The above quote is from the
Holy Rule of St. Benedict [1980 translation].
In a recent community retreat
at St. Walburg Monastery, Cistercian Abbot
Paul Mark based his
conferences on questions found in the Holy Rule and
In Scripture. In a reference to Sr. Ephrem Hall, OSB; he
noted that
“God’s questions [ in
Scripture ] to us are invitations to open our hearts and
minds in a divine-human
communication and relationship. Abbot Paul Mark
shared that the questions St.
Benedict presented in the Holy Rule can be taken
as doorways to enter the
mystery of the person of Christ and there to be clothed in Christ, having the
mind of Christ imbued within us.
Are you hastening to your
heavenly home? This quote from the Rule of Benedict is found in Chapter 73:8. The
term ‘hastening’ intrigued me to search some of its myriad meanings.
Hasten/Hastening
Make hurry in a rash manner i.e. as in
‘willy-nilly’.
Hurry in a rushed careless way without any
real reason nor purpose.
Rush, speed-up.
Swiftly, rapidly urgently.
Just get it done now.
To hasten heedfully however
needs to be goal-oriented to avoid being disoriented.
Through the sacrament of
Baptism our goal automatically resides in seeking
The Kingdom of God which
embodies the fulfillment in ‘The Body of Christ’
In the prayer Jesus taught us
“Our Father”: we pray ‘Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done and earth as in
heaven.’
To enter into this Kingdom of
Love personified in the communion of the father, son, and holy spirit our
strength and energy will come in our participation in the Love. St. Benedict in chapter 72:11-12 states:”Let us prefer nothing whatever
to Christ and may He bring us altogether to the
kingdom of everlasting life.”
Revelations:21:1-6
There will be a new heaven and a new earth
that shines so bright with God’s
love and glory that we will
have no reason to deny that there is not enough sight
to walk in this light. So now let us hasten to our heavenly home.
Sr. Joan Gripshover, OSB
Dear Sister thank you for this strong message. Festina lente we have still so much good to learn, the mercy of God leads us through the wilderness, He feeds us with His manna, it is good food. As I look and as I remember I find the complete message of God in strange places, are you there Jesus Christ Son of the Most High and being there, you help me to heaven. God bless OSB amen Autumn blessings are here, thanks be to God, amen
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