Chapter 8: The Divine Office at Night

It seems reasonable that during wintertime, that is from the first of November until Easter all should arise at the eighth hour of the night. By that time, having rested until a little after midnight, they may rise with their food well digested. (From Ch. 8 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Regular habits of sleeping and eating, even arising with my food well digested -- St. Benedict reminds me that the ways of seeking God include care and attention to my body. Christian meditation is the most incarnational form of prayer there is -- one of total integration of my entire being in my heart, and this absolutely includes my physical being.