"Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the LORD." Hos 10:12
One of the tasks of the great Rabbis was to reduce the entire Law and Prophets to as few words as possible while still retaining the fullness of truth they embody. This same lens is used by the founders of the great religious movements of the Christian West.
In order, as Hosea says, to break up a new field, St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism, first fled the insanity of his times to live for three years in the desert. Renewed by the quiet and starkness of the wild, he gathered like minded men to lead a communal life rooted in ora et labora, prayer and work. Whatever other iterations might develop to foster gospel living, these two pillars must endure, and when they do, monastic life flourishes.
Today, pray to take hold again of the building blocks of Christianity: Love God and neighbor.
What are the most important signs of the times to which we must respond in our day for the Gospel to be heard?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be discreet in your comments. I will monitor the comments, and only exclude those that are patently offensive.