So many times before I’ve thought this and journaled it and even voiced it aloud to myself, that I shudder at doing it still again in fear of outrageous vain repetition. But here I go again—the time has come for me to seriously discipline myself and do the important things and do them consciously, consistently, even constantly. I must return to the Center—Jesus Christ—and allow him to make all things new as he re-creates them according to his own heart. I apply this morning to join the Order of the Burning Heart—a hybrid monastic order that seeks to thrive spiritually in the midst of ordinary life. The withdrawing will not be physical presence but my heart into the deep and secret dwelling of Christ himself within me. The Order of the Burning Heart will seek to find that place, not to worship the place but the One who sanctifies it by his own Name. With Paul our hearts will cry, “I want to know Christ”—Christ and Christ alone! I will embrace all who join this quest to know him tangibly, experientially. This perpetual pilgrimage of heart will acknowledge no sectarian or denominational lines drawn in the sand by clay vessels and ignores all man-made divisions. It will embrace every writer and writing, image and image-maker, artist and artwork, every place and every living thing that aids in the quest to know Christ in fullness and ongoing experience. Classical spiritual guides will be consulted through their writings and experiences as well as spiritual sages of the present. Present day seekers will be encouraged to continue seeking. Above all, Christ will be known and exalted and will become in practical expression all that he already is in reality—absolutely everything!
The Order of the Burning Heart will be a monastic order of the heart that exists according to a monastic rule, much like that of St. Benedict or St. Francis. The difference is that this order is for all, male and female, and one joins by adhering to the quest for Christ midst the ordinary rather than by withdrawing to a place of isolation. The Order espouses vital and radical spirituality while flowing in the mainstream of common life. It is a re-creation of the ordinary rather than a rejection of it. It is a clarion call to practice the presence of God as Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach experienced it.
A rule is a set of principles and actions around which we organize our lives. Everyone lives by a rule, although many do so unconsciously. A rule is a value that determines choices and governs behavior. It encompasses certain habits that express the value in practical terms. The Rule of St. Benedict was written by St. Benedict, who is often credited with being the father or Western monasticism. He wasn’t given this title because he was the first monk or because he started the first monastery, but because, with few exceptions, Western monasteries use the Rule that he wrote about a millennium and a half ago. Benedict called his document “a little rule for beginners.” The entire text is seventy-three very short chapters consisting of no more than one hundred pages of print. It is remarkable for its brevity and clarity. A rule, in the sense used by St. Benedict, means a plan for living with others in a certain way. It is the glue of monastic life. Benedict’s rule provides a basic unity to the Western expression of monastic life.
None of us live to ourselves, and therefore monastic life may instruct us on our shared pilgrimage. Monasteries are a place where people go to live with others who have withdrawn from the world to better focus on God. They vow themselves to a shared pursuit. They take vows of obedience, stability, celibacy and poverty. The Rule allows strangers to live together in harmony as they strive for a common understanding of spiritual truth. But all of us spend our lives with others. We may be married or single, in a family or on our own, but we do not exist in isolation. Therefore, the monastic approach to life and spirituality may be instructive and assist us, and the Rule may be our guide to a more disciplined and intentional approach to knowing Christ. The Rule of St. Bendict opens with the word “listen”: “Listen carefully, my children, to the master’s instruction, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” (Prologue: 1). We, too, must open our hearts to listen to Christ, and the Rule will help us.
I propose the following as the Rule of the Order of the Burning Heart, to be followed for no other purpose than to more intimately know Jesus Christ:
1. Meditate on the teachings of Christ in the gospels daily.
a. All Scripture is divinely inspired and beneficial, but the Order places priority on the direct teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospels. This teaching is to be, as much as is possible, committed to memory.
b. Scripture expounding upon the teachings of Christ holds a next place or priority for the Order. These are to be studied and meditated upon regularly.
2. Practice the presence of God by focusing on prayer as relationship.
a. This is done while conducting ourselves at work and in relationship with others. Again, we are not concerned so much with retreat as focus.
b. Seeing prayer as relationship allows us to find in Jesus Christ our greatest source of joy and refreshment.
3. Practice the classical spiritual disciplines designed to bring a greater focus on the Person of Jesus Christ in our lives.
a. These incorporate the inward, outward, as well as corporate disciplines.
b. The disciplines are aids to knowing Christ, not laws to follow in order to please him.
4. Live in fellowship with other believers.
a. We will live in fellowship with other believers and worship with them regularly. Our criteria is to worship with others who are worshipping Jesus Christ as Lord, regardless of their methodology or worship.
5. Live as Christ to our fellow man, paying particular attention to the outcastes of society.
a. To know Christ is to live as Christ to all others.
May Christ enable us as we engage in the highest pursuit--that of knowing Jesus Christ.
