You
are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we
behaved toward you believers. As you know, we treated each one of you as a
father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that
you walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom and
glory. 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2: 10-12
Jesus
said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like
whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full
of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear
righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. Matthew
Chapter 23:27-28
Piety
The Rule of Benedict Chapter 68: If a Sister
Is Commanded to Do Impossible Things
If it happens that
difficult or impossible tasks are laid on a sister, let her nevertheless
receive the order of the one in authority with all meekness and obedience. But
if she sees that the weight of the burden altogether exceeds the limit of
her strength, let her submit the reasons for her inability to the one
who is over her in a quiet way and at an opportune time, without
pride, resistance, or contradiction. And if after these representations the
Superior still persists in her decision and command, let the subject know that
this is for her good, and let her obey out of love, trusting in the
help of God.
Study
Probably two of the
most difficult tasks we face as Christians are to listen to the Word and to consistently
and congruently act upon what we hear. Jesus calls to task the scribes and
Pharisees for their lack of interior and exterior consistency. They look outwardly like they are
devout. However, they make demands on
others that they are not willing to take upon themselves. There is no congruency between what they do
and what they say for others to do.
Benedict recognizes
that we are asked to do impossible things.
We cannot always escape the need to tackle the impossible unless we
trust in the help of God. For when the spirit
of the Lord is upon us, we cannot fail.
Action
Today’s readings
ask us to we treated
each one of you as a father treats his children. If we are to walk
in a manner worthy of the God who calls us into his Kingdom, we must endeavor
to be more consistent and congruent.
They Daily Examen might be one ticket to
assess how we are doing on the journey. The
Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in
order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The
Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s
hand at work in our whole experience. (See more at: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen#sthash.EnCLacMS.dpuf)
It consists of five steps:
1.
Place yourself in God's presence. Give
thanks for God's great love for you.
2.
Pray for the grace to understand how
God is acting in your life.
3.
Review your day — recall specific
moments and your feelings at the time.
4.
Reflect on what you did, said, or
thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away?
5.
Look toward tomorrow — think of how
you might collaborate more effectively with God's plan. Be specific, and
conclude with the "Our Father."
The Examen, as Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, says,
“brings my nitty-gritty to God and God to my nitty-gritty.” St. Ignatius
advised praying the Examen every day, no matter what else was happening. The
daily prayer invites us to look back on the day to see where God was clearly
present or where things didn’t go so well and to ask God for help in the
future.[i]
Consider ideas on how to incorporate the Daily
Examen into the course of your day.
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