Prologue to The Rule (paragraphs 1-2)
It is not easy to accept and persevere in obedience, but it is the way to return to Christ, when you have strayed through the laxity and carelessness of disobedience. (From para. 1 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
What has meditation taught me? To move naturally like the breath, not harshly, like the ego. To listen, with the ear of the heart, to life itself. And to return, always to return, with fidelity. Christ welcomes me, and resolves the paradox implied in "returning" to fidelity.
The first word Benedict uses in his Rule is “Listen!” He also talks about the “toil” of obedience and the “sloth” of disobedience. I am reminded that “obey” is actually a synonym for “listen”. “To obey”comes from the Latin “obaudire”, literally, “to listen in the direction of”. My meditation and the mantra and lectio and the Oblate community are all part of my daily "toil". They are all gifts you invite me to accept. They help me listen to your voice, Abba--to obey you, to fall ever more deeply in love with you. Love is, after all, what you are and what this joyful adventure is all about.
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