Chapter 26: Unlawful association with the excommunicated 

If any member of the community presumes without the permission of the abbot or abbess to associate in any way or speak or give instructions to one who has been excommunicated then that person should receive exactly the same punishment of excommunication. (Ch. 26 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I've had to learn -- the hard way -- that good communication (or my idea of it) is not necessarily the pinnacle of human relationship. Love, patience, kindness, prayer -- the fruits of the Spirit -- create the kingdom of God on earth.

Chapter 25: Punishment for more serious faults

None of the community should associate with or talk to the guilty person, who is to persevere alone in sorrow and penance in whatever work has been allotted, remembering St Paul's fearful judgement when he wrote to the Corinthians that: such a one should be handed over for the destruction of the flesh so that the spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. (From Ch. 25 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

At first this passage sounds almost horrible to me, like shunning. But this is different; this is surrounding the suffering one with self-controlled love and respect and the means of redemption. Sorrow and penance -- silence and solitude -- these are requirements for self-knowledge, and for finding God within.

Chapter 24: Different degrees of severity in punishment

The severity of excommunication or any other punishment should correspond to the gravity of the fault committed, and it is for the superior to decide about the seriousness of faults. (From Ch. 24 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

What if my reactions to others were always appropriate to the circumstances? Not too dramatic or egotistical, too agitated or withdrawn? I would be living in the present moment, in the reality of God.

Chapter 23: Faults which deserve excommunication

If an individual in the community is defiant, disobedient, proud or given to murmuring or in any other way set in opposition to the holy Rule and contemptuous of traditions of the seniors, then we should follow the precepts of the Lord. (From Ch.23 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

In my experience, community may very well be made to bump and bruise my ego. Community can certainly push me way beyond my comfort zone. How does meditation teach me to respond? To find Jesus hidden deep within my heart. This can lead me to new life: an ego tamed to the service of others, and a heart expanding in joyful selflessness.

Chapter 22: Sleeping arrangements for the community

In the morning, as they are getting up for the work of God, they should quietly give encouragement to those who are sleepy and given to making excuses for being late. (From para. 2 of Ch. 22 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Here I am the sleepy one, given to making excuses, and I am also the one who encourages. Contradictory or complementary tendencies, perfectly explicable in a human. And, like my meditation practice, I struggle with fidelity, and yet also find that fidelity is in me, deeper than my ego.

Chapter 21: The deans of the monastery

They must be selected for their suitability in character and gifts so that the abbot or abbess may, without anxiety, share some responsibilities with them. (From para. 1 of Ch. 21 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I think that sharing responsibilities can be a way of sharing life. I can believe less in my own "indispensability" and help others open their eyes to their own gifts.

Chapter 20: The ideal of true reverence in prayer

We must really be quite clear that our prayer will be heard, not because of the eloquence and length of all we have to say, but because of the heartfelt repentance and openness of our hearts to the Lord whom we approach. (From Ch. 20 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

And so does meditation teach me to be humble and open. But what I am also learning is the power of intercessory prayer -- of saying clearly and intentionally, to those I trust, how I need to be held in prayer. In this way I discover another communal aspect of prayer -- the prayer of sharing each other's burdens.

Chapter 19: Our approach to prayer

All of us, then, should reflect seriously on how to appear before the majesty of God in the presence of his angels. That will lead us to make sure that, when we sing in choir, there is complete harmony between the thoughts in our mind and the meaning of the words we sing. (From Ch. 19 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB,, 1997.)

Complete harmony -- an ever greater integration of my being in the heart. This is fullness of life, at least in this life.

Chapter 18: The order for reciting the psalms (paragraph 3)

These same psalms are repeated daily until Sunday and the identical arrangement of hymns, lessons and verses is retained everyday. (From para. 3 of Ch. 18 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

It seems to me that a spirit of fidelity to practice pervades Benedict's sense of order -- just as it pervades the tradition of the mantra as taught by John Main.

Chapter 18: The order for reciting the psalms (paragraphs 1-2)

Each hour begins with the following verse: O God come to my assistance, O Lord make haste to help me. (From para. 1 of Ch. 18 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

My heart so deeply resonates with the exact same verse that Cassian recommends for continuous prayer, and that Benedict recommends to begin each monastic hour.  Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!

Chapter 17: The number of psalms to be sung at the hours

We have already set out the order of the psalms for Vigils and for Lauds. Now let us look at the order of the psalms for the rest of the Hours. (From para. 1 of Ch. 17 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Benedict's instructions about ordering the psalms for the hours, like the disciplined repetition of the mantra, teach me that God is always with me -- that Jesus is praying in me, that I am called to join him in the river of constant praise to the Father.

Chapter 16: The hours of the work of God during the day

And so at these times let us offer praise to our Creator because of his justice revealed in his judgements -- that is at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline and in the night let us arise to praise him. (From Ch. 16 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Keeping time holy is, for me, one of the most wonderful of monastic disciplines. In my life, I have the stability of my twice-daily practice of meditation, a stability which spreads itself out into more continuous prayer -- of my breathing the mantra on a path of redemption, redeeming me, my conditions, and redeeming time.

Chapter 15: When the Alleluia should be said

From the holy feast of Easter until Pentecost the Alleluia must always be said in the psalms and the responsories.... (From Chap. 15 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

As Joan Chittister says, Benedict would have us always be an "alleluia people". Beyond liturgy, I'm learning how important it is for me to say Alleluia when it's hard, when it takes grace and courage to proclaim.

Chapter 14: The celebration of Vigils on feasts of saints

On the feasts of saints and on all other solemnities Vigils should follow the order laid down for the celebration of Sunday except that the psalms, antiphons and readings that are appropriate to the day should be recited; the order of the liturgy itself remains the same as that described for Sunday. (Ch. 14 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

My grasp of the "communion of saints" has grown and deepened and become personal, with my experience of being one in silence.

Chapter 13: Lauds on ordinary days (paragraph 2)

It is important that the celebration of Lauds and Vespers should never be concluded without the recitation by the superior of the whole of the Lord's prayer so that all may hear and attend to it. This is because of the harm that is often done in a community by the thorns of conflict which can arise. (From para. 2 of Ch. 13 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

For me, forgiveness does not come through the ego or an act of my will.  Forgiveness comes through grace -- a sense of belonging to God and to all of creation. 

Chapter 13: Lauds on ordinary days (paragraph 1)

On ordinary days Lauds should be celebrated like this: the sixty sixth psalm should be said with its antiphon but rather slowly, as on Sunday, to make sure that all are present for the fiftieth psalm which is said with its antiphon. (From para. 1 of Ch. 13 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Starting out slowly, and building to a rhythm over the week, the psalms are like a river of praise. In a similar way, it seems to me, meditation requires patience and fidelity to merge with the divine energy flow of real life.

Chapter 12: The celebration of solemn Lauds

Then come the hundred and seventeenth psalm and the sixty second followed by the Benedicite and Laudate psalms, a reading from the book of the Apocalypse recited by heart, the responsory, an Ambrosian hymn, a versicle, the Benedictus, litany and conclusion. (From Ch. 12 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB,1997.)

Perhaps all of these prayers, and not just the reading from Apocalypse, were once memorized -- held -- in the mind and heart. For me, lectio is a form, not of memorization, but of holding the Word in my heart. In perhaps a kindred way, the mantra is held in my heart, holds my heart in reality.

Chapter 11: Vigils or night office on Sunday

This arrangement for Vigils is followed in the same way on every Sunday both in summer and winter, unless -- which God forbid -- the community gets up late, in which case the lessons or responsories should to some extent be shortened. (From para. 2 of Ch. 11 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

In my life, meditation generates a creative rhythm, but also a disposition, at least an increasing one, to be gentle with myself when I fall short of my discipline. I realize that God upholds me with a divine energy that constantly heals and renews me.

Chapter 10:  The night office in summertime

Apart from that the arrangements for winter are followed exactly so that never less than twelve psalms should be recited at Vigils, not counting the third and ninety fourth psalms. (From Ch. 10 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Very precise instructions here, that begin to establish a rhythm and thoroughness about reciting the Psalter. Benedict's insistence on building a daily and hourly pattern to prayer remind me of John Main's instructions about saying the mantra. "It is also helpful to meditate regularly in the same place and also at the same time every day because this helps a creative rhythm in our life to grow, with meditation as a kind of pulse-beat sounding the rhythm." (John Main, Word Into Silence)

Chapter 9: The number of psalms at the night office

During the winter season the office of Vigils begins with this verse recited three times; Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise. (From para.1 of Ch. 9 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Chapter 7, on humility, had so much to say about the use of speech and silence. Interestingly, the verse Benedict mentions here, invoking God to open my lips to declare his praise, resounds to my ears with the soundless drama of creation, or a new cosmic birth in the midst of a cold and silent winter night. Listen!, Benedict says to me: The mouth hums with the the song of the Spirit.

Chapter 8: The Divine Office at night

It seems reasonable that during wintertime, that is from the first of November until Easter all should arise at the eighth hour of the night. By that time, having rested until a little after midnight, they may rise with their food well digested. (From Ch. 8 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Rising rested and with food well digested -- here Benedict shows me another tender, practical concern for the whole of my being, and for the necessity of integrity in body and soul as making me fit for the service of the Lord.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraphs 19-20)

Good habit and delight in virtue will carry us along. (From para. 20 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I detect a grace even in those bumpy periods of being less than faithful to my twice-daily meditation practice -- a grace of knowing for sure, through experience, where to find my real, stable center. 

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 18)

We should be brief and reasonable in whatever we have to say and not raise our voice to insist on our own opinions. (From para. 18 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Sometimes I think yelling is in the ears of the beholder, when I recall the times family members have insisted that I "yelled" at them, and I would have said I was only being firm. But if I stop defending myself, I have to acknowledge a degree of passion that someone felt was "aimed" at them. May I learn through meditation to speak in the way the Spirit teaches.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 17)

The tenth step of humility teaches us that we should not be given to empty laughter on eatery least occasion because: a fool's voice is forever raised in laughter. (From para. 17 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I think that empty laughter has a loud and hollow sound, and points to the isolated ego. Laughter that is full of joy leaps from heart to heart, and creates community.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 15)

The ninth step of humility leads us to refrain from unnecessary speech and to guard our silence by not speaking until we are addressed. (From para. 9 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

When is speech unnecessary? Surely, it seems to me, the answer must depend on circumstances, and yet I think there is a general principle to consider: Speech is unnecessary when it gets in the way of a greater love.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 14)

In the end we may learn to say: it was good for me, Lord, that you humbled me so that I might learn your precepts. (From para. 14 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

From meditation, I've learned this: A blow to my ego can "reset" my patience and give me an opportunity to un-attach, allowing me to realign with my True Self.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 13)

The sixth step of humility for monks or nuns is to accept without complaint really wretched and inadequate conditions so that when faced with a task of any kind they would think of themselves as poor workers not worthy of consideration and repeat to God the verse of the psalm: I am of no account and lack understanding, no better than a beast in your sight. Yet I am always in your presence. (Para. 13 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

This paragraph reminds me that my ideas about where I am or what I'm doing can always be transformed into the experience of being in love with the One who sustains me.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 12)

The fifth step of humility is that we should not cover up but humbly confess to our superior or spiritual guide whatever evil thoughts come into our minds and the evil deeds we have done in secret. (From para. 12 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

The spirit of humble confession helps to dissolve my false self. It makes me more transparent. It makes me less susceptible to self-deception and depression.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraphs 10-11)

The fourth step of humility is to go even further than this by readily accepting in patient and silent endurance, without thought of giving up or avoiding the issue, any hard and demanding things that may come our way in the course of that obedience, even if they include harsh impositions which are unjust. (From para. 10 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

At first, this sounds to me like poor mental health information. But what does this teaching really mean to me? I believe it means that in any situation, the locus of control is in God's love in my heart. I can see opportunities to learn patience and detachment, and to stay rooted in reality.

Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 9)

The third step of humility is to submit oneself out of love of God to whatever obedience under a superior may require of us; it is the example of the Lord himself that we follow in this way, as we know from St Paul's words: he was made obedient even unto death. (Para. 9 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

For me, this is an absolute directive to listen, not to my will, nor even to my ideas about what I think is right, but to the Teacher Within, and thus to learn the way.