This series, which will span several weeks, is a recounting of “Wisdom from Walburga” from the mind and heart of Mother Maria-Michael, O.S.B., abbess of the Abbey of St. Walburga, in answer to some of the foundational questions and concerns of countless Catholics on the road to Heaven.
‘Prefer nothing to the love of Christ’
Mother Maria-Michael’s motto for her solemn profession provides wisdom in and of itself.
“Prefer nothing to the love of Christ,” a famous line from the Rule of St. Benedict, is a challenge and a blessing to live by, Mother said.
“Try doing that for one day,” she challenged. “You’re going to be so worn out by the end of the day! Every time, ask yourself, ‘Who am I preferring? Am I preferring myself or God? You will change. You will see. I did that one Lent, and I was tuckered out! It was a lot of work! But you don’t realize… How often do you do things for God? How often do I say, ‘Lord, I’m going to do this for you.’?”
Mother Maria-Michael pointed to the Rule of St. Benedict, with its principle “do what is better for another,” as a source of timeless wisdom in this regard. Surrendering one’s own preferences is by no means easy, but when done for the love of Christ and his people, the challenge becomes worth it.
The nuns of Walburga live this concretely through their fidelity to their prayer schedule, for example. When the bell rings calling them to prayer, they drop everything to go pray. “It’s the voice of Christ calling you to prayer,” Mother said.
For those outside Walburga’s walls and without the same vows, this kind of availability and deference is a tall order. It’s a challenge to drop everything to pray or to respond the requests of our families, children, spouses and others.
“Remember, Christ said, ‘I came to serve, not to be served.’ That’s a tall order, but it’s doable,” Mother said. “We’re called to be holy at the end of our lives. That’s how you do it. It’s just constant working. What can I do better? And then, at the end of our lives, we should become the Rule. We should have lived it so well that anybody watching us will know this.”
Even those of us who are not obliged to live the Rule as the nuns at Walburga are through their vows can glean wisdom from this tenet of Benectine life. By preferring nothing to the love of Christ, we can be the city on a hill, the lamp on the lampstand, shining light so that others might see and glorify our heavenly Father (Mt 5:13-16).
The Wisdom from Walburga lies in the call to put Christ first today and always, preferring nothing to our love for him and our neighbor.
Comentarios