A few years ago, I compared and contrasted the monastic orders of Benedict, Augustine, and Francis. While Benedict coined the phrase, “The life of a monastic ought to be a continuous lent” (Benedict, Rule, 49), the following top 10 are commonalities of the monastic orders of Augustine, Benedict, and Francis:
- life is lent led by a director
- humility
- community, cloister
- celibacy
- poverty, no personal property
- favor the weak, sick
- manual labor
- radical imitation of Jesus
- correcting one another
- prayer
Interesting . . . one of the major associations we make with monasteries is chanting and solitude. While part of many orders, solitude and chanting are not emphasized in these three orders as much as the above top 10.
In my experience with leadership, and in leadership, mastering #2 (humility) goes a long way. I see a huge difference in the response of my teens and preteens when I make an extra effort to incorporate humility into my parenting role. In the long run, it’s much less painful to acknowledge my own shortcomings and struggles than to have them pointed out to me at an inopportune time. My relationship with my oldest daughter changed radically when I asked her to pray for my victory over a specific sin in my life. I invited her to hold me accountable (which she did with great diligence), and she began to share her inner thoughts much more openly with me.