Chapter 62: The priests of the monastery
When ordained a monk must be careful to avoid a spirit of self-importance or pride and he must avoid taking on himself any duties to which the abbot has not assigned him. (From para.1 of Ch. 62 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
The shadow side of having spiritual gifts is my taking pride in them and manufacturing a sense of feeling special. The beauty of the gifts comes in using them as God leads me.
“Ideals are dangerous. . . . St. Benedict advised to say as little about prayer as possible. The monk who wants to pray has simply to enter the room and pray.” (John Main, “Monastery without walls”, Ch 11. Kindle loc 2173). My titles and my “titles”—including son, parent, grandparent, husband, male, Anglo-Saxon, American, etc.—are also dangerous. They can make me feel and act “entitled”, arrogant, demanding, rather than simply providing me with opportunities for service and my ongoing conversion of life. The poverty of the mantra and meditation—my "simply entering the room and praying"--can serve as my much-needed antidote to entitlement.
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