To be read: January 8, May 8, September 8

We, therefore, intend to found a school for the Lord’s service. ⁴⁶In drawing up the regulations, we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. ⁴⁷But even if, to correct vices or to preserve love for one another, we are prompted to a little strictness, ⁴⁸do not be quickly discouraged and fly from the way of salvation. The beginning of the Way must be narrow. ⁴⁹But as we advance in the way of life and faith, we shall run the path of God’s commandments with expanded hearts and the inexpressible delight of love.  ⁵⁰Never departing from His guidance and persevering in His teaching in the monastery until death, we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ, and may be found worthy also to share with Him in His kingdom. 

We come to the end of the Prologue and Benedict’s summary statement of purpose:  “We therefore, intend to found a school for the Lord’s service.”  This is a word of hope for all of us who struggle with our own sense of inadequacy in spiritual matters.  We see the spiritual depth of the saints, and even our friends in the Church, and we recognize just how far from God we really are.  However, as a fellow priest once said, “We measure our insides against their outsides.  And that is not valid.”  It serves no purpose for us to compare, and Benedict gives us the reason:  we are all in school—“the school for the Lord’s service”—and we are each at our own level of education and expertise.  We want to make it more difficult than it needs to be.  In the recesses of our spirit we know we are unworthy and we convince ourselves that we must earn the Lord’s favor.  But the words of this concluding paragraph of the Prologue are meant to encourage us to persevere.  “Do not be quickly discouraged and fly from the way of salvation.”

St. Benedict is, of course, writing his Rule for the cenobite—the man committed to the monastic life.  But the stated purpose of his Rule ought to apply to all Christians seeking unity with Christ: “Never departing from His guidance…we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ, and may be found worthy also to share with Him in His kingdom.”  Whether in the monastery or secular world, discipline is the key to keeping to the path of righteousness.  And the Rule of Saint Benedict offers us a plan—a curriculum—for pursuing a right relationship with God.  No single spiritual rule will fit the needs of every Christian, and Benedict acknowledges this.  That is why he refers to it as a school.  Not every student will excel in every subject.  We each have gifts, one differing from the other.  And each is adept at using the tools for which he or she is most highly suited and trained.  Thus, Benedict says, “In drawing up the regulations, we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome.”  

The learning is in the doing.  The only way to embrace and understand the application of the Rule to our individual lives is to, as it were, enroll in the school and regularly attend classes.  “Do not be quickly discouraged and fly from the way of salvation. The beginning of the Way must be narrow.”  And with this exhortation to persevere, our father Benedict gives us this encouraging word:  “But as we advance in the way of life and faith, we shall run the path of God’s commandments with expanded hearts and the inexpressible delight of love.”  We are to “run” like the child who delights in every new thing, like the calf released from the stall (Mal. 4:2), like the athlete pursuing the prize (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 2:5).  There is great delight in pursuing God’s love; for in this way of life, in following the Rule, there is new life and fulness of joy.

To be read: January 7, May 7, September 7

Brothers, now that we have asked the Lord who it is that shall dwell in His tabernacle, we have heard the conditions for dwelling there; and if we fulfill the duties of tenants, ⁴⁰we shall be heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Our hearts and our bodies must, therefore, be ready to do battle in holy obedience to His instruction. ⁴¹And let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of His grace what is impossible to us by nature. ⁴²If we desire to reach life everlasting, avoiding the pains of hell, ⁴³then, while there is yet time, and we are still in the flesh, and are able during the present life to fulfill all these things by the Light of Life, ⁴⁴we must run to do now what will profit us forever. 

Yesterday’s reading challenged us to enter a truce with God through repentance.  The idea that our relationship with Him might be construed as a potentially hostile one is fraught with concern, doubt, and a certain level of fear.  Benedict follows that quickly with today’s reading which is packed with hope and promise, tempered with righteous challenge and caution.  The balance between good works and grace is made explicit in verse 41:  “And let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of His grace what is impossible to us by nature.”  We are told to prepare “Our hearts and our bodies…to do battle in holy obedience to His instruction.”  We cannot prepare for this battle without God’s loving grace.  And Benedict declares that “we must run to do now what will profit us forever.”  These latter two themes of obedience and running must be understood in light of the promise of help given in God’s grace.

To fulfill the duty of tenants in the tabernacle of the Kingdom, we must maintain our right relationship with Christ.  For Jesus Himself commands His disciples to abide in Him.  “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  We dwell in the Kingdom by living our lives in Christ, in the fellowship of His Body.  Apart from the Body we wilt and wither.  Within the fellowship of the Church we receive the nourishment of the sacraments, the encouragement and instruction of the Word, and the empowerment of the Spirit.  We need the fellowship of His Body.

The Epistle to the Hebrews has sage advice for how we might best “run to do now what will profit us forever.”  In chapter 10:23-25, the author of the epistle says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  Though, we in the Fellowship of Saint Benedict do not live a cloistered life together, it is essential that we need to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” and not neglect our opportunities for fellowship “as is the habit of some”.  Word, sacrament, fellowship, each is essential to the life of the believer that we may be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

To be read: January 6, May 6, September 6

Having fulfilled these words, the Lord waits for us daily to respond to His holy admonitions by our works. ³⁶Therefore, the number of our days is lengthened by a truce for the amendment of our misdeeds.  ³⁷As the Apostle says: “Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4)? ³⁸For the Lord says: “I do not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he turn back to Me and live” (Ezek 33:11). 

This brief section emphasizes that Benedict sees the place of repentance as the essential element in dwelling with Christ.  “The Lord waits for us daily…”  And that indeed is good news.  He waits for us to “turn back…and live”.  Daily…cotidie: theLatin word used here is translated “every day” or “daily”.  This is not a one-time event, and if you miss it, tough luck.  Scripture emphasizes the need for daily nurturing of our relationship with Christ.  He taught us to pray with these words: “give us this day our daily bread”.  Psalm 68:19 declares: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up.”  Prov. 8:34 tells us that “Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates.”  And Jesus says that “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

But once again the ancient language of Benedict’s time causes us to pause.  In verse 36 he says, “the number of our days is lengthened by a truce…”  The word truce is defined as “an agreement between enemies”, or “an intermission of hostilities”.  To think that we are in a hostile relationship with God is not a pleasant thought.  Does Benedict think that we are in a hostile relationship with the Almighty?  How can we interpret what is meant here?  The word truce has fallen out of favor in common English language usage.  Etymologically it derives from the Old English treow, which means “faith, trust, fidelity”.  And from the Old German roots we derive, “true”.  That certainly seems like a more pleasant understanding of the word.  But as we see in both the Epistle to the Hebrews (12:3) and the Epistle to the Ephesians (2:14-16), Scripture indicates that we have previously had hostility toward God.  For Benedict, it appears that God would be well within His rights to view that hostility as an attack.  The call to repentance, then, is God’s loving truce.  He allows us time to “amend our misdeeds”.  Quoting Romans, he reminds us that “God’s kindness (His patience) is meant to lead us to repentance.”  And Benedict assures us that the Lord does “not desire the death of the sinner”.  

Certainly, for Benedict, the word truce used in this context makes perfect sense.  Repentance is the essential element in calling us back to Himself and keeping us in right relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.  He is patient:  “The Lord waits for us daily to respond…”  Let us not disappoint Him.

To be read: January 5, May 5, September 5

If we desire to dwell in the tabernacle of His kingdom, we cannot reach it in any way, unless we run there by doing good deeds. ²³But let us ask the Lord with the Prophet, saying to Him: “Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle, or who shall rest on Thy holy hill” (Ps 14[15]:1)?  ²⁴After this question, brothers, let us listen to the Lord’s answer as He shows us the way to this tabernacle. ²⁵“He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right; ²⁶who speaks truth from his heart; who does not slander with his tongue, ²⁷nor does evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor” (Ps 14[15]:2-3). ²⁸He has brought to nothing the foul demon tempting him, casting him out of his heart, and has taken his evil thoughts while they were yet new and dashed them against Christ (cf Ps 14[15]:4; Ps 136[137]:9). ²⁹These people, fearing the Lord, are not puffed up by their goodness of life, rather holding that any actual good which is in them cannot be done by themselves, but by the Lord. ³⁰They praise the Lord working in them (cf Ps 14[15]:4), and say with the Prophet: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to Thy name give glory” (Ps 113[115:1]:9). ³¹Thus, in the same way, the Apostle Paul has not taken credit for his preaching, saying: “By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Cor 15:10). ³²And again he says: “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord” (2 Cor 10:17). ³³Hence, the Lord also says in the Gospel: “He who hears these words of Mine and does them, is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock; ³⁴the floods came, the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded upon the rock” (Mt 7:24-25). 

The prologue to John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus came and “made His tabernacle with us” (John 1:14).  The tent of His Kingdom has been pitched in our world, because God so loved us that He sent His Son to dwell with us in order that we might dwell eternally with Him.  To “dwell in the tabernacle of His Kingdom” is to dwell in Christ Himself.  And according to the first verse of this section of the Rule, “we cannot reach it in any way, unless we run there by doing good deeds.”  Jesus says that the Holy Spirit “dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).  And Paul reiterates this in Romans 8:9 saying, “the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  And in 1 Cor. 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s tabernacle and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”  So, if the Father sent the Son to make His dwelling with us, and His Holy Spirit dwells in us, and it was the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32), then why does Benedict exhort us to “run there by doing good deeds”?

Throughout the history of the Church the question of the place of good works has fluctuated in importance and focus.  Pelagianism is the most prominent heresy associated with works righteousness, and many Protestant theologians err on the side of “faith only, without works”.  Sadly, the question of works can be a dividing wall between denominations.  The fact of the matter is that the same Spirit Who dwells in us is the One Who is doing the good works through us.  The Psalmist reminds us (16:2) that we have no good apart from God.  Therefore, any good works we do originate in the heart of God, not in us.  For us to run to the Kingdom is to actively seek relationship with God’s Holy Spirit, manifesting that relationship in our attitude and works for His Kingdom.  

Benedict goes on in the next five verses of this section to detail the good works expected of us, utilizing the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 15.  Then verses 28-34 put the entirety in the context of the Lord’s power and authority.  It is only by Christ’s authority that the evil one is overcome and temptations thwarted.  The fear of the Lord is the weapon to combat pride.  Praise exalts the Lord, that His Name alone, and not our own, may be glorified.  It is by grace—and grace alone—that we recognize God’s gift and are thereby empowered to minister through good works in His Name.  Our boasting can therefore be only in the Lord, not any works of our own.

To be read: January 4, May 4, September 4

Seeking His workman in the multitude of the people, the Lord proclaims these words, saying again: ¹⁵“Who is the man that desires life and covets many days”(Ps 33[34]:13)? ¹⁶If hearing this you answer, “I am he,” then God says to you: ¹⁷“If you will have true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; turn away from evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it”(Ps 33[34]:14-15). ¹⁸And when you have done these things, My “eyes shall be upon you, and My ears unto your prayers.  And before you shall call upon me I will say: ‘Behold, I am here’”(Is 58:9). ¹⁹What, dear brothers, can be sweeter to us than this voice of the Lord inviting us? ²⁰See, in His loving kindness, the Lord shows us the way of life. ²¹Therefore, clothed with faith and the performance of good works, let us walk in His Way under the guidance of the Gospel, that we may be found worthy of seeing Him who has called us into His kingdom (cf 1 Thess 2:12). 

The Lord seeks His workers.  We are called to the Kingdom, and that call is to take our part in the work of the Kingdom.  Too often I meet people who come seeking the Kingdom only for what it will provide for them.  “What do I get out of accepting Christ?”  “What benefit is there for me if I join the Church?”  And sadly, many preachers cater to them and proclaim Jesus as Savior at the expense of the new converts accepting Him as Lord.  Benedict is pointing out in these verses that the Lord calls out to us, not only for what we receive in acceptance of the call, but for what we have to contribute to the Body.

As our holy father, Benedict, says in verse 14, our Lord “proclaims these words…again…”  And He is desirous and hopeful that we will respond with an “I do.”  “If hearing this you answer, ‘I am he’…,” then God will speak to you.  When we say “yes”, God will answer!  When we say “yes” to our Lord we declare that we want Him to direct and rule our lives.  We want to practice the virtues of a life yielded to Christ’s will.  Benedict asks, “What can be sweeter to us than this voice of the Lord inviting us?”  It is a beckoning to a love relationship.  Benedict goes on to say, “See, in His loving kindness, the Lord shows us the way of life.”  It is not enough for us to have desire for this life, we must “choose life.”  And having made the choice, and fully committed ourselves to this path, we are then, “clothed with faith and the performance of good works…”.  This is not a one-time event, but a process of daily transformation.

And in the conclusion of this section we are given these encouraging words: “that we may be found worthy of seeing Him who has called us into His kingdom.”  This rings with the sound of works righteousness.  Again the language of his day may be a stumbling block for us, but the context of the whole Rule beckons us to recognize that everything we have is received as gift from Christ and the Father, by means of the Holy Spirit.  “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32 emphasis added).  

To be read: January 3, May 3, September 3

Let us then rise at long last, since the Scriptures rouse us, saying: “It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep”(Rom 13:11); ⁹and having opened our eyes to the light that comes from God, let us hear with our ears what the divine voice admonishes us, crying out daily: ¹⁰“Today, if you would hear his voice, harden not your hearts”(Ps 94[95]:8). ¹¹And again: “He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”(Rev 2:7). ¹²And what does He say?—“Come, children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord”(Ps 33[34]:12). ¹³“Run while you have the light of life, that the darkness of death may not overtake you”(Jn 12:35). 

Benedict returns to the theme of listening.  “It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep…” (Rom 13:11).  The sense given in these verses is that we have been asleep at the wheel, so to speak, and the life God intends for us is passing us by.  It is time to wake up, because God has more for us.  And so, Benedict alerts us and calls us to “open our eyes to the light” and “let us hear with our ears.”  For he says that God calls out from heaven to us every day (v. 9).  Benedict has laid down a challenge for us to grow in constant awareness of our Lord’s Presence and His grace.

This is a difficult challenge for us because in this modern world the distractions are numerous.  The stimuli with which we are constantly bombarded are manifold, and the result is that we do not know how to be quiet.  It’s not a matter of our having been asleep, it’s a matter of our focus.  We are distracted and our priorities have been shifted to the things of this world.  Just look at what churches are doing to bring people in their doors.  They create stimulus rich services that are all but indistinguishable from worldly assemblies, sporting events, TV shows, and concerts.  People complain that mainline services are boring.  To get a group of Christians to observe a quiet day is all but impossible.  But as Benedict says, quoting Revelation 2:7, “He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  How can we listen if we do not silence the competing voices vying for our undivided attention.  We are so convinced we can multitask that we have demoted God to a role comparable to our Facebook friends.  We are so awake temporally that we miss the heavenly voice.  We reject interiority in favor of a stimulus rich secular life.  The truth though is that God is patient.  He is standing by on call, waiting.  He is ready to talk, but He will NOT interrupt our priority conversations.  When we are ready, He will talk to us.  “Now is the hour for us to rise…”  

We are also called to open our eyes to the light—the divine light.  Apparently, the adjective “divine” used here is an action word.  The divine is not simply descriptive; it is transformative.  It is the “divinizing” light.  When we open our eyes to His light, He transforms us.  He transitions us from darkness—absence from Him—into His marvelous light.

All of this is not simply a personal or individual encounter—“listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Every Word, even individual exhortations, are corporate in nature, for we are all part of One Body.  Also, from the other perspective, every corporate Word is also personal.  We all need to listen carefully to the prophetic words given to the Body.

And finally, Benedict quotes from John 12:35, “Run while you have the light of life…” (Jn 12:35).  The word “run” appears no less than four times in the Prologue.^*  We must not delay responding to God’s call.  But I am also reminded, having two young grandchildren, that children run to express their joy and excitement.  That type of exuberance has been quelled in too many adults, and that is sad.  Run with exuberance while you have the light of life.  Do not delay to respond to God’s loving call.

*cf. vv. 22, 44, 48

To be read: January 2, May 2, September 2

In the first place, each time you seek to begin a good work, earnestly pray that He will perfect whatever good you begin, ⁵in order that He who is pleased to count us as His children, need never be grieved at our evil deeds. ⁶For we ought at all times to obey Him, serving Him with the good things which He has given us, that He may not, like an angry father, disinherit his children, ⁷nor, like a dread lord, enraged by our evil deeds, hand us over to everlasting punishment as most wicked servants, who would not follow Him to glory. 

We all get excited about beginning a new work.  And rightly so.  But, are we directed by God in that work?  Have we commended that work to God for His guidance in its execution?  Do we begin, then to lose interest and let it fall dormant?  Do the cares of the world, our self will, the tempter, all seek to snatch these good deeds away from us?  These verses ring with the truth of the parable of the sower.  Sadly, all too often our good work is not brought to completion; and far less often to perfection.

The keys to bringing the works we do to perfect completion are earnest prayer and stability.  The promises of chapter 58 will be foreshadowed here.  With stability, the pilgrim Christian will have God’s grace to persevere.  But only if he or she has made the effort to bathe that good beginning in earnest, insistent prayer.  For, “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).  And with stability we also promise fidelity.  We need each other.  We need fellowship.  We need commitment to live disciplined spiritual lives in fidelity to the Gospel and to the Rule.  It is very unlikely that we will bear permanent and perfected fruit if we labor on our own.  The third promise, obedience, was touched on in yesterday’s meditation and is a solidly recurring theme throughout the Rule.  I might think that I know what needs to be done, but without God’s guidance and submission to His will I will follow my own conscience and reason, and that often leads down dark paths of greed and pride.  God knows what the goal of these works need be, and His desire is that we accomplish them for the good of the Kingdom.  Are we going to obediently follow His will and see it through to perfection in Christ?

There are also some seemingly harsh words in these few verses.  For example, Benedict warns that we need to be obedient lest God “like an angry father, disinherit his children,” or “like a dread lord, enraged by our evil deeds, hand us over to everlasting punishment.”  Some of St. Benedict’s phraseology, disciplines, and practices strike our ear and our consciences as outdated and somewhat loathsome.  The idea of corporal punishment, excommunication, and as we see in the verses today, disinheritance and “everlasting punishment as most wicked servants,” all resonate as somewhat antiquated ideas to our modern Christian ear.  Nevertheless, we cannot, like Thomas Jefferson did with the Holy Scriptures, cut out the uncomfortable passages and focus only on what seems pleasant to our fragile minds.  We must listen to the word of the Rule, as we have been exhorted, as sons and daughters, with the ear of our heart.  And like children of the King, we cannot at first blush always understand all that is being conveyed in these verses.  We must walk with the Master and learn through obedient fulfillment of the discipline of the Rule.  St. Benedict was writing the Rule in a different time and addressing a culture of an earlier age, and we need to understand that, not only Benedict, but also the culture of his day have something to teach us.  Their experience can inform our own if we allow it to do so.

We must not take any chapter or verse from the Rule out of the context of the whole.  Our father Benedict sets the tone in the first verse of the Prologue when he addresses the reader as “My son.”  We are not servants or slaves of a Rule and a lifestyle.  Our work is a labor of love.  St. Benedict is not striving in these early verses of the Prologue to instill fear, he is exhorting us, using the language of his day, to practice a sacred piety within the context of the ordinariness of daily life.  It is an exhortation for us to experience the martyrdom of self will, that we may daily die to Christ.  In so doing, we will find our works perfected and our lives renewed in Him.  

To be read: January 1, May 1, September 1

Listen, my son, to the precepts of the master, and incline to them with the ear of your heart. Cheerfully receive and put into practice the admonitions of your loving Father, ²that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom by the sloth of disobedience you have gone astray. ³To you, therefore, my message is now directed, who, giving up your own will once and for all, take up the strong and most excellent weapons of obedience to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King. 

The Prologue sets the stage for Benedict’s teachings in the chapters which follow with three keynotes which will resound throughout the entirety of the Rule.  These keynotes are:  listen, obey, and submit to Christ’s will.  To obey we must first listen—listen to the master’s instruction.  We must tune the ear of our hearts to his heart and not just his words.  And thus armed with obedience we can submit to Christ.  We can do battle for Christ, our King and our Lord.  Listen and obey, that we may “prefer nothing whatever to Christ.” (RB 72:11).

Listen, my son, to the precepts of the master…  Benedict does not define master in this context.  Is he Jesus?  The abbott?  The novice master, or maybe the monk’s spiritual director?  Benedict does not say, but the exhortation would be true for each.  We all need a master to whom we may look for spiritual direction—an accomplished elder who has the insights of someone who has walked the Way for many years.  However, we are not all privileged to have someone like that to whom we may listen and submit.  Michael Casey, OCSO suggests that if we do not have the good fortune to have such an individual in our lives, “the next best option is to attach ourselves to a tradition, making the journey in company with others who share the same ideals and learning from their example and wisdom” (The Road to Eternal Life, p. 14).  And so, we listen to the Master through the fellowship of the Body of Christ.

Listening, we learn to obey.  Benedict calls this type of obedience a “labor”.  This is not labor in the sense of a burdensome toiling in a rock-strewn field.  This labor is a joyful effort to draw closer to Christ.  It is more like the courting of a beloved, seeking the deeper, more permanent relationship of marriage.  We work hard to establish the bonds of love and solidify the covenant.  Sloth has no entry into that type of energetic effort.  Benedict indicates that the major obstacle to spiritual growth, and the ultimate sign of disobedience, is sloth.  This “labor of obedience” is the means by which the goal of union with God is reached.  It is a goal worth working for.

The third keynote, submission to Christ, follows closely on the heels of listening and obedience.  It is the reason we take time and make the effort to listen, and the purpose of our obedience.  We have chosen this path of spiritual discipline in order to yield our will to the will of Christ.  Benedict makes bookends of this pattern of submission by opening the Prologue with this exhortation, and sums up his Rule, as noted above in chapter 72, with the command that we “prefer nothing whatever to Christ.”

The heart of our daily battle is the fight between self will and submission to the will of Christ.  Whether living in the confines of a monastery, or in the temptation-rich fields of the world, the Rule confronts us with the challenge to submit our will to that of Christ’s; to live in obedience to Him and to His Body.  We cannot live in submission to Christ apart from the Church militant.  For without the army of Christ, the weapons of obedience are not available to us.

And so, those of us outside the confines of the monastic enclosure need the fellowship of the Body.  We cannot come to the full richness of relationship with Christ apart from the Body of Christ.  With the help of our brothers and sisters in the Church we can do battle with self will, and continually renew our commitment to submit to Christ, our King and our Lord.

Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?  Then with the help of Christ, keep this little rule written for beginners. (Rule of Saint Benedict 73:8)

The culture of the 21st century is not much different from that which Saint Benedict experienced in A.D. 500.  As a young man he had traveled to Rome for his education.  The barbarians had overrun Rome just a quarter century before.  Young Benedict could not withstand the moral depravity of the culture and he fled.  At first he tried becoming a hermit, but many young men heard of him and pursued him for mentoring.  Eventually, Benedict accepted that living in community was a preferable approach for sustaining a Christian lifestyle.  He began to gather some of these young men around him, and over time he produced his rule for Christian community:  The Rule of Saint Benedict.

For 1500 years this “little rule for beginners” (RB 73:8) has been a guide to assist those who hasten toward Christ.  It is not a substitute for the Gospel: it is practical guidance for living the Gospel in Christian community.  Whenever the Church has practiced the discipline of monastic spirituality, the Church has flourished.  When monasticism has waned, so has the spiritual discipline of the Church, and both Church and society have suffered.  At its core the Rule of Saint Benedict is a guide in the art of Christian living for those who follow it.  People throughout history have pursued the Rule of Saint Benedict in hard times for the same reason that the young men of the 6th century sought out Benedict himself.  These people have seen that the way of life presented in the Rule provides guidance for embracing the truth of the Gospel, and in that they find hope in dark times.

But what does the Rule of Saint Benedict actually say?  How can the precepts of this ancient Rule be applied to life in the 21st century?  You may say, I don’t live in a monastery or nunnery, how is a rule for monks relevant to someone living in secular society?  These are questions that the meditations which follow will seek to answer.  

In the Fellowship of Saint Benedict we follow a four-month rotation of daily readings from the Rule of Saint Benedict.  Following this schedule we read through the Rule three times a year, thus fulfilling Benedict’s exhortation that the Rule “be read often in the community, so that none of the brothers can offer the excuse of ignorance.” (RB 66:8)  In the meditations which follow I will post the section of the Rule appointed for that day^* and offer a brief meditation.  This is not an academic examination of the Rule; it is a reflection on Benedict’s instruction to anyone “hastening toward our heavenly home.”  For a more instructional examination of the Rule, I would refer you to a previous set of meditations which took a more critical look at the Rule.  You can find those writings at https://www.cotres.org/fsb-meditations.  There are also numerous books and articles on line offering detailed examination of the Rule which you might find helpful.  In contrast, these meditations target how we may best apply the Rule of St. Benedict to our lives lived in the secular world.

Saint Benedict declares in the Prologue of the Rule that he is establishing a “school for the Lord’s service” (v. 45).  So, let us go to school together to learn from the founder of western monasticism.  This is divine instruction that has 1500 years of experience behind it.  Though we may not live in a monastery, we can still practice this monastic spirituality, albeit in a new way, bringing from the storehouse what is old and what is new (Matthew 13:52).

If you would like more information about the Fellowship of Saint Benedict, please visit our web site at http://www.cotres.org/fsb.

^* The version of the Rule of St. Benedict in these meditations is my own paraphrase.  As I do not know Latin and could not translate the original, I compared four translations of the Rule and conflated them, giving what I hope is the clearest sense of Benedict’s intent in the Rule.

As we advance in the way of life and faith, we shall run the path of God’s commandments with expanded hearts and the inexpressible delight of love.  (Prologue 49)

I have spent a good deal of time over the last two years thinking about Benedictine spirituality.  It was not something I was seeking, rather it was thrust into my lap by our archbishop.  At first, I was phlegmatic about it.  My thought was, “Okay, I’ll organize the Fellowship of Saint Benedict, but I will then turn it over to someone else to run.”  Having become a sexagenarian I had hopes of “slowing down”, of spending more time in the parish and with my family.  Having laid down my duties with St. Michael’s Seminary, I found that I had freed up a considerable amount of time, and that pleased me.  Then, the bishop asked me to organize the Fellowship and to run it out of our parish.

Nevertheless, now that we are a couple of years into the work of the Fellowship, I have begun to see real value in the Rule, in the Fellowship, and in a conscientious practice of Benedictine disciplines.  However, I didn’t expect the amount of work that would be expected of me, or, on the positive side, the sense that, “My God, this is the way that God can transform His Church and the society.”  Yes, that is a monumental claim, however, I believe that it is true, and I am apparently not alone.

It certainly seems as if the world is going to hell in a hand basket.  There is an incredible void in sound leadership.  The ability to have rational discussion on controversial topics is nonexistent because we have become incapable of listening to alternate opinions with any sense of humility.  Morality is in the pits.  We have all become situational ethicists: “Letting them live in sin is the loving thing to do;” and “If I want it, it must be good.”  The culture has become overtly pagan.

Benedict was raised up by God at a comparable time in history.  The pagans had overrun Rome, and the Church was impotent in dealing with the threat.  Benedict then, called by God, rallied young men and called them into community.  He created his Rule as a means of organizing this community based on the Gospel.  His work became instrumental in preserving the Church for future generations, and the Rule of St. Benedict became the central core of healthy Church teaching and organization.  Now, 1500 years later, the Rule of St. Benedict is still being used by Christians seeking to preserve a holy life in Christ.   Historically, when monasticism is strong, the Church flourishes.  Living the Rule can be for the Church today a preservative of holy life and an evangelical outreach tool.  There is hunger for true spirituality, and the world wants to see Christ truly manifested in His people.  For the Church to be truly the Church she needs discipline.  The Rule of St. Benedict offers that discipline.  It is not another Gospel, it is a practical guide for living the Gospel.

So, I may have wanted to slow the hectic pace of my life, and lay down responsibilities … I guess God had other ideas … but how can I take a Rule that was written 1500 years ago for young men in enclosed communities and make it applicable to my own experience in the world, and help others apply it to their lives lived in secular society?  The meditations which follow are some of my scattered thoughts which have come to me over these past two years.  I hope that they will be of interest and of use to you.  

May God’s “inexpressible delight of love” be yours as you “prefer nothing whatever to Christ.” (RB 73:11)