Being a member of the Lay Community of Saint Benedict has 4 key components for me:
· The Rule
· The Community
· Our Prayer
· The Promise
It is the last one that is significant for me.
"In response to the call of Christ,
I offer myself to Almighty God,
by the help of the Holy Spirit,
with the love of the
Lay Community of St Benedict
to live holy communion,
create holy space
and offer holy service
in ways in which my circumstances allow."
Being a promise, it reminds me to reflect on the promises made by Christ and the Father over time. It is a call to Faith and Action for me.
In the first three lines it gives my Faith context and focus. It tells me what the community will give me - Love. This reminds me clearly what I am offered by Jesus and the Father through the encounter with them and others.
Then, it tells me what I need to do to follow the Rule and to love God. It reminds me that I live in a set of circumstances and not to measure myself against others, either in the positive or in the negative.
Finally, it reminds me that being part of anything requires commitment and keeping promises, and that the Father has done this himself through the life of Christ.
Our beautiful prayer expands the promise and leads us to reflect on it. This is important, but it is easy to get lost in the beauty and stop there.
The promise looks simple, but, as with many simple things, it belies the depth of meaning and action it describes.
Peter Firkin
2024