Making a Rule of Life

We associate rules with an Old Testament approach to faith. The Ten Commandments have a central place in the Old Testament Law. The New Testament, on the other hand, is the gift of grace. The place of the Old Testament law is taken by New Testament grace. It is surprising then that those who take the spiritual life seriously usually draw up rules of life for themselves. Surely they should have left these behind.

The lives of monks and nuns are governed and directed by rules of life. Those in the church who take their prayer seriously also tend to prepare their own rules. Does this suggest they are reverting to a pre-Christian approach, or are these undoubtedly man-made rules compatible with the freedom of the Spirit?

An examination of why rules of life are drawn up and how they work in our lives might show us the true purpose of a rule of life, that carefully chosen rules and structures are essential in developing a spiritual life.

The most famous rule of life is that of St Benedict of Nursia. Benedict lived in the seventh century, and followed the monastic way of life on two mountains near Rome, Subiaco and Monte Cassino. Communities grew up around him, and he devised his Rule to regulate the way of life of the monks. It is not very long - 118 pages in my edition - and covers a wide variety of topics. Chapters have headings such as 'the number of psalms to be said at the Night Office', brethren who go out on short errands', 'the doorkeepers of the monastery' and more solemnly 'very serious faults', 'how boys should be corrected' or if a brother is set impossible tasks'. It has been objected that Benedict does not show much in the way of original style and the rule is full of quotations from the Bible. This certainly a right perception, the Rule does not only contain quotation from the Bible, it is a way of approaching the Bible. For Benedict the Bible is not so much a book to be read or to be understood or to be meditated on - but to be LIVED. 'It is under the guidance of the Bible that we pursue our way' he writes. His Rule is 'a simple way for beginners' to help them live the teachings of Scripture. Christ is to be recognised in the abbot, in the poor, in the sick and in the guest. 'All who arrive as guests are to be welcomed like Christ'. (Benedict, Rule 53.1). So this is the point of Benedict's Rule - it is a way of living the Scripture, a way to recognise Christ, and to relate this to all we do, in our worship, our work, our study, our relationships, our leisure. Since then the various orders of monks in the west have followed the Rule of Benedict, and indeed a monk can be defined as one who follows the Benedictine Rule.

Two centuries before Benedict settled on the Roman mountain tops, a young Egyptian, Antony, went to church. He heard the Gospel read, 'Go sell all that you have and give to the poor and come follow me'. So he did, and left his home and settled in the desert towards the Red Sea. His chosen path was one of solitude, struggle with demons fantasies and temptations, ascetic striving. Many were determined to follow him and communities of monks settled in different parts of the desert. There was no fixed rule, as in the later Benedictine monasteries, instead young monks learned through the example and guidance of older men. They would seek out an experienced abba, or father, and ask for 'a word'. This advice would invariably be short. 'A brother asked Abba Bessarion "what should I do?" The old man replied "Keep silence and do not compare yourself with others". ' (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Bessarion 10) Antony told another enquirer, 'Whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of Holy Scripture; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it'. (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Antony 3). These give the flavour of desert monastic life - simple, straightforward, uncompromising, without any diversion, distraction or deviation from the single minded following of the way of God, based on Scripture and lived in great simplicity.

It is an ordinary way of life. The monks are simple peasants, who live a basic working life as their contemporaries did, but trying to shape it according to the commands of God. And it can be lived in the city too. 'It was revealed to Abba Antony in his desert that there was one who was his equal in the city. He was a doctor by profession and whatever he had beyond his needs he gave to the poor, and every day he sang the Sanctus with the angels'. (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Antony 24) The witness of the early monks is that the life of the Bible is for everyone, and the simpler the instructions the better. Long rules or complicated arrangements are a distraction.

We now move in time to the year 1943. In war torn north Italy a small group of young women lived in the town of Trent. They were Catholics and were deeply aware of the devastation of war in which they lived. As they lived, and talked and reflected, they became more convinced that the way to rebuild a shattered world and destroyed lives is through the teaching of the gospel. Chiara Lubich and her friends developed a style of spirituality which they called the Word of Life. It has two key insights which are, first, that the gospel shows us a way of unity which can come out of division and chaos; and, second, that the source of this unity is Christ forsaken on the cross. The movement which was built on this principle is called the Focolare, from the Italian for hearth or fireside to express its small domestic character. Focolare communities are to be found in many countries in the world, and form an informal network with some living in small community houses, others in their families or alone. They seek to live the Gospel by following a simple way of prayer. Each month they take one verse of the Bible and by praying, meditating and discussing, try to find what it would mean to LIVE this verse. The chosen verse is sent out each month, with some comments from Chiara Lubich to guide the Focolarini in their meditation. This is a contemporary form of monastic living. Living in various but ordinary settings, joined to one another in community, and finding a simple rule of life, which is oriented toward the living of the Gospel.

These three persons - Antony, Benedict and Chiara - give us guidelines to the devising of a Rule of Life. An ABC, if you will. They do not tell necessarily show us what form our own rule of life should take, but they do show us why rules of life matter. They also give us guidance as to how we might devise a rule of life which is right for us. They do not remove from us the responsibility for our own spirituality and the need to use creativity and discernment in working out ur own way.

First, it must be realised that the only Rule of Life is the Bible, especially, the New Testament. The way to read it is not through careful study, or through the meditative study of commentaries. It is rather the direct confrontation with the text, an unremitting absorption in it, so that it enters in to you. A Rule of Life is based around a faithful reading of small chunks of the Bible, and a real determination to see how they affect and change your life.

Second, it leads to a sense of Christ being present with you, in your prayers, in your work and above all in your relationships. Concentrating on the text of the Bible leads inevitably to awareness of Christ. A Rule of Life recognises that we live in relationship with others, and the most unlikely persons are most likely to reveal Christ's presence to us.

Third, a Rule of Life is about Life. It includes prayer, of course, which should be decided on and then practised regularly and faithfully. It also includes time for study and reflection. Also physical work. Time with and serving others. And leisure and rest. We are whole persons and all our personalities matter, and a Rule of Life recognises the need for a balanced way of life. A Rule of Life takes active and calculated steps to make us complete and whole persons.

Fourth, a Rule of Life must be built around personal relationships. Often, of course, others may seem to prevent us praying. A mother with small children, a carer with a dependent relative, somebody with a demanding job, is not able to decide how to spend their time, but rather the needs or desires of others decide this for them. While this may demand some ingenuity in following a spiritual life, it cannot impede it. Bishop Antony Bloom, the Russian Orthodox bishop, became a monk as a young man. He wanted to enter a monastery but was looking after his elderly mother. He was instructed that he should regard his mother as his monastic superior, and it would be attending to her needs that he would learn obedience and so find his way to Christ.

. 'Through the continual practice of monastic observance and the life of faith, our hearts are opened wide, and the way of God's commandments is run in sweetness of love which is beyond words'. (Benedict: Rule, Prologue 49)