Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of the Day
RB: 4:1-21 The Tools for Good Works
Mass: 1 Tm 3:14-16; Resp Ps 111; Lk 7:31-35

How great are the works of the Lord!

Today begins four days of reading from one my favorite chapters of the Holy Rule of St Benedict, Ch 4, "The Tools for Good Works". Please read along with us this week. It is a good place to begin today's reflection especially since St Benedict begins the chapter in this way: "First of all, love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-39; Mk 12:30-31; Lk 10:27)." The verses for today conclude with two of my favorites: "Your way of acting should be different from the world's way; the love of Christ must come before all else" (RB 4:20-21). Although it may be a stretch, one might say that the verses (3-19) sandwiched between the Greatest Commandment of the first two and verses 20-21 are ways to go about behaving "in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God" (1 Tm 3:15), from our first reading at Mass. In any case, they are ways to go about living in the monastery, called the "house of God" in Ch 31 of the Holy Rule, "Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer". They are also ways of Christian living, for example, "you must honor everyone (1 Pt 2:14) and never do to another what you do not want done to yourself (Tob 4:16; Mt 7:12; Lk 6:31)" (RB 4:8-9). Living and true God, help us to love you with our whole heart, soul and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. 


Today's photo: Yosemite National Park, compliments of my sister who recently hiked there.


© Gertrude Feick 2019