Beginning Again with Christ

After everything Benedict has written, he ends with extraordinary humility. He says, in effect, that this Rule is only a beginning. Anyone seeking greater perfection should continue into Scripture and the wisdom of the saints. Benedict does not present his Rule as the destination, but as a path that teaches beginners how to walk.

That is a fitting ending because the spiritual life never reaches a point where we can say, "I have finished." There is always more room to love, forgive, pray, listen, and grow. The Rule gives us structure, but the goal is Christ. Perhaps the best way to finish reading Benedict is therefore to begin again—not because we failed the first time, but because God will always have something new to show us.