Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 15)
The eighth step of humility teaches us to do nothing which goes beyond what is approved and encouraged by the common rule of the monastery and the example of our seniors. (Para. 15 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)
At first, this paragraph reads to me like a real damper on individual initiative and discernment. But the qualities I read more deeply into it are true self-knowledge, openness to being formed in a wisdom tradition, and stability in seeking Christ in my heart. It's also not too much of a stretch for me to recognize the faithful discipline required by the practice of meditation. In this way, St. Benedict offers me a guide to liberty of spirit.
"It is better to ask the way ten times than to take the wrong road once," Joan Chittister reminds me today, citing a Jewish proverb. Abba, help me to embrace this simple antidote to arrogance—my willingness to ask for direction.
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