Chapter 36: The care of the sick in the monastery

The care of those who are sick in the community is an absolute priority, which must rank before every other requirement, so that there may be no doubt that it is Christ who is truly served in them. (From para. 1 of Ch. 36 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

What is the relationship between those who are sick and Christ, that St Benedict so clearly draws? The acceptance of my own sickness, weakness, and other infirmities can bring me closer to who I really am, powerless except for the Spirit, and to witness this for others.