Chapter 64: The election of an abbot or abbess (paragraphs 3-4)
In correcting faults they must act with prudence being conscious of the danger of breaking the vessel itself by attacking the rust too vigourously. They should always bear their own frailty in mind and remember not to crush the bruised reed. (From para. 3 of Ch. 64 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
This is powerful imagery of the rusted vessel and the bruised reed -- I feel it in myself. Yet I also know from my own experience that hidden in the weakness, hidden in the wound, Christ tenderly waits for me to find him.
At times, it seems, that in order to stand a bit taller some people require (perhaps even desire) the wreckage of another's personhood on which to stand. Actions based on love and forgiveness are God-given antidotes to this insidious temptation.
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