Chapter 21: The deans of the monastery

If any of the deans are affected by some breath of pride which lays them open to adverse criticism, they should be corrected once or twice or even three times. (From para. 2 of Ch. 21 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

The breath of pride in my behavior means I have taken an opportunity to be of service, and turned it into an opportunity to control. Thus, to be laid open to adverse criticism, is actually an opportunity to grow in self knowledge, to see how the ego can insinuate itself into just about anything,  so that I might really be of service to others.