Broken Rules

We have been reading about punishments for those monks who have broken the rule.  There are a couple of things that I take with me from these chapters. 

·      To break the rule is to lose your way

·      To follow Christ is the rule.  We tend to break the rule when we listen to our own voice rather than the call of God.

·      Human beings are generally communal.  The monastery is a community that requires obedience and corrects the behavior of those who do not follow the rules.  Choose a community that supports and encourages following the rule.  Choose a community that does not lead you into the temptation to put our own selfish desires first.  Be open to the community’s guidance.

·      We can begin again.  However, when we begin again we start from the beginning.  A couple of years ago I had foot surgery and did not walk for four weeks, and then I walked on crutches, followed by the use of a cane.  When I began to exercise again to build my strength, I had to begin all over again.  I couldn’t start with a 5 mile run, but I built up my strength, endurance and distance over a couple of years.  After I got out of the hospital in September, I could barely walk down the block.  Again, I had to begin at the beginning.  I have been walking almost every day since.  Now I can walk two miles.  I walk slowly, and I still have a long way to go before I can run.  Beginning again takes patience; there doesn’t seem to be any short cut.  So it is when we build the strength and endurance of our spirit.

·      Some pathways work for us and bring us to Christ; some do not.  When a rule of life doesn’t bring us to Christ, we need a new rule; we need to find a new way.  This should be celebrated; this should not be seen as a failure.