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X-WR-CALDESC:If anyone has been reproved frequently for any fault\, or e
ven been excommunicated\, yet does not amend\, let that member receive a s
harper punishment: that is\, let that monastic feel the strokes of the rod
. But if even then they do not reform\, or perhaps become proud and would
actually defend their conduct\, which God forbid\, the prioress or abbot s
hould follow the procedure of a wise physician. After applying compresses\
, the ointment of encouragement\, the medicine of divine scripture\, and f
inally the cauterizing iron of excommunication and strokes of the rod\, if
they then perceive that their earnest efforts are unavailing\, let them a
pply an even better remedy: they and all the members should pray for them
so that God\, who can do all things\, may bring about the health of the si
ck one. Yet if even this procedure does not heal them\, then finally\, the
prioress or abbot must use the knife and amputate. For the apostle says:
'Banish the evil one from your midst (1 Cor 5:13)\;' and again\, 'If the u
nbeliever departs\, let that one depart (1 Cor 7:15)\,' lest one diseased
sheep infect the whole flock.'\n\nThe Tao Te Ching reads: 'If you real
ize that all things change\, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you aren't afraid of dying\, there is nothing you can't achieve.' Bened
ict's call to growth is a pressing and intense one\, even shocking to the
modern mind. Physical punishment has long been suspect in contemporary soc
iety. Beating people with the rod is considered neither good pedagogy nor
good parenting now\, and the notion of whipping full-grown adults is simpl
y unthinkable. Times have changed\; theories of behavior modification have
changed\; the very concept of adulthood has changed\; this living of the
Rule has changed. What has not changed\, however\, is the idea that human
development demands that we grow through and grow beyond childish uncontro
l to maturity and that we be willing to correct things in ourselves in ord
er to do it\, whatever the cost.\n\nBenedict clearly believes that there a
re indeed things we must be willing to die to in life if we want to go bey
ond the fruitless patterns we're in right now. We aren't allowed to hang o
n to useless ideas or things or behaviors regardless of how good they migh
t seem to us\, regardless of their effect on others. We aren't allowed to
live without dying to self. The Rule insists that people be called to grow
th. The entire community is in the process together and the process is not
to be ignored\, however painful the process may be.\n\nThe spiritual life
in the Benedictine tradition is not a series of overnight stays where we
do what we want without care for the impact of it on the lives of others\,
no matter how right we think we are. Human community is the universal obl
igation to live fully ourselves and to live well with others. So important
is personal growth in community life for Benedict that when people refuse
to grow in community virtues\, to be a blessing to others as well as to b
e open to the blessings that are there for themselves\, Benedict asks them
to leave.\n\nThere can come a point\, it seems\, after every effort has b
een made to deal with a problem and every attempt has been made to correct
a spiritual disease in life\, when enough is enough and ought not to be t
olerated any longer. The person may be a very good person but\, the implic
ation is\, this just may not be the place for them. The shoe simply does n
ot fit and the foot should not be wrenched to it.\n\nThe lesson is a unive
rsal one. There are a number of good things that it would not be good for
us to do. People who become priests because their parents wanted a priest
in the family are often unhappy priests. Children who stay on the farm whe
n they should have gone to art school run the risk of twisting their lives
into gnarled deadwood. And the farm with it. People with the courage to p
ut us out of something may be the best spiritual guides we ever get.
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DTSTAMP:20260430T175516Z
DESCRIPTION:If anyone has been reproved frequently for any fault\, or ev
en been excommunicated\, yet does not amend\, let that member receive a sh
arper punishment: that is\, let that monastic feel the strokes of the rod.
But if even then they do not reform\, or perhaps become proud and would a
ctually defend their conduct\, which God forbid\, the prioress or abbot sh
ould follow the procedure of a wise physician. After applying compresses\,
the ointment of encouragement\, the medicine of divine scripture\, and fi
nally the cauterizing iron of excommunication and strokes of the rod\, if
they then perceive that their earnest efforts are unavailing\, let them ap
ply an even better remedy: they and all the members should pray for them s
o that God\, who can do all things\, may bring about the health of the sic
k one. Yet if even this procedure does not heal them\, then finally\, the
prioress or abbot must use the knife and amputate. For the apostle says: '
Banish the evil one from your midst (1 Cor 5:13)\;' and again\, 'If the un
believer departs\, let that one depart (1 Cor 7:15)\,' lest one diseased s
heep infect the whole flock.'\n\nThe Tao Te Ching reads: 'If you reali
ze that all things change\, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. I
f you aren't afraid of dying\, there is nothing you can't achieve.' Benedi
ct's call to growth is a pressing and intense one\, even shocking to the m
odern mind. Physical punishment has long been suspect in contemporary soci
ety. Beating people with the rod is considered neither good pedagogy nor g
ood parenting now\, and the notion of whipping full-grown adults is simply
unthinkable. Times have changed\; theories of behavior modification have
changed\; the very concept of adulthood has changed\; this living of the R
ule has changed. What has not changed\, however\, is the idea that human d
evelopment demands that we grow through and grow beyond childish uncontrol
to maturity and that we be willing to correct things in ourselves in orde
r to do it\, whatever the cost.\n\nBenedict clearly believes that there ar
e indeed things we must be willing to die to in life if we want to go beyo
nd the fruitless patterns we're in right now. We aren't allowed to hang on
to useless ideas or things or behaviors regardless of how good they might
seem to us\, regardless of their effect on others. We aren't allowed to l
ive without dying to self. The Rule insists that people be called to growt
h. The entire community is in the process together and the process is not
to be ignored\, however painful the process may be.\n\nThe spiritual life
in the Benedictine tradition is not a series of overnight stays where we d
o what we want without care for the impact of it on the lives of others\,
no matter how right we think we are. Human community is the universal obli
gation to live fully ourselves and to live well with others. So important
is personal growth in community life for Benedict that when people refuse
to grow in community virtues\, to be a blessing to others as well as to be
open to the blessings that are there for themselves\, Benedict asks them
to leave.\n\nThere can come a point\, it seems\, after every effort has be
en made to deal with a problem and every attempt has been made to correct
a spiritual disease in life\, when enough is enough and ought not to be to
lerated any longer. The person may be a very good person but\, the implica
tion is\, this just may not be the place for them. The shoe simply does no
t fit and the foot should not be wrenched to it.\n\nThe lesson is a univer
sal one. There are a number of good things that it would not be good for u
s to do. People who become priests because their parents wanted a priest i
n the family are often unhappy priests. Children who stay on the farm when
they should have gone to art school run the risk of twisting their lives
into gnarled deadwood. And the farm with it. People with the courage to pu
t us out of something may be the best spiritual guides we ever get.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T235900
LOCATION:Chapter 28
SUMMARY:Those Who Refuse to Amend After Frequent Reproofs
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR