According to his view our communities should be counterweights.( v. Probably the situation was similar for Benedict. It is understandable for us, in our present situation to understand this : war, terror, disregard for life, hatred and vengeance, all this may be closer to us than good zeal.
On the contrary, he begins with the negative basis, with bitter zeal. It is surprising that Benedict does not begin : as there is a good zeal.
One might ask, why? Was it because the monks were so zealous? Or was it rather the contrary, which made him shake them up, so to speak, with these radical statements?īefore we turn our attention to the principles of good zeal in verses 3- 11, there are a few details to notice at the beginning and the end. Benedict puts all his energy into these expressions. Where there is a state of war, with bad zeal on every side, the intensity of it is very palpable. Throughout the whole chapter there are many words underlined in blue and red, - that means the way in which a thing should be done is being emphasised (verses 3-6, 8-10) and Benedict expresses himself most strongly ( in almost every verse). Only verse 12 contains an action performed by a divine agent (orange or yellow). Actions of the monastics (green) appear in almost every verse. The language of love, ( a pink or red square), is to be seen throughout almost the whole chapter right up to verse 10 included. It is much the same for the dynamic expressions, verbs, underlined in green.(verses 1 - 2 ,12 and 7). Brown, the sign of negativity, appears at the beginning in verses 1 - 2, and at the end, in verse 11, and also in verse 7. In the middle, verses 3 - 8, we have the horizontal dimension, embedded, so to speak, in the vertical one. Yellow ( for God, or for Christ, or our final goal ) appears at the beginning, in verses 1 - 2, and at the end, in verses 9 - 12. pink or red square around words indicating the language of love.grey square around words indicating key concepts.red underlining for intense expressions.blue underlining for adverbial expressions.green underlining for expressions of movement.orange (or yellow) for verbs, showing their actions.yellow for eternal life, for God and Christ.I would first like to invite you to make this chapter your own (see extra sheet with text of the Rule), by underlining it in colours. This gives us a better idea of what zeal itself - with all its different aspects - was for Benedict, and then we will understand better what meaning it has for us today. It is rewarding, first to look at Chapter 72 as a whole (Nr.1), and then to see how it fits into the Rule and its sources (Nr.2). Both his and our horizons of perception are similar in many aspects. In Benedict's time one might think of luxury, easy going life and instability. However, the ideals of endurance and the giving of one's self with all one's energy seems to be falling away. Is community a thing to be desired? Certainly it is, from the point of view of congenial relationships, being supported, enrichment and happiness. Moreover, the opposite of zeal is close to us: so many people live without great ideals, intent merely on getting by in comfort. Benedict would have experienced something similar in the time of the merciless wars of the Goths. We think, for example, of terrorists and their immense, all-consuming energy, filled with hatred and bent on destruction and perhaps we think of anti-terrorist actions, which can become inhuman. We are asking this question today, at a time which is convulsed by evil zeal. What did Benedict mean by this expression ? The aim of this conference is to describe good zeal according to the Rule of Benedict.
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