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With Your Rule
Do Not Be Ashamed...
"Part of the littleness of [St.] Benedict's Rule is how mundane it is.... sixteen chapters deal with minutiae like: how the monks should sleep, how much food and drink they should have, when they should eat, what their clothing and footwear should be like, and how they should use the tools of their monastery. The Rule deals with how kitchen work should be done, how boys should be disciplined, and who should look after those in the infirmary.This hardly sounds like one of the most exalted spiritual texts of all time; but it is in this attention to ordinary detail that Benedict is showing the heart of his little Rule. By focusing on the mundane matters of everyday life Benedict points to a deeper truth: that these details are the stuff of reality, and that by paying attention to the details of ordinary life we will find our way to heaven..."
Dwight Longenecker in "St Benedict and St Therese: The Little Rule and the LIttle Way", Indiana, Our Sunday Visitor Press, 2002.
posted by Holly at 8:24 AM
3 Comments:
We must never be ashamed of the vocation God has called us to. So what if we spend our time making up beds, fixing meals and baking, tidying the living room and planting a garden? So what? Since when is this a problem?
This IS the stuff of real life - which saints and sinners alike are called to attend to. This IS the 'job' God has called us to - and we need to see the meaning in the mundane: that ALL we do, no matter how earthly or simple or silly or unimportant we think it looks on the outside, is really sacred and permeated with meaning. God asks us to tend our parts of creation, to love those he has placed in our family - and there is no higher calling that saying "Yes" to what God asks of us.
Remember the leper king in the bible who didn't want to wash in the Jordan River for his cure because it sounded too simple! He wanted great feats and difficult tasks to somehow prove he was worthy of a cure. But no - it was what appeared mundane and ordinary which led to his healing.
So too for us. Let's put away our laundry today, and hug our children, and say our family rosary and walk the dogs. It's our heart's response in love to the call of God which supernaturalizes all we do.
I must write as I am truly amazed by the workings of God in my life. In a very timely coincidence, I just read a few pages of a book called "St. Benedict for the Laity" by Eric Dean. I bought this book recently as an aside when searching for another about St. Francis in feeling called to seek spiritual direction.
Just a few hours ago, I again was rerunning my constant question to the Lord on how I start reordering my life in obedience to Him with only small children, and was moved to grab this book from my shelf. Then I was moved to hop on here a bit to see what new questions might be posted. And the post was from a mom sharing my overwhelmed sentiments. Then to switch to this section on "Thoughts for Mom" and see this about St. Benedict! If I can say nothing else, I have learned that the Lord wishes to confirm to me (and graciously does so) over and over again that setting up a rule will set me free. Wow! Praise God!
This is even more providential because I have been having serious difficulties blogging this past weekend - for 5 days I have been stimied. These two blogs were the only ones I was able to do - everything else was shut down for 5 days!!! How's that for God's intervention! :-)
Holly
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