Final Recap on Benedict

Well, here's a little bit of a recap of our June 6 meeting:

We went around the table sharing what we did as a general rule day in day out in terms of a spiritual discipline. I shared Linda's post on that subject, and also the comments from Virginia, since neither of them could be there.

Based on what was shared it appears the primary challenge everyone faces is drifting off, getting easily distracted, and just mouthing words, both during prayer and even when reading the Bible. We all embraced the Benedictine response: "I fall and I get up....I fall and I get up." We also all like the idea of the accountability we share with others: we all have a need for some sort of accountability, however that takes shape.

Several ideas we all liked:
1. read outloud; it engages the ear and tongue in addition to the eye and mind
2. follow a daily devotional like Forward Day by Day, both in English and in Spanish
3. try journaling to record what is quickened to you during a particular time of prayer or study
4. set aside a space in your home for devotions that helps you unplug from all the pressing duties of the day

Finally, recapping good resources for going deeper with the Benedictine model:
1. Chittister's The Rule of Benedict, Insight for the Ages
2. Vest's Preferring Christ, A Devotional Commentary and Workbook on the Rule of Saint Benedict
3. Esther de Waal's Seeking God, The Way of St. Benedict.

During the Series we drew specifically from the first two noted above, and briefly talked about the third. Some said that they found de Waal a bit more difficult to grasp than Chittister. But I highly recommend it. Although it may be a bit more challenging, her book opens up the Benedictine way, and helps us see how it can work in the midst of our busy lives "of continuous interruption."

So this is not the work of an academic or a theologian. It comes from the lived-out experience of a wife and mother with many commitments, and it springs from a conviction that the Rule speaks to those who like myself are seeking God in the midst of a busy, often confusing and exhausting daily life.

p. 12, 1984 edition.

Read, mark, study and inwardly digest what she serves up; it will undoubtedly do your soul some good! The Thoughts and Prayers, and the Notes, at the end of each chapter are both an added bonus.