For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14
“The Lord grant you the grace to observe these precepts with love as lovers of spiritual beauty, exuding the fragrance of Christ by the goodness of your lives; you are no longer slaves under the law, but a people living in freedom under grace. These precepts should be read to you once a week, so that you will see yourselves in this little book as in a mirror and not neglect anything through forgetfulness. When you find yourselves doing what has been written here, thank the Lord, the giver of all good gifts. However, if anyone of you realizes that he has failed on a specific point, let him be sorry for the past, safeguard the future, and continue to pray for his offences to be forgiven, and that he not be led into temptation.”
Augustine of Hippo in The Rule of St. Augustine 8.1-2. The text of the rule is adapted from George Lawless’ translation in Augustine of Hippo and His Monastic Rule (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), included in Constitutions of the Order of Preachers (Dublin: Dominican Publications, 2012).
This is the last day looking at The Rule of St. Augustine. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Following God’s design for life and living produces goodness (a.k.a. generosity). We don’t have to try to be generous, it happens.
For Augustine, this conclusion to his rule aims to remind fellow disciples that grace enables us to follow it. In so doing, God blesses with gifts.
The gifts are to be enjoyed and shared, while offences are to be forgiven. I can only imagine how a weekly reminder of this would transform a community of disciples.
God may our goodness and forgiveness draw others to you. Amen.