BW44 – Guarding What Is Hidden – The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life: Learning to Listen to God with a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor Episode 44 – St. Gregory the Great – The Pastoral Rule: Guarding What Is Hidden

In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor continues with St. Gregory the Great and reflects on a quieter danger in the spiritual life: not open failure, but the slow erosion that can come through long responsibility, weariness, and the desire to be seen as good, dependable, or necessary. Gregory knows that what is at risk is not only the work itself, but the soul doing it. A person may continue serving faithfully on the outside while the hidden life with God begins to thin out within.

Gregory’s warning is both sober and merciful. Good work becomes dangerous when the heart begins to feed on visibility, praise, or the comfort of being appreciated. Prayer grows thin, humility weakens, and service quietly shifts away from God. That is why Gregory insists that the interior life must be guarded even more carefully than the works others can see. Hidden fidelity protects the soul from this erosion and keeps the heart turned toward God rather than toward recognition.

This teaching belongs deeply within the Benedictine way. The Holy Rule trains a person not to build life on praise, notice, or self-importance. Stability keeps the heart in place before God. Humility checks the desire to be lifted up. Obedience keeps action ordered toward God’s will rather than self-satisfaction. This episode invites listeners to guard what is hidden, remain faithful where no one sees, and let prayer stay deeper than appearance, so that perseverance can endure in freedom and truth.

Citations

St. Gregory the Great: The Pastoral Rule

“Often the mind is lifted up by the good it does,
and while it seeks the praise of men,
it loses the reward of God.
Therefore the shepherd must guard the interior life
more carefully than the works that are seen.”

Matthew 6:6, RSV–Catholic Edition

“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

1. Where in my service or responsibilities am I tempted to draw strength from recognition or praise?
2. Has weariness or long responsibility thinned out my hidden life with God?
3. Do I notice disappointment or resentment when my sacrifices go unseen?
4. What helps keep my heart anchored in God rather than in results or approval?
5. How is Christ inviting me to remain faithful in what is hidden and unseen?

For other episodes in this series, visit The Rule Of St. Benedict For Daily Life: Learning To Listen To God With A Discerning Heart Pick up a copy of The Rule of St. Benedict here

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®.