Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraphs 10-11)
The fourth step of humility is to go even further than this by readily accepting in patient and silent endurance, without thought of giving up or avoiding the issue, any hard and demanding things that may come our way in the course of that obedience, even if they include harsh impositions which are unjust. (From para 10 of ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
I have finally come to realize that patient and silent endurance in the face of harsh and unjust impositions is not necessarily humiliation. It's an opportunity for humility that allows me to go much deeper than reactivity, so I can face the issue in a new and more realized way.
A wise friend shocked me once when he said to me, “Don’t take it personally.” I had been complaining about some verbal abuse I felt I had recently endured, echoing similar abuse I had experienced as a child. “How can I not take it personally when someone calls me a _______?”, I responded. “Consider the source”, he replied. “Remember that that person is another sick human being, just like you and I.” Another part of my daily death, Abba. If the shoe fits I must humbly wear it. If not, you teach me to have the humility to show consideration for whoever is the source of my discomfort. Everyday lessons in humility, love and daily dying!
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