every day ask God to pour love
for your brothers into your heart
and to put love for you into theirs
God can deny nothing to a community
that prays this way because
it is his will that we love one another
as he has loved us
where there is no love
put love
and you will harvest love
susceptibility is charity's worst enemy
humility its best ally
you should be intelligent and holy enough
to be the first to give way in a quarrel
and never let squabbles over trifles
harm your deep union with your brothers
you may be in the right
but your duty is not to let
the sun go down on your anger
resolve each day anew
to pray for your brothers
pray that you may love
and love while you pray
and the grace of his love
will find a way in
look on this call to brotherly love
as the entry into an immense mystery
since it is your gateway into God himself
where love is there is God
you, with your brethren,
give God a body
express his presence
and signify his action
let your whole community
become in this way
a theophany of his love
to express love in authentic action
you must live sharing
share your time, table, roof, salaries and belongings
possess nothing so that one day
like christ you may be
enriched by all you have given away
likewise you should be able to say
to each community member
all that is mine is yours
for your brothers into your heart
and to put love for you into theirs
God can deny nothing to a community
that prays this way because
it is his will that we love one another
as he has loved us
where there is no love
put love
and you will harvest love
susceptibility is charity's worst enemy
humility its best ally
you should be intelligent and holy enough
to be the first to give way in a quarrel
and never let squabbles over trifles
harm your deep union with your brothers
you may be in the right
but your duty is not to let
the sun go down on your anger
resolve each day anew
to pray for your brothers
pray that you may love
and love while you pray
and the grace of his love
will find a way in
look on this call to brotherly love
as the entry into an immense mystery
since it is your gateway into God himself
where love is there is God
you, with your brethren,
give God a body
express his presence
and signify his action
let your whole community
become in this way
a theophany of his love
to express love in authentic action
you must live sharing
share your time, table, roof, salaries and belongings
possess nothing so that one day
like christ you may be
enriched by all you have given away
likewise you should be able to say
to each community member
all that is mine is yours
i find it both curious and interesting that there still exists people who take the words of jesus seriously as seriously as they were taken 2000 yrs ago
ReplyDeletethis notion that it is possible to live with the thought in mind that your purpose is to live a life of yielding to the reality of others in a charitable way forces a counter-culture social bearing
this contribution has been good lectio for me
on the one hand an ideal is stated
on the other hand real aspects of community life enter into my thoughts and remind me how far i am sometimes from this ideal
i think of all those catholic households and religious communities which are visually defined by the presence of the cross and the continual focussing on the trinity
welcome to matt
a young poet with good poems
go to his blog
thanks sally for your generous contribution
to communitas dies
amen
i've been pondering the thought
ReplyDeletethat this rule of life
could be a good way
of approaching a marriage
a marriage is a community of sorts
a small one, granted
and probably one that should not
be expected to be self-sufficient
all on its own
but most of what is said
in this community rule
seems to be quite applicable
and good advice
for a marriage
i will try to take
the words of this rule to heart
this lenten season