Benedict drew deeply from the wisdom of those who came before him—from Holy Scripture, the early monastic writers, the Conferences, and the Rule of Basil—to fashion what he humbly called his “little rule for beginners.” Yet he makes clear that the Rule is only a beginning, a place from which we set out toward the “lofty summit.”
So too for us. Reading the Rule matters. Reading Sister Joan’s commentary may help us hear it anew. But neither is the destination. Benedict and Sister Joan call us beyond reading to transformation: a change of heart, a change of life.
We are called, finally, not merely to read the holy Word, but to become it.
As John Mark Comer reminds us in Practicing the Way, the spiritual life is lived through practice. If we read, listen, and open ourselves deeply, we become increasingly attuned to God’s presence and disposed to do God’s will.
And that is only the beginning.
No comments:
Post a Comment