WCCM Oblate Blog: Reflections from Daily Reading of the Rule of St. Benedict

WCCM Benedictine Oblates are encouraged to read a designated portion of the Rule daily, and to write a brief, personal response. I hope that this blog will support our Oblate community in this practice. Please, keep blog entries brief and in a first-person ("I") voice. Refrain from discussing, offering an opinion, or commenting on other entries. Simply consider how a particular section of the Rule is speaking to you in your present circumstances.

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Chapter 70: The offence of striking another

Every occasion for presumptuous behaviour in a monastery must be avoided, so we insist that no one in the community may excommunicate or strike another unless given the power to do so by the superior. (From Ch. 70 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Presumptuous behavior, it seems to me, is the opposite of right relationship. The first, motivated by the ego, drives me to assume power over others. The second, motivated by the Spirit, allows me to serve the best interest of others.

1 comment:

Wally SaundersApril 28, 2019 at 5:43 AM
“Silent scorn” is one way my egocentricity can lead me to strike out at others . Lord deliver me from my often unconscious tendency to judge and thereby demean a brother or sister.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment