The Rule of St. Benedict – Part 1

rule-of-life

1500 years ago Benedict left the city of Rome to hear from God. He ended up in a cave some distance outside the city. There he listened to God and crafted a Rule of Life, which has survived to this day for Benedictine communities worldwide. Benedict’s Rule has been an inspiration to many others since then, including yours truly. For the summer I will be offering various parts of the Rule for insight and information, and with a prayer that as you read portions of his community rule you will consider prayerfully the various parts and pieces of your own personal rule of life. Be sure to visit www.RuleOfLife.com for additional information to assist you in this process.

 

From Benedict’s Prologue…

 

“Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice. The labor of obedience will bring you back to him from whom you had drifted through the sloth of disobedience. This message of mine is for you, then, if you are ready to give up your own will, once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord.”

 

Wow, what an opening paragraph! Key words and phrases that pop for me:  Listen – Instructions – Attend – Ear of your heart – Advice from a father who loves you – Welcome it – Faithfully put it into practice – Labor of obedience – Sloth of disobedience – Give up your own will – Do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord.

 

A Rule of Life is liberating for all. It’s designed to bring about greater obedience to the King by reordering your loves. In order to attend well to what the Father who loves you is inviting for your life, you must listen with the ears of your heart.

 

Pause today and listen to the voice of the King…what is His invitation for you, in all the major areas of your life?

SHARE THIS POST

Author

Steve Macchia
Steve Macchia

Subscribe

Subscribe by RSS
Subscribe by E-mail

Recent Posts

Can't find what you're looking for?

Steve Macchia

Founder & President

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI), a ministry serving the spiritual formation, discernment, and renewal of leaders and learners since 2003. For more than 20 years he has been the Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry Program. From 1989-2003 he was the president of Vision New England, the largest regional church renewal association in the country. Earlier in his ministry life, Steve was a member of the pastoral staff of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of 17 books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective), and Crafting a Rule of Life, Becoming A Healthy Church (LTI), and Broken and Whole (IVP).  He and his wife Ruth live in the Boston (MA) area and are the proud parents of two married children and grandparents to three adorable grandchildren. Steve’s personal website is www.SteveMacchia.com.

“My soul comes alive singing the great hymns of the church and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. I’m in awe of God for fulfilling the dream for LTI that he birthed in my heart, for the team he has assembled, and the transformational impact experienced in the leaders and teams we serve.”

Detailed Biography
Articles by Stephen Macchia
Author Website
Schedule a one-on-one with Steve

Fill out my online form.

Mitzi Mak

Selah-West Faculty & Emmaus Faculty

Mitzi started her professional life as a high school social studies teacher. She and her husband Jerry then served cross-culturally for ten+ years, living abroad first in India and then Kurdistan, N. Iraq. In addition to being a Spiritual Director, she now serves as a Formation and Care pastor in her local church in Houston, TX. She has graduated from LTI’s Selah Spiritual Direction training as well as LTI’s Emmaus Formational Leadership Program.

Mitzi enjoys engaging conversation, reading fiction, doing jigsaw/crossword puzzles, ocean gazing and exploring the world with Jerry through food and travel.

God has two main callings in Mitzi’s life: to care for those who care for others and to be a guide in helping others have a healthy relationship with the Trinity – recognizing God’s loving presence and activity in their lives and how to faithfully respond.

“Selah was a transformative experience for me – allowing the contemplative within to emerge and to beautifully co-exist with my extraverted personality.“