Chapter 4: Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice (paragraphs 1-2)

The first of all things to aim at is to love the Lord God with your whole heart and soul and strength and then to love your neighbour as much as your do yourself. (From para. 1 of Ch. 4 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

But, how much do I love myself? Plenty, I would say, with an egotistical self-love and self-fascination. But do I love myself as created by the Creator? As a being immersed in the mystery of life and sustained each moment by the energy of the divine? It's no wonder to me that John Main teaches that "we must first get in touch with ourselves" before I can love God, and love my neighbor. Mediation helps me get in touch with my true Self.