Part 1 Chapter 5
"The Need of a Rule of Life"
"A few simple resolutions, clearly stated, will be entirely sufficient. You need not overburden yourselves in the beginning. Go forward step by step. A rule is not immutable; we can always add to it according as divine grace directs us. Indeed, it is better to add to a rule than to subtract from it. It is better to begin at a moderate pace, than to be obliged to slacken our speed, and perhaps lose heart."
There is little doubt in my mind that there is great merit in having a written rule of life. Years ago I learned of a book entitled, "A Mother's Rule of Life" by Holly Pierlot. That was my first introduction to the idea of a lay married person having or needing such a thing. There are particulars in her book that are surely open to discussion, but the premise is sound. Later, I learned that Kimberly Hahn had done a Bible Study on the same topic (using the Pierlot book as a source). She had the lessons put on audio tapes, and I bought them. I used to listen to them while doing housework ( I need all the motivation during my housework that I can get.) When my, then young, teenage daughter began floundering under the increased freedom and responsibility of high school life we turned to a rule of life to help her stay focused and faithful to the most important aspects of her expanding life.
For those naturally organized and self-disciplined, a rule of life may seem unnecessary; for those of us who are naturally active but more scattered and "spontaneous" with our time, it may seem constraining, burdensome, or even impossible. The answer to those objections is found in the intention behind the rule of life. The time we have is not ours to do with as we please, even if we would naturally use it productively or even wisely. The time we have belongs to its creator, and we are but stewards of it for a short time. At the end of our earthly lives, we will be called to give an accounting for each moment of it. Living by a written rule is a constant reminder of this truth.
Where does one begin? Monsignor will explain more about the importance of having a set time at which you will rise, in the next chapter. Until you are able to read that chapter, perhaps these statements from the last chapter: "I shall never put off what I can do now." and "I shall never remain idle, nor lose one single instant of my time." could serve to guide your beginning. If you are not accustomed to some prayer, however brief, when you first wake up I would also strongly recommend adding that to your rule. That morning prayer serves to remind the will that it is because of your love for God that you are living this way.
One may find Holly Pierlot's book and Kimberly Hahn's study based on the book at the Catholic Company. http://search.catholiccompany.com/search?w=a+mother%27s+rule+of+life
From the Rule of St. Benedict (Although we are not living the monastic life, it is beneficial for us to consider the diligence with which the Benedictines approached the manual work of each day):
Chapter 48: On the Daily Manual Labor
From Mar. 28 - July 28 - Nov. 27
Idleness is the enemy of the soul.Therefore the sisters should be occupied
at certain times in manual labor,
and again at fixed hours in sacred reading.
To that end
we think that the times for each may be prescribed as follows.
From Easter until the Calends of October,
when they come out from Prime in the morning
let them labor at whatever is necessary
until about the fourth hour,
and from the fourth hour until about the sixth
let them apply themselves to reading.
After the sixth hour,
having left the table,
let them rest on their beds in perfect silence;
or if anyone may perhaps want to read,
let her read to herself
in such a way as not to disturb anyone else.
Let None be said rather early,
at the middle of the eighth hour,
and let them again do what work has to be done until Vespers.
And if the circumstances of the place or their poverty
should require that they themselves
do the work of gathering the harvest,
let them not be discontented;
for then are they truly monastics
when they live by the labor of their hands,
as did our Fathers and the Apostles.
Let all things be done with moderation, however,
for the sake of the faint-hearted.
From Mar. 29 - July 29 - Nov. 28
From the Calends of October until the beginning of Lent,let them apply themselves to reading
up to the end of the second hour.
At the second hour let Terce be said,
and then let all labor at the work assigned them until None.
At the first signal for the Hour of None
let everyone break off from her work,
and hold herself ready for the sounding of the second signal.
After the meal
let them apply themselves to their reading or to the Psalms.
On the days of Lent,
from morning until the end of the third hour
let them apply themselves to their reading,
and from then until the end of the tenth hour
let them do the work assigned them.
And in these days of Lent
they shall each receive a book from the library,
which they shall read straight through from the beginning.
These books are to be given out at the beginning of Lent.
But certainly one or two of the seniors should be deputed
to go about the monastery
at the hours when the sisters are occupied in reading
and see that there be no lazy sister
who spends her time in idleness or gossip
and does not apply herself to the reading,
so that she is not only unprofitable to herself
but also distracts others.
If such a one be found (which God forbid),
let her be corrected once and a second time;
if she does not amend,
let her undergo the punishment of the Rule
in such a way that the rest may take warning.
Moreover, one sister shall not associate with another
at inappropriate times.
From Mar. 30 - July 30 - Nov. 29
On Sundays, let all occupy themselves in reading,
except those who have been appointed to various duties.
But if anyone should be so negligent and shiftless
that she will not or cannot study or read,
let her be given some work to do
so that she will not be idle.
Weak or sickly sisters should be assigned a task or craft
of such a nature as to keep them from idleness
and at the same time not to overburden them or drive them away
with excessive toil.
Their weakness must be taken into consideration by the Abbess.
No comments:
Post a Comment