The parable in the gospel we considered presented another question. A man had two sons and asked first one and then the other to go work in the vineyard. The first refused but later changed his mind and did what was asked of him; the second agreed to go but never showed up. We might ask: Was it more difficult for the first son to change his mind or have a change of heart? Do we need to change our heart before we can change our mind, or vice versa?
Sr. Judith Sutera offers some insight into this question in her book St. Benedict’s Rule: An Inclusive Translation and Daily Commentary:
“Benedict builds his model of the peaceable kingdom on a premise that practice shapes thought. What this means here and elsewhere in the Rule is that we cannot wait until we totally comprehend and embrace the importance of our service and enter into it wholeheartedly. First, we begin to act, even if just reluctantly, and by doing the actions, we will hopefully come to learn why it is a good and holy thing, why we should love serving others, why this action is an imitation of Christ.”
According to St. Benedict, then, what comes first is practice, which helps us to quiet and (when necessary) change both our mind and our heart. There is something about action that helps integrate mind, heart, and body — such as when gardening soothes our heart or doing dishes helps us untangle a problem. If we are seeking to imitate Christ, that practice will include both serving others (which for Jesus entailed teaching and healing) and taking time to pray (communally or alone in a quiet place).
Practice may not make us perfect, but it likely will make us more peaceful as we help build the peaceable realm God envisions for us.
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