A painful legacy

Rule of St. Benedict

CHAPTER XXX
How Young Boys Are to Be Corrected

Every age and understanding should have its proper discipline. Whenever, therefore, boys or immature youths or such as can not understand how grave a penalty excommunication is, are guilty of a serious fault, let them undergo severe fasting or be disciplined with corporal punishment, that they may be corrected.

I know that the concept of physical punishment is viewed very differently now then it was in the time of Benedict. In fact sensitivities have changed dramatically within the span of my lifetime. Even the idea of “fasting” or, in our modern terms, “being sent to bed without supper” seems unnecessarily harsh. The reality is, however, that our children do need to be disciplined for behavior that left uncorrected could result in much more serious problems as adults. The legacy of abuse that is being laid on many of our religious orders, particularly the Jesuits in Oregon is haunting and humbling. I often listen with deep sadness as people I know recount the stories of what their childhood in orphanages or boarding school involved. I don’t pretend to know the whole truth of any of this and I have to admit that when my children were young I tended to parent the way I was parented rather than way I should have parented. The thoughts that keep running through my head are that justice must be tempered with mercy and that punishment must focus on correction and not retribution.

A cornerstone the builder rejected

“A stone which the builders rejected that became a cornerstone.”

The line is first found in Psalm 118 and again in Matthew 21 and finally in the first letter of the apostle Peter. The phrase, of course, is very familiar to us because we encounter it frequently in our daily reading but I have never really taken the time to really examine the origin and intent of the scripture. The commentaries I reviewed suggested the line referred to an event that took place during the building of the great temple. A large oddly shaped rock was delivered to the construction site but the laborers could find no use for it so they set it aside. Later, when the temple was nearly finished they needed a large stone to fill a gap in the lintel so they could finish the building. It turns out the seemingly useless rock sent to the site long before had a critical purpose after all because the rock fit in the space perfectly. The stone that had been rejected became the cornerstone of the temple.

Since we are not far removed from Easter we remain keenly aware that Jesus became the new temple of the new covenant. In Matthew 21:42 Jesus said: Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?”

He clearly is referring to himself as being the stone that will be rejected when he is crucified but upon his resurrection, he will become the cornerstone.

Is this not a common theme in our faith? Men reject but through divine intercession what has been rejected will become not only accepted but critically needed.

Encourage one another

Paul’s wrote in the letter to the Hebrews: “Encourage one another daily while it is still “today,” so that no one grows hardened by the deceit of sin.” I had been reflecting on St. Francis De Sale’s observations that friends who lead us away from Christ are not really friends at all. Some of the “friends” I used to have are no longer part of my life in any meaningful manner because when I turned toward Christ and entered recovery it seems we really did not have much to share anymore. I rejoice in the friends that have encouraged me in a new path and I am really blessed for the new relationships that have blossomed over past 3 ½ years. Being a true friend means that we should encourage other daily while it is still “today”. I have many true friends and I pray that I am that kind of friend in return if called upon.

St. Isidore:
 “When when we pray we talk to God, when we read the Word of God, God talks to us.” 
I recall trying to use a radio to communicate with a young nephew sometime ago. He got frustrated trying to talk to me because he could not get the hang of pushing the orange call button to talk to me or releasing the button to hear me answer. He finally just dropped the radio on the ground and started to walk away. It was only then that he could hear me talking to him. We eventually got it figured out and spent the better part of day playing hide and seek with the radios. His behavior reminds me of myself. I can't hear the response of God if I don't let go of the button so I can get out of send mode and get into recieve mode. You can't do lectio Divina if you have the send button pushed. You have to be still and listen to word as you read it.

Helping the Soul of a Neigbor

St. Vincent Ferrer wrote a work called “On the Spiritual Life.”The conclusion of the excerpt reads: “Finally if you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity….”

This fits very well with an axiom I have come to hold close to my heart as part of my daily spiritual journey. In order to be filled with God’s charity, you have to first empty yourself of your own notions of what your neighbor needs in order to make the room for that which comes from God. Some days I have lots of trouble with that concept. I like to think I know best but not stopping to consider how God wants us to relate to others is like disabling the crossing guard at busy railroad crossing. You might make it safely across the tracks once or twice or maybe even a hundred times but eventually you are going to cause a heck of wreck

St. Augustine and the Ostrich

from the confessions of St. Augustine:

Could anything remain hidden in me, even though I did not want to confess it to you? In that case I would only be hiding you from myself, not myself from you.

I wonder if I think I am an ostrich. When I find myself estranged from God and alone, it is because I have buried my head in the sand. Certainly the worst part of me is still visible but because I can’t see it, I don’t think it exists. St. Augustine may have never heard about ostriches but he certainly understands the concept. When we try to hide from God, all we are really doing is hiding from ourselves. God still sees all. How easy it is it is to fall into the mistake of thinking that we don’t pray about what troubles us, he won’t know we are troubled.

Surrender to God

Antiphon from Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer:

“Surrender to God, and he will do everything for you.”

It is, of course, a reminder to give the loads we cannot carry over to the Lord and He will sustain us. I tend to keep banging my head against a locked door instead of waiting for God to open the door he means for me to pass through.