One day, a traveler begged the Teacher for a word of wisdom that would guide the rest of the journey.



The Teacher nodded affably and, though it was the day of silence, took a sheet of paper and wrote on it a single word, “Awareness.”



“Awareness?” the traveler said, perplexed. “That’s far too brief. Couldn’t you expand on that a bit?”



So the Teacher took the paper back and wrote, “Awareness, awareness, awareness.”



“But what do these words mean?” the traveler insisted.



Finally the Teacher reached for the paper and wrote, clearly and firmly, “Awareness, awareness, awareness means… Awareness!”



Awareness of the sacred in life is what holds our world together and the lack of awareness and sacred care is what is tearing it apart. We’re a people who lack awareness. We’re a world that has lost a sense of balance. We’re a people for whom wholeness is a frayed and sorry notion. It’s so hard to think that the herbicides I use in my garden contribute to the poisoning of the planet. Or that the emission from our car is one emission too many for our neighborhood. Or that things, things, things are crowding out our senses and our souls.



In the face of all of that, Benedictine spirituality does not ask the monastic to be a pauper or a stranger in the land. Monastics, the Rule declares, are to be given “the proper amount of food” (RB 39), “the proper amount of drink” (RB 40), “the clothing of the region, whatever they need” (RB 55). No, destitution is not of the essence of Benedictine spirituality. Benedictine spirituality asks simply for harmony, awareness, and balance. Benedictine spirituality asks us to spend our time well and to be careful that our wants are not confused with our needs and to treat the world and everything in it as sacred. Benedictine spirituality asks us to recognize our connectedness. Benedictine spirituality calls us to be mindful.



Benedictine spirituality asks us to be mindful about things. Monastics must learn to use what they are and what they have for the good of the human race. Each of us has been given something to keep well: a garden, a room, an apartment, our bodies. That much, surely, we could take care of mindfully.



Monastic mindfulness recognizes that small actions are global in their scope and meaning. People who would not litter in a church will litter on the highway because they see no connection between the two. A monastic mentality, on the other hand, considers the two actions the same.

To live a life of Benedictine awareness means we must come to see what we cannot. To the monastic mind, everything speaks of God. What I have and what I do not have. What I want and what I do not want. What I care for and what I do not care for. But the message is not easily extracted. It takes reflection and prayer and the wisdom of others. Life takes working through.         

              —from Wisdom Distilled from the Daily (Harper Collins), by Joan Chittister