RB Reflection: 3 July 2008

Chapter 26. Unauthorized Association with the Excommunicated.

If a brother, acting without an order from the abbot, presumes to associate in any way with an excommunicated brother, to converse with him or to send him a message, he should receive a like punishment of excommunication.

This is challenging in a familiar way. When I was a child, if I got in trouble, my brother would often either A) attempt to comfort me, or B) rub it in that I was in trouble and he was not. Like most kids, B was the more usual option. I wonder if this chapter of the rule isn't trying to prevent that very thing. It's easy to imagine a terribly uppity monk making sure that the excommunicated monk knew how much more superior he was than the one in trouble. Humans have a hard time not rubbing salt in. This chapter usually brings to mind a punishment for those who might try to comfort the excommunicated, or slip him some extra food. That is likely, especially from his friends. However, I think what is more like is the uppity monk rubbing it in.

So what's it got to do with Lay Cistercians? To be perfectly honest, I do not know. However! I can think of a few areas where it might be useful to remember. Is there someone in your local group who just never seems to get it? Is there someone in your local group who will just never shut up? Is there someone in your local group who sometimes makes such a fool of themself that you are embarrassed for them?

In those cases I think the application of this chapter might be,
--Don't go up to the one who is slow on the uptake and say, "are you stupid of what?"
--Don't go to the blabber mouth and say, "don't you ever shut up?"
--Don't go to the one who has made a fool of themself and say, "what an idiot you are."

May God bring us all (stupid, blabbermouths and idiots) to everlasting life.