Will’s Rule of Life
So I just finished The Sacred Way, by Tony Jones, to point me in the way of correct spiritual discipline. After looking into the histories, theologies, and practices of different disciplines, I think I’ve found the ones I’m going to adopt. What’s more, I need to develop my rule of life.
A ‘rule’, for those who don’t know, is a set of precepts that guide conduct/action. The Desert Fathers, a formative group of Christian Ascetics situated in the deserts of the Middle East that lasted from the 4th Century A.D., until the 7th (ish) set out the Rule of the Master in which they espoused service, humility, silence, solitude and contemplation. The next most famous Rule is the Rule of Benedict, which some would say is the basis for all of Christian Monasticism.
So am I going to become a Monk? No. Certainly not. I’m getting married in 94 days! But I am going to start living an orderly life.
So far, the Rule looks like this:
The Rule of William Kinchlea.
Daily:
Every morning, I’ll do Matins (from the Daily Office – pre-written prayer, based on the psalms) and 300 Jesus Prayers. Every evening, I’ll do Compline (again, from the Daily Office).
Weekly:
I’ll spend at least 1 hour meditating and praying through an icon. During the Summer, Friday-Sunset-to-Saturday-Sunset Sabbath will be too difficult, traveling between 3 cities on weekends and working on the Wedding, so I’m going to dedicate 2 hours a day to not working. 7×2 = 14 hours – pretty much the waking hours of a Saturday. When the Summer’s over, this will change.
Monthly:
At least, once a month, I’ll walk the prayer labyrinth at St. John’s Convent, down the road from me.
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That’s the structure in which I will begin my rule, starting tomorrow. If anything sounds weird in there (What’s a Jesus Prayer? for example), don’t worry, as I’m going to explain each one of these in time.
*NB* Now, Service is an essential part of Spiritual Discipline, but I want to discover what that service will be in time, through prayer. We’ll see together.
This entry was written by , posted on May 6, 2008 at 5:27 pm, filed under Life, Spiritual Disciplines and tagged Christianity, Meditation, Prayer, Rule of Life, Spiritual Discipline. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.