The rule of St. Benedict for a daily life, learning to listen to God with a discerning heart.

I'm Chris McGregor.

The First Degree of Humility, Episode 16.

In the first degree of humility, St. Benedict starts with something very simple.

He asks a basic question. Are we living as if God is

real and present right now? He tells us to keep God in mind throughout the day, in prayer and in ordinary

moments. Humility begins there. Remembering God keeps the heart steady and honest, reminds us that we aren't the

center and that our life is lived before him. When we forget God, the heart drifts towards self-will

and self-reliance. We start measuring everything by our preferences, our control, and the need to protect ourselves.

That's when pride slips in quietly, and the soul loses its balance.

From Chapter 7 of the Rule of Saint Benedict, the first degree of humility then is that a person keep the fear of God always before

his eyes and never forget it.

St. Benedict is teaching a steady awareness of God that carries through ordinary moments.

When God is kept before our eyes, the heart is guarded from drift.

Speech, choices, and responses begin to fall into order

because we are living in his presence. To keep the fear of God before our eyes means living with

reverence. We remember who God is, and we remember who we are. That remembrance studies the heart.

It changes the way we speak, the way we act,

and the choices we make when no one is watching.

It makes a person slower to rush, slower to react,

and quicker to return to what is true.

This kind of remembrance protects the heart from self-will and self-reliance.

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