In his Prologue to the Rule, Benedict lays down a simple basic marker about finding the sacred sanctuary: ‘Let us ask the Lord: “Who shall dwell in your tent, O Lord; who will find rest upon your holy mountain?” After this question, brothers, let us listen to what the Lord says in reply, for he shows us the way to his tent. “One who walks without blemish,” he says, “and is just in all his dealings, who speaks the truth from his heart and has not practised deceit with his tongue”‘ (Rule of Benedict, Prologue: 23:6)
The basic starting point for entering sacred sanctuary is the quality of your day-to-day dealings with other people. You cannot mistreat people one moment and then find sanctuary the next. Finding the sacred space begins with the recognition of the sacred in your daily living.
This truism needs to be carefully unpacked by any person who is sincerely seeking sanctuary. It must not be shrugged off with either ‘Of course,’ or ‘I’m interested in peace and quiet, not morals’. The peace that Benedict offers is symbolised by the motto of the Benedictine Order: this is the Latin word for peace, ‘PAX’, surrounded by a crown of thorns. There is no peace without sacrifice and there is no peace without justice. Those simple insights are most commonly applied to peace between nations or races, but they also apply to everybody’s ordinary life and social relationships. …………….
If you want to find the sacred sanctuary in your life, then you must want to ‘walk without blemish’. You will, of course, fail to live without blemish; but failing is quite different from not even trying.
Excerpt from Finding Sanctuary by Abbot Christopher Jamison from the TV series The Monastery
