Stabilitas – Stability
Monks make a vow of stability.
This vow is a commitment to a particular community.
Monasticism is not just a commitment to a way of life,
but to a way of life in a particular monastery: to the
place, to the people, to its tradition and culture.
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Stability is sometimes presented
as a state of mind, but we have emphasized the
importance of stability in the concrete and literal
sense. A person identifies with the particular community
by participating in its common life: that is, its common
prayer, its common table, its community work, one’s
service to the community, and its common recreation.
Other common elements can
contribute to this identification, such as common dress
(the monastic habit), a special monastic vocabulary
(e.g., refectory, choir), as well as schedule and
rank.
The Rule also calls us to
certain community virtues. In Benedictine monasteries,
the common good is balanced with a respect and love for
the individual. Care of the sick is an important and
concrete expression of love in the community. There
are community sins as well: anger, murmuring, and acedia
(that is, the temptation to abandon the commitment).
Monks are not perfect people, but they need to be people
who can admit their faults. Every community must have
some way of acknowledging faults and reconciling
members. For individuals to be stable members of a
community, they must be able to support with the
greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or
behavior.
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