What is a Rule of Life?
The purpose of a rule of life is to help you draw closer to God and find ever increasing joy in your relationship with God. While the term “rule of life” might at first sound off-putting or daunting, its goal is to lead you towards increased peace and satisfaction in living a fuller and richer Christian life.
If you are considering a rule of life for the first time, we suggest that you do so with the guidance of your spiritual director, advisor, your priest, or one of the sisters on the Associates Team.
You already may have certain spiritual practices that you follow, and there may be others that you have thought about trying. Writing down the spiritual practices that you intend to use regularly is a helpful way to make a commitment to sustain these practices. Your rule of life should be composed and discussed from time to time with a spiritual advisor.
A. Corporate prayer
The first step, and the most important part of your rule, should be participation in the corporate worship life of the church. It is here that we nourish and sustain one another in our life in Christ. Here we are united in and with the Body of Christ and acknowledge the holiness of God, hear God’s Word, offer prayer, and celebrate the sacraments. Regular participation in the corporate worship of the church, especially on Sundays, is of primary importance.
B. Individual prayer
In addition to your Sunday (and perhaps midweek) worship, you will probably want to include daily individual prayer. Prayer is listening to and responding to God by thought, word, and deed, with or without words. A very simple daily practice can be to follow the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families, found in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), pp. 136-140. This is also available in handy card format from www.forwardmovement.org (No. 679). A companion to this which is used by many people is the booklet Forward Day by Day, which offers a daily meditation and suggested bible readings which follow the church’s daily lectionary. Your parish church is likely to have this readily available. You can also explore Forward Movement’s website (address above) to find available a wide range of inexpensive publications covering a variety of topics. Almost all the mainline Christian churches have similar publications.
There are additional practices that people over the centuries have found helpful in their spiritual journey, such as sitting silently in the presence of God in church, at home, or in a place of natural beauty; saying the rosary, practicing centering prayer, lectio divina, fasting and others. Some people consider a regime of regular physical exercise as part of their rule of life. You can discuss with your spiritual advisor whether any of these might be appropriate for you.
C. Repentance and reconciliation
Repentance and reconciliation include a regular examination of conscience with emphasis on living in love of God, love of neighbor, and love of yourself. This may include the sacrament of reconciliation, using one of the forms in the BCP, p. 447ff or perhaps in a more informal way. This sacrament used to be called penance (or confession). The theological emphasis now is appropriately on redemptive and joyous love rather than on sin.
D. Fasting and abstinence
Fasting, abstinence or other forms of self-denial are found useful by many people. It is not unusual for people to take on extra disciplines during Lent, such as “giving up” something that is important to them (such as desserts, a drink before dinner, watching TV, etc) or “taking on” something (such as extra prayer time, extra volunteer hours, etc). Such disciplines can be a hindrance or not at all helpful to others. It may be difficult to judge what is the proper place for any of these in your life. Therefore it is important to discuss this area with your spiritual advisor and, if appropriate, with your doctor. Your plan should take into account your health, the demands of your daily life, and the practice of the church to which you belong.
E. Devotional reading
Regular study, bible reading, lectio divina (a specific kind of meditation on Holy Scripture) and reading spiritual books can be an enriching part of your spiritual life. Many people find it rewarding to participate in a church’s adult education class, bible study or spiritual reading group, or to enroll in an Education for Ministry (EfM) or similar program if such is available.
F. Stewardship and Outreach
Stewardship is the joy of giving. It means sharing your “time, talent and treasure” as you are able, offering to volunteer in one of your local church’s outreach programs, or at the convent if you are geographically nearby. It also means offering your financial resources to your church and to the support of the Order of St. Helena, as appropriate to your circumstances.
In conclusion…
A rule of life should be neither too easy nor too stringent. If your rule is too easy, it probably won’t help very much to support your spiritual growth, and if it is too stringent, you may find that it is difficult to keep -- and then it may quench the spirit of joy in prayer. Remember that a rule of life is intended to help you draw closer to God and to be a joyful aid to growth in the love of God and in the love of neighbor and love of oneself.
There may be circumstances or times of extra work and stress when you may need to put aside certain parts of your rule. Do not be distressed by this. On the other hand, you may find that making an extra effort to maintain your prayer and practices at such times will help to carry you through. Keep in mind that if you do fall away from your rule, you can always take up those practices again when things settle down, or you can talk it over with your spiritual advisor and perhaps amend your rule so that it better fits your changed circumstances. Never forget that the whole purpose of a rule of life is to help you draw closer to God and find ever increasing joy in your relationship with God.
Once you are satisfied with your rule, in consultation with your advisor, please let the Sister for Associates know, and a time and place will be set for you to be received as an Associate. You will be warmly welcomed into the OSH Family of Associates. For more information on becoming an Associate, contact the OSH Sister for Associates:
Sister Linda Julian, OSH
Convent of St. Helena
3042 Eagle Drive
Augusta GA 30906-3326
Telephone: 706-798-5201
email: ljulianosh@gmail.com