Chapter 72: The good spirit which should inspire monastic life

But equally there is a good spirit which frees us from evil ways and brings us closer to God and eternal life.

(From Ch. 72 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

I find the good spirit in silence, stillness, and simplicity, in saying my mantra with fidelity.

Chapter 71: Mutual obedience in the monastery

Any monk or nun who is corrected for anything by abbot or abbess or one of the seniors and perceives that the senior is upset by feelings of anger, even though they may be well in control, then that junior should at once prostrate on the ground in contrition and not move until the senior gives a blessing which will heal the upset.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 71 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

How does this translate into my life?  Perhaps I can get better at saying, "I'm sorry to see that you're angry." And, "Can we forgive each other?"

Chapter 70: The offence of striking another

Every occasion for presumptuous behaviour in a monastery must be avoided, so we insist that no one in the community may excommunicate or strike another unless given the power to do so by the superior.

(From Ch. 70 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB,1997.)

When is presumptiveness a challenge for me? When I make assumptions about what another person thinks, or why he or she does something? When I feel I deserve something from someone, and am hurt and disappointed when I don't get it? When I think I know better than someone else? The ego must step aside so that I may see with the eye of the heart.

Chapter 69: No one should act as advocate for another

Great care must be taken to avoid any tendency for one of the community to take the side of and try to protect another, even though they may be closely related through ties of blood.

(From Ch. 69 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

When is the correct time to protect and advocate for another? When is the correct time to allow another to grow in the strength and wisdom of God?

Chapter 68: The response to orders that seem impossible

If instructions are given to anyone in the community which seem too burdensome or even impossible, then the right thing is to accept the order in a spirit of uncomplaining obedience.

(From Ch. 68 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Sometimes the "instructions" come from life itself, in terms of an inescapable situation. Then, I try to remember what meditation teaches me, that prayer is the laying aside of thoughts.  And in this practice, the way to follow can become much more clear.

Chapter 67: Those who are sent on a journey

Those who are sent on a journey should commend themselves to the prayers of all the community as well as of the superior and, at the last prayer of the work of God in the oratory, there should always be a memento of all who may be absent.

(From Ch. 67 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

What if every time I left the house -- to grocery shop, to chauffer kids, to rush to an appointment -- I commended myself to God, and asked to remain a member of the community of people who live each moment in the awareness of God's presence?  I think I would do my "running around" chores quite differently.

Chapter 66: The porter or portress of the monastery

As soon as anyone knocks on the door or one of the poor calls out, the response, uttered at once with gentle piety and warm charity, should be 'thanks be to God' or 'your blessing, please'.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 66 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

This chapter encourages me to be vigilant about the reaction of my ego, whenever I am interrupted.

Chapter 65: The prior or prioress of the monastery (paragraphs 2-3)

We have no doubt, therefore, that it is best in the interests of preserving peace and charity that the authority for the whole administration of the monastery should rest with the abbot or abbess.

(From para. 2 of Ch. 65 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

It is, no doubt, in the best interests of preserving the peace and charity of my own soul that my authority, the integration of my whole being, rests in my heart.

Chapter 65: The prior or prioress of the monastery (paragraph 1)

There have been instances when some of these officials have conceived out of an evil spirit of self-importance that they are also superiors and for that reason have assumed the powers of a tyrant, so that they encourage scandalous divisions in the community.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 65 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

"Scandalous divisions" can occur within my own being. Meditation helps me to bring all parts of myself into harmony, in the heart.

Chapter 64: The election of an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 3-4)

In correcting faults they must act with prudence being conscious of the danger of breaking the vessel itself by attacking the rust too vigorously.
(From para. 3 of Ch. 64 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

One word comes to mind: Kindness.  

Chapter 64: The election of an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 1-2)

The grounds on which a candidate is elected abbot or abbess must be the quality of their monastic life and the wisdom of their teaching, even if they are the last in order in the community.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 64 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

What Benedict speaks of here I would call "substance" -- the quality of wisdom that comes from living and loving in the Spirit.

Chapter 63: Community order (paragraphs 2-3)

In that way they will conform to scripture which says they should try to be the first to show respect for each other.

(From para. 3 of Ch. 63 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

I think that "being first" in this passage doesn't mean some kind of an ego-driven distinction. Being first to show respect means an "already being", a state of being in love, hence, a state of already respecting.

Chapter 63: Community order (paragraph 1)

So, apart from those whom the superior has promoted for a more cogent reason or demoted for specific faults, all the others retain the order of their conversion to monastic life so exactly that one who arrived at the monastery door at the second hour must accept a place junior to another who came an hour earlier, whatever their age or former rank may have been.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 63 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Benedict names conversion to a life of seeking God in community, as the moment of my on-going arrival into the Kingdom.

Chapter 62: The priests of the monastery

When ordained a monk must be careful to avoid a spirit of self-importance or pride and he must avoid taking on himself any duties to which the abbot has not assigned him.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 62 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Self-importance and pride are two of the kinds of thoughts I must lay aside if I'm to stay true to the Christ-life within me.

Chapter 61: Monastic pilgrims from far away (paragraphs 2-3)

It may even be right to persuade such a one to stay so that others may benefit and learn from such example.

(From para. 2 of Ch 61 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

St. Benedict asks me to turn full, loving attention towards those in the community who are a source of wisdom in Christ.

Chapter 61: Monastic pilgrims from far away (paragraphs 1-2)

It may happen, of course, that one of them may find something to point out in criticism about the customs of the monastery, using sound arguments in a spirit of charitable deference. In that case the superior should consider the whole questions with care and prudence in case it was for this very purpose that the pilgrim was sent by the Lord.
(From para. 1 of Ch. 61 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

"With care and prudence" means to me, first of all, the laying aside of thoughts, to perceive the situation  with the mind of Christ.

Chapter 60: The admission of priests into the monastery

An ordained priest who asks to be received into the monastery should not be accepted too quickly.
(From para. 1 of Ch. 60 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Am I willing to acknowledge when I consider myself entitled to special treatment? I must let go of a sense of entitlement. This clears the way for me to discern when the Spirit graces me with the substance of true self knowledge.

Chapter 59: Children offered by nobles or by the poor

If parents who are from the nobility want to offer to God in the monastery one of their children, who is too young to take personal responsibility, they should draw up a document like that described above, and, as they make the offering, wrap the document with the child's hand in the altar cloth.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 59 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

These children were the original oblates. As a twenty-first century Oblate of WCCM, I commit myself not only to deepening my own practice of meditation through the Benedictine wisdom tradition.  I also offer too other Oblates my participation in the way community can enhance discernment.

Chapter 58: The reception of candidates for the community (paragraphs 4-5)

The record of their profession, however, which the superior took from the altar should not be returned but should be preserved in the monastery.

(From para. 5 of Ch. 58 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.) 

From this vantage point I look back on my life, and could see a lot of false starts, missed opportunities, maybe even failures. But meditation has helped me to discern a coherent narrative among all the fragments, a movement of the spirit shedding light on my true purpose.

Chapter 58: The reception of candidates for the community (paragraphs 1-3)

The first concern for novices should be to see whether it is God himself that they truly seek, whether they have a real love for the work of God combined with a willing acceptance of obedience and of any demands on their humility and patience that monastic life may make on them.
(From para. 2 of Ch. 58 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

It seems to me that a freely-chosen commitment to community or family is a school of love, precisely because, over time, it rubs the rough edges off my personality. Longing for union with my source, coupled with obedience, humility, and patience, allow me to be transformed. 

Chapter 57: Members of the community with creative gifts

If there are any in the community with creative gifts, they should use them in their workshops with proper humility, provided that they have the permission of the superior.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 57 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

For a long time it seemed to me that creative gifts, my own included, were a sign of someone's "specialness". What I didn't realize was how this viewpoint put creative gifts under the purview of the ego. But sure enough, my ego became critic, inhibitor, and ruthless perfectionist in the creative realm. St. Benedict's approach to regarding my creative gifts with true self knowledge finally allows me to use them in the spirit and expression of love.

Chapter 56: The table for the superior and community guests

The superior's table should always be with guests and pilgrims.

(From Ch. 56 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

For me, this is a reminder not to get too comfortable with the limitations of my familiar little psychic world. Living in the Spirit requires an attention to openness and finding Christ beyond the "comfort zone" of my ego. 

Chapter 55: Clothing and footwear for the community (paragraphs 3-4)

In order to root out completely this vice of hoarding personal possessions, the superior must provide all members of the community with whatever they really need, that is: cowl, tunic, sandals, shoes, belt, knife, stylus, needle, handkerchief and writing tablets.

(From para. 3 of Ch. 55 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Five pieces of clothing, 3 sharp things, and two flat, rectangular things: This is what Benedict identifies as the necessary personal items for one living in community. I honestly can't begin to think of my material life in these simple and essential terms. And yet, even here, I trust that meditation helps me to let go of whatever is a distraction to my experience of being.

Chapter 55: Clothing and footwear for the community (paragraphs 1-2)

The local conditions and climate should be the deciding factors in questions about the clothing of the community, because obviously in a cold climate more clothing is needed and less where it is warm.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 55 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

I peel away at the layers of things and ideas that I use the present a false identity, a false self. The practice of meditation is that peeling away, and helps me find my true and humble place in relation to the created world.

Chapter 54: The reception of letters and gifts in the monastery

No one in a monastic community may receive or send to other letters, gifts of piety or any little tokens without the permission of the superior, whether it is their parents who are concerned or anyone else at all or another member of the community.

(From Ch. 54 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

This reminds me to discern the difference between gifts I give or receive, that come from a selfless heart, or a controlling ego.

Chapter 53: The reception of guests (paragraphs 5-6)

The kitchen to serve the superior together with the guests should be quite separate, so that guests, who are never lacking in a monastery, may not unsettle the community by arriving, as they do, at all times of the day.

(From para. 5 of Ch. 53 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Though my home may not have two kitchens, I can still be inspired by the balance Benedict describes, between the coming and going of guests, and the calm and settled nature of the household. The key to balance, meditation teaches me, lies in being centered in the one true source. 

Chapter 53: The reception of guests (paragraphs 1-4)

Any guest who happens to arrive at the monastery should be received just as we would receive Christ himself, because he promised that on the last day he will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 53 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

As I get older, it seems that life gets both more knowable, through wisdom perhaps, and also more mysterious. The guise of a stranger seems to be a very appropriate way to express this paradox-- unknowing Christ in order to recognize him. 

Chapter 52: The oratory of the monastery

The oratory must be simply a place of prayer, as the name itself implies, and it must not be used for any other activities at all or as a place for storage of any kind.

(From Ch. 52 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

What are my distractions to the practice of selfless attention, except for accretions of the ego?

Chapter 51: Those on local errands or work

Any who are sent on an errand which will allow them to return to the monastery on the same day must not eat outside, in spite of pressing invitations whatever their source, unless the superior has approved this.

(From Ch. 51 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Benedict reminds me again about the profound importance of personal integrity, even in little ways, and especially when it would be easy just to "go along" without discernent.