Place your hope in God alone. If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge.I like this quote from Benedict, but I have a friend who dislikes it - we haven't gone into why - but I think that it is an example of the religious paradox that I was writing about yesterday. It isn't necessarily that I think that it is "true", but that it gives insight into ways of thinking which help me come to God.
The Rule of Benedict http://www.eriebenedictines.org/benedict (only there 1 day in 4 months) http://www.osb.org/rb/
What do you think?
I'm the friend who hates it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fine if you want to persuade yourself and others that they are scum bags and never done anything good. There are plenty of us who have a propensity to believe this and have believed it most of our lives.
Personally, I don't subscribe to the original sin, we are all hopelessly evil and only permitted to be in God's presence by virtue of killing his innocent Son brigade..
I am more in the God created us and saw we are good, made us in her image which is good, loves us intensely just as we are and leads us on paths of wholeness brigade.. I think it is better psychology if nothing else.
I agree with Lesley. I think this has danger of taking us along the lines of "Oh Lord, have mercy on us miserable offenders" and "we are not worthy even to gather up the crumbs" stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think we should celebrate our good and see it as the propensity for "God within", I don't think we should be too hard on our failings, but we should acknowledge when we have done wrong and think about always acting to be the best we can.
(I'm putting the world to rights today!)
OK - I agree with the two of you - I think I see it more as an antidote to arrogance and pride than a condemnation of our failings. That is what I meant about it not being "true" but being helpful (to me).
ReplyDelete