Chapter 50: Those whose work takes them away from the monastery
In the same way those sent on a journey must be careful not to omit the hours of prayer which are prescribed for the whole community. (From para. 2 of Ch. 50 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Here Benedict underscores for me how prayer can keep me connected to my community, to my
"monastery without walls". And this is true even in solitude. Perhaps it would be accurate for me to say that the Opus Dei that I practice is the work of meditation. Just as the Opus Dei functions in a "monastery within walls" always to put God first, to bring the community together in its most important work, and to keep time holy, so does meditation act as a corrective to aspects of my life that would leave me wandering, confused, and alienated.
"monastery without walls". And this is true even in solitude. Perhaps it would be accurate for me to say that the Opus Dei that I practice is the work of meditation. Just as the Opus Dei functions in a "monastery within walls" always to put God first, to bring the community together in its most important work, and to keep time holy, so does meditation act as a corrective to aspects of my life that would leave me wandering, confused, and alienated.
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