The Rule ends here. However, The Rule recognizes this is not the end. If one can live a life structured by the scaffolding of these precepts, then that person is postured to discover deeper and higher truths. Our vows of cruciform conversion recognize the infinite progress of our walk with God.…
In contrast to good zeal, there is bad zeal. Untamed energy can be destructive. Often, untamed (perhaps undisciplined) zeal can lash out and damage others. Even when the zeal seeks to promote a worthy cause, it can be damaging to relationships and injurious to people. Here again, social media offers…
The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict is filled with wisdom and compassion. It is firmly grounded in the precepts of Holy Scripture. However, the closing chapters of The Rulecontain a particularly sweet spirit of tenderness. The lesson that is set before us in this chapter is a lesson of blessing. Perhaps…
This chapter may cause us to laugh or gasp. We cannot imagine a community where the leader gives permission to hit one another. We are far too civilized for such behavior. Maybe we have discovered other ways to injure one another in less perceptible ways. Sometimes we recognize that brothers…
This is a challenging chapter of The Rule. Holy Scripture teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The only area that Saint Benedict promotes us to compete in our zeal toward one another and in obedience to one another (RB 72). However, before he encourages us to show preference to one…
Saint Benedict’s wisdom and gentleness shine through his instruction in this chapter. We are sometimes given a task that appears too monumental to be able to accomplish. Our first response may be to confess defeat before even attempting the assignment. Our response may be to complain and grumble about being…
This is a longer comment than given to many of the chapters of The Rule. The nature of our community warrants greater attention be given to journey. As a dispersed congregation, we are on perpetual journey. We cannot escape the necessity to venture out from the safety of our small community…
One translation of The Rule offers, “A wise old monk should be stationed at the gate of the monastery. He should know how to listen to people and also how to speak to them.”[1] The final specified role of the community is the Porter. Rather than focusing on the age…
The Rule offers a thorough counsel to the community regarding the abbot. This chapter marks a shift of attention to other roles in the community. First, it considers the role of prior. Prior means “first” and is intended to serve as an extension of the abbot. As an extension of…
Chapter 2 describes the qualities of an Abbot and this chapter discusses the election of this leader. These are very sobering instructions to be considered by the community in general, and specifically the one considered for Abbot. The spiritual wellbeing of all concerned rests upon wise discernment for this election.…
Perhaps one of the most challenging chapters, as well as one of the most critical, is this instruction concerning rank. Throughout The Rule, our blessed saint illustrates the importance of humility and equality. No one is more important than another. So, what is the place of rank in our community? This chapter…
In Chapter 60, St. Benedict discusses the reception of a priest who desires to entire the monastic community. Priestly ministry in a parish is very different from living as a priest in our community. The necessity for living in humility and under authority is ever before the monastic. In a…
For more than 30 years, I served in the military. Among the many things I learned during that time was the peace one gains from the familiar. As I traveled from one base to another, there was a since of belonging. Regardless of where I went, there were common facilities…
Saint Benedict sits before us another sensitive topic, once concerned with receiving priests into the community. One powerful lesson that we learn from St. Benedict is the importance of clear communications and understanding expectations prior to accepting anyone into the community. While this may appear contrary to our charge for…
Perhaps this is one of the more challenging chapters of The Ruleto properly apply to our contemporary age, especially in a community dispersed in the larger society. Still, there are lessons for our community. Granted, we do not receive children to raise them in the walls of a monastery as our…
Our beloved Saint Benedict makes a clear distinction between hospitality and receiving new members into the community. Visitors are to be welcomed guests. They benefit from the fruits of the communal norms, receiving compassion, nourishment, and rest. While guests receive from the community, they receive from what is available. They…
Of all the chapters in The Rule, perhaps this chapter is most striking in its opposition to the ways of the culture around us. There are three points encountered in this chapter. First is the recognition of craftsmen and women. Second, there is the admonishing of artisans to remain humble in…
The abbot’s role is that of a loving father, a servant leader, an icon of hospitality and way of living that inspires the community to grow more and more into the image of Christ. This image of the abbot is the backdrop of the description of the abbot’s table. While…
In the sixth century, as in modern society, class distinctions were used to protect the privileges of some at the expense of others. Even the most basic needs of food and clothing present opportunity to highlight the distinction between classes of people. However, St. Benedict sought community where all were…
Social standing, whether based on race, gender, caste, education, or anything else lends opportunity to elitism. However, community built on the wisdom of St. Benedict’s Rule is a community of equals. Sixth century Roman culture exuded elitist values. Those who joined a monastic community would bring the seeds of “personal…
A most practical form of service is hospitality. As we journey the path of monastic spirituality, we may wrestle with the “must do” nature of social service. Voices cry out, “Get out there and do great things!” Those voices often find way into the Church, “Get out there and do…
The idea of sacred space is lost in many corners of contemporary society. The clamor that “God is everywhere!” is true. However, often there seems to be a shadow message subtly proclaiming that God is nowhere. This may strike readers as harsh. You may recoil to argue against the suggestion.…
Many of the precepts of The Rule appear at odds with contemporary values of self-care. However, these are not intended to be rules of self-deprivation. Instead, we are reminded that who we are is defined by the vows that we have taken rather than the circumstances we find ourselves confronting or…
Included in the early principles that I learned while serving in the Pentagon was that planning for the complexities of life require two ingredients; acknowledgement of the real when contemplating the ideal – AND – incorporating flexibility into everything is key to success in anything. St. Benedict weaved both of…
The Octave of Easter, feels timely, perhaps even a little past time, to be considering The Observance of Lent as our blessed saint wrote in Chapter 49. However, the opening words of this chapter suggest that any time is right for the monastic. Benedict commends a “continuous Lent.” My thought,…
The Rule of St. Benedict considers all aspects of the human being; body, mind, and spirit. In The Rule, we discover instruction for service, study, and prayer. Our patron saint encourages us to maintain balance in very practical ways. This chapter emphasizes the holiness of work. Sr. Joan Chittister writes…
When did we separate work into secular (work of humankind) and divine (work of God)? Was this a product of the man’s sin in the garden? Did God segregate secular and divine work when He declared that Adam’s labor would demand his sweat? What drives us to claim our identity…
Genius has been defined as the ability to simplify the complex. St. Benedict offers many powerful lessons in this brief chapter on the handling of sin. He teaches us that there is personal responsibility in faults. He teaches there are responsibilities of the community. He teaches that leaders have gained…
Wow! This chapter draws me back to the first grade. My teacher had the students read to the class and advanced us as we demonstrated the ability to read from ever advancing texts that challenged our young tongues. I remember my pride growing as I loved to read. However, the…
How healthy is the individual who cannot recognize one’s illness? What is the condition of a couple’s relationship when they refuse to acknowledge their disorder? When is a society depraved when it refuses to accept responsibility for its own failure to provide for itself? Have we become blind to the…
The first reading may offend some of us and draw criticism of shame discipline. After all, Benedict writes the purpose of discipline is “that the attention they attract will shame them…” However, there is much to be considered regarding this chapter that deals with willful tardiness to chapel or meals.…
“Be still, and know that I am God.”[1] The Lord speaks through the Psalmist and beacons us to silence. So, often we are talking, asking, confessing, praising. All are good things, but there is a time for silence. It was through the small still that the Prophet Elijah realized that…
What is it about establishing a rule that regulates eating times? Why am I so disturbed by this chapter of The Rule? Where are the edges of my submission? What is the source of this feeling of infringement? These questions would never enter my mind, if this chapter had not…
Benedict continues his theme of moderation as he discusses food and, in this chapter, drink. He also recognizes that each person is uniquely gifted by God. One may reason that we are all created in the image of God, so we are uniform in our abilities and needs. However, this…
One may be surprised by Benedict’s “restriction” on food. However, he keeps with a common spirit throughout our Rule of Life. Sister Joan Chittester notes that our monastic father provides exceptions for everything except kindness and self-control.[1] Long fasts that deprive the physical body of needed nutrition is not recognized…
There is a special quality to hearing someone read aloud, especially when they are good readers. My wife read to me and our daughters as we traveled on long road trips to visit grandparents or as we moved from one Army installation to another. Those were sweet times that soothed…
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”[1] A great trait of Benedictine spirituality is hospitality. Throughout communities adhering to the precepts of The Rule, hospitality is more than…
When brothers and sisters are most vulnerable, we are obligated to offer the greatest care. If there is ever a time to impose our desires or our will upon others this is most certainly not the time. One’s submission to faith or a rule of life is only authentic when…
Several years ago, my wife and I celebrated Easter at the Officer Christian Fellowship lodge in White Sulphur Springs, PA. The tradition there was meals we enjoyed together and afterwards everyone cleared the tables and washed the dishes. It a great equalizer where young cadets and midshipmen worked alongside old…
Benedict considered the church described in Acts 4 as he penned this chapter of The Rule. This principle did not presume that austerity or deprivation was a virtue to be pursued. Needs are to be met. Neither did Benedict promote some communal equality where each citizen shared the same of…
There have been many challenging chapters in The Rule of St. Benedict. Perhaps no chapter challenges me as much as this one. After all, I may be offended by rules about discipline, punishment, and excommunication. I may fear loss and the ability to return if I continue to drift away…
In my modest attempt to consider The Rule of St. Benedict, I often quote from Sr. Joan Chittister’s work, “A Spirituality for the 21st Century.” She provides practical lessons of deep insight. On a few occasions, St. Joan’s commentary is so succinct that nothing more needs to be added and…
Paul the Apostle, considered the human body as an example of God’s formation of community. Each part of the body playing a role. Whether the role was large or small, each part shares equal importance by contributing to the health of the whole body. Benedict has described the roles of…
Taken out of the context of the 6th century, this chapter may appear extreme and without a place in 21st century society. However, Sr. Joan Chittister succinctly applies its principles with such clarity that I have copied her commentary in full. In The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the…
A beloved parable of our Lord is the story known as The Prodigal Son (or The Loving Father, depending on one’s perspective). St. Luke records Jesus illustrating fatherly forgiveness to a son who left his home, squandered his inheritance, and returned broken. The father rejoiced for his son “was dead,…
The lectionary requires worshippers to consider the whole of Holy Scripture; including those passages that strike our ears as harsh and outmoded, as well as verses that endured themselves to us as beautiful. We seek to understand the context of the teachings, as well as the spirit of the principles.…
Throughout St. Benedict’s guidance on discipline, the underlying message remains love. Patience and long suffering are the cornerstones of discipline. Grace and mercy are ever offered to the offender. In this way, the community’s discipline mirrors the virtues of Christ Himself; merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast…
The title of this chapter cuts to the root of a problem that we face in contemporary life. It sounds draconian and unloving. A closer look and the underlying issue reveals a commitment to a most loving response to correcting flaws in our living. My children and grandchildren often attempted…
It is a serious error to excuse unconfessed error and to allow it to linger without remorse and repentance. We may consider accountability as almost unChristian. After all, are we not called to forgive one another? However, grumbling, dishonoring group norms, or rebellious attitudes toward leaders are sources of division.…
I am amazed when stopping to consider the wisdom and compassion of St. Benedict toward those who looked to him for spiritual guidance. Even in the most challenging of topics, the monastic father suggested effective and gentle courses of correction. Remembering the cause of excommunication was prescribed in the last…
St. Benedict tackles the difficult topics head on in very succinct language. That is another lesson I should learn from his example. He defines good monks and bad monks. He writes instructions to leaders and followers. He offers rules on speaking, listening, and the role of humility in each. After…
Wow! Really? St. Benedict even micromanaged the sleeping arrangements in his communities? Those are the cynical responses of my western cultural upbringing. The initial reaction is to criticize these apparent constraints on one of my most fundamental freedoms – how I sleep! However, when I step away from my contemporary…
Benedict shifts our attention from prayer to community structure. All of us are limited in what we can do. Our sphere of responsibility can stretch to a point, but no further. Jethro wisely told Moses to appoint assistants to help provide for the needs of people as they grew into…
Before Benedict shifts our attention to communal order and discipline, he concludes his instructions on the hours of prayer emphasizing that we must remain aware that we pray to the Almighty God and we must maintain an attitude of reverence as we pray. Soldiers are constantly aware of rank. Officers…
In the previous chapter, Benedict provided an order of Psalms said during the hours of prayer. Now he turns to his attention to our spiritual attitude by worshippers toward God who alone is worthy of worship. Benedict acknowledges that God is ever-present, but the Saint suggests the veil of God’s…
In the fall of 2013, Fr. Cassian Folsom discussed the power of continual prayer. He shared insight into the power contemplative prayer. The Jesus Prayer, practiced by our Orthodox brothers and sisters, is a simple and powerful prayer that seeps into the soul and begins to have transformative ability to…
Saint Benedict’s practicality shines out in this chapter of The Rule. He builds on the psalmody order of Vigils and Lauds by promoting Psalms to be read during the remaining hours of prayer. His simple instructions are filled with rich spiritual nourishment. In the morning hour of Prime the community…
As a child, I was continually perplexed by St. Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing.”[1] When I considered that teaching, I immediately began rationalizing and excusing myself by claiming it impossible. I confess my limited faith. However, St. Benedict urges us who are vowed to pursue God through…
Lora Cox was inspired by Philippians 4:4-7 and she penned the poem Rejoice in the Lord, writing; Rejoice in the Lord always, Do not worry about tomorrow. Go to God in humble prayer And give Him all your sorrows. Rejoice and let your needs be known For God is faithful,…
Benedict offers brief instructions for celebrating Vigil prayers on feast days of saints. Two sentences outline the procedures for those prayers. He refers to Sunday Vigils, but he emphasizes the tone of the prayers are to be solemn. Saintly life is disciplined, filled with challenges and ridicule by a…
The previous reflection considered the details of the liturgical elements that Benedict quickly directed for use during Lauds on Sundays. Chapter 13’s reflection builds on the now familiar responsories, hymns, versicles, and canticles by prescribing fresh Psalms for use in this prayer. St. Benedict continues to instruct the community to…
In the briefest of paragraphs, St. Benedict offers a liturgy for early Sunday morning prayer. As dawn breaks, he instructs the gathered community to read four specific Psalms, which are follow by praying The Canticle of the Three Young Men taken from the Old Testament book of Daniel. Psalms 148…
There is an energy in St. Benedict’s rule for celebrating Vigils on Sunday. Previous chapters called for early morning prayers after a good night’s rest. Benedict recognized the advantage of shifting the length of Vigil prayers in the summer season so that the community could take advantage of the longer…
This short chapter is merely a paragraph. The obvious purpose is to offer guidance for praying in the shorter nights of summer. However, there are deeper lessons to be learned. Benedict observes the effect of the seasons on the length of days and nights. He adjusts the prayer time accordingly,…
This chapter of St. Benedict’s rule describes a discipline for reading the Psalms in the winter season. On one hand, the timing of this reflection is appropriate. I sit here at night on November 3rd. However, on the other hand the temperature at 9pm remains at 700 F. Doesn’t feel…
What is so deeply rooted in our humanity that makes us attentive to rules that tell us what to do rather than how to be? How is obedience to commands to do something better understood than commands to be something. Is doing more concrete and being more abstract? When the…
The suggestion that humility offers cure to our social ills sounds naïve in a culture that values ambition, boasts of its independence, and demands its rights be recognized and honored above all others. The demand for autonomy appears to eclipse submission to anything. However, Benedict reflected on the teachings of…
Sandwiched between the topics of obedience and humility, Benedict providentially wrote of the importance of silence. His admonition is important to all of us. Too often we are quick to speak. We share our opinions, critiques, desires, fears, and self-valued wisdom with anyone who will pause long enough to offer…
Benedict begins the fifth chapter with another challenging maxim, “The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience…”[1] Obedience to leaders may be as controversial as suggesting tools of for good works. However, just as Jesus teaches that favor is discovered through the path of humility, Benedict offers that humility is…
Discussion of works being necessary for believers often has sparked opposition with others who recognize salvation as the free gift of God’s grace fulfilled in Jesus mortality and His victory over death. Becoming entrenched on the debate of ‘works versus grace’ unfortunately misses the biblical value placed on each. Opposing…
Vision is an important attribute of leadership. The near prophetic aspect of vision is the inspiration of the leader, peering into the possible and seeing the possible, but not yet. The leader may see the attainable, as others are focused on the challenges of now. Vision is life-giving. Proverbs 29:18…
In his brief book, Tribes, Seth Godin addresses his concern the phenomenon of social media, “With tribes flourishing everywhere, there’s a vast shortage of leaders.”[1] Andy Crouch expands on that concern in his own book Culture Making. He describes the evolution of culture through people groups who settled along river…
Matthew, Mark, and Luke record a story that Jesus used to illustrate how the gospel message impacted different people. We call the story The Parable of the Soils. In St. Luke’s account the Christ says, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along…
I have reflected on a recently read comment, “People will no longer let us script their spiritual journey, but they will let us help shape it.” As I visit people in times of pain and fear, that statement resounds in their attitudes toward spiritual care. They are far more open…
The Rule of St. Benedict is a guide for spiritual living. It has defied the changes of the ages from the enlightenment, industrial, space, modern, and post-modern worlds and continues to shape communities around the world. St. Benedict lived more than 1,500 years ago in central Italy. He began his…