Learning from a Monk

I have found guidance for my pursuit of balance and a sustainable life with Christ from an unexpected source: The Way of St. Benedict. While perusing my sister-in-law’s well-stocked shelves, I picked up, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict, written for today’s reader by Esther de Waal. I had previously viewed the lifestyle and teachings of monks as irrelevant to the abundant Christian life I am pursuing: full of needless austerity, extreme isolation and archaic teaching.
But through this book, I am finding beautiful practices for spiritual growth and a wholistic way of viewing the self, which doesn’t falsely dichotomize the soul, spirit and body but sees them as integral parts of the whole, worthy of tenderness and care.
The purpose of St. Benedict’s rule of life “is to create a favorable environment in which the balanced life my flourish.” Its three interrelated vows are to stability, fidelity of monastic life and to obedience. “They are not, as they might seem at first glance, about negation, restriction and limitation. They involve us in the need to face a number of very basic demands: the need not to run away, the need to be open to change, the need to listen. They are based on a commitment which is both total and continuing. And yet the paradox is that they bring freedom, true freedom" (deWaal 55).
One of the practices we explored at the Renewal retreat I attended was developing a Rule of Life. The purpose of exploring and ordering the aspects of rest, work, relationships and spiritual wellness were to enable a person to develop a life rhythm which would enable both the receiving of God’s love and the giving of it. I am still in the process of developing my rule of life, and am in anticipation about what else I may glean from the Way of St. Benedict in the process.