Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 5)
One who follows that way finds protection at all times from sin and vice of thought, of tongue, of hand, of foot, of self-will and of disordered sensual desire, so as to lead a life that is completely open before the scrutiny of God and of his angels who watch over us from hour to hour. (From para. 5 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
The disorder of the human condition, of my condition, is always seeking true harmony and integrity in God -- that is, alignment with my Source.
"To lead a life that is completely open before the scrutiny of God " calls for me to be conscious of God at all times. How can I do that? Pray unceasingly, Paul tells me. In order to do that I can take the simple mantra and repeat it throughout the day whenever I remember to do so. The mantra repetition stops
ReplyDeletemy mind and imagination if only for a short time and brings me to silence. "In
that silence you quite naturally become open to God and God's power...which we can truly describe" as love.(John Main in Silence & Stillness in every Season, May 27,p.148)There is the pause-button that I need to push before I say something or do something that is based on "self-will" or "disordered sensual desire". But I need God's help to do even that-to remember.