Rule of Benedict 24
March 30, 2009
I have now journaled 24 times about the Rule of Benedict. With the exception of one or two things regarding the relationship between the Abbot and the members of the Monastery, I have found the Rule that the Benedictines follow very applicable in any context where followers of Christ relate.
Today, I continue with Chapter 4:2-9. Notice how so much of the Rule is simply quoted principles from Scripture. Chapter four is about the instruments of good works.
The first was to love God.
Then, to love your neighbor as yourself. You are not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to covet (Rom 13:9). You are not to bear false witness (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20). You must honor all (1 Pet 2:17). You must not do to another what you would not have done to yourself (Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Comment: Honoring is not easy to do. It means to show respect, to treat with dignity. It means especially to esteem the worth of a person based not on what they contribute to me, but who they are as human being created in the imago dei, that is to esteem them not less than myself. More, to esteem them more than myself (as another biblical commandment has it). Separating the attribution of worth to me, and to God, is the hard work of honoring. It has to do with the basic ways we relate to God and to others in love. We love because he first loved us. We honor, because He honors everyone made in His own image. The dignity of humanity is inherent in each person, even the ones on death row, or in dire straits, even those who are taking advantage of us economically.
Lectio: Letting the text read my soul: Do I honor all? Whom in my circle of relationships do I not honor?
Prayer: Help me be aware today how I relate to everyone around me. More than awareness, help me attribute the right worth (the imago dei worth) to everyone I interact with. Amen. Lord, have mercy.
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