How St. Benedict's Second and Third Degrees of Humility Will Build Stability in Our Workplace, continued
As was the second degree of humility, the third degree of humility is short and sweet. Last time we battled self-will. Today we find a crucial aid to assist us in that battle.
"The third degree of humility is that a man for the love of God subject himself to his superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord of whom the apostle says: 'He was made obedient even unto death'."
We desire to strengthen humility. We know that self-will will defeat us if we don't fight against it. That's the second degree of humility. But what of this third degree of humility? Doesn't it apply strictly to monks who owe obedience to their superiors? Indeed St. Benedict does address this to his monks, as he does his entire Rule. But as we've seen over and over, we non-monks living in the "outside" world can derive great spiritual and practical benefits from that which was intended for monks living in a monastery. So let's see a way to apply this seemingly "monks-only" degree of humility to us Catholic men working in our own particular circumstances.
First, we might simply substitute "superior" with "boss." While I now run my own small business, in the past I've worked for quite an array of bosses. Some were dictatorial, even little Napoleons. Some were friendly, some not particularly unpleasant, but rarely approachable. Some were careful, analytical managers, some shot from the hip. Whoever they were, whatever their style, at some level I was subject to them in some way.
The dictatorial types would probably have enjoyed thinking of their charges as their "subjects" (or, in some cases objects of their whims). Barking orders from on high suited them vs. the more friendly types. With those, the term "colleague" might replace "subject." Instead of barking from on high, it was more coaching or coaxing on a more level field.
In the end, unless we comply or cooperate with our boss instructions, we risk losing those regular paychecks most of us enjoy. Call it comply, or call it cooperate, you can see where "obey" can be reasonably substituted.
But even we who run a business have a boss. We may not report to someone called "boss," but we do have customers and/or clients. And these require a similar level or compliance and cooperation.
Whether we sell a product or a service, we need to understand our buyer's wants and needs. With such understanding we act in accordance with their wishes or commands (comply); ideally, we do this in a spirit of cooperation, assisting in fulfilling their wishes (wants), responding to their commands (needs). Our response to our customers/clients entails a similar response we might have to a boss. Just as we might obey a boss, we could be said to "obey" our buyer/customer/client.
So that's my best shot at comparing the obedience due to a superior of monks and non-monks. And as with fighting self-will, St. Benedict reminds us that Christ Himself was "obedient even unto death." As a man, he deferred to His Divine Nature - we might call it His "Superior" - in submitting His body to the Passion and Death designated to be the means of our salvation. As the Son of God, He was subject to His Father. Recall His words in the Garden as He felt the terrible anxiety of the horrors that awaited Him: Thy will be done.
In our work, we may not need to be "obedient unto death," but we can still look to Christ's example. As we subject ourselves to our superior - be it a boss, a customer, a client - we turn away from self. If self is tired, or in a bad mood, we don't allow that to deter us from attending to our duties fully, with fervor and exactness.
If we can keep Christ's example before us, our self can concoct all it wants to keep us absorbed in our imaginings and emotions of the moment. If in those moments, we can instead turn our minds and hearts to Christ and His supreme example of submission and obedience to His Father and His Mission, we stand a decent chance of overcoming ourselves. We will better serve the greater glory of God. We stand a good chance of effectively working for the welfare of our family, the benefit of our clients or customers. Our efforts will contribute not to self-aggrandizement, but rather to the common good.
In subjecting ourselves to our non-monk superiors, rather than be subject to the whims of self, we will build stability in our workplace.
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee,
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