Household Chores If the community is rather large, he should be given helpers, that with their assistance he may calmly perform the duties of his office. Necessary items are to be requested and given at the proper times, so that no one may be disquieted or distressed in the house of God. (Rule of St. …
Tag Archives: children
Character Of The Chef
Temperate Definition There should be chosen from the community someone who is wise, mature in conduct, temperate…. If any brother happens to make an unreasonable demand of him, he should not reject him with disdain and cause him distress, but reasonably and humbly deny the improper request….knowing for certain that he will be held accountable …
Comfort The Wayward
The abbot must exercise the utmost care and concern for wayward brothers . . . . Therefore, he ought to use every skill of a wise physician and send in . . . mature and wise brothers who . . . may support the wavering brother, urge him to be humble as a way of …
Choose Your Destination
Choose your destination before you set out on a path. Their law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy. Anything they believe in and choose, they call holy; anything they dislike, they consider forbidden (Rule of St. Benedict, 1.8-9) So . . . if you’re thinking that this is a description of …
Hallow Your Speech Or Hollow Your Home
Rid your heart of all deceit. Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love. Bind yourself to no oath lest it prove false, but speak the truth with heart and tongue. (Rule of St. Benedict 4. 24-28) Do not lie to your children. What about Santa Claus and …
Rid Yourself Of Anger
You are not to act in anger… (Rule of St. Benedict 4.22) It’s easy to be angry when interacting with children, because children are constantly doing things wrong. The more children you’re responsible for, the easier it is to remain in a state of perpetual irritation. But just because it’s a chronic feeling doesn’t mean …
Contend Courteously
The brothers, for their part, are to express their opinions with all humility, and not presume to defend their own views obstinately.…In the monastery no one is to follow his own heart’s desire.… (Rule of St. Benedict 3. 4-8) Sure, you have freedom of expression. But is it going to be the expression of a …
Be A Good Model
Therefore, the abbot must never teach or decree or command anything that would deviate from the Lord’s instructions (Rule of St. Benedict 2.4) Neither should parents. Maybe you fail to hit the bull’s eye, but at least you aim for the target. Your children will imitate whatever they see you do. This means that if …
Live Up To Your Titles: Father And Mother
To be worthy of the task of governing a monastery, the abbot must always remember what his title signifies and act as a superior should (Rule of St. Benedict, 2.1). The father and mother must also remember what their titles signify. Today this seems to require a vocabulary review, even for native speakers. Never in …
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The Call: Awake!
Let us get up then, at long last, for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: “It is high time for us to arise from sleep” Romans 13:11 (Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue.8) This “sleep” is the spiritual stupor of ordinary people who imagine that the front line is somewhere else. They think that they themselves …