Sunday, March 1, 2015

Chapter 24: Different degrees of severity in punishment


The severity of excommunication or any other punishment should correspond to the gravity of the fault committed, and it is for the superior to decide about the seriousness of faults. (From Ch. 24 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

This direction from Benedict powerfully focusses the light on my responsibility, by linking my self-righteousness about "punishing" another with an urge to overreact. I'm responsible in any situation where I get hurt or angry, and have an opportunity to respond to another. Do I react with a wallop of uncontrolled emotion? Do I step back and consult my Inner Teacher? Do I with respond with love, appropriateness, and concern for the other and our relationship?

1 comment:

  1. That “arrogance of low self-esteem” remains alive and well in me, Abba. Fear-engendered timidity enslaves me, isolates me. It leads me to want to “excommunicate” myself from “the common table”, from joining the human race, from accepting myself as a commoner: a beautiful but imperfect human being. My perfectionism makes me reluctant to communicate myself by writing these few simple words. But, connection with you through meditation and the mantra lead me to freedom once more. I continue my typing and thus, perhaps, make a small “satisfaction” for my tendencies to self-excommunicate.

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