Introduction

The Goal:

The purpose of this domestic rule is to help Christian couples who are raising children. Saint Benedict begins his Rule with the interior challenges of character formation, and then he moves outward to the mundane problems of managing a Christian community. I follow him into the intricacies of the interior life, and then I pretty much get stuck there, because, let’s face it, character is the gaping hole at the heart of Western culture today.

The Method:

Most of what I’m publishing is a personal response to something Saint Benedict wrote. This approach to the text is a centuries-old technique. “From the very earliest accounts of monastic practice–dating back to the fourth century…a form of reading called lectio divina (“divine” or “spiritual reading”) was essential to any deliberate spiritual life…. It is…a meditative approach….” (Introduction to The Rule of St. Benedict). Because a great deal of what Saint Benedict wrote was his personal response to a passage of Scripture, this project tends to feature me reflecting on Saint Benedict reflecting on the Bible. While this approach may seem whimsical today, the personal commentary was actually the “most characteristic form of philosophical composition” in the medieval period (Medieval Philosophy).

The Genre:

Furthermore, from a literary standpoint this project has a precedent in Samuel Johnson‘s “The Rambler.” Although nearing his third century, Dr. Johnson remains a wise and witty companion, an oasis of sanity in a mad world. I too hope to “be numbered among the writers who have given ardour to virtue, and confidence to truth” (Rambler No. 208).

Because the technology at our disposal yields in the blog a new literary genre that is intrinsically modular, each post must be able to stand on its own. But each post also has the potential to form a part of a coherent whole. Hence, the blog does not need to be read from beginning to end or in totality. You can read one post in the middle and go forward or backward, or skip around at will. When I first worked my way through Saint Benedict’s Rule, I was struck by its modular quality and its adaptability to this new medium. I find it fascinating that there’s a sort of conceptual alignment between an ancient text and a technological resource separated by 1500 years.

Certainly each post has had to find its own form. As a result there has been far more variety–and far more agony–than I had anticipated. Also, each post has emerged with an image that functions as a visual metaphor to aid in conveying the concept, evoking the mood, or illustrating the topic. The beginning of most of the articles features a quote from the Rule indicated in bold, using the RB 1980 versification system. Bold and italics together show where Saint Benedict was quoting from Scripture.

Finally, I offer this project as an aid to my own children and to anyone else who might find it helpful. If you’re looking for quick fixes or flattery, you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re looking for spiritual exercises to help you develop the strength to face your own situation, I do my best to adapt a very old approach to a 21st century lifestyle. If I’m presumptuous in doing so, it’s with the characteristic boldness that emerges from Christian faith: that God knows and loves individuals; that God gives us our freedom for good or evil; that God calls us to work with him and with each other toward the good. And we place our hope in his promises to bring our efforts to fruition.

Introduction and Outline

Introduction

The Goal:

The Method:

The Genre:

Outline

Prologue:

The Ultimate Choice:

Prerequisites:

Taking Counsel:

The Tools For Good Works:

Obedience:

Restraint Of Speech:

Humility:

Night:

Concern For The Excommunicated:

Qualifications Of The Chef:

Habits:

Recollection:

When At Fault:

Prayer:

Other Resources:

Courtney Guest Kim on CatholicReads.com

How Sweet the Sound

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