Stability: To Fully Invest with Love

For Saint Benedict, stability was a call to live in a particular monastic community for life, but in our construction of the Rule of Dad, stability calls us to invest ourselves fully in the lives we have been blessed to enjoy, holding nothing back and ensuring commitment and follow through are priorities. Stability points to the importance of community and selfless love. Whether it be our family, our faith, our local community, or our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world, we have an opportunity to provide stability and to dedicate our lives in a way that supports and fulfills the work of God here on earth.

Wendell Berry, in “The Work of Local Culture,” speaks on the demise of the country side, the loss of community, and the distance between children and their families brought about by an education system which diminishes the role of the family. Berry highlights the instability that runs rampant in our culture and particularly within the youth, where no longer do people invest themselves in the same way. The youth no longer see any sort of attachment to where their families rest or those communities in which they live. Berry speaks eloquently on the topic, but it is easy for us to see within our own lives how a culture of restlessness and the ideology of use over care has taken hold of our lives and caused recent generations to perpetually seek what they perceive as a new and grander existence.

We are amidst a culture and generations which struggle with the idea of stability, because they do not have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and they are seeking their own will not God’s. Attention spans are shorter than ever. People spend more time on their phones than interacting with their own family. Our obsession with social media has caused us to look beyond those in our own communities or neighborhoods. The family itself is crumbling with divorce rates holding at 50%. Eye contact is at an all-time low, no one knows their neighbors, the idea of supporting ailing family members is seen as a burden, and we have lost a sense of duty to our fellow man and creation.

This call to stability, is a call to have concern for that which is outside the self. It is a call to commit to something or someone, and desire it’s good and not moving on when it becomes difficult or it appears trivial to you. There is something inspiring about a man, who humbly serves neighbor, family, and God before concerning himself with his own needs and desires. We, as men, are called to be selfless and to serve.

This is not to say that forging one’s own path is not admirable or that moving and working in a field different than your parents is somehow unjust. Instead, we must take the time to reflect on our own life and take account of our own commitments and responsibilities. Are we restless? Do we live only for the next thrill or enjoyment, or are our lives centered on Christ and turned outwards towards those whom we share our lives with? If we are married, am I living in a way that shows that I am dedicated to the building up of my family? Do I reach out to neighbors or do I take an interest in who they are and what their story is? How are my parents, do I see them as an eventual burden and limitation to my freedom or am I will to do what is best for them, not me?

Stability is a commitment to God’s will in your life. May we pray that God’s will is revealed to us and may we pursue it with those selfless love of Christ.