Chapter 28: The treatment of those who relapse
If even such prayer does not bring healing, the superior must turn to the knife of amputation, following the guidance of St Paul, who told the Corinthians to banish the evil from their midst, and again he said: if the unfaithful one wishes to go, let him go, lest one diseased sheep corrupt the whole flock. (From para. 2 of Ch. 28 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
To be fair and merciful, I must see the whole process of letting go of someone harmful to me or my community as selfless, discerning what is the most life-giving, redemptive course of action for everyone.
If even such prayer does not bring healing, the superior must turn to the knife of amputation, following the guidance of St Paul, who told the Corinthians to banish the evil from their midst, and again he said: if the unfaithful one wishes to go, let him go, lest one diseased sheep corrupt the whole flock. (From para. 2 of Ch. 28 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
To be fair and merciful, I must see the whole process of letting go of someone harmful to me or my community as selfless, discerning what is the most life-giving, redemptive course of action for everyone.
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