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.