Chapter 66: The porter or portress of the monastery

At the entrance to the monastery there should be a wise senior who is too mature in stability to think of wandering about and who can deal with enquiries and give whatever help is required. (From para. 1 of Ch. 66 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I can glimpse the possibility of an inner emotional stability as a fruit of meditation. My emotions are a part of being human, and I experience their transience. I hope to befriend them, in their peace or drama, in their coming or going. Stability helps me to open my heart to the presence of Christ, to discover compassion for my own wayward feelings, and thus, greater compassion towards the difficult emotions of others.