10. To renounce oneself, in order to follow Christ.

11. To discipline the body.

12. Not to hug good things to oneself.

13. To delight in fasting.

14. To relieve the poor.

15. To clothe the naked.

16. To visit the sick.

17. To bury the dead.

18. To help those in distress.

19. To comfort the sorrowing.

Comment

From Columba Cary-Elwes' Work & Prayer: The Rule of St. Benedict for Lay People:

The little group verses 10-13 forms part of the stripping off of self-indulgence in order to be free to love without impediments the infinitely loving and lovable God. Verses 14-19 are works of mercy, which have received in our time their stark, urgent meaning. The poor are poor, the naked are naked, the sick are unaided, not cared for in many parts of the world, the dead rot on the ground. Trouble is everywhere. The cries of the sorrowing can be heard from every corner of the earth. What am I doing about all that?

Jesus said solemnly that we would all be judged by whether we had helped in all these ways or not, because these sufferers are Christ (Matt. 25:31-46). It is among them above all that we find him.

From Norvene Vest's Preferring Christ:

Those of us who follow Christ would gain life; we must then ‘deny ourselves.’ What, in practical terms and from the Gospel perspective, might this mean? This is Benedict’s question, and what follows is the fruit of his reflection and his integrated tradition.

He begins with the great Jewish triad, so much a part of Jesus’ own life: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Prayer, because that is how we come truly to know and be nourished by Christ. Fasting and other such bodily disciplines to train our bodies as servants and fellow-workers, rather than instruments so delicate as to lack the capacity to serve wholly. Almsgiving and service to the sick or afflicted in order to discipline our spirits toward generosity and habitual self-giving.

I reflect on these principles of the ascetical life, wondering how they apply to me. What do I think these fundamental disciplines mean for me?

Prayer: openness to communication with God, sometimes in words and sometimes in silence; nourishment;

Fasting: "breaking the cycle between hunger and satisfaction long enough to receive whatever it is I desire."

Almsgiving: teaching myself the freedom to share the best of my life; generosity.

Benedict seems to be aware that daily habits are important things. What I actually practice, over the long haul, day in and day out, is profoundly forming of my spiritual capacity. I never know when I will be called upon to undertake some important task. So often the key issues in the spiritual life are those moments calling forth a spontaneous and immediate response. The way I have trained myself through my daily habits will make a great deal of difference in my capacity to receive the grace God would give me in such moments.

Benedict advises me that any temporary or extreme behavior is less helpful for my spiritual as well as physical well-being than a simple, steady, day-by-day response.

Notice the simplicity of Benedict’s ascetical pattern: let it go. It is a sort of mundane meditation-on-the-spot: be attentive to impulses within yourself and when you notice their presence, release them at once. Simply live the day, being attentive to yourself, to God, to your family; and trust that if you are aware and attentive – and prayerful! – the Spirit will be free to move powerfully within you and your setting. It is an asceticism whose dynamics are rooted in the practice of humility and trust.

From Esther de Waal's A Life-Giving Way:

The call is to follow Christ, which is simply the scriptural invitation that had been so vivid in the prologue. Now Benedict is reminding us that this asks for restraint, abnegation, discipline. . . . renunciation is necessary if we are to be free to love. . . . It will never be possible to follow Christ while I put myself and my own pleasures first. The contemporary interest in dieting and weight-watching, and the popular search for a more disciplined way of life as a reaction from the tyranny of the pleasure principle, once again demonstrate the wisdom of the Rule. To love fasting suggests a good, positive attitude. Philip Jebb writes of how fasting has become part of his life. "You are given a new freedom." He tells how much he learned from it; the cutting down of one's sense of independence, pride, and self-sufficiency; the clarity of perception it brought; and the discovery of the interdependence of the body and the material universe.

The "you did it to me" passage in chapter 25 of Matthew's Gospel is the inspiration for verses 14-19, which list what are familiarly known as the corporal works of mercy, or what might be rendered in more modern language service to the needy. "Here we have a principle which is as destructive of selfishness as the practice of renunciation and mortification. By offering ourselves in service, by putting ourselves out for others, we are freed from the domination of our own immature need for comfort." It is not enough to be a successful ascetic if it means that I neglect the needs of my brothers and sisters. 

Response