>When I agreed to write a reflection on the Rule of Benedict I never dreamed that it would become one of the things that defined me in the eyes of others. Apparently it does. Since we’ve reached one of full of the rule I thought about stopping and letting people just reference as they liked, but enough letters came in through the list and to me personally to convince me to keep going. And, if I’m honest with myself, I need to write the daily reflections, otherwise I will not read the rule at all.
One thing this has inspired me to do is to learn more about the rule, as in academically. I’m too old, and too broke to go to school to learn about it, or I assure you, I’d be doing work in monastic theology at this very moment at some university, but I’m not too old or broke to read like a man-on-fire. I can read 320 pages of fiction in a days time with total comprehension. I can read about 160 pages of meatier stuff in a day with total comprehension. Theology, about 50 pages in a day, with a lot of time spent letting it soak into me. Then, of course, I have to pray about it, do some lectio about it. etc. etc.
Perhaps some mysterious reader will hook me up with some books on the RB that’s more than just a series of charming reflections similar to my own. I’m ready for meat and potatoes. This next round of reflections should be meatier, chewier, and less fluffy.
Oh well, God help me in this endeavor. Oh, and by the way, I’ve stopped trying to please anyone at all in my reflections. While I will continue to be as sensitive as possible to various stances, I am not, as I heard third hand, “dumbing down Catholicism for anyone.”
That said, God bless us all.
