
What is a rule of life?
A rule of life is a bit like a healthy living plan for the spiritual life. Just like we make plans for wellness by thinking about how we will eat, exercise, and practice mindfulness, so we can craft a tailored rule of life for our spiritual fitness.
For a Christian, a rule of life should develop and grow out of the Gospel and the faith and order of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church. It will include practices that we share in common as Christians, but it can also include practices that nourish us individually. The neat thing about a rule of life is that we can shape it to fit with our current life stage and situation. A rule of life for parents with young children will look different from one for single students, or a retired couple.
A rule of life is never an end in itself, but a means of ordering one’s life toward Christ. If kept for it’s own sake, the a rule of life is just another installation of the Law, rather than solid but flexible
scaffolding for a journey toward Jesus and his call for us.
Each week we’ll look at a different aspect of rule of life, with the intent that folks would craft their own personal rule of life over the course of the Lenten series. These will include reflections from the clergy of Christ Church on:
public worship . private devotions
public witness . social action
stewardship