Chapter 63: Community order (paragraphs 2-3)
In that way they will conform to scripture which says they should try to be the first to show respect for each other. (From para. 2 of Ch. 63 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
In my glimpses of what continuous prayer must be like, I realize that it is like gazing on the other with love -- a non-possessive love reflective of the other's inner beauty -- a wondrous aspect of living in a sphere of mutual respect.
Recognizing hidden prejudices and biases towards others and owning them brings me to freedom. Yes, a freedom that allows me to be open to the gifts that others have for me. Be open to respecting others, Benedict tells me , "out of honor and love for Christ." This openness comes from Christ being the center of my life. Of course it is not I who am doing this but Christ teaching me everyday through the vows and the practices to which I am committed and through others. If I had turned away from a woman I had just met because of prejudice for whatever reason, I would have missed that smile and the eyes that looked at me with such kindness. Everyday Christ announces new things to me through people and places. I will only "see" , and "hear" if I free myself of my stubborn and false images which is what Isaiah reminds me of in today's reading.
ReplyDelete“To know someone is not knowing something about them, which might give you power over them. Knowing someone is to be in harmony with them. The Hebrew word for know is the same as the word to love. Knowing is to be one with.” (john Main, “Way of Unknowing” Kindle loc1182). The recovery adage “Identify, don’t compare” says the same thing to me. Knowledge/love enables me to identify with and respect everyone of my brothers, in fact, everyone on the planet, no matter how different they may appear on the surface.
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