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X-WR-CALDESC:<i>Above all\, this evil practice (of private ownership) must 
 be uprooted and removed from the monastery. We mean that without an order 
 from the prioress or abbot\, no members may presume to give\, receive or r
 etain anything as their own\, nothing at all--not a book\, writing tablets
  or stylus--in short not a single item\, especially since monastics may no
 t have the free disposal even of their own bodies and wills. For their nee
 ds\, they are to look to the prioress or abbot of the monastery\, and are 
 not allowed anything which the prioress or abbot has not given or permitte
 d. 'All things should be the common possession of all\, as it is written\,
  so that no one presumes ownership of anything (Acts 4:32).'\n\nBut if any
  members are caught indulging in this most evil practice\, they should be 
 warned a first and a second time. If they do not amend\, let them be subje
 cted to punishment.</i>\n\nThere are two concerns at issue in this chapter
  of the Rule: the development of personal freedom and the preservation of 
 human community. Private ownership touches both of them.\n\nThe Hasidim te
 ll the story of the visitor who went to see a very famous rabbi and was sh
 ocked at the sparsity\, the bareness\, the emptiness of his little one-roo
 m house. 'Why don't you have any furniture\,' the visitor asked. 'Why don'
 t you?' the rabbi said. 'Well\, because I'm only passing through\,' the vi
 sitor said. 'Well\, so am I\,' the rabbi answered.\n\nOn the journey to he
 aven\, things tie us to the earth. We can't move to another city because w
 e have a huge mortgage on the house in this one. We can't take care of a s
 ick neighbor because we are too busy taking care of our own hedges. We go 
 poor giving big parties in the hope for big promotions. We get beholden to
  the people who give big parties back. We take things and hoard things and
  give things to control our little worlds and the things wind up controlli
 ng us. They clutter our space\; they crimp our hearts\; they sour our soul
 s. Benedict says that the answer is that we not allow ourselves to have an
 ything beyond life's simple staples in the first place and that we not use
  things--not even the simplest things--to restrict the life of another by 
 giving gifts that tie another person down. Benedictine simplicity\, then\,
  is not a deprivation. It frees us for all of life's surprises.\n\nSimplic
 ity is more than the key to personal freedom\, however. Simplicity is also
  the basis of human community. Common ownership and personal dependence ar
 e the foundations of mutual respect. If I know that I literally cannot exi
 st without you\, without your work\, without your support\, without your e
 fforts in our behalf\, without your help\, as is true in any community lif
 e\, then I can not bury myself away where you and your life are unimportan
 t to me. I cannot fail to meet your needs\, as you have met my needs\, whe
 n the dearth in you appeals for the gifts in me. It is my ability to respo
 nd to your needs\, in fact\, that is my claim\, my guarantee\, of your pre
 sence in my own life. In community life\, we genuinely need one another. W
 e rely on one another. Community life is based on mutual giving.\n\nThe fa
 mily\, the relationship that attempts to reconcile the independent and the
  independently wealthy\, the perfectly\, the totally\, the smugly self-suf
 ficient\, is no community\, no family\, no relationship at all. Why stay a
 nd work a problem out with people when you can simply leave them? And neve
 r notice that they're gone.
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BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:054110fd-e5f6-45dd-acca-05d36488912a
DTSTAMP:20260415T175732Z
DESCRIPTION:<i>Above all\, this evil practice (of private ownership) must b
 e uprooted and removed from the monastery. We mean that without an order f
 rom the prioress or abbot\, no members may presume to give\, receive or re
 tain anything as their own\, nothing at all--not a book\, writing tablets 
 or stylus--in short not a single item\, especially since monastics may not
  have the free disposal even of their own bodies and wills. For their need
 s\, they are to look to the prioress or abbot of the monastery\, and are n
 ot allowed anything which the prioress or abbot has not given or permitted
 . 'All things should be the common possession of all\, as it is written\, 
 so that no one presumes ownership of anything (Acts 4:32).'\n\nBut if any 
 members are caught indulging in this most evil practice\, they should be w
 arned a first and a second time. If they do not amend\, let them be subjec
 ted to punishment.</i>\n\nThere are two concerns at issue in this chapter 
 of the Rule: the development of personal freedom and the preservation of h
 uman community. Private ownership touches both of them.\n\nThe Hasidim tel
 l the story of the visitor who went to see a very famous rabbi and was sho
 cked at the sparsity\, the bareness\, the emptiness of his little one-room
  house. 'Why don't you have any furniture\,' the visitor asked. 'Why don't
  you?' the rabbi said. 'Well\, because I'm only passing through\,' the vis
 itor said. 'Well\, so am I\,' the rabbi answered.\n\nOn the journey to hea
 ven\, things tie us to the earth. We can't move to another city because we
  have a huge mortgage on the house in this one. We can't take care of a si
 ck neighbor because we are too busy taking care of our own hedges. We go p
 oor giving big parties in the hope for big promotions. We get beholden to 
 the people who give big parties back. We take things and hoard things and 
 give things to control our little worlds and the things wind up controllin
 g us. They clutter our space\; they crimp our hearts\; they sour our souls
 . Benedict says that the answer is that we not allow ourselves to have any
 thing beyond life's simple staples in the first place and that we not use 
 things--not even the simplest things--to restrict the life of another by g
 iving gifts that tie another person down. Benedictine simplicity\, then\, 
 is not a deprivation. It frees us for all of life's surprises.\n\nSimplici
 ty is more than the key to personal freedom\, however. Simplicity is also 
 the basis of human community. Common ownership and personal dependence are
  the foundations of mutual respect. If I know that I literally cannot exis
 t without you\, without your work\, without your support\, without your ef
 forts in our behalf\, without your help\, as is true in any community life
 \, then I can not bury myself away where you and your life are unimportant
  to me. I cannot fail to meet your needs\, as you have met my needs\, when
  the dearth in you appeals for the gifts in me. It is my ability to respon
 d to your needs\, in fact\, that is my claim\, my guarantee\, of your pres
 ence in my own life. In community life\, we genuinely need one another. We
  rely on one another. Community life is based on mutual giving.\n\nThe fam
 ily\, the relationship that attempts to reconcile the independent and the 
 independently wealthy\, the perfectly\, the totally\, the smugly self-suff
 icient\, is no community\, no family\, no relationship at all. Why stay an
 d work a problem out with people when you can simply leave them? And never
  notice that they're gone.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T005900
LOCATION:Chapter 33
SUMMARY:Monastics and Private Ownership
END:VEVENT
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