For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8
Listen carefully, my child, to your master's precepts, and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20). Receive willingly and carry out effectively your loving father's advice, that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience. Prologue to the Rule of St Benedict
For we must always so serve Him with the good things He has given us, that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children, nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions, deliver us to everlasting punishment. Prologue to the Rule of St Benedict
Reading St. Paul brought the passages from Benedict to mind, which in turn, put a new slant on the way to salvation. Paul says we should not sow "to our own flesh" which I take to mean, that following our own will and seeking only to please ourselves leads us far from the path to God.
It occurred to me that, while nearly everyone would say they desire eternal life, i.e. to get to heaven, few people really act like it. Few people act as if God were watching, and caring about, everything they do. We like to take little short cuts, and do the easy thing, whether it is a good thing to do or not. I've known any number of people who would freely do things that are unethical, if not down right dishonest, and easily rationalize it by saying, "Well, business is business." Yet, they would never treat their friends the way they treat fellow workers or customers, failing to see that the two situations are really not any different. Simply put, they want to go their own way and do what they want to do and they don't want to deal with the consequences.
These are usually the same people who would loudly proclaim themselves Christians and proclaim loudly their wish to go to heaven.
Benedict sees clearly that whenever we act to please ourselves and go our own way, we are in danger of ending up with an angry Father who may well deny us admission to eternal bliss, in fact, deliver us "to eternal punishment." He knows the little things add up and I pray that I will begin to take his teaching to heart.
