In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor reflects on the second degree of humility in Chapter 7 of the Holy Rule. St. Benedict moves from awareness of God’s presence to the ordering of the human will. Humility becomes concrete when personal preference is placed within obedience to God.

Self-will often appears reasonable and justified, yet it can quietly shape life around personal control and insistence. Benedictine formation gently loosens that grip. Looking to Christ, who came not to do His own will but the will of the Father, the heart learns to surrender preference and rest in trust. Over time, this practice forms a deeper freedom as the will becomes aligned with God rather than governed by personal inclination.

Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 7 § 31 (RB 1980)

“The second degree of humility is that a person loves not his own will
nor takes pleasure in satisfying his desires,
but imitates the Lord, of whom the Scripture says:
‘I came not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.’”

“Secundus humilitatis gradus est, si propriam non amans voluntatem, nec delectetur implere desideria sua, sed imitatur Dominum, dicentem: Non veni facere voluntatem meam, sed eius qui me misit.”

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

1. Where do I most strongly experience the pull of personal preference?
2. How do I react when my plans or desires are interrupted?
3. In what ways does Christ’s obedience to the Father challenge my understanding of freedom?
4. Can I recognize the difference between a healthy desire and self-will that insists on control?
5. What small opportunity today might allow me to yield my preference peacefully?

Copyright © 2026 Kris McGregor. All rights reserved. No portion of this content may be reproduced, distributed, published, or transmitted in any form, including audio, print or digital media, without prior written permission from Discerning Hearts®.

In this episode of The Great Works in Western Literature, Kris McGregor and Joseph Pearce explore the life, struggles, and literary genius of Oscar Wilde through his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Pearce presents Wilde as a man defined by paradox. Brilliant, witty, and celebrated in Victorian society, Wilde was also deeply conflicted, drawn both to worldly pleasure and to the truth he encountered in Christianity. This inner struggle forms the heart of The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel that tells the story of a young man who trades his soul for eternal youth, only to discover that a life devoted to vanity and pleasure ultimately destroys both himself and those around him.

The discussion reveals how Wilde’s novel is far more than a gothic story about youth and beauty. It is a moral and spiritual meditation on conscience, temptation, and conversion. The portrait that ages while Dorian remains outwardly beautiful becomes a powerful symbol of the human soul, revealing the consequences of sin hidden beneath appearances. Pearce also reflects on how the novel speaks to modern culture, where celebrity, pleasure, and the pursuit of youth often replace deeper truths about virtue, sacrifice, and lasting joy. Wilde’s life itself mirrors this tension, ending with his reception into the Catholic Church, a final act that fulfilled a lifelong spiritual longing.

1. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portrait reveals the corruption hidden within the soul. What does this image teach us about the difference between outward appearance and the true condition of the heart?

2. Dorian Gray pursues pleasure, youth, and admiration at any cost. What dangers arise when a person seeks happiness only through pleasure or reputation rather than through virtue?

3. The story shows how small compromises gradually lead Dorian further away from goodness. In your own life, how can seemingly small choices shape the direction of the heart over time?

4. Joseph Pearce notes that literature allows us to learn from the lives of others. How can reading stories like The Picture of Dorian Gray help us recognize temptation and choose a better path?

5. Wilde’s own life was marked by both weakness and a longing for truth that eventually led him to the Catholic Church. What does this remind us about God’s mercy and the possibility of conversion even after great failure?

6. Modern culture often glorifies youth, celebrity, and self-indulgence. How does the warning found in The Picture of Dorian Gray challenge us to pursue a deeper and more lasting joy rooted in truth and virtue?

A native of England, Joseph Pearce is the internationally acclaimed author of many books, which include bestsellers such as The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. His books have been published and translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Croatian and Polish.

He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN, and has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets, was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa and South America.

He is Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University and Visiting Chair of Catholic Studies at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, New Hampshire). He is editor of the St. Austin Review, series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions, senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative and Crisis Magazine. His personal website is www.jpearce.co.

The Stations of the Cross – one of the most powerful devotionals alive in the heart of the Church. Reflecting and deeply meditating on the Passion of the Christ, Deacon Keating guides us through the 6th station (Veronica wipes the face of Jesus), the 7th station (Jesus falls a 2nd time), and the 8th station (Jesus encounters the women of Jerusalem) along the Way of the Cross.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Scripture Reading (Jerusalem Bible):

Micah 7:18-19
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in showing steadfast love. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Today’s scripture draws us into the heart of God’s steadfast love and mercy. “He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in showing steadfast love.” These words from the prophet Micah remind us of the boundless mercy of God, who longs not to condemn but to forgive, to heal, and to restore.

God’s forgiveness is not something we earn; it is a gift freely given. Yet, this gift calls for a response from us—a willingness to turn back to Him with contrite hearts. Lent is a time to embrace this call to repentance and to trust in God’s promise to “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” No matter how far we may feel from Him, His mercy is always greater.

The Desert Fathers knew that the path to forgiveness often began with humility and the courage to face one’s own weaknesses. Abba Moses the Black said:

“The one who knows his sins is greater than the one who raises the dead.” (Apophthegmata Patrum, Alphabetical Collection, Moses 11)

Similarly, St. Faustina Kowalska, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, reminds us:

“The greater the sinner, the greater the right they have to My mercy.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 723)

God’s mercy is not limited by our failures. It is infinite, waiting to embrace us when we turn to Him in trust. As we reflect today, let us ask: How can we open our hearts more fully to God’s forgiveness? And how can we extend that same mercy to others, reflecting the love we ourselves have received?

1. How does God’s steadfast love and forgiveness inspire us to return to Him with trust?
2. What areas of our lives are in need of healing and repentance?
3. How can we reflect God’s mercy in our relationships with others, especially those who have hurt us?

Lord, You are rich in mercy and delight in showing steadfast love. Teach us to trust in Your forgiveness and to turn back to You with humble hearts. Cast away our sins and fill us with Your healing grace. May Your mercy transform our lives so that we may reflect Your love and compassion to the world. Amen.

This reflection is written by Kris McGregor of Discerning Hearts®. The Scripture passage is taken from the Jerusalem Bible (1966 edition), used with permission. No unauthorized use or reproduction is permitted without prior written consent.

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—How can dying to myself help me to know God’s purpose?

Seek—Ask others to describe what your gifts are, and where they see you as being most authentic in your life. Resolve to see everyone who crosses your path as the servants that God sends to obtain fruit from the harvest.

Knock—Meditate on Revelation 22:1–2.

Then the angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.

How has your Baptism changed the curse of original sin in your life into the blessing of the mission that God gives you in Christ? When you receive the Eucharist, imagine that Christ is grafting you to himself, so that his life, his healing, his strength flow through you.

Transform Your Life—Ask Our Lord to reveal to you any areas of your life where you might be serving false gods. Ask him to help you to abandon yourself to God’s will in your life in the same way that he did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Believe in God’s providential care for you, no matter what has happened in your life in the past or present.

The author of The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ in Your Life, Michael Dubriuel, passed away in 2009. His wife, author Amy Welborn, has made his book available as a free e-book! We HIGHLY encourage you to download this exceptional work.

The Power of the Cross is now available as a free e-book,
check out more information by going here

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Kris McGregor and Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB reflect on Chapter 6 of the Rule of St. Benedict, which addresses restraint of speech and the spiritual importance of silence. In a culture overflowing with words, St. Benedict proposes something countercultural: silence as the pathway to deeper listening. Drawing on Scripture and the wisdom of the monastic tradition, the Rule reminds us that “in a flood of words, you will not avoid sin.” Silence is not a rejection of speech, but a discipline that allows words to regain their meaning and weight.

Fr. Mauritius explains that silence creates the space necessary to listen to God with the “ear of the heart,” the very first instruction of the Rule. Through intentional moments of quiet, prayer becomes more attentive, speech becomes more thoughtful, and the soul becomes receptive to God’s presence. Rather than an empty absence of sound, true silence is full, alive, and rooted in communion with God. In this way, the Benedictine tradition invites Christians to rediscover silence as a path to deeper prayer, humility, and spiritual freedom.

Let us do what the Prophet saith: “I said, I will take heed of my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I have set a guard to my mouth, I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence even from good things” (Ps 38[39]:2-3). Here the prophet showeth that, if at times we ought to refrain from useful speech for the sake of silence, how much more ought we to abstain from evil words on account of the punishment due to sin.

Therefore, because of the importance of silence, let permission to speak be seldom given to perfect disciples even for good and holy and edifying discourse, for it is written: “In much talk thou shalt not escape sin” (Prov 10:19). And elsewhere: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). For it belongeth to the master to speak and to teach; it becometh the disciple to be silent and to listen. If, therefore, anything must be asked of the Superior, let it be asked with all humility and respectful submission. But coarse jests, and idle words or speech provoking laughter, we condemn everywhere to eternal exclusion; and for such speech we do not permit the disciple to open his lips.

1. St. Benedict teaches restraint of speech so that we may listen more deeply. How often do I allow true silence to enter my daily life?

2. When I speak, do my words arise from reflection and prayer, or do they often flow without thought?

3. What role does silence play in my personal prayer? Do I allow space to listen after speaking to God?

4. How might practicing moments of intentional quiet help me become more attentive to God’s presence?

5. Have I experienced the difference between an empty silence and a silence filled with peace and communion?

6. In what ways might God be inviting me to listen more deeply with the “ear of the heart”?

Father Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., did his philosophical, theological, and doctoral studies in Europe. He is the author of several books and directs retreats regularly. He serves as Prior at Sant’Anselmo in Rome.

In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor reflects on the first degree of humility in Chapter 7 of the Holy Rule. St. Benedict begins with a simple but decisive foundation: keeping the fear of God always before our eyes. Humility begins when the heart lives with a steady awareness of God’s presence. This remembrance restores proper order to daily life and guards the heart from drifting into self-rule.

The fear of God in the Benedictine tradition is reverence, an awareness of who God is and who we are before Him. When that awareness remains active, speech, choices and responses begin to fall into place. This episode explores how humility grows through ordinary remembrance, through small moments of attentiveness that keep the heart turned toward God throughout the day.

Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 7 § 10 (RB 1980)

“The first degree of humility, then, is that a person keep the fear of God always before his eyes
and never forget it.”

“Primus humilitatis gradus est, si timorem Dei ante oculos semper habens, oblivionem omnino fugiat.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1. Do I live my daily life with a conscious awareness of God’s presence?

2. What happens in my heart when I forget God during ordinary moments?

3. How does reverence for God influence the way I speak, decide and respond?

4. Where in my day could I pause briefly and remember that my actions are lived before God?

5. How does Christ’s constant relationship with the Father illuminate the first degree of humility?

Copyright © 2026 Kris McGregor. All rights reserved. No portion of this content may be reproduced, distributed, published, or transmitted in any form, including audio, print or digital media, without prior written permission from Discerning Hearts®.