Episode Details

BW3 – Desiring True and Everlasting Life – The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

Published 1 week, 4 days ago

Description

The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life: Learning to Listen to God with a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor

Episode 3 – Desiring True and Everlasting Life

In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor reflects on how St. Benedict speaks directly to desire. Not desire as impulse or restlessness, but as the quiet force that directs a life. Drawing from the Prologue of the Holy Rule, Benedict reveals that what we seek becomes visible through speech, restraint, and the steady pursuit of peace. True and everlasting life is not abstract. It takes shape in daily choices. As the heart is formed around Christ, desire becomes steadied, and ordinary life begins to reflect what it is truly living for.

Citations

Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue §§9–10 (RB 1980)

“If you desire true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

“Si vis habere vitam veram et perpetuam, prohibe linguam tuam a malo et labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Diverte a malo et fac bonum, inquire pacem et persequere eam.”

Psalm 34:14, RSV–CE
“Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

What do my daily habits reveal about what I most deeply desire?
In moments of speech, do I pause long enough to consider whether my words serve peace?
Where in my life am I being invited to turn away from something that no longer gives life?
How does understanding Christ as the center of desire reshape the way I approach small, ordinary decisions?
What would it look like for my pursuit of peace to become more intentional and steady?

For other episodes in this series, visit

The Rule Of St. Benedict For Daily Life: Learning To Listen To God With A Discerning Heart