My initial reaction to this reading was that there's no way I'm gonna understand any of this, but now that I've actually taken my time to read it. It was sort of boring, but I liked it. There are so many rules. Rules to Rules to Rules.
But I think the just of the whole text was that you must submit yourself to God. Your whole self. You own nothing. It is all God's. Everything you must do you must do it for God with God in mind. You must also ask the Abbot/Abbess. Even they must use counsel sometimes. I am assuming from this text that the best kind of person is a God fearing man. The text even states that the Abbot himself should do all things in the fear of God... he will have to render an account of all his decisions to God, the most just Judge.
Another thought was that this text is like a day by day rules and regulations list of how to live by God. St. Benedict thought of EVERYTHING and how to do it. Like I said before: lots and lots of rules, even for the sick, which to me is crazy.
Did anyone actually read Chapter 4, What Are the Instruments of Good Works????? Well I did and the list is freaking crazy. Do not murder, do not steal, to bury the dead, visit the ski, love fasting, relieve the poor, clothe the naked, help in trouble, prefer nothing to the love of Christ, don't get mad, don't hold grudges. AHHHHHH. Its so much. How can anyone remember all of these things? Oh, I know. Because women have certain times of the day during certain times of the year to read. We must always read and when reading time is over, we can sit on our beds and be still OR read. We just cannot disturb the others from sitting still. This is absolutely ridiculous. There is nothing wrong to live a life by God. But to live this life described in this text????? Oh, hell no. (Sorry God). That's not gonna happen. Well, I'm sure there were people who did, because those people are described in chapter 1. There are four different types of monks. The first is the best and its the life that is described in the rest of the reading. The second type, Anchorites/Hermits, are okay. The third type, Sarabaites, are described as detestable, so they ain't shit. And the fourth kind, Gyrovagues, ain't shit either. The last sentence of the chapter says: Passing these over, therefore, let us proceed, with God's help, to lay down a rule for the strongest kind of monks, the Cenobites. Is that what the rest of the 42 chapters are? Just A rule???? How about a whole bunch of freaking ruleSSSSSSSSS.
After I read this whole text and thought about this piece of work. I realized who in their right mind would take their time to actually write this??? Who says that these are the right ways to live their life??? Did he get a vision from God? I highly doubt that. Did he get counsel and a whole bunch of abbots get together with their brothers and wrote this work? I don't get it, but would like to know why. Knowing what class is like, I'm not sure if my question is going to be answered. I would hope so though.
There's a reason why it's called the Rules of St. Benedict ;-). At any rate, I don't think that Benedict believed any time that these rules were absolutely necessary to please God. Monasticism is meant for some Christians and not others, but both are equally rewarded in the end.
ReplyDeleteHe probably developed these rules through many years of research into the Bible and philosophic texts (like Augustine). Monastic living had already been around for quite some time at this point, he just needed to codify it.
There actually IS a reason, and if I forget to tell you, please remind me! ;-)
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