Holy Rule for January 17
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St. Mary's Monastery
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 17, May 18, September 17
Chapter 3: On Calling the Brethren for Counsel (7-13)
In all things, therefore, let all follow the Rule as guide, and let no one be so rash as to deviate from it. Let no one in the monastery follow his own heart's fancy; and let no one presume to contend with his Abbot in an insolent way or even outside of the monastery. But if anyone should presume to do so, let him undergo the discipline of the Rule. At the same time, the Abbot himself should do all things in the fear of God and in observance of the Rule, knowing that beyond a doubt he will have to render an account of all his decisions to God, the most just Judge.
But if the business to be done in the interests of the monastery be of lesser importance, let him take counsel with the seniors only. It is written, "Do everything with counsel, and you will not repent when you have done it" (Eccles. 32:24).
REFLECTION
The key here is not to contend insolently; there is no proscription against telling the Abbot one feels something is amiss, so long as it is done respectfully and humbly. We are Benedictines, not fascists; we have a Father, not a dictator.
Human nature being what it is, people are usually more prone to cite the Abbot's responsibility to seek counsel than they are to cite the equally important proscription against contending with one's Abbot! There's a cure for that and many other ills buried within this chapter, a telling phrase whose observance promises peace. That little gem urges the monastics not to follow their "own heart's fancy."
Follow that gem and peace abounds! For one thing, whether abbot or monastic, parent or child, boss or employee, the focus of the relationship ceases to become oneself. None of us is anywhere near the big deal we'd either like to be or think ourselves to be! Much of what seems earth-shattering to us is really small stuff, indeed.
This is so important to monastic struggle because it is so intricately interwoven with detachment and holy indifference. We must learn how to hold onto our inner peace, how to safeguard it from damage at the hands of trivia. An abject TERRIBLE day for us, one when we are so hurt or angry that the world seems to have stopped, is just another average day for the rest of the community. Until, of course we decide we are the center of the universe and ruin it for them... Cling to that knowledge of trivia and less will suffer!
At that point of recognizing trivia, truth and humility enter into the equation. We need very good "trivia detectors" and their default setting must be aimed at ourselves, rarely cast elsewhere except in cases of really great need. We can keep those detectors more than amply busy in our own hearts and wills! We need to see deception, falsity, and trivia, but it is essential to know them first in ourselves.
If these good tools of detection are aimed only at others, the result will be pride and a fall, not humility and truth. Jesus said "I am the Truth," and to Him we must prefer nothing. Hence, our first desire must always be the truth and the truth is that the earth does not revolve around us as an axis!
Our age, particularly, has embraced the idea of "Follow your bliss!" Well, maybe...sometimes.... but maybe not, too. Our "bliss" is no guarantee of infallibility. Years ago, and for many years of my life, I thought my "bliss" would be very different from where I finally wound up.
As a handy rule of thumb, I would say that the will of God quite often looks nothing like bliss at first. Hence, confusing bliss with the divine will can be very risky. The will of God often BECOMES bliss when we are in the midst of following it, or in hindsight, but we frequently have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into that compliance!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 17, May 18, September 17
Chapter 3: On Calling the Brethren for Counsel (7-13)
In all things, therefore, let all follow the Rule as guide, and let no one be so rash as to deviate from it. Let no one in the monastery follow his own heart's fancy; and let no one presume to contend with his Abbot in an insolent way or even outside of the monastery. But if anyone should presume to do so, let him undergo the discipline of the Rule. At the same time, the Abbot himself should do all things in the fear of God and in observance of the Rule, knowing that beyond a doubt he will have to render an account of all his decisions to God, the most just Judge.
But if the business to be done in the interests of the monastery be of lesser importance, let him take counsel with the seniors only. It is written, "Do everything with counsel, and you will not repent when you have done it" (Eccles. 32:24).
REFLECTION
The key here is not to contend insolently; there is no proscription against telling the Abbot one feels something is amiss, so long as it is done respectfully and humbly. We are Benedictines, not fascists; we have a Father, not a dictator.
Human nature being what it is, people are usually more prone to cite the Abbot's responsibility to seek counsel than they are to cite the equally important proscription against contending with one's Abbot! There's a cure for that and many other ills buried within this chapter, a telling phrase whose observance promises peace. That little gem urges the monastics not to follow their "own heart's fancy."
Follow that gem and peace abounds! For one thing, whether abbot or monastic, parent or child, boss or employee, the focus of the relationship ceases to become oneself. None of us is anywhere near the big deal we'd either like to be or think ourselves to be! Much of what seems earth-shattering to us is really small stuff, indeed.
This is so important to monastic struggle because it is so intricately interwoven with detachment and holy indifference. We must learn how to hold onto our inner peace, how to safeguard it from damage at the hands of trivia. An abject TERRIBLE day for us, one when we are so hurt or angry that the world seems to have stopped, is just another average day for the rest of the community. Until, of course we decide we are the center of the universe and ruin it for them... Cling to that knowledge of trivia and less will suffer!
At that point of recognizing trivia, truth and humility enter into the equation. We need very good "trivia detectors" and their default setting must be aimed at ourselves, rarely cast elsewhere except in cases of really great need. We can keep those detectors more than amply busy in our own hearts and wills! We need to see deception, falsity, and trivia, but it is essential to know them first in ourselves.
If these good tools of detection are aimed only at others, the result will be pride and a fall, not humility and truth. Jesus said "I am the Truth," and to Him we must prefer nothing. Hence, our first desire must always be the truth and the truth is that the earth does not revolve around us as an axis!
Our age, particularly, has embraced the idea of "Follow your bliss!" Well, maybe...sometimes.... but maybe not, too. Our "bliss" is no guarantee of infallibility. Years ago, and for many years of my life, I thought my "bliss" would be very different from where I finally wound up.
As a handy rule of thumb, I would say that the will of God quite often looks nothing like bliss at first. Hence, confusing bliss with the divine will can be very risky. The will of God often BECOMES bliss when we are in the midst of following it, or in hindsight, but we frequently have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into that compliance!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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