February 20

Chapter 17

The Rule of Benedict February 20

Sister Joan ends her commentary on this chapter admonishing us to consider the material we commit to memory.  I think of the loads of songs with which I can sing along or whole scenes of dialog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail I often recite unbidden.

In October of 2009, I was driving home with Jana from northern AZ on a Tuesday at noon, the hour of Sext, which I had prayed each Tuesday for a year previous.  We had our breviary with us, and so we prayed together in the van.  To my surprise, I found that I had no trouble following along while looking straight ahead.  I had accidentally memorized the Office.

To spin Sr. Joan's question in a positive light, what components of our prayer life have made their way into our memory without us realizing it?  I imagine that the answer would surprise us.