We are still in Benedict's disciplinary chapters. Today, Benedict suggests that once the leader has coaxed, encouraged, and sanctioned the erring member and all have failed; the last remedy to try is prayer. Since the Rule was written for a religious community, it seems odd that prayer is left as the last resort.
Maybe Benedict, in his wisdom, realized that the superior was probably going to try everything humanly possible first before resorting to calling in God on the matter. In my life, I often find myself turning to prayer after I have tried dealing with an issue myself first. I tend to hesitate admitting defeat--and in a sense, asking for God's assistance can be seen as a defeat (actually a defeat of my arrogance of thinking that I can handle things on my own).
For myself, when I invite others to pray with me over an issue or concern that I may have I am actually taking the issue more seriously. It's not just a minor annoyance anymore. Many times there is a shift in my perspective or my attitude about the situation. I recognize that this is a major concern not just a minor irritation.
Sr. Catherine, OSB
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment