Mar 8 - Manifesting Myself?

The waters have lifted up, O Lord,
the waters have lifted up their voice; *
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
Psalm 93:4

The cellarer will regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the alter.
Benedict's Rule 31:10 (Chittister, Pg. 158)

The call to be what we say we believe becomes a measure of authenticity for teachers, parents and administrators everywhere.
Chittister, Pg. 158

What do I believe? What do my actions manifest? Is what I manifest what I expect? Yesterday at one of the meetings I regularly participate in the topic was relationships. We discussed how often that which we most dislike in another is what we are most dissatisfied with in ourselves. Bingo! As I think about things I take my spouse to task for, they really are things about myself that I dislike. I can wrap it up in high sounding justification, but that is just me trying to avoid looking at myself. It brings home that if I am called to be what I say, I have work to do...

A Note To Readers:

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.