Pool Two: Benedictine Care

About fifteen hundred years ago a wealthy young man in the declining Roman empire was so deeply struck by the Gospel of Jesus that he gave up his sophisticated urban life and retreated to a mountain in the wilderness to pray. Over time, a handful of people gathered around this man, Benedict of Nursia, to live has he lived. Clearly, there was something about him that spoke to people of the love of God and the peace that passes all understanding. People wanted what he had found.

Eventually, at their request, Benedict wrote down a 'little Rule for beginners.' In a modern English translation, this 'little Rule' is less than a hundred pages. At the end of the prologue, Benedict writes:

'Therefore we intend to establish a school for the Lord's service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love. Do not be daunted immediately and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom.'

The rest of the short Rule contains what often seems like a jumble of admonitions and instructions for everything from spiritual development over a lifetime and how to pray the psalms, to the proper way to wash the dishes, care for clothes and run a meeting. The tone throughout is sober, balanced and practical.

If the Book of Common Prayer gives us wisdom for how to order the whole span of our lives from birth to death, and how to gather regularly as a Christ centered community, the Rule of Benedict, if we listen to its wisdom,  give us guidance for how to 'pray without ceasing,' even and especially in the ordinary, practical concerns of our day to day life.

There are a variety of ways to live a whole Christian life with integrity. Strong traditions include the Eastern Orthodox, the Reform and the Evangelical. Even within the Western Catholic tradition that we are a part of, saints like Francis, Dominic and Ignatius developed visions of the Christian life that still attract many followers. As Episcopalians, we are most likely going to be drawn to Bendict. His hallmarks are balance, moderation and stability. He understands how the grace of God can reveal itself slowly and steadily as we devote ourselves to daily prayer, to a life in Jesus centered community and to loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Thomas Cranmer, the first great architect of the Book of Common Prayer, drew direct inspiration from the many monastic communities in England dedicated to following the Rule of Benedict. In my mind and heart, and even in the way I try to live my life, there is a direct lineage from the Bible to Benedict to Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer to the life we live together at St. Paul's.