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 seeing reality, the opposite of right relationship. Presumption comes from the ego and drives me to make judgments and assume power over others. Seeing reality is a gift of the Spirit, putting me into right relationship with the other, without any objective other than to be.