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Grumbling, Gossip and the Ruin of Solidarity by Br. Daniel Sokol, OSB

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The devil has a motto which is: “Divide and conquer.” Benedictines have a motto that unites us to God: “That in all things God may be glorified.” As a matter of fact, many of the Church’s prayers contain a unifying theme. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father…Give us this day our daily bread”; The Hail Mary states: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners…”; The Sign of the Cross helps unite us with the Blessed Trinity. Jesus prays, “That they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (Jn 17:21); St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle…be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil…”

St. Benedict is keenly aware that “grumbling” (which is gossip or discontent) can “divide and conquer” any group. That is why he is very strict in teaching against it. “Do not grumble or speak ill of others” (RB 4:39-40).

“This very obedience, however, will be acceptable to God and agreeable to men only if compliance with what is commanded is not cringing or sluggish or halfhearted, but free from any grumbling or any reaction of unwillingness (RB 5:14); “First and foremost, there must be no word or sign of the evil of grumbling, no manifestation of it for any reason at all. If, however, anyone is caught grumbling, let him undergo more severe discipline” (RB 34:6, 7).

Even the abbot is advised: “Similarly, he should so regulate and arrange all matters that souls may be saved and the brothers may go about their activities without justifiable grumbling” (RB 41:5).

Jesus ardently desired that His followers are to be united in faith and at peace with all those whom one would come in contact with and live a life of solidarity with Himself and our Father.

Christ’s Priestly Prayer for Unity, John: 17, is saturated with fervent desires for human and divine solidarity. Here is one example.

“That all may be one even as We are One: I in them and Thou in Me: that they may be perfected in unity, and that the world may know that Thou hast sent me (Jn 17: 22-23)”

Jesus taught His apostles and disciples to be ardent in their faith and gave them numerous examples of being heralds of being faithful regardless of the circumstances they were in. After experiencing all that He went through in holy obedience to our Father in bravely facing persecution, denial and the cruelest of deaths ever devised, Christ showed us by example what true loyalty involves.

St. Benedict echoes this sentiment when he writes to us about what Christian solidarity entails, and the rewards that follow. “Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom” (RB Prol 50).

Psalm 15 with the Title, “The Guest of God,” gives us a good summary of human solidarity.

O Lord, who will sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks blamelessly and who does justice. He who thinks the truth in his heart, and slanders not with his tongue; who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord; who though it be to his loss, changes not his pledged word; who lends not at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be disturbed.

Br. Daniel Sokol, OSB, is a member of Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

Men's communities, Reflection, Saints

The Christ-Centered Nature of the Church and St. Benedict’s Rule

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Christ and His virtues and attributes are the central focus of the Church and the Rule of St. Benedict.

After three years of miracles, preaching, teaching, healing and feeding while “resolutely” heading for Jerusalem, Jesus comes up to the Last Supper where he longingly looked forward to initiate the Eucharist: “This is my body; “This is my blood;” and Holy Orders: “Do this in memory of me.” Mindful of His words, these sacraments commission the priests to bring Christ to the multitudes throughout the world.

During the forty days that follow the magnificent event of Christ’s Resurrection, He accomplishes the solidification of the newborn Church as He affirms the apostles and disciples. Then comes His Ascension into heaven followed by the precious gift of the Pentecost whereby the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles that they may be emboldened to preach with holy conviction. These events are at the core of the Church’s sacred heritage. The Church is constantly challenged to bring the “good news” of Christ throughout the whole world.

Thanks to the writings of the Fathers of the Church that contributed significantly to the clarification of Sacred Scripture and the spiritual growth of the Church, St. Benedict benefited greatly by this foundation. After absorbing the best of this sacred heritage, he proceeded to apply this knowledge to build up monastic life that would eventually evangelize and civilize the whole of Europe. The secret of His success was the placing of Christ at the center of all his efforts.

He taught us to “Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ” (RB 4:10). This theme would echo throughout the entire rule in many different forms. So we see that the abbot is believed to “hold the place of Christ, since he is addressed by a title of Christ…not for any claim of his own, but out of honor and love for Christ” (RB 63: 13.

And, consider this: “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else” (RB 4:20). Evil thoughts are to be dealt with swiftly and decisively, such as, “As soon as wrongful thoughts come into your heart, dash them against Christ and disclose them to your spiritual father” (RB 4:50). Although we strive to find Christ in every person we meet, how shall we deal with our “enemies?” St. Benedict advises, “Pray for your enemies out of love for Christ. If you have a dispute with someone, make peace with him before the sun goes down (RB 4:72).”

Spiritual progress is slow, so after diligently practicing the virtue of humility we arrive at love. “Through this love, all that he once performed with dread, he will now begin to observe without effort, as though naturally, from habit, no longer out of fear of hell, but out of love for Christ, good habit and delight in virtue” (RB 7:68-69).

All kinds of people reside in the monastery or come for the solace of retreat or just a good word, and all represent Christ in one way or another. We are called upon to reverence them, especially those who are sick and bedridden. “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ, for he said: I was sick and you visited me (Matt 25:36), and What you did for one of these least brothers you did for me (Matt 25:40)” (RB 36:1-2).

But the wisdom of St. Benedict also has advice that goes both ways. “Let the sick on their part bear in mind that they are served out of honor for God, and let them not by their excessive demands distress their brothers who serve them (RB 36:4)”.

If we eat too much food we are advised: “For nothing is so inconsistent with the life of any Christian as overindulgence. Our Lord says: Take care that your hearts are not weighed down with overindulgence  (Luke 21:34 (RB 39:8-9). )”

No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead, what he judges better for someone else. To their fellow monks they show the pure love of brothers; to God, loving fear; to their abbot, unfeigned and humble love. Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life (RB 72:7-12).

Br. Daniel Sokol is a Benedictine monk at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

www.princeofpeaceabbey.org

Men's communities, Reflection

Reverence, Awe and Respect in the Rule of St. Benedict by Brother Daniel Sokol, OSB

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St. Benedict has a lot to say regarding our attitude of reverential awe and charitable respect shown to God and towards our fellow human beings.

For example, he begins Chapter 4, on “Good Works” with “First of all, love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength,  and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27).

Loving God is the starting point of all that we do and all whom we meet in our Christian walk.  Even strangers, the poor and pilgrims are to be “welcomed as Christ” (RB 53:1).  As the late Abbot Georg Holzherr, OSB, of our grandmother house put it: “Genuine hospitality especially towards the poor and pilgrims, is a hallmark of a truly humane culture in dealing with others, and it is certainly a theme that stands out in the Bible.”  This is especially true for monastics, and by way of extension, the Oblates: “They should each try to show respect to the other (Rom 12:10) (in RB 63:17).

Reverence at the Divine Office, the Work of God, merits an especially important place in the chapters on Prayer: “As soon as the cantor begins to sing ‘Glory be to the Father,’ let all the monks rise from their seats in honor and reverence for the Holy Trinity” (RB 9:7).

Liturgical reading is to be “done with humility, seriousness and reverence” (RB 47:4).  “After the Work of God, all should leave in complete silence and with reverence for God,  so that a brother who may wish to pray alone will not be disturbed by the insensitivity of another” (RB 52:2,3).   Even monks traveling on mission “are to perform the Work of God where they are, and kneel out of reverence for God” (RB 50:3).

Essentially, all aspects of monastic life are to be done with a spirit of cheerful humility towards each other.  “The younger monks, then, must respect their seniors, and the seniors must love their juniors” (RB 63:10).  When praying the Liturgy and addressing God, they do
so with fearful but loving awe, as when the Abbot “reads from the Gospels while all the monks stand with respect and awe.  (RB 11:9).

St. Benedict had an excellent grasp of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore he was able to craft his rule, sentence by sentence, with the goal of forming holy monks into cohesive groups of twelve monastics.  Many of his disciples were illiterate rustics who became trained by the Holy Rule until they were ready to go out to evangelize their parts of the world by founding more and more monasteries.  Eventually there were about 1,400 monasteries scattered all over Europe.

With attention to detail, the reference to pure prayer speaks to the whole person—body and soul.  “ Let us consider, then, how we ought to behave in the presence of God and his angels,  and let us stand to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices” (RB 19:6-7).  With keen awareness of human behavior, he writes, “ Whenever we want to ask some favor of a powerful man, we do it humbly and respectfully, for fear of presumption.   How much more important, then, to lay our petitions before the Lord God of all things with the utmost humility and sincere devotion.   We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words” (RB 20:1-3).

This kind of respectful harmony flows out to our contact with holy superiors and confreres in such appealing phrases as “…the disciples’ obedience must be given gladly, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7) (RB 5:16).

Respecting human frailties, he gently advises his followers with such phrases as,   “This, then, is the good zeal which monks must foster with fervent love: They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other (Rom 12:10), supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behavior” (RB 72:3-5).

Brother Daniel Sokol, OSB, is a Benedictine monk at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

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Listen Carefully, My Child

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I S T E N  carefully, my child,
to your master’s precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father’s advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.

To you, therefore, my words are now addressed,
whoever you may be,
who are renouncing your own will
to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King,
and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.

And first of all,
whatever good work you begin to do,
beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it,
that He who has now deigned to count us among His children
may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds.
For we must always so serve Him
with the good things He has given us,
that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children,
nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions,
deliver us to everlasting punishment
as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.

From the Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict