August 25

Chapter 67

The Rule of Benedict August 25

From April:

This chapter is the reason why we remember all our absent members before the closing prayer on Thursday evenings. 

Our Father Benedict acknowledges and seeks to deal with a spiritual reality here that I have experienced often during that last year or so.  Gil has talked for a long time about the fact each person brings with her to church an invisible crowd of other people that affect the spiritual climate of the gathering.  Benedict is wise to make this explicit and establish a protocol for returning monks whereby the spiritual climate of the monastery can be cleansed from any unintended negative effects.  Let us pay attention to who we bring with us to our gatherings [and what we bring spiritually to our common life of prayer], and let us pray for each other that we may ourselves be free and present to our community.