Chapter 23: Faults which deserve excommunication
If an individual in the community is defiant, disobedient, proud or given to murmuring or in any other way set in opposition to the holy Rule and contemptuous of traditions of the seniors, then we should follow the precept of our Lord. (From Ch. 23 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Excommunication has, for me, the horrible connotation of public shunning, or the punitive self-righteousness of institutions. But I think what Benedict's getting at, by looking at some of the problems he identifies (defiance, disobedience, pride, murmuring, opposition, contempt) is that the greatest faults one can have in community -- or in relationship -- are qualities that weaken the very body of the community. In that sense, it seems to me that excommunication (there has to be a better word for it -- maybe today we could think of it as "boundary setting", for instance) is a serious attempt to help someone realize what makes the community healthy and what makes it sick.
Any seed with its hard shell, just like me, with my hard shell, needs to be buried and needs to disintegrate to release the life inside. Abba, Great Landscape Architect, help me to surrender today to your disintegrating and rejuvenating love that places me exactly where I belong in this your art piece that is this beautiful universe..
ReplyDeleteThe reading from Scripture today is telling me to "be merciful...to stop judging...stop condemning...(and) forgive."(Luke 6:36,37) Then these words of Christ go on to say, "Give and gifts will be given to you.."(Luke 36:38) What kind of "giving"and what kind of gifts could Christ be talking about to me? I read this in conjunction with this chapter of Benedict and I see that however I feel and act has rippled effects on the whole community, family, church.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the greatest gift I can give? Freedom of loving-- When I am given freedom of choice to love and knowing what the opposite does to a community, I want to choose love that is merciful and forgiving. Under all these statements is the constant repetition of the mantra.