Finding Our Own Center

St. Benedict includes a chapter in his Rule relating to “Tardiness at the Work of God [prayer] or at Table.” It specifies the steps to be taken when a monk arrives late to prayers or meals. “Wow, that’s awfully strict,” you might think. “Why is St. Benedict concerned with such seemingly trivial matters?”

A monastic practice I have yet to master is to be at least five minutes early for any event—with ten minutes being preferable. The main reasons for this custom are to (1) respect others by not keeping them waiting and distracting them with a late entrance, (2) remind ourselves that prayer and community events take precedence over our individual activities, and (3) help us collect ourselves so we can be attentive to what is about to unfold.

Esther de Waal makes a good point in her book A Life Giving Way: Being in our place on time “means, above all, that I have time and space for listening to the Word of God in all the many ways God is reaching out to me. That will be totally impossible if I am always running late, distracted, feeling ajar and torn apart. Benedict is helping me find my own center.”

Being on time is much more than a courtesy to others, as important as that is. Being on time is a practical, concrete way to honor and practice attentiveness—to center our lives on the expectation that our loving God has wonders and insights to share with us. What a shame it would be to miss out on them because we are distracted by our own concerns and desires!