Chapter 21. The Deans of the Monastery
If the community is rather large, some brothers chosen for their good repute and holy life should be made deans. They will take care of their groups of ten, managing all affairs according to the commandments of God and the orders of their abbot. The deans selected should be the kind of men with whom the abbot can confidently share the burdens of his office. They are to be chosen for virtuous living and wise teaching, not for their rank.
If perhaps one of these deans is found to be puffed up with any pride, and so deserving of censure, he is to be reproved once, twice and even a third time. Should he refuse to amend, he must be removed from office and replaced by another who is worthy. We prescribe the same course of action in regard to the prior.
The Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani is a large group with over one hundred members. Twenty-eight states, and even some members in Canada, makes us an international group, so if any group needs Deans, it is the LCG. Each regional group has a leader, someone who facilitates the meetings, and to some extent keeps watch over the spiritual health of the group members. I wish there were as many monks at Gethsemani Abbey as their are members of the LCG, but that in itself is a sign of the new movement of the Charism we share with the monks/nuns.
What strikes me in today's reading is the deans should be under the orders of the Abbot. As LCG we have no official abbot, other than Abbot Elias, and it yet remains to be seen how he will interact with us. I am not alone in longing for an obedience to the Abbot of Gethsemani. Time will tell, and as I am fond of saying to friends, time brings all things.
The other striking image is "puffed up with pride." The passage serves as a warning to all of us that when we are given a task, small or large, that we do it without putting up a neon sign over our heads proclaiming, "Important Lay Cistercian Here." It also hearkens back to earlier chapters of the Rule, namely, chapter 7, Humility. More and more it is revealed to me how the Rule is a tapestry, always weaving what has come before into the pattern of right now.
May God bring us altogether to everlasting life.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
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