April 8

Chapter 55 pt. 2

The Rule of Benedict April 8

In this passage I can't help but see the scenario described through the lens of Julie and Monty's experience of attachment disorder with Mila.  Attachment disorder occurs when a person does not form the normal attachments to a parent or primary caregiver during early childhood.  The result is a human being that believes, on a primal level, that she must fend for herself in a hostile world that does not meet her needs.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that the Rule is therapy for a soul that has lost its attachment to God.  Benedict's instructions can seem harsh until you realize the nature of the illness that needs to be cured.  The sort of love that is willing to bear the bruises of a screaming, striking child in a calm, firm, four-limbed embrace is the kind of love displayed here by our Father Benedict.