Holy Rule for May 23
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St. Mary's Monastery
May 22, 2026, 5:44:16 PM (8 days ago) May 22
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 22, May 23, September 22
Chapter 5: On Obedience (1-13)
The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This is the virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell, and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any delay in executing it. Of these the Lord says, "As soon as he heard, he obeyed Me" (Ps.17:45). And again to teachers He says, "He who hears you, hears Me" (Luke 10:16).
Such as these, therefore, immediately leaving their own affairs and forsaking their own will, dropping the work they were engaged on and leaving it unfinished, with the ready step of obedience follow up with their deeds the voice of him who commands. And so as it were at the same moment the master's command is given and the disciple's work is completed, the two things being speedily accomplished together in the swiftness of the fear of God by those who are moved with the desire of attaining life everlasting. That desire is their motive for choosing the narrow way, of which the Lord says, "Narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matt. 7:14), so that, not living according to their own choice nor obeying their own desires and pleasures but walking by another's judgment and command, they dwell in monasteries and desire to have an Abbot over them. Assuredly such as these are living up to that maxim of the Lord in which He says, "I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).
REFLECTION
Bluntly put, obedience doesn't do its best work until it messes with your life, until it disturbs you and stirs up your complacent, settled smugness. It's rather like a light switch. The bulb doesn't go on until someone throws the switch. The potential is always there, but no switch, no light. Potential light alone is not terribly illuminating, as anyone who's tried to read in a fully-wired, darkened room can tell you!
There is a big difference between apathy and detachment. This chapter offers a prime example: one leaves one's own affairs, drops whatever one was in the midst of and forsakes one's own will. That's detachment. Apathy is selfish, detachment is selfless. Apathy makes oneself the center, detachment revolves around God and others. Detachment cares deeply, but not for the selfish will!
Apathy, on the other hand, truly doesn't care one way or the other about anything. There is no ascesis in apathy, because all things are regarded with equal indifference. It is the LACK of indifference and the level of personal attachment that makes detachment work. Detachment is active, apathy is passive. Apathy is the uncaring state, detachment is the lover's struggle against undue caring. It sets our priorities aright and they need that badly!
Obedience was the victim of a lot of word play in the 60's and 70's. One must hope it was all sincere, but it was often misguided. Beloveds, if you call it "coordination" or "dialogue" or "consensus" you run a terrible risk of referring to a light switch more or less perpetually in the off position, or to one which casts light only where we'd like it to shine. Alas, we are not usually wise enough to request light where we need it most. That must be left to God and God uses obedience.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 22, May 23, September 22
Chapter 5: On Obedience (1-13)
The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This is the virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell, and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any delay in executing it. Of these the Lord says, "As soon as he heard, he obeyed Me" (Ps.17:45). And again to teachers He says, "He who hears you, hears Me" (Luke 10:16).
Such as these, therefore, immediately leaving their own affairs and forsaking their own will, dropping the work they were engaged on and leaving it unfinished, with the ready step of obedience follow up with their deeds the voice of him who commands. And so as it were at the same moment the master's command is given and the disciple's work is completed, the two things being speedily accomplished together in the swiftness of the fear of God by those who are moved with the desire of attaining life everlasting. That desire is their motive for choosing the narrow way, of which the Lord says, "Narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matt. 7:14), so that, not living according to their own choice nor obeying their own desires and pleasures but walking by another's judgment and command, they dwell in monasteries and desire to have an Abbot over them. Assuredly such as these are living up to that maxim of the Lord in which He says, "I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).
REFLECTION
Bluntly put, obedience doesn't do its best work until it messes with your life, until it disturbs you and stirs up your complacent, settled smugness. It's rather like a light switch. The bulb doesn't go on until someone throws the switch. The potential is always there, but no switch, no light. Potential light alone is not terribly illuminating, as anyone who's tried to read in a fully-wired, darkened room can tell you!
There is a big difference between apathy and detachment. This chapter offers a prime example: one leaves one's own affairs, drops whatever one was in the midst of and forsakes one's own will. That's detachment. Apathy is selfish, detachment is selfless. Apathy makes oneself the center, detachment revolves around God and others. Detachment cares deeply, but not for the selfish will!
Apathy, on the other hand, truly doesn't care one way or the other about anything. There is no ascesis in apathy, because all things are regarded with equal indifference. It is the LACK of indifference and the level of personal attachment that makes detachment work. Detachment is active, apathy is passive. Apathy is the uncaring state, detachment is the lover's struggle against undue caring. It sets our priorities aright and they need that badly!
Obedience was the victim of a lot of word play in the 60's and 70's. One must hope it was all sincere, but it was often misguided. Beloveds, if you call it "coordination" or "dialogue" or "consensus" you run a terrible risk of referring to a light switch more or less perpetually in the off position, or to one which casts light only where we'd like it to shine. Alas, we are not usually wise enough to request light where we need it most. That must be left to God and God uses obedience.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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