February 8 – Balance?

We hear much in Christendom about striking a proper balance between work and play, diet and exercise, spending and saving . . .

Monastics do not use that word as often as they did in the world. For them, life is seldom as much a matter of balance as it is of OBEDIENCE! Let us investigate, and see if the same might well be true of us.

To begin with, how does one “balance” the pie chart of one’s day to make sure we are in “balance” with just enough time spent in the Presence of the Lord? Are two hours too much? Would seven hours throw our day off in other areas? Will five minutes enough be enough? Traditional Benedictines and Carmelites might well spend as many as seven hours in worship and then go alone to enjoy an hour of solitary contemplation! Where’s the balance!

Never mind obedience for a moment, although Jesus did tell us to seek God, to go into our inner chamber and find our Father, and He talked to us about what to do WHEN we fast, not IF! But let us put obedience aside for a moment and talk about love.

Do couples in love work a cozy balance of how much time they should spend together? Not at all! They seek each other out every waking moment, and when they are not able to be together, they hold each other in thought and heart until they are.

Is not THAT the IMBALANCE we seek? More tomorrow . . .



A Proper Balance of Work and Play
Abbatial Photo