Holiness in the Rule of St. Benedict

Holiness in the Rule of St. Benedict

Holiness in the Rule of St. Benedict
The portrait of holiness presented in the Rule of St. Benedict is one of radical humility attained through obedience in order to perform the Holy Office in a worthy manner. In psychological terms it is the maintenance of extremely low self-esteem and low autonomy in order to have a highly dependent relationship with God.
The holiness of the individual and community is centered on the Holy Office: “Nothing comes before the Divine Office” (43). (It is for this reason that a major portion of the Rule is concerned with the arrangements for the Holy Office.) Humility is required so that the Holy Office will be acceptable: “It is far more important that we present our pleas to God with the utmost humility and purity of devotion.” (20) Obedience is needful for the sake of humility: “The first degree of humility is prompt obedience” (5).
Much of the of the Rule not concerned with the Holy Office serves directly or indirectly to encourage humility and the primary means of achieving humility, obedience.
The focus on the Holy Office, humility, and obedience is explicit in the instructions for receiving postulants:
A senior, skilled in conversation, should supervise him to see if he truly seeks God and eagerly hopes for the Divine Office, obedience, and humiliations. (58)
The Holiness of Humility Under the Rule
Benedict’s general view of humility is set forth in chapter 7. The twelve steps of humility are:
1. Obey all God’s commandments.
2. Disregard one’s own will, seek to do only God’s will.
3. Obediently submit to a superior.
4. Patiently put up with injustice toward one’s self.
5. Confess all one’s evil thoughts and actions to the abbot.
6. Think one’s self a poor and worthless workman.
7. Believe one’s self an inferior wretch.
8. Do only what the rule and the superior demands.
9. Speak only when answering a question.
10 Laugh no longer.
11 Speak simply, gently, and softly.
12 Show humility in heart, appearance and...