On
the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the
Lord.
Acts 13:44
Believe
me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of
the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me
will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am
going to the Father.
John 14:11-12
Piety
Listen carefully, my child,
to your master's precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father's advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
to your master's precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father's advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
Rule
of Saint Benedict, Prologue
Study
Listen.
It’s an important word. It’s an
important act. In fact, nothing can
happen to build the Church that does not start with listening. The great works of charity detailed in the
Acts of the Apostles are founded on the Jews and the Gentiles listening to the
word of God and acting upon it.
Today – May 2 – in Benedictine communities
around the world, the cycle begins. It
is a cycle that takes place three times every year to read the Rule of their founder
from start to finish in bite-sized morsels of wisdom every day. Just as hearing the word of God was important
in the Good News, the first word of the Rule is not obedience, but it is “Listen!”
Once we receive the Word, then we can carry
out works just like Jesus did – works of mercy, works of charity, works of
love. And as the words in John’s Gospel
explain, we can do even greater works once we receive the wisdom of Jesus and
willingly and effectively carry out our “loving father’s advice.”
Action
Why not sign up to get the daily e-mails from
the Order of Saint Benedict over the next four months? You can enter your e-mail address at: http://www.osb.org/rb/show.asp?mode=today
and follow along from now through August 31 to get the entire Rule,
bite-by-bite.
Another option is to visit the page each day
on your own and reflect upon how the Rule of Saint Benedict can enrich your
piety, study and action.
“And first of all, whatever good work you
begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it, that He who has
now deigned to count us among His children may not at any time be grieved by
our evil deeds.” Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue
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