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FOREWORDS

by Lord Runcie of Cuddesdon and Cardinal Basil Hume

Some books on the spiritual life read as if they have been composed by men of leisure for people with servants. We are right to be sceptical about the application of such writing to our own busy and distracted lives. This book is different. It was written by Esther de Waal in the midst of a very demanding professional and personal life as a wife, a teacher and a mother. It is all the better for that.

The consecrated discipline and concentration which have been needed to create this book are themselves fruits of trying to walk the way of St Benedict and they are evidence for the usefulness and realism of what is written here. ‘Seeking God’ is a demonstration of the profound wisdom of the Rule of St Benedict which speaks across the centuries; resonant alike for our own contemporary world as for the sixth-century monks for whom it was composed.

The 1984 Archbishop’s Lent Book also shows that the Benedictine Rule not only stands the test of time but emphasizes that it has a message for all Christians irrespective of the particular church or tradition to which they belong. I am delighted that the truth of this has been underlined by the kindness of Cardinal Basil Hume, himself a Benedictine monk, in agreeing to contribute a foreword. When we give thanks for St Benedict we can all share in celebrating a saint of the Undivided Church.

Mrs de Waal calls this ‘the age of beguiling paperbacks’. It is true that there is too much writing on the spiritual life which is a debilitating substitute for actual prayer and practice but this book is an exception. I have been refreshed by it and have found it personally helpful. Since Archbishops may regard themselves as experts in busy-ness and distractions, my estimate of the work may carry some weight.

I hope that this simple but profound presentation of one of the great traditions of the Christian Church will receive wide attention. It will certainly repay deep thought and meditation this Lent.

Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury 1980–1991

It is good to have a book on the Rule of St Benedict which comes, as the author herself says, ‘from the lived experience of a housewife and mother . . .’ There is a great need for books which help us to live the ideals about which we hear from the Gospel: spiritual reading is an indispensable part of our growing to know and love God more. The Rule of St Benedict has given Esther de Waal a starting point for her own reflection on the following of Christ. St Benedict’s Rule, drawn in part from other ancient monastic rules, in part from his own experience, was not written for the delight of theologians and other scholars. It was written to guide his monks on how to live the Gospel in community. A family in our day can learn much from him. Many will therefore be grateful to the author of this book who has shown that ancient wisdom, when it is truly that, is also very modern and contemporary.

Basil Hume, O.S.B.