Holy Rule for February 16
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St. Mary's Monastery
Feb 15, 2026, 5:50:11 PM (5 days ago) Feb 15
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 16, June 17, October 17
Chapter 13: How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays (12-14)
The Morning and Evening Offices should never be allowed to pass without the Superior saying the Lord's Prayer in its place at the end so that all may hear it, on account of the thorns of scandal which are apt to spring up. Thus those who hear it, being warned by the covenant which they make in that prayer when they say, "Forgive us as we forgive," may cleanse themselves of faults against that covenant. But at the other Offices let the last part only of that prayer be said aloud, so that all may answer, "But deliver us from evil".
REFLECTION
If one just counts the times we say the Our Father aloud, at Mass, Lauds and Vespers, it's three times a day. Actually, given the silent repetitions at minor Hours, Compline and grace at table, the number jumps considerably. Added up, that can be pretty damning evidence at the Judgment seat if we don't mean what we are saying!
Do we forgive? Do we really want His Kingdom to come? Or His Will to be done? Probably, in many cases, yes and no... The work of our monastic lives is to make that equation all "yes"! We argue with God over His Will, we seek to change His mind, as if we really could! As for forgiveness and His Kingdom, well, you can't have one without the other! The very equality of all in God's love that will obtain in the Kingdom already chafes us when we stop to think of someone we mightily WISH He did not love quite that much!
As Dorothy Day's friend, Fr. Hugo, used to say: "You love God as much as the one you love the least." That remark shames me every single time I think of it. It is a great barometer of just how far one has to go, of how much God really matters to one. So far, I have never had a shortage of people I loved little enough to be quite embarrassed. But I am working on it, and that is all any of us can do.
This perfection called for in the Lord's Prayer is a task we will never complete. There will always be more to do, our ducks will never be in a row, we will never and can never be utterly perfect. That's why we need a Savior, that's what He did. That's how ALL the "i's" got dotted and "t's" got crossed (literally!)
Jesus does call us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, but He also knows that job will never be finished. He wants us to keep trying, but He certainly knows that no one could do that exactly without becoming God. Let us be frank in holding out no hope of anyone ever doing that! Still, that is the standard He set for us. We must aim for that goal and strive for it. Jesus Himself asked us to do that.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 16, June 17, October 17
Chapter 13: How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays (12-14)
The Morning and Evening Offices should never be allowed to pass without the Superior saying the Lord's Prayer in its place at the end so that all may hear it, on account of the thorns of scandal which are apt to spring up. Thus those who hear it, being warned by the covenant which they make in that prayer when they say, "Forgive us as we forgive," may cleanse themselves of faults against that covenant. But at the other Offices let the last part only of that prayer be said aloud, so that all may answer, "But deliver us from evil".
REFLECTION
If one just counts the times we say the Our Father aloud, at Mass, Lauds and Vespers, it's three times a day. Actually, given the silent repetitions at minor Hours, Compline and grace at table, the number jumps considerably. Added up, that can be pretty damning evidence at the Judgment seat if we don't mean what we are saying!
Do we forgive? Do we really want His Kingdom to come? Or His Will to be done? Probably, in many cases, yes and no... The work of our monastic lives is to make that equation all "yes"! We argue with God over His Will, we seek to change His mind, as if we really could! As for forgiveness and His Kingdom, well, you can't have one without the other! The very equality of all in God's love that will obtain in the Kingdom already chafes us when we stop to think of someone we mightily WISH He did not love quite that much!
As Dorothy Day's friend, Fr. Hugo, used to say: "You love God as much as the one you love the least." That remark shames me every single time I think of it. It is a great barometer of just how far one has to go, of how much God really matters to one. So far, I have never had a shortage of people I loved little enough to be quite embarrassed. But I am working on it, and that is all any of us can do.
This perfection called for in the Lord's Prayer is a task we will never complete. There will always be more to do, our ducks will never be in a row, we will never and can never be utterly perfect. That's why we need a Savior, that's what He did. That's how ALL the "i's" got dotted and "t's" got crossed (literally!)
Jesus does call us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, but He also knows that job will never be finished. He wants us to keep trying, but He certainly knows that no one could do that exactly without becoming God. Let us be frank in holding out no hope of anyone ever doing that! Still, that is the standard He set for us. We must aim for that goal and strive for it. Jesus Himself asked us to do that.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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