A vowed Benedictine friend told me that one of the benefits of living in a monastery was that she learned the discipline to stop whatever she was doing, and go to prayer.
I am eager to follow Christ. Yet I instinctively delay responding in obedience to the word, or my fellow Christians, or my known responsibilities. Or even to pray.
Sometimes I delay in such mundane issues of daily life that simply must be done. What do I expect to gain by putting off changing the laundry for another 20 minutes? Delaying my response does not benefit me. It does not change anything, other than causing me to wait an extra 20 minutes for the clothes to dry.
And yet I delay my ‘obedience’ to the requests of my family, or my known responsibilities, or to followers of Christ? I find I must consciously stop and think about obedience. Otherwise my knee-jerk response is to ‘put off’ doing that which I already know is right.
An oblate friend of mine defines ‘obedience in marriage’ as ‘listening to each other.’ Yet how often do I try to pretend I have not heard my spouse? Or how often do I intently listen to the needs of my spouse?
I often think of my vowed Benedictine friend when I catch myself wanting to delay my own obedience to some request. I don't have the structural support of the monastery bells. But perhaps this is my opportunity to learn that same discipline… to stop and respond now to God's call in my own life.
Dear Lord, teach me to obey God’s call in my life NOW, rather than later.
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Hello Deanne,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog you have constructed! I was wondering if there were any Benedictine Oblate forums out on the web. There appears to be a handful of them.
Thank You for your reflections.
(Note: I live in central Illinois and I began my candidacy for Oblation in the Benedictine Order this past July.)
Yes, attending to the here and now has been an up and down experience for me as well - particularly with the Rule of Prayer in the Mornings. (Some mornings I get up early and do it and other mornings I rush through it online with my work computer.)
If the Advent season has revealed anything in my heart and life, it is the tendency I have to be distracted, hurried, and inattentive.
If you do not mind, may I offer a short meditation that I have had since Advent began? It relates somewhat to your idea in attending to the NOW :
This season I am reminded of 1) how the Shepherds (who were tending sheep) stopped in the middle of what they were doing to worship the King; and 2) how the Magi of the East made the long journey, gave their finest gifts, worshipped the King, and returned to their home by another route.
The application I draw from these events is that I desperately need to cultivate a willingness to 1) stop and worship in the midst of the daily grind. It is not matter of not having the time, but, like the Shepherds, considering it important enough to make the time for it.
2) Going the distance, like the Magi of the East (in my case, getting up earlier in the morning).
3) Give my best efforts (gifts) to our King in all the seemingly monotonous tasks I have at the office.
4) Just as the Magi returned home by different route, I can very well expect that my approach, By God's grace, to daily living will change (i.e. making each day, and all the daily tasks it holds, an Oblation unto our Lord.)
Every Blessing to You during this season of Advent and the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord.
I will stop by again...if you like.
Adam Sheehan
Central Illinois
Deanne, thanks for your wise thoughts. You put so well into words why I am drawn to Benedictine spirituality. Any chance you will blog again???
ReplyDeleteAdam, thank you for your reflections. If you get this message, how about blogging yourself and including your blog address?
Sam Troxal
Southern Indiana
sam-betweenhereandthere.blogspot.com/