Chapter 27: The superior's care for the excommunicated
Therefore the superior should use every curative skill as a wise doctor does, for instance by sending in senpectae, that is, mature and wise senior members of the community who may discreetly bring counsel to one who is in a state of uncertainty and confusion; their task will be to show the sinner the way to humble reconciliation and also to bring consolation, as St Paul also urges, to one in danger of being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow and in need of the reaffirmation of love which everyone in the community must achieve through their prayer. (From para. 1 of Ch. 27 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
For me, a crucial part of living is learning to engage with suffering. This morning, Benedict's passage speaks to me of the divinized power of spiritual friendship, of communion in silence, and of the energy of shared prayer.
To "someone in the need of the reaffirmation of love" , I reflect that it cannot be a "possessive"or "manipulative" love. That kind of love is based on the need to be sustained in (my) own illusions, and sustaining others in theirs. "Only when (I) have
ReplyDeleterenounced these illusions can (I) then go out to others in true compassion." (from A Retreat with Thomas Merton by Esther de Waal) And where do these illusions fall away and how do I drop them which are so much apart of me? Only in the solitude of meditation and prayer day after day. I begin to recognize the lame and thoughtless suggestions that I make about how a person can overcome their sorrow or depression. Because of that recognition, the most loving act I can do is remain silent and listen with all my heart.