September 30

Chapter 7 pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict September 30

This degree of humility, to "love not [one's] own will," is a radical step for any human being to take. What would it mean to say, "I don't love you anymore," to our self-will?

In my life, I perceive this to mean a reorientation away from the thoughts and emotions that rise up within me and their corresponding choices.  If I don't love something, I do not seek its interests, and the interests of my self-will, for us Westerners, are the very terms in which we have learned to conceive of ourselves.

This second rung on the ladder of humility, then, is a negative one that puts the brakes on the barreling freight train of our self-governance.  Attend today to where this brake can be applied in your life.

September 29

Feast of St. Michael and All Angels


Chapter 7 pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict September 29

How interesting that on today's feast day we have a passage that mentions the role of angels as agents of God's care.  The overwhelming theme of this first step of humility is that we are not alone in our lives, and we ought not pretend that we are.  We move and have our being in realms seen and unseen.

September 28

Chapter 7 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict September 28

Turning away from our own will is what follows from turning our attention to God in the moments of life.  It is not a once and for all event, but a perpetually present opportunity to listen and obey.

September 27

Chapter 7 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict September 27

We must live in the eternal Now with respect to God because God lives in the eternal Now with respect to us.  The option to turn our thoughts/attention to God is always available because God, at each moment, inhabits our consciousness.  Wrongful thoughts are those that make this option difficult to choose, not because God is further away, but because they overwhelm our perception.

September 26

Chapter 7 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 26

As I read this first step again I am drawn to the notion that our various sins and vices require our resistance "at every moment," which is a corollary to keeping awe of God "before [our] eyes." In other words, one takes the first rung of this ladder in the moment, in the eternal Now, not once and for all.

September 25

Chapter 7 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 25

From January:

Chapter 7 on humility is the longest in the Rule.  Today's selection is a sort of introduction to the chapter wherein Father Benedict makes a case for humility as the means by which we reach our home with God, or, differently put, the means by which we become a place where God is at home.  I see Benedict's path of humility as akin to the kenotic path (self-emptying) of Jesus as described in Philippians 2.  To follow the steps along this path, or "climb" the rungs of this ladder, is the work of a lifetime done in an intentional and supportive community.

September 24

Chapter 6

The Rule of Benedict September 24

Rarely do words ring truer in my life than Benedict's quote from Proverbs 10:19: "In much speaking you will not escape sin."

To "hold silence," as Gil calls it, is to listen for direction in a conversation or a group from somewhere other than my own thoughts and words.  It is to be fully present and engaged without reaching for the steering wheel.

September 23

Chapter 5 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 23

In our context, it seems to me that murmuring, or grumbling, occurs whenever feelings of opposition to our community's leadership rise up in our hearts and are given a bed and a seat at the table.  Appropriately addressing those feelings directly to the leadership is not murmuring, nor is acknowledging them and showing them to the door.  But when we welcome, feed, and house them in the privacy of our hearts, they keep us from being formed in the likeness of Christ on the Benedictine path.

September 22

Chapter 5 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 22

From May:

Before we are able to obey, we must be able to perceive that which is being asked of us.  John the Baptist says that Jesus comes as one with a winnowing fork in hand to separate the wheat from the chaff.  On a personal level, I have experienced this to mean that Jesus, my Master, comes to separate that which is true from that which is false within me.  Obedience for a Benedictine is to act in accordance with what Jesus reveals to be true with regard to Holy Scripture, the Rule, and the instructions of one's Superior.

September 21

Chapter 4 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict September 21

Today's list of tools mostly pertains to interpersonal matters within the community, and it's clear that Benedict does not expect such matters to be a cake walk.  It requires constant vigilance--employing these tools "unceasingly day and night"--to keep the inner states of hate, jealousy, contention, and haughtiness at bay and to cultivate those of respect for seniors, love for juniors, prayer for enemies, and peace with adversaries.

September 20

Chapter 4 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict September 20

Benedict does not shy away from the topic of sin, nor does he hold it up as an eternal fact of life.  Sins must be acknowledged, confessed, and amended in order for the community to be in union with each other and in order for our souls to find their true home in/with God.

Religious orders have historically practiced formal confession to a spiritual elder.  I wonder what such a practice might look like for us, and if it might serve well the highest ends of our life together.

September 19

Chapter 4 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 19

From January:

In this portion of chapter 4, Benedict casts a vision of a monastic heart bereft of violence, defensiveness, and self-importance.  This is no easy vision to live up to.  It requires courage to lay down my defenses, give up "being right", and entrust my worth to God.  It requires generosity of spirit and vulnerability.  It might even require our death, like it did of our Lord and many of his disciples.

September 18

Chapter 4 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 18

Numbers 10-13 provide a fascinating commentary on number 9.  Our culture generally conceives of the golden rule with regard to simple pleasure or pain: "I don't want to feel pain, so I won't cause it in others," but Benedict prescribes a treatment of the self that is difficult and unpleasant in the service of transformation.  So perhaps I should ask myself the question, "which me does not want to be treated in such a such a way," when considering my actions towards others.  Do I want to be transformed, or do I want simply to feel pleasure and not pain?  How does this effect my practice of the golden rule?

September 17

Chapter 3 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 17

from January:

Part of what it means for us to bear the title "Benedictine" is for us to accept the Rule of Benedict as a rule, or a standard, by which to measure our lives.  This does not imply that we subject ourselves to a simple, one-to-one application of the Rule, but rather that we each submit ourselves to the authority of the Rule instead of to our self-will in matters pertaining to our spiritual formation.

September 16

Chapter 3 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 16

I am reminded by this passage of our discussion last night.  A healthy community is in need of participation from the range of voices present at the table.  Let us continue, for our part, to endeavor to add our voice with "all deference required by humility" and not "presume stubbornly to defend [our] opinions . . ."

September 15

Chapter 2 pt. 7

The Rule of Benedict September 15

Informed by Ruth's wonderful comment from yesterday (I encourage you to read it, if you haven't already), I notice the classical/medieval conception of the virtue of prudence at play here in Chapter 2.  By exercising prudence in the role of Superior, with all its many responsibilities, not only does the Superior shape the souls entrusted to her care, but her own soul is itself formed.  This is a hopeful end to a potentially daunting chapter.

September 14

Chapter 2 pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict September 14

On first reading, this passage seems to advocate a way of being that is repulsive to my soul.  My path to God involves the removal of my masks, not using them to "rule" others.  But if I turn the focus from myself, the picture Benedict is painting here becomes clearer.

We have here not the putting of of airs but the transcendence of the ego on the part of the Superior.  When one leads from consciousness, one does not need to be concerned with the egoic need for what appears "authentic", but can perceive the deep and true needs of the other.  The varied postures the Superior assumes, then, flow from selfless and humble service to God and to the community.

September 13

Chapter 2 pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict September 13

This passage assumes that all types of personalities are in need of transformation.  It's not just the lazy or the arrogant who need wise leadership and careful correction, it's also the compliant and the quiet.  But the very presence of all such persons in the vowed community shows us that transformation is available to everyone who places herself on the path.

September 12

Chapter 2 pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict September 12

This morning, in the course of reading through the Gospel of St. Mark for my practice of lectio divina, I read the end of chapter 3, vs. 31-35:

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”


I was struck by what appears to be Jesus' dismantling of the basic unit of societal structure, the family.  He rejects any claim on him that is based on terms of honor or shame, which are strictly human associations (see v. 21), and only acknowledges as "family" human relationships that derive from a common relationship with God.


I found the synchronicity of this passage in Mark and the passage in the Rule today worth paying attention to.  Benedict's vision of the cenobitic religious life regarding family and social status--honor, shame--mirrors that of Jesus in the passage above.  People are not judged in terms other than doing the will of God.


I am brought to wonder what the implications of these passages are for us as we explore our own religious identities.  What does the title "Brother" or "Sister" mean if not that our identity as a member of a family has fundamentally changed.  Let us sit prayerfully with these things.

September 11

Chapter 2 pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict September 11

This twofold teaching about leadership is simple yet painfully difficult and so desperately needed in our world.  The cultivation of the inner freedom to not only teach peaceableness, but to choose gentleness in the face of anger, for example, is a component part of the work undertaken on the Benedictine path.

September 10

Chapter 2 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 10

"The purpose of Benedictine spirituality is to gather equally committed adults for a journey through earthen darkness to the dazzling light that already flames in each of us, but in a hidden place left to each of us to find."  -Joan Chittister OSB from The Rule of Benedict: Insight for the Ages 


One benefit I perceive in the possibility of establishing a Benedictine Canon Community is a more tangible and extensive "equal commitment".  A more robust community structure can  enable a clearer inner sense of belonging, purpose, and support as we journey together.

September 9

Chapter 2 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 9

In Benedict's concluding metaphor, the Superior's instructions are to be like divine justice that must be kneaded into the minds of the disciples.  Such kneading, it seems to me, requires close and regular exchanges between the Superior and the members of the community as well as a life structure in which instructions can be followed.  I believe that the structure of a Benedictine Canon Community would facilitate such kneading well.

September 8

Chapter 1

The Rule of Benedict September 8

It is a challenge to live according to the Rule of Benedict outside a monastery.  It requires a true oblation, an offering, of our lives to God.  The momentum of life in our society propels us along a path very similar to that of the Sarabaites, who, "In their works they still keep faith with the world . . .," and whose "law is the desire for self-gratification: whatever enters their mind or appeals to them, that they call holy; what they dislike, they regard as unlawful."  This is a danger for us especially as we shape our personal practice and discern our own rule of life.

September 7

Prologue pt. 7

The Rule of Benedict September 7

My desire for myself and our order is that "as we advance in the religious life and in faith, our hearts [will] expand and we [will] run the way of God's commandments with unspeakable sweetness of love."

Let us not, therefore, shy away from what seems difficult.  There are no illusions about this path in Benedict's rule--the entrance to the way of salvation cannot but be narrow.

September 6

Prologue pt. 6

The Rule of Benedict September 6

God's part is always to show the way and to provide grace to help us along.  Our part is always to listen, change our inner orientation (metanoia-repent, convert), and obey.

September 5

Prologue pt. 5

The Rule of Benedict September 5

We respond to our Lord's instructions by our deeds, and Jesus patiently waits every day for us to do so.  Each day is new, and the kind expectation of the Lord does not grow weary even when, through our long habit, we feel sure God's patience is spent.

September 4

Prologue pt. 4

The Rule of Benedict September 4

Heartfelt good intentions are not enough, if we hope to reach God's tent.  We must have faith, relational trust, that it is God who leads us along the path, and we must have good works, disciplined practices, to walk it.  These form us into the sort of person who can dwell in God's tent, who can be fully at home where God is at home.

September 3

Prologue pt. 3

The Rule of Benedict September 3

There is nothing sweeter than the compassionate voice of our Lord calling us, hand outstretched, inviting us to place our feet on the path of life.

I will have life.  I desire to see good days.  I will keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking guile.  I will turn away from evil and do good.  I will seek after peace and pursue it.

Your eyes are upon me.  Your ears are open to my prayer.  Thank you for whispering your Presence within me before I could open myself to call upon you.

September 2

Prologue pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict September 2

Procrastination, that familiar enemy, has no place in the response to this call.

September 1

Prologue pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict September 1

The "you" at the beginning of the second paragraph is not abstract.  Benedict is addressing real people called to the path he is laying out.  As we begin again, I'd like for us each to consider the question at the heart of it all, "Is the 'you' me?"

If your answer is, "yes," begin, as our Father Benedict instructs, with earnest prayer for the grace to walk this path.