Chapter 30: The correction of young children

There is a proper way of dealing with every age and every degree of understanding, and we should find the right way of dealing with the young.

(From Ch. 30 of St. Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Somebody said -- was it Jean Vanier? -- that the process of maturing, by it's very nature, makes us feel immature. I know this to be true from my own experience. So much of my adult growth continues to feel developmental -- and this will continue to be so, right to the resurrection experience, I surmise. So finding the right way of dealing with others depends on my deepest respect for their potential for growth.

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.)

I suspect that the full reparation mentioned here is not so much material as it is communal, spiritual.  Do I have the humility to see the damage to relationships that I've done, enough forgiveness to forgive myself first, and confidence in the transformative power of the spirit?

Chapter 28: The treatment of those who relapse

If even such prayer does not bring healing, the superior must turn to the knife of amputation, following the guidance of St Paul, who told the Corinthians to banish the evil from their midst, and again he said: if the unfaithful one wishes to go, let him go, lest one diseased sheep corrupt the whole flock.

(From Ch. 28 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

I'm struck by Benedict's small phrase, "let him go", rather than something harsher, such as, "cast him out".  It seems to me that, in spite of his severe exhortations, he will not allow himself to become exclusive, but remains respectful of personal freedom and the potential for transformation.

Chapter 27: The superior's care for the excommunicated

Therefore the superior should use every curative skill as a wise doctor does, for instance by sending in senpectae, that is, mature and wise senior members of the community who may discreetly bring counsel to one who is in a state of uncertainty and confusion; their task will be to show the sinner the way to humble reconciliation and also to bring consolation, as St Paul also urges, to one in danger of being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow and in need of the reaffirmation of love which everyone in the community must achieve through their prayer.

(From para. 1 of Ch. 27 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

This teaching follows on the heels of St. Benedict's admonition not to thrust myself egocentrically into another's process of healing and growth. Through the selfless practice of meditation, the Spirit helps me to develop the love and discretion to know when and how to reaffirm another's sense of belonging in the community

Chapter 26: Unlawful association with the excommunicated

If any member of the community presumes without the permission of the abbot or abbess to associate in any way with or speak to or give instructions to one who has been excommunicated then that person should receive exactly the same punishment of excommunication.

(Ch. 26 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

At times, another person may need to come to the most serious terms with his or her commitment to community, or to any covenant relationship. I must respect the privacy and interiority of the other, without trying to change or control him or her. 

Chapter 25: Punishment for more serious faults

None of the community should associate with or talk to the guilty person, who is to persevere alone in sorrow and penance in whatever work has been allotted, remembering St Paul's fearful judgement when he wrote to the Corinthians that: such a one should be handed over for the destruction of the flesh so that the spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

(From Ch. 25 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

Repentance prepares me, with the help of God, to repair relationships, and re-establish trust.

Chapter 24: Different degrees of severity in punishment

The severity of excommunication or any other punishment should correspond to the gravity of the fault committed, and it is for the superior to decide about the seriousness of faults.

(From Ch. 24 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997.)

I see St. Benedict as concerned about faults against community, and it is also a fault against community for me to respond to another's fault, with a response that is in any way impulsive, egocentric, controlling, inappropriate.