Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 8)
The second step of humility is not to love having our own way nor to delight in our own desires. Instead we should take as our model for imitation the Lord himself when he says: I have come not to indulge my own desires but to do the will of him who sent me. (From para. 8 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Benedict tells me that Jesus acknowledged his own desires: his ego and his will. But acknowledgement is not the same thing as indulgence or disdain. Acknowledgement leaves room for compassion, and compassion leaves room for growth and transformation. When I am compassionate about my self-centered desires, I leave room for growth. In this growth, my ego can be transformed into a vehicle of service.
Benedict tells me that Jesus acknowledged his own desires: his ego and his will. But acknowledgement is not the same thing as indulgence or disdain. Acknowledgement leaves room for compassion, and compassion leaves room for growth and transformation. When I am compassionate about my self-centered desires, I leave room for growth. In this growth, my ego can be transformed into a vehicle of service.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved dancing. And humility to me is all about dancing, dancing with you, Abba.
"The second step of humility is not to love having our own way nor to delight in our own desires." I can too easily take this as Benedict's being a killjoy. In reality you teach me, Abba, that embracing your will is the pathway to true joy, learning again that your yoke is sweet and your burden light. You remind me, Abba, that, after all, I do get to have the joy of having my own way and of delighting in my own desires, because you allow me to make my way your way, to dance with you.
"You can’t diminish God’s love for you. What you can do, however, is learn how to believe it, receive it, trust it, allow it, and celebrate it, accepting Trinity’s whirling invitation to join in the cosmic dance." (Richard Rohr)iii