Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Chapter 5: Monastic obedience (paragraph 4)


We should remember, however, that such obedience will be acceptable to God and rewarding to us, if we carry out the orders given us in a way that is not fearful, nor slow, nor half-hearted, nor marred by murmuring or the sort of compliance that betrays resentment. (From para. 4 of Ch. 5 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

The destructive behaviors that St. Benedict so astutely describes are passive-aggressive; for me, the way forward out of such a negative cycle is kindness of heart -- a fruit of (and preparation for) meditation.

1 comment:

  1. For my obedience to be acceptable to God is for me to learn simply 'to obey.'

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