Sometimes as I read The Rule of Benedict, the text seems to speak directly, offering a clear word about how I ought to live. But then, on other occasions, as I am reading it, the tremendous differences in time and culture step to the forefront. The title of the chapter I looked at this morning,…

One of the most famous sayings, or mottoes, to arise from Benedictine spirituality is the phrase, “ora et labora,” meaning “prayer and work.” It’s a shorthand way of gathering up the insights about the value, both spiritual and physical, in achieving and maintaining a proper balance in one’s life between one’s vocations to serve God…

One of the little lessons I remember from my years of taking private lessons to play the alto saxophone is that music comprises both sound and silence. In many ways, the silence provides the setting, the foundation, from which the melodies and harmonies arise and take their shape in our ears’ memories. The famous opening…

The chapter’s title, “At What Hours Should the Brothers Take Their Meals?”, led me to believe I would be reading my way through a thicket of details, with little to find worthy of adapting to my daily life. And the truth is that much of this section does concern itself with the timing and frequency…

In recent weeks, Anne, my wife, and I have met with our pastor, the Rev. Ron Drury, and another member of our parish to discuss adapting the model constitution for congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to our congregation, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Hickman, Nebraska. This project will update the current…