Vigils Reading – Office for Vocations

The narrow way to God,

a reading from a sermon by St. Aelred of Reivaulx (CSQ 4:80-81)

As Saint Gregory has said, this present life is nothing other than a way. He who lives well and praiseworthily passes to God, and to life eternal. But the man who lives an evil life is journeying towards hell and eternal death. This is the way of sinners. David speaks of it in the first psalm: “Happy the man who never follows the advice of the wicked, or loiters in the way of sinners”.

Very logically, indeed, he says the death of sinners is the worst because their way is evil. And as the Apostle says: “Evil men go from bad to worse; erring themselves, they lead others into error”.  The death of sinners therefore is said to be the “worst”, because as long as they live they become more and more evil, until, having reached the depths, they merit to be cut off and thrown into the fire.

But our blessed Father Benedict did not follow this way. He did not lead an evil life but held fast to the way of which it is said : “The way of the just is straight”.  Although narrow, it leads to life. For those who are beginning, it is indeed narrow, as it was for David when he said “Because of the words of your mouth I have followed difficult ways”.  But did this prophet ever say that because he found it difficult in the beginning he left or he thought he should leave it? God forbid! Rather he held fast until he could make this very different statement: “I have run in the way of your commandments because you have enlarged my heart”.  Saint Benedict also found the way narrow at the beginning of his conversion. But in the end he found it wide open. Was not the way difficult for him? As we read in his Life, in order not to consent to lust, he threw himself into a thorn bush. But when he found the way difficult, what did he do? He did not depart from it ; rather he held fast and manfully stood his ground. He first did what he later taught, so that he might teach his followers what he himself did. Thus Pope Saint Gregory said of him: “Just as he lived, so he taught. He could not teach other than he lived”. That he stood manfully in the way of God we can learn from his own words, since in his Rule he warns one shaken by fear not to depart from the way of salvation.