Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 18)
We should be brief and reasonable in whatever we have to say and not raise our voice to insist on our own opinions. (From para. 18 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Sometimes I think yelling is in the ears of the beholder, when I recall the times family members have insisted that I "yelled" at them, and I would have said I was only being firm. But if I stop defending myself, I have to acknowledge a degree of passion that someone felt was "aimed" at them. May I learn through meditation to speak in the way the Spirit teaches.
Benedict here reminds of John Main’s saying that the best preparation for meditation is to perform simple acts of kindness. My laughter at the expense of another is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteThe 10th step describes a "fool" who is callous, irresponsible, and loud in laughter. The qualities of the laughter indicate shallowness, egoism and a disregard for the feelings of the other. The 11th step points to the "wise" person who is gentle, serious and quiet indicating regard for others. It is in the company of others that a fool is known as a fool and a wise person as wise. It is love or its lack that lies at the root of these two types. It is in meditation that learning about love is strengthened for me. Yes, "Meditation is the way of being, being in God, being-in-love."(Silence and Stillness, p. 164)It is where I am beginning to "understand" about love as I am loved which can flow out to others, gently, wisely and quietly.
ReplyDelete