Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Benedict’s Rule as a Help for Lent

If you’re struggling with your Lenten commitment already, that may be a good thing because the purpose of Lent isn’t to do it perfectly, it is to reveal the things we’re putting before Christ. When we realize that there are things we prefer to Christ, we can go to the root of the problem and ask God to enter into that temptation. St. Benedict recognized this when he established his rule for monks. The rule ensured that their ascetic practices pointed to their ultimate goal of preferring nothing to Christ. If we employ this balance in our own Lenten fast, we find that by the end of Lent, our hearts will be ordered properly, with Christ first. Snippet from the Show “The whole goal of Lent is to orient ourselves so that we prefer nothing to Christ.”