Friday, May 22, 2015

Chapter 5: Monastic obedience (paragraphs 1-3)


The first step on the way to humility is to obey an order without delaying for a moment. That is a response which comes easily to those who hold nothing dearer than Christ himself. (From para. 1 of Ch. 5 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

If my "abbess" is the inner teacher, or God speaking to me through others, Benedict's injunction could sometimes lead me, not to obedience, but to impulsivity or confusion. This is especially true if my ego is in overdrive, and my discernment isn't clear. But "holding nothing dearer than Christ himself" is a fruit of meditation -- a grounding in the heart, and a responsiveness borne of love. 

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