{"id":108206,"date":"2023-12-21T13:29:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T21:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=108206"},"modified":"2023-12-21T13:29:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T21:29:35","slug":"let-him-act-with-prudence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/let-him-act-with-prudence\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Him Act with Prudence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"wpsdc-drop-cap\">T<\/span>oday&#8217;s reading from the Holy Rule is from chapter 64, &#8220;Of the Election of the Abbot&#8221;. I was particularly struck by Saint Benedict&#8217;s admonition of how the abbot should act, which I think is good advice for all leaders. Here&#8217;s the relevant bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[W]hen the Abbot hath been elected let him bear in mind how great a burden he hath taken upon himself, and to whom he must give an account of his stewardship (<em>cf.<\/em>\u00a0Lk 16:2); and let him be convinced that it becometh him better to serve than to rule. He must, therefore, be versed in the divine law, that he may know whence \u201cto bring forth new things and old\u201d (Mt 13:52). Let him be chaste, sober, and merciful, and let him always exalt \u201cmercy above judgment\u201d (Jas 2:13), that he also may obtain mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let him hate vice, but love the brethren. And even in his corrections, let him act with prudence and not go to extremes, lest, while he aimeth to remove the rust too thoroughly, the vessel be broken. Let him always keep his own frailty in mind, and remember that \u201cthe bruised reed must not be broken\u201d (Is 42:3). In this we are not saying that he should allow evils to take root, but that he cut them off with prudence and charity, as he shall see it is best for each one, as we have already said; and let him aim to be loved rather than feared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let him not be fussy or over-anxious, exacting, or headstrong; let him not be jealous or suspicious, because he will never have rest. In all his commands, whether they refer to things spiritual or temporal, let him be cautious and considerate. Let him be discerning and temperate in the tasks which he enjoineth, recalling the discretion of holy Jacob who saith: \u201cIf I should cause my flocks to be overdriven, they would all die in one day\u201d (Gen 33:13). Keeping in view these and other dictates of discretion, the mother of virtues, let him so temper everything that the strong may still have something to desire and the weak may not draw back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today&#8217;s reading from the Holy Rule is from chapter 64, &#8220;Of the Election of the Abbot&#8221;. I was particularly struck by Saint Benedict&#8217;s admonition of how the abbot should act, which I think is good advice for all leaders. Here&#8217;s the relevant bit. [W]hen the Abbot hath been elected let him bear in mind how great a burden he hath [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meditations","category-wisdom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Saint-Benedict-presents-the-Rule-to-Saint-Maurus.jpg?fit=672%2C697&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-s9g","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":85500,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/prefer-nothing-to-the-love-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":0},"title":"Prefer Nothing to the Love of Christ","author":"Thom","date":"11 July 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This Saint Benedict's feast (or memorial, depending on your calendar), I thought I'd do something a little different. I had hoped to attend Mount Angel Abbey's Saint Benedict Festival today, but unfortunately we had a meeting this morning, and Francine has a wedding shower this afternoon. Maybe next year. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Ephemera&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Ephemera","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/blog-ephemera\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Benedict","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Saint-Benedict-240x240.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87626,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/new-benedictine-abbot-primate-elected\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":1},"title":"New Benedictine Abbot Primate Elected","author":"Thom","date":"10 September 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, on September 10, 2016, Abbot Gregory Polan, O.S.B., of Conception Abbey, Conception, Mo., was elected Abbot Primate of the 1500-year-old Benedictine Order at the Congress of Abbots meeting in Rome, Italy held every four years. As head of the Benedictine Confederation, Abbot Gregory will be the unifying head\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;inside baseball&quot;","block_context":{"text":"inside baseball","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/inside-baseball\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Abbot_Gregory.jpg?fit=687%2C811&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Abbot_Gregory.jpg?fit=687%2C811&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Abbot_Gregory.jpg?fit=687%2C811&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100124,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/thirteen\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":2},"title":"Thirteen","author":"Thom","date":"10 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Benedict. Detail from a fresco by Fra Angelico. is the thirteenth anniversary of my final oblation to Saint Martin\u2019s Abbey in Lacey. As an Oblate, I promise to follow the Rule of Saint Benedict inasmuch as it applies to my state in life. we made our Oblation, we promised\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Meditations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Meditations","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/meditations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Fra_Angelico_Benedict.jpg?fit=984%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Fra_Angelico_Benedict.jpg?fit=984%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Fra_Angelico_Benedict.jpg?fit=984%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Fra_Angelico_Benedict.jpg?fit=984%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":84068,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-first-abbot\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":3},"title":"The First Abbot","author":"Thom","date":"09 May 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Who first invented Christian monasticism? You could make a pretty strong argument for this guy. Meet Saint Pachomius, who appears on several Benedictine Martyrologies for this day. Pachomius was born about the year 292 in Egypt. He was drafted into the Roman army, where he first came in contact with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Prayer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/pray\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"St Pachomius the Great","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/St-Pachomius-240x352.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":88433,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/feast-of-the-holy-abbots-of-cluny-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":4},"title":"Feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny","author":"Thom","date":"29 April 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the (combined) feast of four great Abbots of the Benedictine Order: Saints Odo, Majolus, Odilo, and Hugh. They were all good and holy men, and during the course of their reigns over the Abbey of Cluny and its associated priories, they reformed western monasticism \u2013 indeed, it could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Divine Office&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Divine Office","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/sacred-liturgy\/divine-office\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Abbots of Cluny","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":90993,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/feast-of-the-holy-abbots-of-cluny-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":108206,"position":5},"title":"Feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny","author":"Thom","date":"29 April 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"is the feast of four great Abbots of the Benedictine Order: Saints Odo, Majolus, Odilo, and Hugh. They were all good and holy men, and during the course of their reigns over the Abbey of Cluny and its associated priories, they reformed western monasticism \u2013 indeed, it could be fairly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Annual&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Odo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108208,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108206\/revisions\/108208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}