Chapter 71: Mutual obedience in the monastery
Any monk or nun who is corrected for anything by abbot or abbess or one of the seniors and perceives that the senior is upset by feelings of anger, even though they may be well in control, then that junior should at once prostrate on the ground in contrition and not move until the senior gives a blessing which will heal the upset. (From Ch. 71 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Too often I get caught up in proving a point about who's right or wrong. What matters is being kind to each other, and moving on.
“Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?” Too often my ego spurs me to insist on the correctness of my point of view. My stubborn righteousness creates unhappiness for my spouse and others in my family and community. Again, the silence, stillness and simplicity of my twice-daily meditation is my best remedy, my ticket to obedience and peace.
ReplyDelete“…but the brethren are also to obey one another, knowing that this road of obedience they are going to God.” I am imagining how beautiful is to see a community of brothers and sisters obeying one another in love. In my mind, I can see a picture of peace and harmony. But in real life, especially in the marketplace, this is very difficult because of the culture of competition. In this, the mantra helps me be focused on my one and only goal … of being with God.
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