In a recent comment, Barbara mentioned what is to me possibly the most beautiful and far-sighted teaching of the Rule of St Benedict.
It comes in Chapter 31, which discusses what sort of person the Cellarer should be. (The Cellarer in a medieval monastery held a very important position. He or she was responsible for all goods, foodstuffs and other provisions for the monastery, for both community and guests.) Towards the end of the Chapter, St Benedict says:
Let him regard all the utensils of the monastery
and its whole property
as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar.
He’s talking about all the everyday things we take for granted. In the 5th century when Benedict was born, those utensils would have been very simple. In the great medieval monasteries there would have been more complexity, although nothing like the tools we make use of every day in the 21st century.
But just because I’m using a computer to type this doesn’t mean it is any less sacred a vessel than a simple clay jar or oil lamp.
Just think what this part of the Rule would mean for all of us if we truly lived its modern equivalent in our lives. If we were to treat everything in our environment with the reverence accorded to the sacred vessels of the altar, or their equivalent, depending upon your tradition and beliefs.
For a start it would mean living more simply and buying less: you cannot treat masses of “stuff” with reverence, it isn’t individual enough. We’d buy fewer things but of better quality. An old-fashioned heavy garden fork made of steel and wood, kept clean and oiled, will last a lifetime. Its plastic-handled cousin will not.
A beautiful place-setting for daily meals has a sacramental element.
Tasks like cleaning the bath and toilet would (with a little mental adjustment!) take on a new place in the wholeness of life.
And if we learned to treat the humble things around us with reverence, how much more imperative would it become to treat the natural world, animals and other human beings with the same reverence. We would learn to treat our own bodies in the same way. This is what I mean by far-sighted: the collective impact could be enormous.
Now at this point I have to tell you I am light years away from fulfilling this ideal. But to me it contains a kernel of truth and light and possibility that I want to try harder to live by this year. How about you?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Tess
Your post made me think of this article I read yesterday: http://www.utne.com/2008-01-01/Science-Technology/Have-an-Average-Day.aspx
Peace,
Milton
Milton, that’s a great article, thank you. I’m going to be wishing everyone an average day!
What I have always loved about the Rule is its groundedness. A well-used and well-maintained object develops a certain character, a patina from the years of service it has given. There’s a line from Hopkins “And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell”. There’s a beauty to that and something worth reverencing.
i am pondering in my mind which way would be easier to start…with the reverence of the small things and the every day or by learning to love and have compassion for ourselves. both seem like incredibly difficult but oh so worthy efforts.
the other piece i struggle with is how we often seem to love our “stuff” more than we do the people around us. i think the key here is in “the sacred vessels of the altar.” hmmm. i’ll keep pondering. thanks for posting.
Barbara, I agree with you, and thanks for the beautiful Hopkins line.
Lucy, I sometimes think it’s easier to love ourselves and others by starting with externals and working in. And I think neglect of one is symptomatic of the other. Happy pondering.
Tess, this is one of my favorite sections of the rule. I strive for it imperfectly, but I do believe the kitchen to be a most holy and sacred place where amazing acts of transformation occur daily.
Thank you Christine. Having just got in from work I can let you know that while I was out one of my cats transformed the carpet in my kitchen into a nice regurgitation spot. Obviously didn’t like breakfast very much…
Tess this was a beautiful post. Thank you for these words of wisdom…
Thank you Anne.
Peace Tess
Great post. Allah! It’s strange, but this morning I was watching a programme on St. Benedict and I thought to myself that I’d try and find out more about him!! Thank you.
God bless you now and evermore.
Abdur Rahman
Thank you Abdur. Good serendipity. I think St Benedict is one of those whose teachings can reach us all, of whatever faith.