Day By Day

While I was on retreat at Saint Benedict’s Monastery in Bristow, Va., Fr. Lee Roos said something that intrigued me when he presided at mass: he had encountered a passage from the Rule of St. Benedict, and it had provided him with his “daily conversion opportunity.”

Benedictines are called to conversion of life through the vows of stability, obedience, and fidelity to the monastic way of life. However, I had never thought about conversion as a daily practice. What would our lives be like if we anticipated having an opportunity every day to turn our hearts toward God and neighbor? If we are attentive, we will notice that these opportunities abound. For example:

• We can choose not to engage in gossip

• We can excise violent language from our speech (e.g., “I was just killing time”; “I could have murdered him”; “Take your best shot”)

• We can refrain from watching movies and TV shows that denigrate women, those who are handicapped, or people from non-white cultures

• We can focus on being thankful for our blessings instead of complaining about things we lack

St. Benedict talks about setting up a “school for the Lord’s service,” and when it comes to conversion of heart, class is always in session. What was your daily conversion opportunity today?