Living by a Rule

“This Lent [God’s] call reverberates urgently: “Be converted!”, “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.” - Pope Francis, Extraordinary Urbi et Orbi

When the bells ring for prayer, St. Benedict tells us “the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with the utmost speed… Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God” (RB 43:1, 3).

A schedule makes concrete a rule of life by which I recognize and choose what is most important: what is the source of my life and what my life is for. For this reason the most important moments in a rule are moments of prayer, which center my days around the memory of God. This is what I follow, what determines what I think about, what opens my heart up, instead of, e.g., being caught up in the anxiety of the continuous news or social media cycle. St. Benedict invites us to “no longer live by [our] own judgment, giving in to [our] whims and appetites... [but rather] walk according to another’s decisions and directions…” (RB 5:12). We are invited to be freed from the tyranny of our own opinions and those of the powers that be, and entrust our lives to an Other at every moment and event of the day. The bell interrupts our thoughts and gives us an opportunity to say yes to God’s thoughts, to God’s life. In this way we not only can entrust ourselves to Him but also the lives of others, especially those who are suffering more during this time.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Live this Together in Unity:

• None of us are alone because no circumstance can erase the fact of our baptism which unites us in Christ.

As a sign of this reality, as much as possible try to enter into the gestures on the Horarium at the same time as the monastic community and the other retreatants, if you are in the same or near time zone, or at the same time of day in your own time zone. For example, though you can watch one of the recorded liturgies later, try to watch it when it is being live streamed. Even if circumstances prevent this, offer your prayers and actions in union with us and the whole Church in Christ, the head. • Schedule communal work. Organize household tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc.) so that everybody has something to do and try to schedule this to do at the same time together. If necessary, schedule individual work (e.g. job or school assignments). Do this at the same time with others in your household (or with us, fitting it between other points in the Horarium). Do the same for communal and individual recreation time as needed.

• Consider a Screen Fast: A screen, with its constant invitation to be “somewhere else” can make silence and prayer difficult. It can also impede communal recreation time. So we suggest limiting screen time during this retreat. This may seem an odd suggestion when we are using internet technology to connect with you this week through conferences and materials (e.g. sending this booklet)! But we offer these resources in the hopes of helping you enter more deeply into the reality of Holy Week, not as a virtual substitute. A fast reveals what is essential. Perhaps limit screens to accessing only these resources and necessary tasks. Printing out some of the materials may also help. This is something to be discerned personally and with your household.

Each of us, by observing ourselves in action, can see what is useful or not in helping us stay present.