Chapter 20
The Rule of Benedict June 27
I hear from this chapter that the Divine Office is not an end in itself, but a means by which we are compelled to live a life of humility and devotion before God, our own highest end.
As I have taken on a practice which includes more Offices each day, our Father Benedict's instructions here have found new resonance in me. Each experience of praying an office is far less important than the cultivation of the disciplined obedience that comes from the act of stopping and turning my attention to God. A desire for a particular set of emotions or mental states only serves to further fix my attention on myself.
It is then, when we obediently turn our hearts and minds from ourselves that we can be surprised by divine grace, which may inspire us to linger in response to God's presence.
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