The beginning of a new year is a great time to focus on what St. Benedict calls Good Zeal: "there is a good zeal that separates from evil and leads to God and everlasting life."

I’ll share. My resolution is to apply Good Zeal in the who, what, when, where, how, and why of my everyday choices. It was this sentence I read December 30 in Judith Sutera's St. Benedict's Rule: An Inclusive Translation (pg 294) that was like a tune (an “ear worm”) that wouldn’t be quiet: “Just as there is a wicked zeal of bitterness that separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal that separates from evil and leads to God and everlasting life.” Good Zeal applied even in the little things of the day makes life uplifting. To that point, here is a sign I saw recently at a coastal café.



--Melvana Rumi  

I did not copy the meme when I saw it, but I wish I had. It said something like, “Jesus did not come to condemn the world [John 3:17] … so it’s not likely he’s calling you to condemn it either.”

What picture comes to mind when you think of a “really zealous” Christian? Sadly, I tend to think of someone who is anti-abortion or anti-Trump, anti-woke or anti-something. In today’s American society, I seem to encounter far more people who are zealously against something (or someone) than those who are zealously for something. We are – myself included – so often quicker to condemn than to encourage.

The Rule of Benedict cautions against “a wicked zeal of bitterness” (RB 72). As Sister Joan Chittester comments, “Bitter zeal wraps us up in ourselves and makes us feel holy about it.” In contrast to such bitter zeal, Benedict calls his monks to “a good zeal,” following the admonition of Romans 12:10, “They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other.”*

Wouldn’t that be refreshing!

While looking for something else in some old journals, I found this note that I jotted down more than 20 years ago:

“What is the mission of the church? Isn’t it

to help one another draw closer to God,

so that we my be transformed by the living presence of Christ in our lives,

to become makers of peace, doers of justice, and people of compassion

in God’s struggling world?”

*Joan Chittester, OSB, The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (Crossroad, 1992), pp. 177-178.

Please share Reflection freely by forwarding any issue (forward in its entirety), but remember to respect copyright laws by not altering, copying, or reproducing Reflection, text or photos, whole or in part, without written permission.

Copyright (c) 2023 Soul Windows Ministries