With the New Year, we have started a new cycle of reading through the Rule of Benedict. You might know that the Rule begins with the Prologue, which reads like a poem and serves as a preview for the following chapters. It also sums up what the Benedictine Life is all about.
The well-known phrase "Listening with the ear of your heart" can be found right in the first verse: "Listen carefully, my child, to the master's instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart."
This is how Benedict prefaces the Rule. This is also how this New Year 2014 has been prefaced and introduced to us by Benedict.
The well-known phrase "Listening with the ear of your heart" can be found right in the first verse: "Listen carefully, my child, to the master's instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart."
This is how Benedict prefaces the Rule. This is also how this New Year 2014 has been prefaced and introduced to us by Benedict.
Volumes have been written on this admonition and we can enjoy reading and pondering these good books. Let's explore how Benedict's words could set the tone for the year.
Listening with the ear of your heart - This is all about awareness. How do I notice God's presence, God's actions, God's way of communicating with me? This has to be a special way of being aware. It is the awareness that we call "prayer" or "meditation". This kind of awareness goes deep down into my very being.
I would like to give you an example of such a meditation:
Listening with the ear of your heart - This is all about awareness. How do I notice God's presence, God's actions, God's way of communicating with me? This has to be a special way of being aware. It is the awareness that we call "prayer" or "meditation". This kind of awareness goes deep down into my very being.
I would like to give you an example of such a meditation:
Fire and energy I have always liked the light the flame of a candle creates in a dark space. It is a warm light. It is intense and hot right there around the wick. It melts and consumes the wax. There is tremendous energy there!
In the Easter Vigil, when the Easter candle is lit and the total darkness of night is permeated by that light, we sing, "Christ our Light!" Liturgy sharpens our awareness around the meaning of darkness, light and fire.
In the Easter Vigil, when the Easter candle is lit and the total darkness of night is permeated by that light, we sing, "Christ our Light!" Liturgy sharpens our awareness around the meaning of darkness, light and fire.
Heart on fire Let's take this a little further: In the Emmaus Story (Luke 24:13-34), we are listening to a story of growing awareness. The disciples slowly become aware of the identity of the person walking with them. They realize:
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
I have taken you from the first verse of the Prologue all the way to Emmaus! Listening with the ear of your heart takes us on such journeys of growing awareness. In this year 2014, what would it be like for you to listen with the ear of your heart as a spiritual practice, a way of praying? What would it be like to have your heart on fire and an ever growing appreciation of how God communicates with you?
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
I have taken you from the first verse of the Prologue all the way to Emmaus! Listening with the ear of your heart takes us on such journeys of growing awareness. In this year 2014, what would it be like for you to listen with the ear of your heart as a spiritual practice, a way of praying? What would it be like to have your heart on fire and an ever growing appreciation of how God communicates with you?
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