Echoes from the Bell Tower

“If a monk without the abbot’s command...flares up and treats others unreasonablly, he is to be subjected to the discipline of the Rule. After all, it is written, ‘Never do to another what you do not want done to yourself.’”

Rule of Saint Benedict 70:6-7

Benedictines live under the guidance of peace (as St. Paul calls us to do when he wrote, “Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, ” Col. 3:15). The events of these past couple months – in the Caribbean, in Ukraine and Gaza, and in our own country, Minneapolis, and now again in the Middle East – causes me a lot of heartache. I struggle, as I think many do, with the tension between the need to fight evil and injustice and the call of Christ to do so without violence. I understand the tension, but as a monk formed under the Benedictine motto, Pax – Peace, I am deeply disturbed by the conflict breaking out all over. I can’t end those wars myself, but I can decide how I feel about them, and where I want to stand on the issue of violence – especially as it pertains to how I want to relate with others.

The monastic tradition insists on treating others patiently, without judgment or condemnation. Genuine, harmonious relationships become possible only when we relinquish the urge to “fix” others or force them to align with our own viewpoints or preferred ways of doing things. It is in this freedom that true peace takes shape.

To succeed in pursuing harmonious relationships, we must keep a gospel-centered mindset. The so-called Golden Rule, which Benedict quotes from Tobit 4:16 and Matthew 7:12, provides a way for us to pursue peace by loving our neighbor as ourselves, even those who oppose our tightly held viewpoints and opinions.

You’ve likely heard the saying, “Peace begins at home. ” I believe this. Peace begins with you and with me. If we hope to be a peaceful community, then each member must strive to do their part. Peace in the heart naturally flows outward. When I hold fast to the peace of Christ – a peace the world cannot give – it shapes the way Irelate to others. Peace emerges as patience, allowing others to be themselves, attending to my own sins rather than my neighbor’s, and in striving to be a good example rather than a “law” others must obey. May the Peace of Christ rule your hearts today and every day and may we all be signs of hope for a deeply troubled world!