If a Brother Is Found to Be Obstinate
St. Benedict outlines the process for addressing obstinate behavior in a brother, emphasizing the importance of reform and the consequences of refusal.
St. Benedict of Nursia emphasizes the importance of discipline and obedience within the community, outlining a process for dealing with a brother who displays obstinance, disobedience, pride, murmuring, or habitual transgression of the Holy Rule. Following the steps laid out by Our Lord in Matthew 18:15, the brother is to be privately admonished twice before facing public rebuke in front of the entire community if he does not amend his ways. If the brother remains unrepentant, he is to be excommunicated, with the option of corporal punishment for those who persist in their defiance.
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If a brother is found to be obstinate, or disobedient, or proud, or murmuring, or habitually transgressing the Holy Rule in any point and contemptuous of the orders of his seniors, the latter shall admonish him secretly a first and a second time, as Our Lord commands (Matt. 18:15). If he fails to amend, let him be given a public rebuke in front of the whole community. But if even then he does not reform, let him be placed under excommunication, provided that he understands the seriousness of that penalty; if he is perverse, however, let him undergo corporal punishment.
Sermon Outline
- Addressing Obstinate Behavior
- Process for Addressing Obstinate Behavior
- Importance of Reform
- Understanding the Seriousness of Penalties
- The Role of Seniors in Guiding the Community
- Excommunication or Corporal Punishment
Key Quotes
“If a brother is found to be obstinate, or disobedient, or proud, or murmuring, or habitually transgressing the Holy Rule in any point and contemptuous of the orders of his seniors” — St. Benedict of Nursia
“If he fails to amend, let him be given a public rebuke in front of the whole community” — St. Benedict of Nursia
“But if even then he does not reform, let him be placed under excommunication, provided that he understands the seriousness of that penalty” — St. Benedict of Nursia
Application Points
- Recognize the importance of obedience and humility in a community of believers.
- Understand the consequences of refusing to reform and the role of seniors in guiding the community.
- Seek guidance and correction from seniors in a spirit of humility and openness to change.