Sunday, July 17, 2016

Chapter 43: Late-comers for the work of God or in the refectory (paragraphs 1-3)

When the time comes for one of the Divine offices to begin, as soon as the signal is heard, everyone must set aside whatever they may have in hand and hurry as fast as possible to the oratory, but of course they should do so in a dignified way which avoids giving rise to any boisterous behaviour. The essential point is that nothing should be accounted more important that the work of God. (From para. 1 of Ch. 43 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I love how, in a long and practical sentence, St. Benedict describes exactly how to deal with what may feel to me like an interruption in my own work. Then, in a short sentence, he makes his point about the work of God. Meditation teaches me that the time is now to begin again.

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