Holy Rule for January 5
9 views
Skip to first unread message
St. Mary's Monastery
Jan 4, 2026, 4:49:02 PM (12 days ago) Jan 4
to holyrule
+PAX
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 5, May 6, September 5
Prologue (33-38)
Hence the Lord says in the Gospel, "Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them, I will liken to a wise person who built a house on rock. The floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock" (Matt. 7:24-25). Having given us these assurances, the Lord is waiting every day for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions. And the days of this life are lengthened and a truce granted us for this very reason, that we may amend our evil ways. As the Apostle says, "Do you not know that God's patience is inviting you to repent" (Rom. 2:4)? For the merciful Lord tells us, "I desire not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should be converted and live" (Ezech. 33:11).
REFLECTION
Repentance! This is surely written for most of us. Most of us have some sort of a grungy corner that we'll "get to tomorrow," if ever. St. Benedict is reminding us again that "Now is the acceptable time..."
We tend to look at repentance as necessary in proportion to guilt. The early monastics saw it as necessary, period; for everyone.
Repentance, from a monastic and Benedictine view, is needful to for all because all are fallen, all are incapable of living the Christian life without God and grace, all, left to their own whims, would fall short of the monastic struggle.
The repentance we speak of here is similar to that of baptism, but not identical. Certainly one can be saved without entering the monastic way. St. Benedict refers to the road of the monastic struggle.
Plenty of saints, in fact most saints, were neither monks nor Benedictines. Big news there! What St. Benedict is saying is "OK, this is our approach. There are, of course, others, but if you want to use ours, this is what you have to do." "Repent!" St. John the Baptist cried again and again in the desert, and somewhere along the way of that preaching, Jesus, the Lamb of God, stepped into the Jordan. Folks, if HE can answer the call to repent, anyone can! He had no need at all!
What our repentance affirms is that we cannot be monastics with no trouble: our natures make that impossible. On our monastic way to God, many, many human things stand in our hearts and in our way. That's what we repent and shall always have to repent. Whenever our focus, our purity of heart is fragmented in any way, that's what we have to repent.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 5, May 6, September 5
Prologue (33-38)
Hence the Lord says in the Gospel, "Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them, I will liken to a wise person who built a house on rock. The floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock" (Matt. 7:24-25). Having given us these assurances, the Lord is waiting every day for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions. And the days of this life are lengthened and a truce granted us for this very reason, that we may amend our evil ways. As the Apostle says, "Do you not know that God's patience is inviting you to repent" (Rom. 2:4)? For the merciful Lord tells us, "I desire not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should be converted and live" (Ezech. 33:11).
REFLECTION
Repentance! This is surely written for most of us. Most of us have some sort of a grungy corner that we'll "get to tomorrow," if ever. St. Benedict is reminding us again that "Now is the acceptable time..."
We tend to look at repentance as necessary in proportion to guilt. The early monastics saw it as necessary, period; for everyone.
Repentance, from a monastic and Benedictine view, is needful to for all because all are fallen, all are incapable of living the Christian life without God and grace, all, left to their own whims, would fall short of the monastic struggle.
The repentance we speak of here is similar to that of baptism, but not identical. Certainly one can be saved without entering the monastic way. St. Benedict refers to the road of the monastic struggle.
Plenty of saints, in fact most saints, were neither monks nor Benedictines. Big news there! What St. Benedict is saying is "OK, this is our approach. There are, of course, others, but if you want to use ours, this is what you have to do." "Repent!" St. John the Baptist cried again and again in the desert, and somewhere along the way of that preaching, Jesus, the Lamb of God, stepped into the Jordan. Folks, if HE can answer the call to repent, anyone can! He had no need at all!
What our repentance affirms is that we cannot be monastics with no trouble: our natures make that impossible. On our monastic way to God, many, many human things stand in our hearts and in our way. That's what we repent and shall always have to repent. Whenever our focus, our purity of heart is fragmented in any way, that's what we have to repent.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages