St Benedict and The Instruments of Good Works - 3

Continuing on...

(62)  Not to desire to be called holy before one is; but to be holy first, that one may be truly so called.

(63)  To fulfill daily the commandments of God by works.

(64)  To love chastity.

(65)  To hate no one.

(66)  Not to be jealous; not to entertain envy.

(67)  Not to love strife.

(68)  Not to love pride.

(69)  To honor the aged.

(70)  To love the younger.

(71)  To pray for one's enemies in the love of Christ.

(72)  To make peace with an adversary before the setting of the sun.

(73)  And never to despair of God's mercy.

The two that especially strike me today at work:

• Not to love strife
• Not to love pride

If you strive for excellence in your work, and the competitive spirit is part of your daily striving, watch for these two.

When you strive for excellence, you may face a temptation to pride. Just remember to give credit for any good work you accomplish to God. It's not taking away from your effort and, frankly, you should realize that ALL good comes from Him, even the good we think comes from our own efforts.

As for the competitive spirit, competition can be a good motivator to produce either better work or to work more efficiently. So compete but just don't put anyone else down. Don't be one of those who bowls over everyone else around them just so you have your way, or to get ahead. Dash for the finish line with the idea of winning the race; just don't focus on leaving everyone else behind.

You find the importance of the right attitude toward competition in these words with which St Benedict wraps up these Instruments of Good Works:

Behold, these are the instruments of the spiritual art, which, if they have been plied without ceasing day and night and approved on judgment day, will merit for us from the Lord that reward which He hath promised: “The eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.” But the workshop in which we perform all these works with diligence is the enclosure of the monastery, and stability in the community.

Stability is a critical characteristic of the monastery. Discord tears apart the community. Stability builds it up, keeps everyone on the same page to pray and work together. In the end, all our efforts - us and the monks - aim for the same reward: eternal life with God in Heaven.