Holy Rule for February 2
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St. Mary's Monastery
Feb 1, 2026, 5:50:21 PMFeb 1
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 2, June 3, October 3
Chapter 7: On Humility (44-48)
The fifth degree of humility is that he hide from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts that enter his heart or the sins committed in secret, but that he humbly confess them. The Scripture urges us to this when it says, "Reveal your way to the Lord and hope in Him" (Ps. 36:5) and again, "Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Ps. 105:1). And the Prophet likewise says, "My offense I have made known to You, and my iniquities I have not covered up. I said: 'I will declare against myself my iniquities to the Lord;' and 'You forgave the wickedness of my heart'" (Ps. 31:5).
REFLECTION
To hide one's symptoms from one's physician is to court misdiagnosis. If you lie to your therapist, why bother with analysis? Both these tactics obscure illness rather than produce health. The "health" they seek is nothing more than a falsehood, an illusion based on an incomplete view.
It is natural for us to wish to wish that parents and abbots think the best of us. It is supernatural to want them to know the truth when they need to know it to help us. That "natural" tendency in us, however, is founded on a very unlovely kink: the desire to ALWAYS look good, ALWAYS seem in control, even when we are floundering in deep trouble. If parents or bosses or abbots think very highly of us, this temptation is even stronger; we'd rather not burst their bubble, we think it is to our advantage not to do so.
The monastery is a school of the Lord's service, but it is a hospital of sorts, too. When we place ourselves under the care of the Holy Rule and an abbot, we have admitted our need for care, for treatment, for progress. Why deny ourselves any of those things now? I'm not sure, but I'll bet there are tons of easy ways to fake one's way out of chemical dependency treatment. Why bother? Unlike many in substance abuse treatment, we came to Benedictinism of our own accord.
In Eastern monasticism, the tradition is for the disciple to confess thoughts to the elder every day. This is considered a crucially important part of monastic formation. It humbles the disciple and it leaves the elder in a much better position to train and advise. Granted, with many monastics in and out of house, most abbots would be unable to do this daily, but every monastic needs a confessor or spiritual director or spiritual co-struggler who can really know what's going on in their souls.
Parents know how it feels when a child has need of them and never lets them know. It is an awful feeling and often the child's reasons (like fear or deceit,) for keeping them in the dark hurt even more. No parent, no boss and no abbot is perfect. They are all human and flawed, just like us. However, when we avoid trusting them with some of our dark side, we cheat ourselves of a chance to see their greatness called forth in compassion, mercy and wisdom.
Balance, common sense and moderation obtain here, too. It is one thing not to tell one's abbot or boss something because one wishes to be thought well of, quite another to realize that some things, when there truly is no need to tell them, are best left unsaid. As the late Father Damian of St. Leo was fond of saying: "The truth is not always nourishing." However, SOMEONE needs to know: a spiritual director or confessor. We are too weak to trod the path alone and far too prideful. Let's not miss the chance of humbling ourselves.
Family life, in either monastery or home church, must be founded on truth and reality to be healthy. All of us have seen flaming examples of dysfunction when it is not. Even though sometimes a mother will say: "For heaven's sake, don't tell your father!" there has to be SOME connection with reality. Not only is humility the reality of truth, but Jesus, too is the Truth. Why on earth bother seeking Him if we don't want Truth? Let this truth, however, always be told in gentleness and charity. There is a difference between the virtue of honesty and the vice of brutal frankness, as my confessor, Fr. Roger, used to say. Say a prayer, please, for Fr. Roger's eternal rest, and for Fr. Damian’s, both were dear friends to me.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 2, June 3, October 3
Chapter 7: On Humility (44-48)
The fifth degree of humility is that he hide from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts that enter his heart or the sins committed in secret, but that he humbly confess them. The Scripture urges us to this when it says, "Reveal your way to the Lord and hope in Him" (Ps. 36:5) and again, "Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Ps. 105:1). And the Prophet likewise says, "My offense I have made known to You, and my iniquities I have not covered up. I said: 'I will declare against myself my iniquities to the Lord;' and 'You forgave the wickedness of my heart'" (Ps. 31:5).
REFLECTION
To hide one's symptoms from one's physician is to court misdiagnosis. If you lie to your therapist, why bother with analysis? Both these tactics obscure illness rather than produce health. The "health" they seek is nothing more than a falsehood, an illusion based on an incomplete view.
It is natural for us to wish to wish that parents and abbots think the best of us. It is supernatural to want them to know the truth when they need to know it to help us. That "natural" tendency in us, however, is founded on a very unlovely kink: the desire to ALWAYS look good, ALWAYS seem in control, even when we are floundering in deep trouble. If parents or bosses or abbots think very highly of us, this temptation is even stronger; we'd rather not burst their bubble, we think it is to our advantage not to do so.
The monastery is a school of the Lord's service, but it is a hospital of sorts, too. When we place ourselves under the care of the Holy Rule and an abbot, we have admitted our need for care, for treatment, for progress. Why deny ourselves any of those things now? I'm not sure, but I'll bet there are tons of easy ways to fake one's way out of chemical dependency treatment. Why bother? Unlike many in substance abuse treatment, we came to Benedictinism of our own accord.
In Eastern monasticism, the tradition is for the disciple to confess thoughts to the elder every day. This is considered a crucially important part of monastic formation. It humbles the disciple and it leaves the elder in a much better position to train and advise. Granted, with many monastics in and out of house, most abbots would be unable to do this daily, but every monastic needs a confessor or spiritual director or spiritual co-struggler who can really know what's going on in their souls.
Parents know how it feels when a child has need of them and never lets them know. It is an awful feeling and often the child's reasons (like fear or deceit,) for keeping them in the dark hurt even more. No parent, no boss and no abbot is perfect. They are all human and flawed, just like us. However, when we avoid trusting them with some of our dark side, we cheat ourselves of a chance to see their greatness called forth in compassion, mercy and wisdom.
Balance, common sense and moderation obtain here, too. It is one thing not to tell one's abbot or boss something because one wishes to be thought well of, quite another to realize that some things, when there truly is no need to tell them, are best left unsaid. As the late Father Damian of St. Leo was fond of saying: "The truth is not always nourishing." However, SOMEONE needs to know: a spiritual director or confessor. We are too weak to trod the path alone and far too prideful. Let's not miss the chance of humbling ourselves.
Family life, in either monastery or home church, must be founded on truth and reality to be healthy. All of us have seen flaming examples of dysfunction when it is not. Even though sometimes a mother will say: "For heaven's sake, don't tell your father!" there has to be SOME connection with reality. Not only is humility the reality of truth, but Jesus, too is the Truth. Why on earth bother seeking Him if we don't want Truth? Let this truth, however, always be told in gentleness and charity. There is a difference between the virtue of honesty and the vice of brutal frankness, as my confessor, Fr. Roger, used to say. Say a prayer, please, for Fr. Roger's eternal rest, and for Fr. Damian’s, both were dear friends to me.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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