tuesday, april 13, 2010

Pete and i were walking last night and I wondered out loud about the severity of the Rule of St. Benedict. I read a bit of it each day that is posted on "Universalis" home page. The Rule spells out how the sisters are to live in the community and how the abbott or abbess is to handle situations, like what clothes the sisters are to own, and what to do with the money that the women have when they enter the community and how to discipline the sisters when they "talk during meals." One disciplinary measure is to have the sisters lie prostrate before the abbess. Another that is often used is separating the sister from the group somehow. Shame seems to be popular. Anyway, I wondered outloud what must the world have been like to have such severity within the community to create order and obedience. We guessed that at the point in Europe when the Rule was written by Benedict, things were pretty wild and wooly. Rome had fallen, barbarians ran across the land, and there may have been a very real sense that what was needed was order! Not to mention, just the challenge of creating a community that could harmoniously survive. What I have to use my imagination for: what did life in the community look like? there probably was a fair amount of friction, irritation, bickering, work.. but if I put on my Zefferelli lens I can see too that there was living color beauty too... women and men who strove to live in harmony, who loved God as best they could, who sought direction and mentoring from a mature monk or sister, who every day took up their cross and with the support of the community grew in God's grace. Imagine having every aspect of your life scrutinized by an abbess! What serves in our lives to curb appetites, and to require obedience to God's call? How well does my conscience operate? I'm just askin'.