Chapter 2: Gifts needed by an abbot or abbess (paragraph 3)
Any, then, who accept the name of abbot or abbess should give a lead to their disciples by two distinct methods of teaching -- by example of the lives they lead (and that is the most important way) and by the words they use in their teaching. (From para. 3 of Ch.2 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
The methods St. Benedict mentions may be distinct, and yet I think there can be a synergism of them in the authentic voice of a teacher, such as John Main. Fr. John would often teach with the words, "in my experience", and the truth of those words has helped me to recognize my own authentic experience of the Spirit. Sometimes I'm blessed with the opportunity to share "in my experience" with others, by my life and by my words.
The methods St. Benedict mentions may be distinct, and yet I think there can be a synergism of them in the authentic voice of a teacher, such as John Main. Fr. John would often teach with the words, "in my experience", and the truth of those words has helped me to recognize my own authentic experience of the Spirit. Sometimes I'm blessed with the opportunity to share "in my experience" with others, by my life and by my words.
I like the way St. Francis of Assisi put it: “Preach always, and, if necessary, use words.”
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