When you think of a monastery, the most common image is probably that of large buildings that is the home of monastic brothers and sisters. I go even a little further to think that of monastery as an enclosure that keeps the people inside set apart to fully commit themselves to God and his work. While it might seem tempting that we should all run off to a monastery to fully commit ourselves to God and follow him, the reality is that is not for everyone nor even possible due to outside commitments.

A monastery is not so much a place set apart for monks and nuns as it is a place set apart (period). It is also a place to learn the value of powerlessness and a place to learn that time is not ours, but God’s.

Ron rolheiser

Ron’s thought is incredible and a huge shift in thinking. In his article he goes on to describe how a mother tending to children is liken to a monastic responding to the bell (a call for prayer) where they must stop what they are doing to take care of others. We don’t need to run away to a monastery to find a place learn more about God, and that we are powerless to his time. Our own home has many opportunities to learn. This learning I think is what St Benedict is referring to when he says his rule is, “intend[ed] to establish a school for the Lord’s service”. Now is where we can start to see some coupling of ideas.

First is that we don’t have to go away to truly find God, he is right in your presence. With that thought, we can begin to practice the principle of Stability. We do not need to go out searching, we need to double down, commit to being stable in our homes. Stop searching for the outside to fix inside problems, instead return to your commitments inside your own home. And lastly, if we can be practice stability in our home monastery, we can surely begin to use the Rule as a way to teach us to learn more about God’s work.