In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor continues with St. Hildegard of Bingen and her vision of God as the One who orders and sustains all things. Hildegard begins not with the self but with God, whose power gives life, fruitfulness, and right order to creation. Her Benedictine formation matters deeply here. Living within the Holy Rule, the Divine Office, and the rhythm of the liturgical year, she learns to see the world as charged with meaning, upheld by the strong hand of the Ruler of All.

Hildegard reminds us that creation is not self-made and not self-sustaining. The sky, the air, the earth, and all living things bear witness to the wisdom and power of God. This vision matters because humility begins when we remember that we are not the source of life. Much of our fear comes from living as though everything depends on us. Hildegard calls the soul back to reality: there is a Ruler of All, and that truth is meant not to crush us but to free us.

This episode also draws out the deep harmony between Hildegard’s vision and the Benedictine way. Stability teaches us to remain with God even when prayer feels dry or life feels heavy. Obedience teaches us to listen with the ear of the heart for the indwelling Christ. Humility grows as we learn that God sees more than we see and holds together what we cannot. In Christ, God’s rule is revealed not as cold force but as faithful love. This episode invites listeners to place their fear, weariness, and need for control beneath the greater wisdom and fidelity of God.

St. Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias: Book Two, Vision One

“No creature is so dull of nature as not to know what changes in the things that make it fruitful cause it to attain its full growth. The sky holds light, light air, and air the birds; the earth nourishes plants, plants fruit and fruit animals; which all testify that they were put there by a strong hand, the supreme power of the Ruler of All, Who in His strength has provided so for them all that nothing is lacking to them for their use.”

“For from him and through him and to him are all things.

1. Where in my life am I acting as though everything depends on me?
2. How does fear affect my need to manage, secure, or control what is happening around me?
3. What does it mean for me to live more consciously under God as the Ruler of All?
4. How have stability, prayer, and obedience been helping me grow in trust?
5. How does Christ reveal that God’s rule is not distant power but faithful love?

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®.

Day 8: Mary, handmaid of the Lord

Then Mary said “I am the Handmaid of the Lord” (Luke I:38)

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Do I believe in the power of Jesus to forgive?

Seek—Acknowledge your sinfulness before God. Make a daily examination of conscience. In whom are you placing your trust, in Jesus or yourself? Frequently ask God to help you to sin no more.

Knock—Meditate on Philippians 3:8–11.

Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him.

I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith.

All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. That is the way I can hope to take my place in the resurrection of the dead.

What does Paul mean when he speaks of his faith in Christ? Why would he count everything else as a loss and garbage? How can one become more like Christ in his death?

Transform Your Life—See yourself as no different than the greatest sinner or greatest saint. Potentially, you could be one or the other; the outcome depends more upon the one in whom you place your trust than any personal merit of your own.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format.

You can find the book here:
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https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

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 Fifth Sunday of Lent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff turns to the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus and the promise spoken through the prophet Ezekiel that God will open the graves and restore life to his people. He proclaims that apart from Christ, humanity lives in a state of spiritual death, but through faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life, new life is given even now.

Msgr. Esseff reflects on Jesus’ question to Martha, “Do you believe this?” as the central call of Lent. Faith is not simply intellectual agreement but a surrender to the life of Christ offered through baptism and the Holy Spirit. The raising of Lazarus reveals not only Christ’s power over death but also the deeper truth that all are invited to share in his life through union with him.

The reflection concludes with a call to renewal for both the elect preparing for baptism and those already baptized. Lent becomes a time to reject sin, renounce the power of evil, and embrace fully the life of Christ within. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, believers are invited to move from death to life, preparing to celebrate the victory of Christ at Easter.

1. Do I truly believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life in my own daily experience?
2. Where do I see signs of spiritual death or discouragement in my life right now?
3. How is Christ inviting me to deeper trust and surrender during this Lenten season?
4. What areas of sin or attachment do I need to renounce more fully?
5. How can I open my heart more completely to the life of the Holy Spirit within me?

In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor turns to St. Hildegard of Bingen and her great work Scivias. Formed by the Benedictine life of prayer, stability, obedience, and attentive listening, Hildegard speaks from within the wisdom of the Holy Rule. Her visions are not distractions from that life, but expressions of a soul deeply grounded in it.

Hildegard begins with God, not with the self. She shows us the living God who sustains, orders, and heals all things. Her vision helps recover a truth we easily forget: life is not self-generated or secured by our own strength. It is given by God, held in Him, and restored by His grace. When that order is forgotten, the soul begins to dry out. When it is received again, healing begins.

This episode also shows how Hildegard’s teaching flows naturally from Benedictine formation. Stability teaches the soul to rest in God’s order. Obedience teaches deep listening. Prayer teaches us to stand before God in truth and receive life as a gift. Hildegard opens that vision more widely, helping us see creation and the human person as alive in God. In Christ, the living Word, all things hold together and are made new. This episode invites listeners to recover wonder, reverence, and a deeper awareness of God’s living presence.

St. Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias: Book Two, Vision One

“This blazing fire that you see symbolizes the Omnipotent and Living God, Who in His most glorious serenity was never darkened by any iniquity; incomprehensible, because He cannot be divided by any division or known as He is by any part of any of His creatures’ knowledge; inextinguishable, because He is that Fullness that no limit ever touched; wholly living, for there is nothing that is hidden from Him or that He does not know; and wholly Life, for everything that lives takes its life from Him.”

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

1. Do I live as though life depends mostly on my own effort, control, or planning?
2. Where in my life have I lost a sense of wonder, reverence, or dependence on God?
3. How have prayer, obedience, and stability been helping to shape the way I see reality?
4. What in my soul feels dry, tired, or withered and in need of God’s healing life?
5. How does Christ as the living Word help me understand creation, prayer, and my own life more deeply?

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®.