Sunday, July 10, 2016

Chapter 36: The care of the sick in the monastery 


The care of those who are sick in the community is an absolute priority, which must rank before every other requirement, so that there may be no doubt that it is Christ who is truly served in them.
(From para. 1 of Ch. 36 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

This morning my mind searches for a larger meaning for the term "sick", to encompass personal weakness of all sorts. I think that one of the fruits of meditation is to learn to lovingly recognize weakness, in myself and in others. Also, I understand that, in the Spirit, weakness can become solid ground for selflessness -- for Christ's healing power of relationship -- to take root and grow.

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