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Holy Rule for March 6
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St. Mary's Monastery
Mar 5, 2025, 5:09:34 PMMar 5
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
March 6, July 6, November 5
Chapter 29: Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Should Be Received Again
If a brother who through his own fault leaves the monastery should wish to return, let him first promise full reparation for his having gone away; and then let him be received in the lowest place, as a test of his humility. And if he should leave again, let him be taken back again, and so a third time; but he should understand that after this all way of return is denied him.
REFLECTION
The Gospel tells us to forgive 70 times 7 times and surely, we must. That, however, is a command on us individually, and a command, by the way, that calls for forgiveness, not foolhardiness. One needn't keep one's hand on the same hot stove throughout all the forgiving! At some point, too, probably well before the end of one's forgiveness rope, the offender would likely have incurred at least some loss of trust.
The thing to remember here is that we are not dealing with only two individuals, but a group. Re-entry into a monastery can be a very tense thing. It is certainly worth doing, but it is not a good thing to do limitless times. It wears out the monk and it wears out the community. We must always love, always forgive, but sometimes limits to harm have to be set for the good of all.
St. Benedict is not mean here. There is no element of surprise to the offender about the three-strikes- and-you're- out program: she has heard it ever since novitiate. It might be construed as mean if there were no forewarning, but there is. Anyone coming back for the third time knows they are on their last leg. Foul up that time, and you're history.
The monastery is a specialized society with a specialized goal: seeking union with God for all its members. Because of that specialized nature, the monastery does not have an infinite commitment to anyone, except to one who truly perseveres unto death. This is unlike the stronger and more necessary bonds of Church or a family.
Not everyone who wants to join a monastery is truly called to be a monastic. Perhaps, too, one is called, but not to that particular monastery. People can be allowed to leave, or they can be expelled, or they can be told they can never come back after the third time.
This is a different situation from forgiveness. The one denied further entry must, no doubt at all, be forgiven, but he must also know that his chances to disrupt the community have come to an end. Monasteries need a relative level of peace to fulfill their purpose: creating a place in which God may be served and the monastic life be fostered. The limits of three times' return have that sacred purpose in mind.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
March 6, July 6, November 5
Chapter 29: Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Should Be Received Again
If a brother who through his own fault leaves the monastery should wish to return, let him first promise full reparation for his having gone away; and then let him be received in the lowest place, as a test of his humility. And if he should leave again, let him be taken back again, and so a third time; but he should understand that after this all way of return is denied him.
REFLECTION
The Gospel tells us to forgive 70 times 7 times and surely, we must. That, however, is a command on us individually, and a command, by the way, that calls for forgiveness, not foolhardiness. One needn't keep one's hand on the same hot stove throughout all the forgiving! At some point, too, probably well before the end of one's forgiveness rope, the offender would likely have incurred at least some loss of trust.
The thing to remember here is that we are not dealing with only two individuals, but a group. Re-entry into a monastery can be a very tense thing. It is certainly worth doing, but it is not a good thing to do limitless times. It wears out the monk and it wears out the community. We must always love, always forgive, but sometimes limits to harm have to be set for the good of all.
St. Benedict is not mean here. There is no element of surprise to the offender about the three-strikes- and-you're- out program: she has heard it ever since novitiate. It might be construed as mean if there were no forewarning, but there is. Anyone coming back for the third time knows they are on their last leg. Foul up that time, and you're history.
The monastery is a specialized society with a specialized goal: seeking union with God for all its members. Because of that specialized nature, the monastery does not have an infinite commitment to anyone, except to one who truly perseveres unto death. This is unlike the stronger and more necessary bonds of Church or a family.
Not everyone who wants to join a monastery is truly called to be a monastic. Perhaps, too, one is called, but not to that particular monastery. People can be allowed to leave, or they can be expelled, or they can be told they can never come back after the third time.
This is a different situation from forgiveness. The one denied further entry must, no doubt at all, be forgiven, but he must also know that his chances to disrupt the community have come to an end. Monasteries need a relative level of peace to fulfill their purpose: creating a place in which God may be served and the monastic life be fostered. The limits of three times' return have that sacred purpose in mind.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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