Prologue to The Rule (paragraph 7)
"We must, therefore, prepare our hearts and bodies to serve him under the guidance of holy obedience." (From para. 7 of Prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
I recently read a piece by Michael Casey, OCSO, on "The Simple and Fundamental Truth" -- he's speaking of our faith. He states: "Our task is to allow the process of prayer to take place. The rest is up to the Father who loves us." In meditation, I seek to align my mind and my body to the presence of God, to the eternally flowing stream of love between Jesus and the Father. And I seek to expand this spirit of prayer into every aspect of my life.
"Holy obedience"...surrendering my body, my will and my heart to God, the guidance of the Rule and the recitation of the mantra...even within the context of daily life: one day, one moment, one breath at a time. Maranatha...
ReplyDelete“ . . . the world was coming to us with its gift of spiritual hunger. Through this hunger, the unstable world of modernity and the traditional stability of the Rule would form a new kind of monastery.” (“Monastery Without Walls: The Spiritual Letters of John Main”. Kindle loc 286). John Main’s enthusiastic vision opens my eyes to see and feel the enthusiasm and joy and hope Benedict must have felt as he wrote this, his “simple rule”. Thank you, Abba, for the gift of my spiritual hunger and the gift of Fr. John and Benedict and all those brothers and sisters who share it. Thank you for the gift of this Rule around which you have gathered us as we strive to build this house on the Rock that is you.
ReplyDelete