Sunday, December 7, 2008

72 Rules

+Rowan Williams said in his talk on Benedictine spirituality.

The holy person is not simply the one who keeps the commandments with which the catalogue of tools (referring to the 72 tools in chapter 4 of the Rule) for good works begins, but he who struggles to live without deceit, their inner life manifest to guides and spiritual parents, who makes peace by addressing the roots of conflict in him or herself, and, under the direction of a skilled superior, attempts to contribute their distinctive gifts in such a way as to sustain a healthy 'circulation' in the community.

Judgement of Work done

The quote below from Thomas Merton below goes well with another from Dan at PoserorProphet where he quotes a letter he received from the theologian Moltmann to the effect, "I do not judge my self" (referring to his own work)

"It is useless to try to make peace with ourselves by being pleased with
everything we have done. In order to settle down in the quiet of our own being
we must learn to be detached from the results of our own activity. We must
withdraw ourselves, to some extent, from the effects that are beyond our control
and be content with the good will and the work that are the quiet expression of
our inner life. We must be content to live without watching ourselves live, to
work without expecting any immediate reward, to love without an instantaneous
satisfaction, and to exist without any special recognition. "
Source: No Man Is an Island


(thanks to inward/outward for the quote)