Chapter 33: Personal possessions in the monastery
It is vitally important to cut out by the roots from the monastery the bad practice of anyone in the community giving away anything or accepting any gift for themselves, as if it were their own personal property, without the permission of the superior. (From Ch. 33 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
I find giving and receiving gifts delightful. But these words of St. Benedict's urge me to consider how even the most pleasant gifts (given or received) can come with hidden strings of ego attached. For my part, I will try to give and receive without selfishness, favoritism, attempts to control another or make someone indebted to me.
This may seem like the 'final frontier' on our spiritual journey. Buddhist monks reply on the generosity of the community for their daily meal. Our monks take vows of poverty. But conventional wisdom tells us that God helps those who help themselves (which, actually, is the opposite of what the Bible says). Am I ready to release my grasp on worldly possessions? Not yet! But who (apart from God) knows? As Jean Vanier so often says “It's a long road”. Maybe the closer we get to the monastery the looser our grip on the world becomes.
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