The Rule of St. Benedict: Chapter 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. The season of Advent is full of stories in which we can find the stuff of our real lives. When we feel we cannot see clearly for the deepening darkness, we can look toward the unlikely hope born on the darkest night. When we feel that life is an endless struggle and that our best efforts don't amount to a drop of peace in an ocean of strife, we can sing of the One whose Presence in our world sets the wrong to right.
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 daily lives around prayer begins the process of sanctifying the real.
Br. Chad
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