RULE OF ST. BENEDICT Prologue Hearken O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart; willingly receive and faithfully comply with the admonition of thy loving father, that thou mayest return by the labor of obedience to Him from Whom thou hast departed by the sloth of disobedience. To thee, therefore, my words are now addressed, whoever thou art, who, renouncing thy own will, takest up the most powerful and brilliant armor of obedience in order to fight for the Lord Christ, our true King. First of all, when beginning any good work, beg of Him, with most earnest prayer to perfect it, so that He Who has now deigned to number us among His children may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds. For we ought at all times so to serve Him by means of the gifts He has entrusted to us that He may neither, as an angry Father, at any time disinherit His children, nor, as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil deeds, deliver us as most wicked servants to everlasting punishment for refusing to follow Him to glory. Wherefore, let us at length arise, since the Scripture stirs us up, saying: "It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep." And our eyes being now open to the Divine Light, let us listen with reverent awe to what the Divine Voice admonishes us, as it cries out daily and says: "Today if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts." And again: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches." And what does He say? "Come, children, hearken to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." "Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you." And the Lord, see king His own l aborer in the multi tude of the people to whom He addresses the foregoing admonitions, says again: "Who is the man that loves life, who desires length of days" in order t o enjoy good things? Shouldst thou, hearing this, make answer, "I am he," God says to thee, "if thou wilt have true and everlasting life, keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from words of deceit. Forsake evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it." And when you shall have done these things, Mine eyes shall be upon you and Mine ears shall be open to your prayers. And before you shall call upon Me, I will say, "Lo, here I am." What can be sweeter to us, beloved brethren, than this voice of the Lord inviting us? Behold, in His loving kind ness the Lord points out to us the way of life. Having, therefore, our "loins girt about with truth" and the observance of good works, let us, with the Gospel as our guide, go forward on His paths, that we may deserve to see in His kingdom Him Who hath called us. And if we wish to dwell in the tabernacle of His kingdom, we can never attain to it unless we run thither by the practice of good works. But let us ask the Lord with the Prophet, saying to Him: "Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle; or who shall live on Thy holy mountain ?" After this interrogation, brethren, let us hear the Lord making answer and saying: "He who walks without sin, who acts with justice, who thinks truth in his heart, and slanders not with his tongue; who does no evil to his neighbor, nor casts slurs upon his neighbor"; he who hath brought to naught the malignant evil one with all his temptations, and hath repelled him together with his suggestions from his heart, and hath taken hold of his evil thoughts in the very beginning and dashed them against the Rock, which is Christ. These are they who, fearing the Lord, are not puffed up w ith their own good works, but knowing that the good that is in them is not of themselves, but from the Lord, they magnify the Lord working in them, saying with the Prophet: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory." Thus it was that the Apostle Paul imputed nothing of his preaching to himself, saying: "By the grace of God I am what I am." And again he says: "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord." Hence also the Lord says in the Gospel: "Everyone, therefore, who hears these My words and acts upon them, shall be

Ethics Readings for December 3

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