So, Brothers and Sisters, We Have Asked the Lord
To dwell in God's tent and attain life everlasting, we must prepare our hearts and bodies for holy obedience, seek God's help, and take action now to fulfill the duties required.
St. Benedict of Nursia emphasizes the importance of following God's commands and preparing our hearts and bodies for spiritual battle under His holy obedience. He urges believers to seek God's grace to help them fulfill what may seem difficult by human nature. St. Benedict warns about the consequences of not obeying God's commands and encourages immediate action to secure eternal life while still in the body.
Text
So, brothers and sisters, we have asked the Lord
who is to dwell in His tent,
and we have heard His commands
to anyone who would dwell there;
it remains for us to fulfill those duties.
Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies
to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands;
and let us ask God
that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace
for anything which our nature finds hardly possible.
And if we want to escape the pains of hell
and attain life everlasting,
then, while there is still time,
while we are still in the body
and are able to fulfill all these things
by the light of this life,
we must hasten to do now
what will profit us for eternity.
Sermon Outline
- Preparing for Holy Obedience
- Seeking God's Help
- Taking Action
- Prepare our hearts
- Prepare our bodies
- Hasten to fulfill duties
- Do what will profit us for eternity
Key Quotes
“Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands;” — St. Benedict of Nursia
“And if we want to escape the pains of hell and attain life everlasting, then, while there is still time, while we are still in the body and are able to fulfill all these things by the light of this life, we must hasten to do now what will profit us for eternity.” — St. Benedict of Nursia
Application Points
- We must take action now to fulfill the duties required to dwell in God's tent, rather than putting it off until later.
- Seeking God's help is essential for fulfilling the duties required to dwell in His tent.
- Preparing our hearts and bodies for holy obedience is crucial for escaping the pains of hell and attaining life everlasting.