Chapter 59: Children offered by nobles of by the poor
Everything concerned with this property should be negotiated in such a way that not the slightest hint of personal expectations can be entertained by the child in a way which could lead through deception to ruin. (From para. 2 of Ch. 59 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
St. Benedict, and John Main, both urge me to relate purely and freely to the material world, with detachment, so that I may find my true source of belonging in God.
St. Benedict, and John Main, both urge me to relate purely and freely to the material world, with detachment, so that I may find my true source of belonging in God.
ReplyDeleteExpectations can lead, Benedict reminds me today, “through deception to ruin.” Only the truth, Abba, will lead me freely and safely through the Scyllas and Charybdises of my spiritual journey.