✠ First of all, you must love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and all your strength. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.
You are not to kill,
nor commit adultery,
nor steal,
nor covet,
nor bear false witness.
You must honor everyone.
✠ Never turn away when someone needs your love.
Bring relief to the poor and the suffering.
Feed the hungry.
Clothe the naked.
Shelter the homeless.
Visit the sick.
Console the sorrowing.
Bury the dead.
Keep death daily before your eyes.
✠ Love your enemies.
Do not curse those who may curse you, but bless them instead.
Do not repay one bad turn with another, but with kindness instead.
Do not do to another what you do not want done to yourself.
From The Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 4, “The Tools of Good Works.” Paraphrased.
The Rule was written in the sixth century as a guide for women and men wishing to live communally as nuns and monks according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For original text and translations, see www.osb.org.
I also created a PDF version for printing.
Erstwhile Human 