Prologue to the Rule (paragraph 7)
We must, therefore, prepare our hearts and bodies to serve him under the guidance of holy obedience. (From para. 7 of Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
For me, this passage is not about rules and restrictions. It's about a relationship with God which leads me (eventually) to self-control and to continuous prayer.
As a small child I often spent a lot of time in the care of my Grandma Berta. Years later my mother told me what Grandma, who died when I was ten, had told her about me: “Wally’s a good boy but he can be so very stubborn.” All my life long this “Holy Obedience”—this “Holy Listening “--Benedict speaks of here, has never been my strong suit. Lucifer’s “I will not serve” still springs too readily to my lips when I insist on “my way or the highway”. Through Benedict you remind me that you are the Way and your yoke is sweet and burden light and that embracing it is where I find my soul rest.
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