Posted 110 days ago
Why a Rule of Life
by Christine Sine
I was introduced to monastic rules of life in rather an unusual way. I love mystery stories, and was delighted when, about 15 years ago, I discovered a series of novels set in the 12th century in an abbey at Shrewsbury on the Welsh-English border. Brother Cadfael, a “squat, barrel-chested, bandy-legged veteran of fifty-seven,” first swept into my life in A Morbid Taste for Bone, journeying into Wales to bring back the bones of Saint Winifred as patron saint for the Abbey.
Brother Cadfael’s life is modeled on that of a typical 12th century Benedictine monk, and I was intrigued by the insights the novels gave into the rhythm of monastic life. Six times during the day and night the ringing of the bells called him to the chapter-house for prayer and contemplation. As herbalist for the monastic community, he created one of the best-stocked herb gardens in England, prepared his own medicines and brewed his healing balms and syrups. Occasionally, he ventured out into Shrewsbury to heal the sick. And on his forays into the outside world, as recorded in the nineteen books of The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, he was constantly tripping over dead bodies, puzzling out murders and helping to free those unjustly accused of crimes.
Cadfael came late to the monastic life. As an enthusiastic young man, he had joined the Crusades. For fifteen years, he explored the world roving as far a field as the Holy Land, fighting in one campaign after another. But on his return to England, Cadfael encountered God in a small parish church, laid his sword on the altar and took up the cowl instead. Despite his age and worldly experience, Cadfael took easily to the monastic life. He was “like a battered ship settling at last for a quiet harbour.”
Brother Cadfael may be a mythical character, but his quest for a quiet harbour is no mythical quest. In the last fifteen years, especially, a surprising diversity of people, young and old, Pentecostal to Catholic, have turned towards the rhythm of a rule of life as a safe harbour from the battering of life. Some just want to escape the busyness of a 24/7 world. Others crave sustainable disciplines and spiritual practices that intertwine their faith into their daily activities.
For many of us, the thought of developing a rule of life conjures up images of legalistic rules and regulations that take away the joy of spontaneous expressions of faith. This was what my friend Michael thought when he first went to spend a few weeks at a local monastery: “You know this business of stopping for prayer five times a day? I thought it would be really restricting,” he told me. “I actually found the opposite to be true. We all knew that no matter what we were doing, when the chapel bell rang, we laid down our tools and headed for prayer. It took the focus away from work as the most important thing to God.”
Creating a rule of life should be a response to being loved by God, and feeling moved to become what God calls us to be in this world. It makes us very aware of how we spend our time each day and of how we might spend it better. Our awareness of this gap motivates us to change so that God becomes our focus rather than work or family or even Christian ministry. A rule can give us the courage and discipline to form new routines that reward us with growing intimacy with God. In her helpful book Why Not Celebrate! Sara Wenger Shenk says, “If it isn’t possible to know the quickening presence of God in the everyday routine, one might as well ship religiosity off to a seminary library and leave it there. Either God is God of all of life, or God is on the reserve shelf, available and relevant only to a sanctified elite.” The daily repetition of simple practices that focus our hearts on God does far more to nurture deep, meaningful spiritual growth than the occasional “mountain top” experience.
According to the Northumbria Community, a rule of life says, “this is who we are, this is our story. It reminds us of those things God has put on our heart, and calls us back to the story that God has written.” Accountability to a rule is a liberating experience, not a set of rules that restrict or deny life, but a way of living out our vocation alone and together that opens our eyes to the mystery of God’s presence and activity in everyday life. It connects all that we do to our knowledge of God and reminds us of the sacramental nature of every mundane activity.
A well-balanced Rule creates disciplines that strengthen a sense of Christ’s presence in every aspect of life. It recognizes that every encounter is an opportunity to be Christ to others or to see Christ in others. The most unlikely persons can reveal Christ’s presence and draw us closer to God and to the wholeness God intends for us. A rule of life provides a balance between sacred and secular activities, between work and rest, and between community and solitude.
Establishing a rule usually begins with disciplines of prayer and the daily reading of Scripture, but it also provides time for study and reflection, encompasses physical work, time to celebrate with and serve others, and the need for leisure and rest. Practicing a rule of life is a community affair. Practicing our faith in community with others moves us against the grain of our individualistic culture. There is strength in joining forces with others who have a similar hunger and desire to live the way of Jesus in the here and now.
I am convinced that to be a follower of Christ we must intentionally work to develop spiritual practices that put our faith and its rhythms at the center of all we are and do. Only then can we find a healthy life of stability and richness that easily withstands the pressures and stresses of our culture.
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