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X-WR-CALDESC:<i>Furthermore\, those who receive the name of prioress or abb
 ot are to lead the community by a twofold teaching: they must point out to
  the monastics all that is good and holy more by example than by words\, p
 roposing God's commandments to a receptive community with words\, but demo
 nstrating God's instructions to the stubborn and the dull by a living exam
 ple. Again\, if they teach the community that something is not to be done\
 , then neither must they do it\, 'lest after preaching to others\, they th
 emselves be found reprobate (1 Cor 9:27)' and God some day call to them in
  their sin: 'How is it that you repeat my just commands and mouth my coven
 ant when you hate discipline and toss my words behind you (Ps 50: 16-17)?'
  And also this: 'How is it that you can see a splinter in another's eye\, 
 and never notice the plank in your own (Mt 7:3)?'</i>\n\nThe Tao says\,\n'
 We join spokes together in a wheel\nbut it is the center hole\nthat makes 
 the wagon move.'\n\nBenedict says that those who hold authority in a commu
 nity are not to be above the group\, they are to be the centers of it\, th
 e norm of it\, the movers of it. They themselves are to mirror its values.
  Their job is not simply to give orders. Their job is to live out the idea
 ls. It is an authority far removed from office elitism or pompous hierarch
 y or highhanded parenting.\n\nBenedict calls a community to obedience\, ye
 s\, but he does not call it to servitude. He does not call people to confo
 rmity for the sake of conformity. That's where modern concepts of blind ob
 edience and the monastic concept of cenobitic obedience are so distinct fr
 om one another. Blind obedience demands that underlings comply with author
 ity without thought of consequences. Cenobitic obedience insists that equa
 ls must bring a thoughtful concern for what is best for everyone before th
 ey ask anything of consequence.\n\nAutocrats and militarists and spiritual
  charlatans and abusive parents and corporate moguls want the people under
  them to obey laws from which their exalted positions hold them exempt. Be
 nedict says that the only authentic call for obedience comes from those wh
 o themselves demonstrate the value of the law.\n\nThe point is that what w
 e do not live we do not have a right to require\, and that for two reasons
 : first\, because it is a hollow call to insist that others do what we do 
 not do ourselves and secondly\, because it requires for the sake of requir
 ing something rather than for the merit of the requirement itself. To hold
  people under us to a law which we ourselves have no intention of respecti
 ng is to make a mockery of what we ask. Employees whom we require to work 
 because we will not\; children who are told to avoid what they see us doin
 g with impunity\; citizens who must do what they see us declaring exempt f
 or ourselves\, do learn from us. They learn that law is useless and that w
 e are frauds and that power protects only the powerful. Benedict is saying
  that if the laws are good\, then people will be able to see that in the l
 awgiver.\n\nBut Benedict is saying even more than this. Benedict is saying
  that the function of spiritual leadership is not to intimidate people int
 o submission by fear or guilt. The function of spiritual leadership is to 
 show in our own lives the beauty that oozes out of those who live the spir
 itual life to its fullness. The function of spiritual leadership is to ens
 hrine what a good life can be.\n\nThe abbot and prioress are to make of th
 emselves the light that guides and the crystal that rings true. Otherwise\
 , why should anyone else attempt the Way at all. 'Love work and hate lords
 hip\,' the Hasidim teach their rabbis. It is Benedict's teaching\, too.
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DTSTAMP:20260405T113524Z
DESCRIPTION:<i>Furthermore\, those who receive the name of prioress or abbo
 t are to lead the community by a twofold teaching: they must point out to 
 the monastics all that is good and holy more by example than by words\, pr
 oposing God's commandments to a receptive community with words\, but demon
 strating God's instructions to the stubborn and the dull by a living examp
 le. Again\, if they teach the community that something is not to be done\,
  then neither must they do it\, 'lest after preaching to others\, they the
 mselves be found reprobate (1 Cor 9:27)' and God some day call to them in 
 their sin: 'How is it that you repeat my just commands and mouth my covena
 nt when you hate discipline and toss my words behind you (Ps 50: 16-17)?' 
 And also this: 'How is it that you can see a splinter in another's eye\, a
 nd never notice the plank in your own (Mt 7:3)?'</i>\n\nThe Tao says\,\n'W
 e join spokes together in a wheel\nbut it is the center hole\nthat makes t
 he wagon move.'\n\nBenedict says that those who hold authority in a commun
 ity are not to be above the group\, they are to be the centers of it\, the
  norm of it\, the movers of it. They themselves are to mirror its values. 
 Their job is not simply to give orders. Their job is to live out the ideal
 s. It is an authority far removed from office elitism or pompous hierarchy
  or highhanded parenting.\n\nBenedict calls a community to obedience\, yes
 \, but he does not call it to servitude. He does not call people to confor
 mity for the sake of conformity. That's where modern concepts of blind obe
 dience and the monastic concept of cenobitic obedience are so distinct fro
 m one another. Blind obedience demands that underlings comply with authori
 ty without thought of consequences. Cenobitic obedience insists that equal
 s must bring a thoughtful concern for what is best for everyone before the
 y ask anything of consequence.\n\nAutocrats and militarists and spiritual 
 charlatans and abusive parents and corporate moguls want the people under 
 them to obey laws from which their exalted positions hold them exempt. Ben
 edict says that the only authentic call for obedience comes from those who
  themselves demonstrate the value of the law.\n\nThe point is that what we
  do not live we do not have a right to require\, and that for two reasons:
  first\, because it is a hollow call to insist that others do what we do n
 ot do ourselves and secondly\, because it requires for the sake of requiri
 ng something rather than for the merit of the requirement itself. To hold 
 people under us to a law which we ourselves have no intention of respectin
 g is to make a mockery of what we ask. Employees whom we require to work b
 ecause we will not\; children who are told to avoid what they see us doing
  with impunity\; citizens who must do what they see us declaring exempt fo
 r ourselves\, do learn from us. They learn that law is useless and that we
  are frauds and that power protects only the powerful. Benedict is saying 
 that if the laws are good\, then people will be able to see that in the la
 wgiver.\n\nBut Benedict is saying even more than this. Benedict is saying 
 that the function of spiritual leadership is not to intimidate people into
  submission by fear or guilt. The function of spiritual leadership is to s
 how in our own lives the beauty that oozes out of those who live the spiri
 tual life to its fullness. The function of spiritual leadership is to ensh
 rine what a good life can be.\n\nThe abbot and prioress are to make of the
 mselves the light that guides and the crystal that rings true. Otherwise\,
  why should anyone else attempt the Way at all. 'Love work and hate lordsh
 ip\,' the Hasidim teach their rabbis. It is Benedict's teaching\, too.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T235900
LOCATION:Chapter 2
SUMMARY:Qualities of the Abbot or Prioress
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