Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be
Above all let him not neglect or undervalue
the welfare of the souls committed to him,
in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable things;
but let him always bear in mind
that he has undertaken the government of souls
and that he will have to give an account of them.
And if he be tempted to allege a lack of earthly means,
let him remember what is written:
"First seek the kingdom of God and His justice,
and all these things shall be given you besides" (Ps. 33:10).
And again:
"Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him."
Let him know, then,
that he who has undertaken the government of souls
must prepare himself to render an account of them.
Whatever number of brothers he knows he has under his care,
he may be sure beyond doubt that on Judgment Day
he will have to give the Lord an account of all these souls,
as well as of his own soul.
Thus the constant apprehension
about his coming examination as shepherd (Ezech. 34)
concerning the sheep entrusted to him,
and his anxiety over the account that must be given for others,
make him careful of his own record.
And while by his admonitions he is helping others to amend,
he himself is cleansed of his faults.
RB2.33-40 May 16, 2008
Accountability, Judgment Day, our fellow human being’s keeper: these are words we don’t like to hear or admit to in our society. The fact remains that God teaches that we are accountable to Him and there is a judgment day (see Matthew 25:31ff; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Viktor Frankl wrote in his book The Will to Meaning “Freedom threatens to degenerate into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. I like to say that the Statue of Liberty on the east coast should be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.” Being accountable is not fun or comfortable, but it is an act of love (see Hebrews 12:5-6). Someone, whom I cannot remember, said that accountability and God’s comforting omnipresence are the same side of the same coin. God is not like Santa Claus checking his list to see who is naughty or nice. God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient because that is who God is. God loves us so much that God sent His son to die and rise for us. God also loves us so much that He gave us free will, and with free will comes accountability on how we use that free will.
Not only are we accountable for ourselves, we are also accountable to God for how we influence others (see Matthew 5:19; Ezekiel 33:1-6). John Donne and Thomas Merton were right when they wrote, “No Man is an Island”. We are not responsible for other’s decisions, they are, but we are responsible for our influence on others.
We, as Christian/LCG and members of Christ’s body, need to hold each other accountable so that out of love we may help each other to live out our God given potential. All this is an awesome responsibility we all have as Christians/LCG. We can fulfill our responsibility to God and others through God’s strength and power (see Philippians 4:13; Matthew 6:33; Psalm 33:10).
We are not alone. God in Christ is with us. Let us place our faith in Him. Let us sing and live the chorus of the old hymn, “We’ll work till Jesus comes…” and if we do that then we will hear God say to us, “Come, thy good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21).
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