In the final chapter of his Rule, St Benedict invites his monks to ‘keep this little rule that we have written for beginners.’ There’s something gently reassuring about St Benedict’s vision of his Rule being for beginners, a first step on the journey. And yet, as any monastic will tell you, the seventy-three chapters of the Rule, though simple in form, hold a wisdom that you will never fully fathom.
As a newcomer to the monastery you might see the Rule of St Benedict as a list of regulations and focus on all the things that you can and can’t do. There is much more to it than this. The Latin word for Rule, regula, has a range of meanings. It can be used in the sense of a basic principle or guide, it can also mean rod, bar or rail. I’d like to think that St Benedict had all of these in mind when he wrote his ‘Little Rule of Beginners.’ I find it helpful to think of Rule as a trellis, a support to help us grow and flower.
Are there people, books or places that have guided your own life?
What have they taught you?
You can find an online version of the Rule here:
This is a very helpful summary of Benedictine Life: