Rule of St Benedict Reading for August 19, 2009

Chapter 63: On the Order of the Community

The juniors, therefore, should honor their seniors,
and the seniors love their juniors.

In the very manner of address,
let no one call another by the mere name;
but let the seniors call their juniors Brothers,
and the juniors call their seniors Fathers,
by which is conveyed the reverence due to a father.
But the Abbot,
since he is believed to represent Christ,
shall be called Lord and Abbot,
not for any pretensions of his own
but out of honor and love for Christ.
Let the Abbot himself reflect on this,
and show himself worthy of such an honor.

And wherever the brethren meet one another
the junior shall ask the senior for his blessing.
When a senior passes by,
a junior shall rise and give him a place to sit,
nor shall the junior presume to sit with him
unless his senior bid him,
that it may be as was written,
"In honor anticipating one another."

Boys, both small and adolescent,
shall keep strictly to their rank in oratory and at table.
But outside of that, wherever they may be,
let them be under supervision and discipline,
until they come to the age of discretion.

Some thoughts

Wouldn't you love to live in a world where the juniors honor their
seniors who in turn love the juniors? Well, maybe the latter happens
but it seems to me more and more that the USA, at least, forgets there
is a 4th commandment. I could go on and on about this due to the
difficulties and challenges of getting my elderly mother what she
needs. But I suppose that would be a digression.

Benedict makes it clear that love and respect go hand in hand, does he
not? How can we show love and respect to those both our seniors and
our elders?