Becoming a Community of Disciples

Afterword

117

3. While we seek to grow in our own relationship with God and while we strive to live well in community, let us remember the importance of welcoming others into our lives (i.e., practice hospitality). Many of us are happy to spend time with people we like but we are not always eager to get to know strangers. Nonetheless, Benedict in particular encourages us to be hospitable to all people, which, of course, is what the Scriptures also say: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13) and “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9). So, let us strive as Christian believers to live lives according to a rule that will help us become holy like God is holy; to live well with others; and to be hospitable to all people, especially those who are different than us. The way to do this, I think, is to develop your own rule of life, using whatever is helpful from the rules of Benedict and Basil. Living according to a rule of life will help you to make the best use of your time and energy as your strive to become a godly Christian and it does not have to be an overly complicated process. One could develop a rule of life in three steps. First, read, reread and meditate on the Bible and the rules of Benedict and Basil, asking yourself, what are the practices and habits from these texts that should be in my own rule of life? Make a list of those things and be specific. For example, do not just say, “I will pray every day” but instead say, “I will pray once every morning for ten minutes and once at night for ten minutes.” Second, take an inventory of your daily life, asking yourself, what are my daily commitments? What are the things that I do that I should stop doing or do less? What are things that I do not do that I should start