“Listen carefully, my son, to the guidance of your master. Open not only your ears but your heart. Receive these words willingly and put them into practice with faithfulness. In doing so, through the hard but life-giving work of obedience, you will return to the One from whom you have wandered through the neglect of disobedience.”

The Rule of St Benedict, Prologue 1

Returning Home

Over the past two weeks we have reflected on listening and obedience. Benedict now shows us where that path leads.

It leads us home.

Hidden within the opening sentence of the Rule is a promise. Through the labour of obedience, we will “return to the One from whom we have wandered.”

The word Benedict uses for “return” carries the sense of turning back towards God. Throughout Christian tradition, this turning of the heart has been understood as conversion. It is not a single moment but a lifelong movement towards Christ. The Rule begins with this invitation because Benedict knows that every disciple must continually learn to turn again towards the Lord.

In this opening paragraph of the Rule, Benedict assumes something about every one of us. At times, we lose our way. Not always through deliberate rebellion. Often it happens incrementally over time. Prayer becomes hurried. Worship becomes routine. The concerns of daily life crowd out our attentiveness to God.

The whole story of salvation is a story of God seeking those who have wandered.

Benedict does not ask us to find our own way back. He asks us to respond to the One who is already calling us home. Perhaps that is why the Rule begins with listening. We cannot return until we hear the voice that calls us.

Nor can we return by looking only at our failures. Benedict speaks of the labour of obedience because love is expressed in the direction we choose to walk. God does not tire of welcoming His children home. Every morning is another opportunity to begin again.

A Practice for the Week

Set aside a few quiet moments each evening.

Ask yourself one simple question:

“Where today did I draw closer to God, and where did I drift away?”

Give thanks for the moments of grace.

Entrust the moments of failure to God’s mercy.

Tomorrow, begin again.

A Prayer