The Rule in Bits and Pieces

"The Rule in Bits and Pieces" is a collection of over 140 reflections covering every chapter of the Holy Rule of St. Benedict. In this collection, Father Donald Raila, O.S.B. has brought together a diversity of contributions from the Benedictine monks and Oblates of Saint Vincent Archabbey. Each contributor expresses his or her unique understanding of the power of the Rule as a tool for directing our daily, 21st century lives towards balance and fullness in Christ. Through these reflections, we see the inspiration and genius of St. Benedict in creating a daily rigor of prayer and work that supports our physical and emotional needs and furthers us along the path of spiritual development.

Selected Text from the Introduction

Some Christians have undertaken the task of simply reading the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation over a set period of time. Some of them have attested to the value of this kind of spiritual exercise. However, such a marathon of reading, which would be difficult to pursue with ample time for prayerful reflection, may not be the best way to approach the Bible, at least not for most people. In most circumstances, it is more productive to read slowly and prayerfully and to take just a word, a phrase, a verse, or perhaps (at most) a few verses at a time. This method of lectio divina helps the Christian devoted to God’s word to be a true listener and to enter into dialogue with God Himself.

The same principle might be applied to reading the Rule of Saint Benedict. It has been authoritatively said that because it was written in a prayerful spirit, so to speak as lectio divina, it should also be read as lectio divina. Thus it is best to read the Rule in small portions, slowly and reflectively. Many monks and Oblates have taken on the traditional custom of reading one of 122 sections of the Rule each day. This pre-established division of the Rule enables the reader to cover the whole document three times a year.

It is hoped that this book will assist many Oblates (and others who are attracted to the Rule) to read the Rule more fruitfully and to gain more personal meaning from it. By approaching it with greater comprehension and personal insight, the reader may be led to deeper conversion as a Christian and thus also to greater ability to share his or her faith with others. In this era of “New Evangelization,” may this little work help Oblates and monks to cooperate more fully with God’s lavish graces in the little things that they do each day and thus to become better beacons of hope in a world immersed in much hopelessness stemming from the “culture of death.”

Finally, it might be appropriate to mention here that the Rule of Saint Benedict is not a “rule book” (as some call it) or a “book of rules.” Nor is it correct to call the chapters “Rule Number 1,” “Rule Number 2,” etc. (as some people tend to do). The Rule is a book of Christian wisdom, based largely on Scripture as well as on several centuries of monastic tradition. It is to be savored, prayed over, and lived out. Indeed, there are many regulations, but these are not generally followed literally today; many of them could not be. However, beneath the regulations and beneath all the passages of the Rule are underlying values which remain relevant for monks and Oblates today. The purpose of reading the Rule is not so much to establish rules for oneself (although in some cases that may be a praiseworthy outcome) as to encounter God, to listen to God, and to participate in His loving plan more wholeheartedly. Reading the Rule in short sections can help the Christian pilgrim to tap into the underlying wisdom in each section and to apply it to daily life. Pondered in “bits and pieces,” the Rule can become a channel of “living water” (cf. Jn 4:10), of graces from Christ that open the heart to ever deeper conversion in His love. ...

Father Donald S. Raila, O.S.B., is a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He has been the Director of Oblates since 1988, and during that time has written quarterly letters to the community of Oblates and friends of Saint Vincent Archabbey.