Day Thirty-Four – The Power of Paradox

Question:  Many Brothers have spoken about aspects of the Community’s life that need to be addressed more thoroughly in the next revision of the Rule.  What are some of things you think must be retained going forward?

Br. Kevin Hackett: One of the things I so appreciate about the Rule is the frank recognition that there is often a gap between our theology and our lived experience—both of which can be true, but neither of which is adequate in its own right.  I’m thinking specifically of what we say in the chapter on Scripture (20), for instance, where we say that that “intellectual honesty and contemplative openness belong together in our life with Scripture.”  I think I find this so appealing because it honors the reality of paradox, which the Rule addresses over and over, in various ways.  In one of the chapters on formation (37), we say, “many stages of genuine transformation are marked by experiences of confusion and loss.”  That could be said of the whole Christian life, I think!