The eighth step of humility is to release one's grip on the great big steering wheel by which a human being is directed. Plainly and simply, it is to relinquish one's say in the hows of one's life. But why would someone do such a thing? What could possibly motivate me to limit my personal freedom to the extent that I "do nothing except what is commended by the common Rule . . . and the example of the elders"?
The answer that I have to offer from my life mirrors much of Sr. Joan's commentary for today. I was motivated to submit myself in obedience to a catholic and Benedictine path because I caught a glimpse of the limits of my own lights and witnessed others being guided along this path into the "darkness" beyond what I knew. What I perceived in these others is a holiness and a wisdom that my soul longs to embody, but that I had no clue how to pursue. And so I took one step, then another, and another in their footprints over the course of years. The path became gradually clearer, my pace quickened, and I was led into a beautiful world I would never have discovered had I remained convinced that what I could see and understand is all that holds value for me. I have just begun to explore this world, which becomes ever more beautiful and less predictable with each step I take along this path.
Br. Chad
And I love this reflection given on my baptismal birthday.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about the way St. Mary of the Annunciation follows the Rule of Benedict, the more I feel at home here.