Saint Benedict's Definition Of Obedience

The Rule of Benedict was a guide for Christians that was written in the sixth century. This guide was focused for Christians who wanted to live a monastic movement and many still follow Benedict’s rule today. In his book, Saint Benedict really stresses the rule of Obedience. Now, Benedict’s definition of obedience, is different than our definition of obedience. Many people in today’s society think of obedience as doing what you are told, even if you do not agree with it. Humans want freedom and do not want people telling them what to do. Saint Benedict’s view of obedience is much different, and many humans still practice his form of obedience in their lives today. Saint Benedict believes that a person must listen to others to learn how to live. People choose to look past themselves and listen to others in order to obey God according to John 6:38, “I have come not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me” (Chittister 69). One aspect of this book is the degree to which Saint Benedict stresses the rule of Obedience. I do not think that the rule of Obedience is outdated because this practice is
still followed. Humans seek to shape their lives after God, and value the ways of Saint Benedict’s Rule, so therefore humans are practicing obedience. The Rule of Benedict is still a basic guide for living a Christian life 1,500 years later and remains to be followed by every Benedictine monastery and convent in the world today. In the past and now in the present, Saint Benedict’s Rule allows people to living a balanced and simple life while following the practice of obedience. Obedience helps people to live full of intention. Also, since monks and nuns still follow Saint Benedict’s Rule, thousands of people follow the practice of obedience as a guide for living. Obedience is something that is very difficult for people to follow today but obedience can greatly affect one’s spiritual life. I think that in today’s world, people see obedience as a way to practice seeking God’s will and not one’s own. This is true in Saint Benedict’s Rule as well because it states, “God tells teachers: Whoever listens to you, listens to me. Such people as these immediately put aside their won concerns, abandon their own will, and lay down whatever they have in hand, leaving it unfinished. With the ready step of obedience, they follow the voice of authority in their actions. Almost at the same moment, then, as the teacher gives the instruction the disciple quickly puts it into practice out of reverence for God; and both actions together are swiftly completed as one” (Chittister 68). Obedience gives one a sense of humility. You know who you are and accept that but you listen to other people because God is within them. The model of Obedience is God and Saint Benedict thought that by listening to his abbot and other monks, and obeying them, that he would be listening and obeying to God. Obedience is still followed because humans choose to follow their leaders and obey others instead of living their own life of their own desires. Obedience can be liberating because if one is obedient to other to find answers from God, than he feels liberated because he is making his best effort to imitate what God wants.
This quote proves that obedience can be liberating, “Two ideas permeate the Rule of Benedict: love and wisdom. Love is the motive; wisdom is the goal and the Way. Two great loves, love of God and love of the other, impel us to look outside ourselves and learn from those outside of ourselves where we really are in life. When we love something besides ourselves and when we listen to someone besides ourselves we have glimmers of growth to guide us (Chittister 70)”. Once a human looks past themselves into the bigger picture of life and listens with the “ear of their heart” to those around them, they find love and wisdom and see a sense of growth, which leads to a feeling of
liberation.