Chapter 24: Different degrees of severity in punishment
Anyone found guilty of faults which are not too serious should be excluded from taking part in community meals at the common table. (From Chapter 24 of Saint Benedict's Rule.)
I love meals with friends, especially when the experience exudes warmth and understanding. Meals with family are sometimes that way, too, but they can also be more challenging, particularly across the generational divide. I think St. Benedict is pointing to both kinds of experience here, in referring to the significance in taking part in community meals at the common table. Sometimes rewarding, sometimes irritating, the common table is where I learn to belong.
The community table is where we get both physical and spiritual nourishment. Perhaps St. Benedict wants to give us a taste of what life would be like without the spiritual nourishment. And in a sense it is quid pro quo. We have done something to disturb the spiritual center of the community, so the community is no longer able to give us the support we need.
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