RB Reflection: 11 May 2008 - Pentecost

Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbess Ought to Be Let the Abbess always bear in mind that at the dread Judgment of God there will be an examination of these two matters: her teaching and the obedience of her disciples. And let the Abbess be sure that any lack of profit the master of the house may find in the sheep will be laid to the blame of the shepherd. On the other hand, if the shepherd has bestowed all her pastoral diligence on a restless, unruly flock and tried every remedy for their unhealthy behavior, then she will be acquitted at the Lord's Judgment and may say to the Lord with the Prophet: "I have not concealed Your justice within my heart; Your truth and Your salvation I have declared" (Ps. 39:11). "But they have despised and rejected me" (Is. 1:2; Ezech. 20:27). And then finally let death itself, irresistible, punish those disobedient sheep under her charge.

Here we come to one of those passages in the rule where most people scratch their head and say, who still thinks that way? I think this passage is showing us that if you take charge of something, then you had better take care of it too. Keeping people in line in the military is very important, otherwise the military will not run. In kitchens run in the tradition of French Cuisine there is the Chef de Cuisine, the Sous Chef, the Saucier, etc., all the way down to the lowliest dishwasher.

Religious communities, whether monastic or Lay Cistercian, must tow the party line, otherwise it will dissolve into confusion, I don't mean party line as in Republican or Democrat or Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, I mean party line as the life and charism to live as a Cistercian, monastic, or lay. But it could turn into a situation where a paltry few show up for Vigils, but most of the community are no-shows. That is a serious failure to keep your vows. The abbot cannot let that happen. The abbot/abbess is responsible for keeping their monks/nuns on the right track. After all, why else did any of them join the order to begin with?

As Lay Cistercian's we are challenged to get on with living within the Charism, and not just daydreaming about it. Be your own abbot. Until the lines of obedience are settled from the order down to us, then we must be our own abbot/abbess. We have a helper in Christ, and depend upon the prayers of our community of Lay Cistercian's, and all the angels and saints, to keep us in the path to God.