On Serving One Another

Do you think our parents got the idea of assigning tasks to us from St. Benedict? It seems my parents had this idea. We had days assigned to set the table, to wash and dry the dishes, to help wash and hang the dish towels on the outside line (we had no dryer in those days). These tasks taught us that each member of the family, young and old, can by serving one another contribute to the smooth running of a household and build up relationships between brothers and sisters at the same time. St. Benedict’s monks may not have argued as much as we did about whose turn it was to do what task, but perhaps they learned the same lesson we did—serving one another is what family is all about.

Sr. Veronica, OSB