Chapter 50
The Rule of St. Benedict April 1 (Ch. 50)
"[W]hen the ideal [of community prayer, the Opus Dei,] is confronted by the real, Benedict opts for the sanctification of the real rather than the idealization of the holy," writes Sr. Joan in her commentary on Chapter 50. This little chapter is of central importance for those of us who seek to practice Benedictine disciplines outside of the cloister. We must be about the sanctification of the real, if we are to have any hope of staying remotely close to the path that our Father Benedict has laid out.
One way we sanctify the real is by finding the circumstances of our real life in stories of the Faith. This is how human beings have embodied the Divine Presence in the mundane settings we call "real" for thousands of years. This season of Easter is full of stories in which we can find the stuff of our real lives. As we wrestle with the deaths and resurrections we experience and negotiate the terms of the New Life God has given, we find ourselves walking the road the Emmaus or having our love questioned by the Lord on a beach in Galilee. And next Monday we will be called to find our voice to speak St. Mary's words, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word," on the transferred Feast of the Annunciation, April 8.
As Benedictines, our experience during this and every season is shaped by the luminous Presence embodied by St. Benedict of Nursia, who teaches us that shaping our real lives around daily prayer is the place to begin our work of sanctifying the real.
Br. Chad 2013
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