcissism.  We really don’t want to acknowledge our mistakes, our faults.  But our attempts to hide wrongdoing allows the poison of these mistakes to be retained by the Body.  Confessing our sins, our faults, our mistakes, lances the wound and allows the poison to be expelled.  This chapter of the Rule is, if you will, the instruction for healing the wound.  We would all do well to put this principle to practice in our own lives.  When we have fallen short of the mark, inadvertently broken something, or as Benedict says, “failed in any way whatever”, to acknowledge the wrong allows God to begin the healing work in His Body.  And from that we can all benefit.

To be read: March 27, July 27, November 26

If anyone makes a mistake while reciting a psalm, a responsory, an antiphon, or while reading a lesson, and does not humble himself at that time before all by making satisfaction, let him receive a greater punishment, ²because he would not correct by humility what he did amiss through negligence. ³But let children be beaten for such a fault. 

Benedict begins this section of his Rule, on dealing with wrongs, with the words, “Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God” (43:3).  And here in chapter 45 he addresses mistakes made in the Divine Office, when we are doing the Work of God.  Again, the matter comes back to the inner life of the individual.  If a mistake is made, Benedict prescribes that “he must make satisfaction there before all”.  This directive is designed to keep the members of the community humble before one another, to keep their heart right before God and each other.  What he is prescribing is not a prolonged apology to the community.  The admission of error should be a simple acknowledgement, a simple “please forgive me”, nothing that will draw undue attention to the reader.  The sense of Benedict’s word is that when a mistake is made in reading, the reader should pause, apologize, and move on.  Not acknowledging the mistake reveals a prideful heart.  A simple apology is a humble gesture. 

The point of all of these disciplines is straightforward: the Work of God is to be preferred above all. Discipline is designed to be restorative, not punitive, nor to bring attention to the mistakes or those who make them.  The idea behind this discipline is an effort to facilitate good liturgy, and that the liturgy may be well led.  This type of discipline encourages preparation.  If I know that I need to read a lesson, chant a psalm, or participate in any way in the liturgy, I should practice.  If I know I will be held accountable for my part in the liturgy, I will be more likely to take my role seriously.  The ultimate goal of this discipline is that all in community may have a right heart and a right spirit about the Work of God, and to draw closer to God through the healthiness of the community and their worship together. 

To be read: March 26, July 26, November 25

Whoever is excommunicated for serious faults from the oratory and the table, at the time when the Work of God is celebrated in the oratory, ²he must prostrate himself in silence before the door at the feet of all who leave the oratory. ³And let him do this until the Abbot judges that it is enough. ⁴At the Abbot’s bidding, he is to prostrate himself at the Abbot’s feet, then at the feet of all, that they may pray for him. ⁵If then the Abbot orders it, he may be received back into the choir in the place which the Abbot assigns. ⁶Even so, he should not presume to intone a psalm or a lesson or anything else in the oratory, unless the Abbot again bids him to do so. ⁷Then, at all the Hours, when the Work of God is ended, he must prostrate himself in the place he occupies. ⁸He will continue to make satisfaction until the Abbot again bids him finally to cease from this penance. ⁹Those who are excommunicated for lesser faults from the table only are to make satisfaction in the oratory for as long as the Abbot commands, ¹⁰and let them perform this until he gives his blessing and says, “It is enough.”

Chapters 43-46 address the process of dealing with mistakes, and the disciplines associated with righting wrongs.  What Benedict is saying here is that when one has repeatedly failed, erred, or made a mistake in oratory or broken something belonging to the community, and has refused to acknowledge his wrong, he is to be barred from the Table of the Lord and from the offices in the oratory—he is to be excommunicated.  If the one who has done the wrong wishes to be restored, he is instructed to prostrate himself before the Abbot and community (vv. 2-5).  This humbling act is designed to refocus the individual on God and to accentuate the penitent’s submission to God, to those in authority, and to the community as a whole.  And the restorative aspect of this discipline is the act of the entire community granting forgiveness and pledging their support to the process of restoration and conversion. 

When we have done a wrong to one member of the Body, we have offended not only that individual, but done harm to the whole Body.  This is sometimes hard for us to comprehend.  We don’t want to be embarrassed by making confession before the whole community, and there are times when such a penitential act would be inappropriate.  But the need for the whole Body to receive back one who has been severed from the Body by excommunication is exactly what Benedict is proposing in this chapter.  It is the parable of the prodigal made real.  When the prodigal son returned home, the father was ecstatic, but the older brother was unwilling to receive him.  The father rebuked the older brother for his hard-heartedness.  When we do not welcome back someone who desires to return it thwarts healing in the Body.  We may want justice, retribution, or retaliation, but God wants restoration.  That is why Benedict directs that the penitent one “is to prostrate himself at the Abbot’s feet, then at the feet of all, that they may pray for him.”  It is very hard to hold animosity toward one for whom we are praying.  The prayer is as much for ourselves as it is for the one seeking to be restored.  That is a prayer designed to change hearts—our hearts.

To be read: March 25, July 25, November 24

If anyone does not come to the table before the verse, so that all may say the verse and pray together, and sit down at table together, ¹⁴if he failed to be timely through his own fault and negligence, let him be corrected twice. ¹⁵If he still does not amend, let him not be permitted to eat at the common table, ¹⁶but let him eat alone, separated from the company of all. His portion of wine should be taken from him, until he has made satisfaction and shown amendment. ¹⁷Anyone who is not present for the verse which is said after the meal should receive the same treatment. ¹⁸And no one is to presume to eat or drink before or after the appointed time. ¹⁹But if anything should be offered to a brother by the Superior and he refuses to accept it, then afterwards desires what he first refused or anything else, he should receive nothing at all until he makes due satisfaction. 

We dealt with the sin of tardiness in yesterday’s meditation.  The theme continues today.  Whereas yesterday Benedict was addressing the importance of promptness for the Divine Office, today we read about the importance of timely gathering for mealtime.  It is hard to imagine that Benedict would equate the importance of worship and communal dining.  However, the communal table is a sacred space, and taking a meal together is an anointed time for the entire Body.  Both the Work of God and the common meal are communal events, and both are important components in maintaining unity of Spirit in the Body of Christ.

For those of us on the outside of the monastery, communal meals are more often than not with members of the family, but less often with the entire Body of Christ with whom we worship.  Nevertheless, those communal meals have value, whether with our biological family or our spiritual family.  Sadly, we too often see members of our family choose to forgo the opportunity to dine with the other members of the family, putting their work or pleasure ahead of the sacred time spent in the company of our loved ones.  It is a manifestation of that sin of selfishness that John Michael Talbot spoke of in the quote in yesterday’s meditation.  And there is another manifestation of that same sin that is unique to this generation that could not have been anticipated by our Father Benedict.  That is the curse of the electronic devices brought to the dinner table—be it our telephone, iPad, TV, etc.  We get absorbed in the device and are not present to those with whom we are dining.  It is a very sad situation indeed.

The end of this chapter presents one other injunction that is significantly relevant to our modern society.  That precept is a warning against eating outside of the normal meal times.  This is particularly difficult in our present age when most of us are accustomed to eating when we feel like it.  We are a snacking culture, and it is evidenced by the obesity of our nation.  Much of our modern culture has absolutely no discipline about food at all.  We eat when we are lonely, distracted, reading, watching TV, and worst of all, before going to bed.  (Sadly, I am eating while writing this.)  We eat to combat depression, which makes us more depressed.  Benedict recognized this tendency in man and combatted it saying, “no one is to presume to eat or drink before or after the appointed time.”  It is sound advice.

To be read: March 23-24, July 23-24, November 23

As soon as the signal for the time of the divine office is heard, let everyone, leaving whatever he has in his hands, go with all speed, ²yet with gravity and without creating cause for levity. ³Therefore, let nothing be preferred to the Work of God. ⁴If at Vigils anyone comes after the Gloria of the 94th psalm, which we wish to be said slowly and deliberately, let him not stand in his place in the choir. ⁵He must stand in the last place, or in a place set apart by the Abbot for such careless ones, that he may be seen by the Abbot and by all, ⁶until he makes satisfaction by public penance, when the Work of God is ended. ⁷The reason why we think they should stand in the last place, or apart from the rest, is that they may be seen by all and this will shame them into amending. ⁸For if they stayed outside the oratory, there might be one who would go back to sleep, or worse yet, would sit outside and indulge in vain gossip, thereby giving a “occasion to the devil”(Eph 4:27; 1 Tm 5:14). ⁹Rather, they should go inside so that they may not lose everything, and may amend for the future. ¹⁰At the day hours the same rule applies to those who arrive for the Work of God after the opening verse and the Gloria of the first psalm.  He is to stand in the last place. ¹¹Let him not attempt to join the choir of those praying the psalms until he has made satisfaction, unless the Abbot pardons him and grants exception.  ¹²Even if granted exception he is still bound to atone for the fault afterwards. 

Every time I read the first two verses of this chapter, I chuckle.  I have the image of the monks, their habits flying behind them, as they jostle one another in order to be the first into the oratory.  Why else would Benedict see the need for the proviso of verse 2?  But that is not the heart of this message.  Verse 3 reveals the mind of our Father Benedict: “let nothing be preferred to the Work of God.”  We must do whatever we can to make certain that time is given for the worship in the Divine Office.  Our relationship with God must be the primary focus of our day.  Yes, our work (be it employment, school, housework, etc.) is important, but “let nothing be preferred to the Work of God.”  Giving priority time to God makes all of the time that follows more productive; thus, Benedict’s emphasis on making satisfaction if the monks fail to arrive for worship on time.  He even lays out provision for how to behave if the unavoidable happens and an individual arrives late to a service, for he doesn’t want anyone to give “occasion to the devil”.

Sometimes, though, events conspire and we find ourselves delayed.  It happens.  But there are those who are perpetually late.  A habit of tardiness really is a sin.  It is the sin of selfishness.  John Michael Talbot, in his book Blessings of St. Benedict, says, “Tardiness, procrastination, or unnecessary absence are ultimately expressions of selfishness.  It means that we place ourselves over the community functions that others must attend…Some are conditioned for tardiness by their upbringing and past cultural experiences.  The Rule is a way to heal that defect.”  The discipline laid out in chapters 43-46 of the Rule is a discipline that may sound harsh to our modern ear, but its purpose it to facilitate healing of our faults.  Therefore, the goal of such discipline is the maintenance of unity in the community, together with the conversion and redemption of the individual.  These disciplines are not punitive by nature, but rather restorative. 

To be read: March 22, July 22, November 22

Monks should always diligently pursue silence, especially during the hours of the night. ²Therefore, every day, whether a fast day or for ordinary days, ³as soon as they have risen from their evening meal, let all sit together in one place, and let one read the Conferences or the Lives of the Fathers, or something else that will edify the hearers, ⁴but not, however, the Heptateuch or the Books of the Kings, because it would not be wholesome for weak minds to hear this part of the Scripture at that hour; they should, however, be read at other times. ⁵On a fast day, between Vespers and the reading of the Conferences, there should be a short interval. ⁶Then four or five pages shall be read, or as much as the hour will permit. ⁷This will allow all to assemble in one place during the time of the reading, including those who were engaged in work assigned to them.  ⁸All, therefore, having assembled in one place, shall say Compline; and after going out from Compline, there is then to be no more permission for anyone to say anything. ⁹If, however, anyone is found to break this rule, let him undergo heavy punishment, unless the needs of guests should arise, or the Abbot should perhaps give a command to anyone. ¹⁰But even this is to be done with the utmost seriousness and moderation. 

Silence.  A rare blessing.  Learning to be silent is more than just keeping an external quiet.  It is about quieting the heart and mind, and being comfortable with ourselves first, and then becoming aware of the Presence of God and being drawn into His peace.  But it is indeed a challenge for most of us to be still and silent in today’s world.  Our lives are filled with clamor, and when there is that rare quiet space in our day, we tend to fill it with music, TV, the internet, or some other modern “convenience” available at hand.  We don’t know what to do with ourselves when we have the gift of quiet moments, or much less how to actively pursue that type of spiritual quietude.

Why should we pursue silence?  It is not simply because it is a recommended discipline of the Rule.  Discipline is not the end or goal of the Rule.  Rather we must think of silence as creating an atmosphere in which we can hear the still small voice of God.  Silence offers us the opportunity to declutter our mind and our spirit, removing the turmoil of the day around us.  This is what Saint Benedict is looking for, and the reason for what is known as the Grand Silence.  The Grand Silence is the rule of silence between the conclusion of Compline until after the morning offices.  The purpose of the silence is to encourage the members of the community to cultivate and deepen their relationship with the Lord by listening to the voice and the heart of God.

How can we recreate such a practice in the secular realm?  Let us look at the time of the Grand Silence and ask ourselves what is our normal routine in those hours.  What are we doing with our evenings?  Are we setting the scene for restful, peaceful, restorative sleep?  Or are we cluttering our minds and hearts with troubling thoughts and images?  The prohibition Benedict gives in verse 4, that the brothers not read “the Heptateuch [the first seven Biblical books: Genesis to Judges] or the Books of the Kings, because it would not be wholesome for weak minds to hear this part of the Scripture at that hour,” gives us a glimpse of the mind of Benedict regarding the night hours.  Even if we cannot engage in “pure” silence because of family obligations, or work related issues, or simply the need to get ready for the next day’s work load, we can screen what comes into our hearts and minds.  We do not need to watch the news, or listen to the radio, or check the internet.  We can choose to sit quietly with God.  We can read one of His love letters to us in the Epistles.  Or we can simply sit, ask Him to join us, and enjoy the calm peace that washes over us with His Presence.

To be read: March 21, July 21, November 21

From holy Easter until Pentecost, the brothers dine at the sixth hour and take supper in the evening. ²From Pentecost through the whole summer, if the monks have no work in the fields and the excess of the heat does not interfere, they shall fast on Wednesday and Friday until the ninth hour. ³On the other days they dine at the sixth hour. ⁴If they have work in the fields or the heat of the summer is great, the Abbot may decide they should maintain the sixth hour for dinner, ⁵and so let him manage and adapt everything that souls may be saved, and that what the brothers do, they may do without having a reasonable cause for grumbling. ⁶From the ides of September until the beginning of Lent, they always dine at the ninth hour.  ⁷During Lent, however, until Easter, let them dine in the evening. ⁸But let Vespers be said at a time that they will not need lamp-light during their meal, and that everything can be finished while it is still day. ⁹But let the mealtimes always be arranged so that, whether dinner or supper, everything is done by daylight. 

It is hard for us to imagine, in our culture of plentiful abundance, that there was a time when one meal per day was the norm.  Nevertheless, that was the practice in the monastic movement of the early centuries, and it apparently reflected the culture around them.  A substantive mid-day meal sufficed for the day.  Benedict, however, in celebration of “holy Easter” called for two meals during Eastertide.  At all other times of the year there was but one, and the time of day that the meal (or in Easter, meals) were served depended on the observance of the Work of God.  Benedict designated the times for the Divine Office and now he prescribes the times for the meals.  The hours of light in the day, and the climate changes affected these decisions.  So, for example in the Summer months from Pentecost until Holy Cross Day (September 14), the one meal was served at Noon, except on Wednesdays and Fridays, when it was held until after the service of None, “to observe the fast”.  In the Fall and Winter, the meal was served after None.  And in the penitential season of Lent, the meal was held over until after Vespers.  With the Divine Office and the meals thus determined, the monks’ work and study schedules must fit in around these communal events, for “nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God” (RB 43:3).  But in all these things the Abbot is exhorted to “manage and adapt everything that souls may be saved, and that what the brothers do, they may do without having a reasonable cause for grumbling.”

All of this seems quite impossible for our own day.  It is hard to imagine most modern Americans taking only one meal a day.  For many in the secular working world, schedules are adapted to taking meal breaks during the work day.  And family schedules are often set based on when the members of the family can reasonably sit down together.  It is important that we think about the discipline of eating and what role it plays in our daily lives.  We would do well to reflect on the relationship between eating and praying, between eating and the discipline of the moral life, between eating and caring for one another in community.  St. Paul gave a clarion warning in his letter to Philippi, saying, “Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us.For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself” (3:17-21).  How easy it is to make food an idol, our belly a god, and to allow our minds to be set on earthly things.  

For modern cultures, in spite of all the focus on wholistic thinking and natural living, most people do not associate any relationship between eating and praying.  But our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and as St. Paul encourages us, we are to “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1).  We can honor God by caring rightly for the body that He has given us.  It is only a loan, for “our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body…”