Summary of the Rule
Introduction by Trevor Miller
Why do we need a Rule?
How do we use a Rule as a Way for Living?
United by our Rule
Conclusion

How do we use a Rule as a Way for Living?

A monastic rule not only underpins the corporate life of a community; it also provides the model for an individual Rule outside the cloister. Basically, an individual Rule consists of a set of established agreements made by an individual as promises to God regarding spiritual practice. Thus to adopt a Rule of life is to provide a structure for one’s own spiritual journey; and a good first step to take is to find a soulfriend or spiritual director who can help us apply the Rule realistically to our own individual circumstances.

A contemporary Rule must wrestle with daily life, being applicable to the good, the bad and the ugly elements in all our lives. It is not a technique or a spiritual diet but a framework that helps us step by step and in a natural way, to incorporate reminders of God’s presence into the life we already live. Repetition and association are key elements in sustaining a spiritual life. ‘The human spirit requires ritual. The stories we tell, the myths that shape us and give us meaning, need to be acted out.’ A Rule creates a structure in which we can recall God’s presence by associating that presence with common, daily things. It provides a rhythm of remembrance – punctuating our day with opportunities to refocus on God. It enables us to redeem the daily round of life – not by escaping it, but by finding the holy in the ordinary. Otherwise we will spend our lives discovering again and again the folly of believing the grass is always greener on the other side.

A Rule of life helps us to stay connected to God in the present moment by noticing the now - not by adding disciplines to an already busy life but by becoming conscious of God in what we are already doing. Our part is to remain available, to listen, to observe, to act, to be. This enables us to remain spiritually alive – mindful of God’s presence with us. Mindfulness is to be aware of what is going on. Live in the ‘now’: life is just the next thing that happens. The present is where we always are. ‘Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.’

United by our Rule

Our Rule expresses a spirituality that is grounded, coming out of the hard-won experience and chaos of those who have faced some of the hard questions: How do I live with myself? How do I live with others? How do I relate to the world around me? How do I find time and space for God?

Paradoxically the Rule will send us in two directions – inward into the heart of God and on the outward journey of service in the world. Cultivating these spiritual disciplines will create the freedom to love, and enable the spiritual life to become visible. This will in turn create the space where God’s love and grace can reach us, heal us, direct us and free us to be the persons we truly are.

Our Rule is a Way for Living as ‘internal emigrés’ in the current cultural climate. First of all, we are called to Availability: to God in the cell of our own heart where we can seek Him for His own sake, as the ‘one thing necessary.’ Then to be available to others in a call to exercise hospitality, recognising that in welcoming others we honour and welcome Christ Himself. We are then called to be available to others through participation in God's care and concern for them by praying and interceding for their situations in the power of His Holy Spirit. We are also called to be available for mission of various kinds according to the leading and initiatives of the Spirit. Then as our Rule is an ongoing exploration of ‘How then shall we live?’ it also involves an intentional Vulnerability expressed through being teachable in the discipline of prayer; through applying the wisdom of the Scriptures; and through a mutual accountability in the advocacy of soul friends. Also we live the vulnerability of embracing the ‘heretical imperative’ by challenging assumed truth; being receptive to constructive criticism; affirming that relationship matters more than reputation and by living openly among people as ‘Church without walls.'

Conclusion

This is a way for living we share even though we are scattered widely in a geographic sense. Remember we are not a residential Community but a Community of the heart. We are not a Community because of physically living close to each other (although some do) but because we live close to our chosen way of living and the vow we have all taken to be Available and Vulnerable as outlined in our Rule.

This people have been called together to be a sign and a witness, to accomplish a particular mission, which is their charism, their gift.
Jean Vanier

Our calling as Christians is to be Christ-like - to be conformed to His image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). The heart of every Rule of life and applicable to all Christians is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. The goal of the Christian life is love – for God, for our neighbour, for self, for others. We are a pilgrim people on a journey of faith. As a Community we are bound together in a common vocation: to seek God and know self so as to better live with others and serve the world of our influence be it great or small.