Feb 10 - Extended Days

But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins and did not destroy them; *
many times he held back his anger
and did not permit his wrath to be roused.
Psalm 78:38

By sleeping until a little past the middle of the night, the community can arise with their food fully digested.
Benedict's Rule 8:2 (Chittister, Pg. 101)

We fill our lives with the mundane. They got up to pray and to study the scriptures. The filled their souls with the sacred.
Chittister, Pg. 102-103

Sister Joan also says "The difference between us and the early monastic communities is that we extend our days at the end of them. We go to bed hours after sundown... They got up hours before sunrise. The only question... is what we do with the time." Last night I came home and went to bed. Yes, it took me 45 minutes to go from opening the door to turning out the light, but to bed I went. Often I need tell myself I need to "wind down" before bed. But that is only an excuse. The real issue is my wanting to get "one more thing" done, or watch one more show, or somehow satisfy my own view of "what is best" or "what is needed".

While what I think is best should not be forgotten, occasionally I am quiet for just long enough for that little voice of reason (or is it God?) to be heard.

A Note To Anyone Reading:

This entry is part of a series that is developing as I read The Rule of Benedict, A Spirituality for the 21st Century, Joan Chittister, OSB, Crossroads, 2010. I am offering this both to those at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington VA, that may be reading this book and to anyone that is interested.

Unless stated otherwise quotes from St. Benedict's Rule are from the translation in this same book.Psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer, The Episcopal Church, 1979 unless otherwise noted.

Comments are welcome, and encouraged, please use the blog comment feature.