And they that use this world, (be) as if they used it not. (Cor. vii, 31.)How much the more should I, as a religious, use all that the community puts at my disposal, not as something belonging to me alone; something which I am free to modify, destroy, or neglect, but as a precious trust which I must be ready to return to the actual and rightful owners, the day they will eventually ask it of me.
The thirty-first rule given by St. Bernard to his monks states,
"Consider all the equipment of the monastery as sacred vessels."That is indeed true; every object given me to use is a trust whicb I must guard for our Lord, the sole Owner. It is my duty to insure its best protection and its most advantageous use.
And not only must I respect the things put at my disposal, but I must regard them as sacred vessels, because they are for me divine implements, necessary or useful for the accomplishment of the duties of my state [in life]. The most humble realities serve to lead me to God, if I use them well - a first aid kit, a pen, a kitchen utensil, a broom, - all these temporal objects cooperate toward a spiritual work. It is up to me to possess a faith sufficient to allow them to effect their divine task.
"O my God, grant that all the objects I use, instead of drawing me away from You, bring me nearer to You; that through visible things I may reach You, my Great Invisible One. May earthly things help me to break loose from earth."
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From Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
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