Chapter 3: Calling the community together for consultation (paragraph 1)

The community themselves should be careful to offer their advice with due deference and respect, avoiding an obstinate defence of their own convictions. (From para. 1 of Ch. 3 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Assumptions and self-defense can cause problems in my dialogue with others, even in subtle ways. Email and texting can make misunderstanding each other exponentially worse. Meditation teaches me to recognize the control tactics of my ego, especially the habit of the sarcastic riposte, so that I might engage authentically with another. May I truly learn to express the deference, respect and self-control that spring from the compassionate heart.