Chapter 29: The readmission of any who leave the monastery

Anyone who is guilty of serious wrong by the personal decision to leave the monastery but then asks to be received back again must first of all promise full reparation for leaving the monastery.(From Ch. 29 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

St. Benedict's requirement that I "repair" my false starts, my failings, my comings and goings, may involve material goods, but that is not the real point -- the real point is to repair relationships that have been harmed by my self-centeredness. Realizing such huge implications of my behavior can  make me feel helpless. But even that sense of helplessness is a call to recenter in God.