Chapter 28: The treatment of those who relapse

If even such prayer does not bring healing, the superior must turn to the knife of amputation, following the guidance of St Paul, who told the Corinthians to banish the evil from their midst, and again he said: if the unfaithful one wishes to go, let him go, lest one diseased sheep corrupt the whole flock. (From Ch. 28 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

At first, Benedict speaks of amputation, but then he speaks of letting go. Letting go can sometimes feel like amputation. But I can't judge the path another needs to take for growth, just as I can't judge the person who takes it. Neither can I understand the mysteries of growth, I can only experience the transformative powers of suffering and faith.