Last spring during class, a student and I came to a point in the discussion in which she claimed that she really felt proud of her self for mastering a chapter on her own. St. Benedict whispered in my ear that day, and her comment launched a discussion. Should we feel proud of our accomplishments? Our culture, the world of the classroom, today's language of child-rearing, all point to building self-esteem by building pride in success. However, today's reading in the Rule seems to run counter to this culture of individual pride and self esteem. The glow of success -- our pride -- motivates and encourages us to keep moving, to grow, to take on greater challenges and reap greater successes. My classroom handed me these same arguments. I countered that this glow of success should not be pride. Pride says I did it all by myself; pride claims that I get all the credit; pride lets go of the hands that brought me thus far on the journey. I countered that the glow of success should be gratitude. Gratitude acknowledges the distance I have come and the skills that I have achieved but also acknowledges that this has been possible only because of the gifts others have given me: the gifts of time and space and resources, the gifts of my teacher's talents and knowledge and skills, the gifts of mentors who walked with me as I grew and my gifts blossomed, the gifts of those hands that held me up until I could stand alone. Because of the blessings of time and space and mentors and a hundred other gifts, our own gifts and talents grow. Today's reading made me think that the humility of the artist is rooted in this gratitude.
Let us give thanks to all those who made all the success of our lives a possibility. Amen
Bev
What's interesting about giving thanks for all those who have contributed to our spiritual growth is that the more I think about it, the more people come to my mind. In fact, some of the people whose names pop into my prayer are folks I haven't seen in at least 30 years and who I haven't consciously thought of in as many years. But when they do enter my prayer, I am reminded of what wonderful examples they were to me and that I still uphold the values I recognized in them. God is good.
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