Читать книгу Listen My Son - Dwight Longenecker - Страница 16

Let us therefore make for ourselves a girdle out of faith and perseverance in good works, and under the guidance of the Gospel let us pursue our way in his paths, so that we may deserve to see him who has called us to his Kingdom. For if we wish to make our home in the dwelling-place of his Kingdom, there will be no getting there unless we run towards it by good deeds. But let us question the Lord with the prophet, saying to him, ‘Lord, who shall make his home in your dwelling-place; who shall rest on your holy mountain?’ And then let us listen to the Lord's answer to our question, as he shows us the way to this dwelling-place, saying, ‘He who walks without fault and does what is right; he who tells the truth in his heart; he who works no deceit with his tongue; he who does no wrong to his neighbour; he who does not slander his neighbour.’ ‘He who casts the wicked devil, even as he beguiles him, out of the sight of his heart, along with the temptation itself, and so reduces him to impotence, and takes the incipient thoughts that he suggests and dashes them against (the rock of) Christ’; those who fear the Lord and do not become conceited about keeping the law well, but realise that the good in themselves cannot be their own work but is done by the Lord, and who praise the Lord working within them, as they say with the prophet, ‘Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto your name, give the glory.’ For neither did the Apostle Paul give himself any credit for his preaching, but said, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’ And the same Apostle also said, ‘He who boasts must boast in the Lord.’

Benedict encourages a prayerful and positive attitude to ourselves, others and God. And this spiritually-positive attitude is expected to blossom into good works. Again Benedict echoes the New Testament as he likens the spiritual life to running for a prize (1 Cor. 9.24; Heb. 12.1). Doing good deeds is our way of running towards the Kingdom, and, like running a race, doing good requires discipline.

The person who wishes to run in the Benedictine way should focus on three aspects of goodness. First, he should control his relationships: ‘telling the truth in his heart, working no deceit with his tongue and never doing wrong to his neighbour’. Secondly, he will seek to gain mastery over his thoughts and inner desires. In a vivid and powerful image Benedict tells us to take our sinful thoughts and dash them against the rock of Christ. Finally, and most importantly, anyone who is seeking to live the righteous life must see that they will never succeed without the constant empowering grace of Christ (1 Cor. 15.10).

This wisdom is vital not only for our own spiritual lives, but also for the balanced formation of our children's characters. In a world where there is increasing pressure on children to succeed academically, socially and financially, Benedict's wisdom puts things in perspective. We must indeed try our very hardest to run the race and win the prize. But we must also understand that the ultimate success or failure rests not in our own efforts, but in God's grace. The final decision rests with him. Our business is to do our best – and let God do the rest.

This attitude not only gives God the glory (Ps. 115.1), but it relieves us from undue stress and worry. A proper understanding of how we co-operate with God grants us the dignity of real action and involvement while granting God the ultimate providence and power in our lives. This arrangement also teaches that God's love for us is unconditional. It does not rest on our success or fall by our failure.

Finally, a right understanding of our co-action with God also makes our Christian deeds eternally good because they are not the fruit of our own finite goodness: they are the actions of God becoming incarnate through our actions of love, in our family, our workplace and in our world.