Life, and the way we live life, simply comes down to a
matter of perspective. Our perspective, at any given point and state of life,
is influenced and conditioned by a diversity of external forces – culture and
social norms being two of the significant ones.
A lot has changed since the Sixth Century. Human nature,
however, has not changed. There is, where human nature is concerned, nothing
new under the sun.
“What has been is what
will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new
under the sun.”[1]
Great tragedies arise from human mistakes. History, both
natural and Church, is littered with artifacts of human tragedies. Without
trustworthy guides, and heartfelt devotion to these guides, human beings are forever
consigned to making the same mistakes that humans have always made.
Benedict recognized this. It was, in fact, the changes in
cultural and social norms in the Sixth Century that motivated him to separate himself
from the norms of society, seek refuge in a cave as a religious hermit, and
then move on to establish what grew into many monasteries led by the guidance
of the Rule.
I have come to understand the Rule as both a catechism and
as a prescription for spiritual well-being.
Here, in this rapidly changing Twenty-First Century, I need
(we all need) the Rule as a trustworthy guide to assist me in living in a
fashion that honors Christ’s Sacrifice and to keep me from running willy-nilly
after every passing fad that is blown along by the winds of time.
Abbot Benedict begins the Prologue to his Rule saying,
Hearken
continually within thine heart, O son, giving attentive ear to the precepts of
thy master.
Understand
with willing mind and effectually fulfil thy holy father’s admonition; that
thou mayest return, by the labour of obedience, to Him from Whom, by the
idleness of disobedience, thou hadst withdrawn. To this end I now
address a word of exhortation to thee, whosoever thou art, who, renouncing
thine own will and taking up the bright and all-conquering weapons of
obedience, dost enter upon the service of thy true king, Christ the Lord.[2]
These words immediately cause me to become introspective. They
immediately begin to generate questions that I must inquire of myself if I am
indeed being honest with myself.
Hearken continually
within thine heart, O son, giving attentive ear to the precepts of thy master.
Am I indeed listening and paying attention continually to
the inherent hunger in my heart – a hunger that can never be satisfied apart
from intimately knowing God who placed it within me to cause me to seek after
him?
Am I satisfied with my own conditioned perception of things
related to living life as a spiritual human being?
Am I willing to recognize my need for a master to tutor me
along the pathway of spiritual development?
Understand with willing
mind and effectually fulfil thy holy father’s admonition; that thou mayest
return, by the labour of obedience, to Him from Whom, by the idleness of
disobedience, thou hadst withdrawn.
Benedict never forcefully coerces anyone to enter into his
school. He, rather, appeals to our sense of reasoning. He wants disciples that understand
and respond willingly to his invitation to sit as one of his students. None of
us can possibly hope to effectually realize and bring to fruit in our lives the
admonition of our teacher without first reasoning and understanding. Our
willingness to follow him becomes the logical fruit of our reasoning and
understanding.
Abbot Benedict insists that discernment is an important
initial aspect involved in the lives of those considering following him. The
Professions of monks and religious sisters is a serious life-long Vow. The
Promises of Oblates are serious life-long Commitments. Our vocations are to be
entered into only after serious discernment and self-examination.
There is a primary objective where monastic vocations are
concerned – whether as a monk or religious sister in the monastery or as an
Oblate living in the world. This primary objective is to simply, though this
simply is a real battle, return to God … a return that is an ongoing everyday
process that is never satisfied, one that never sees any particular point of
advancement, maturity, epiphany, or experience of spiritual ecstasy as the
final point of arrival. We will always be laboring in obedience to overcome the
idleness or sloth of disobedience. We realize, in our vocation, that our
perspective, at any moment along the way, will always have room for
improvement.
To this end I now
address a word of exhortation to thee, whosoever thou art, who, renouncing
thine own will and taking up the bright and all-conquering weapons of
obedience, dost enter upon the service of thy true king, Christ the Lord.
Benedict’s Rule is not for everyone. He is addressing it to
a specific group, referred to as whosoever
thou art.
The obedience referred to by Abbot Benedict means renouncing
the self-will that will always promote self, self-interest, and the entertainment of all manner of self-affection. In this modern world, a world where self is
promoted and worshipped, renouncing self-will and exchanging it for a will that
is directed toward God is a huge pill to swallow.
Living a life of obedience toward Christ, the Sacred
Scriptures, the Rule, the Abbot, and the community is something that people
accustomed to living oppositely cannot assimilate into their perspective. It is
also something that, pardon my honesty, a lot of Christians, regardless of
their Christian formational backgrounds, have difficulty with.
I too, as a matter of confession and self-disclosure, still struggle with being an obedient student of Saint Benedict.
I too, as a matter of confession and self-disclosure, still struggle with being an obedient student of Saint Benedict.
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