Authority Entrusted for Service

St. Benedict is remarkably realistic about power. Even in a monastery, people can become attached to titles, authority, and the feeling that they are important. The problem is not the office of prior itself, but what happens when a person begins to think the office belongs to him rather than to the community. Benedict reminds us that authority is always service. The moment it becomes self-importance, it begins to divide rather than unite.

Most of us will never be priors of monasteries, but we all have little territories we are tempted to defend. We want our opinion heard, our way followed, our contribution recognized. Benedict invites us to hold responsibility lightly. Whatever authority we have—in a family, workplace, parish, or community—is entrusted to us for the good of others. Humility allows us to serve without needing to be the center of things.