God is Here and Now

After reading Benedict's Way, I was curious to learn more about this monk's 1500-year-old rules for Christian living. So I bought another book: Joan Chittister's The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century.


















Whereas Benedict's Way presents the essence of Benedict's ideas in short, thematic chapters (on prayer or humility, for example), this book breaks the document written by Benedict into daily portions - much like a daily devotional. Then the author (a Benedictine herself) adds her own commentary.

One of the author's comments made me stop and reflect:

"God is neither cajoled nor captured, the Rule makes plain. God is in the here and now in Benedictine spirituality. It is we who are not. It is we who are trapped in the past, angry at what formed us, or fixated on a future that is free from pain and totally under our control. But God is in our present, waiting for us there." (p. 17)

Such an apt description of my life! So much of my thinking looks either forward or back! So much of my energy is spent trying to control things (and people) around me... from the piles of paper on my desk to the actions of my children!

But God is always in the present.