Listen Carefully, My Child
St. Benedict emphasizes the importance of listening to God's precepts and obeying His advice in order to return to Him and serve Him with the good things He has given us.
St. Benedict of Nursia preaches about the importance of obedience to God, emphasizing the need to listen to God's precepts with an open heart and willingly carry out His advice. He encourages believers to renounce their own will and take up the weapons of obedience to serve under the Lord Christ. St. Benedict stresses the significance of earnest prayer in perfecting good works, ensuring that God is not grieved by our actions, and highlights the need to serve God faithfully to avoid His displeasure and eternal punishment.
Text
Listen carefully, my child,
to your master's precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father's advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
To you, therefore, my words are now addressed,
whoever you may be,
who are renouncing your own will
to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King,
and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.
And first of all,
whatever good work you begin to do,
beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it,
that He who has now deigned to count us among His children
may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds.
For we must always so serve Him
with the good things He has given us,
that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children,
nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions,
deliver us to everlasting punishment
as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.
Sermon Outline
- Listen to Your Master's Precepts
- The Importance of Obedience
- Return to God from whom you had departed
- Do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King
Key Quotes
“Receive willingly and carry out effectively your loving father's advice, that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.” — St. Benedict of Nursia
“For we must always so serve Him with the good things He has given us, that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children, nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions, deliver us to everlasting punishment as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.” — St. Benedict of Nursia
Application Points
- We must always listen carefully to God's precepts and advice in order to serve Him with the good things He has given us.
- Obedience is key to returning to God and avoiding His wrath.
- We should carry out God's advice with earnest prayer and a willingness to serve Him.