The fifth step of humility is that a man does not conceal from his abbot any sinful thoughts entering his heart, or any wrongs committed in secret, but rather confesses them humbly.

The Rule of St. Benedict, 7:44

One of the things that Protestant Christians have by and large eschewed as a practice is the confession of sins. This avoidance is not just personal, either, as many churches (especially more progressive churches) have moved away from corporate confession as an element of liturgy. Often, this is framed as a pushback against toxic forms of religious control that have weaponized the knowledge of our sins by some who want to use that knowledge for unsavory reasons. This is certainly a reasonable reaction. But, I think churches should work to re-incorporate some form of confession back into their practices of faith and character formation. Recognizing and verbalizing the ways we all fall short is a good thing to do (just ask anyone who have been through the 12 Steps or any other recovery program!)

I have a group of very close guy friends, and we meet once weekly on Zoom to check in for accountability and conversation. A key element of our weekly chat is the confession of sins and temptations we deal with in the week, and the subsequent forgiveness and accountability we can offer one another. I, too, brought into this practice initially some skepticism, but have found this weekly unburdening one of the best and most powerful rhythms in my life. Practicing life together as Christians, in any context, is made all the richer – and more just! – through the practice of confession to trusted ears, and the care and compassion that comes with that.

The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embraces suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape.

The Rule of St. Benedict, 7:35-36

This step gets into some tricky territory, especially for those who are trying to draw out some of toxicity that has afflicted the church and theology for too long. What I mean by this is, there is a pretty strident (and well-founded) critique of theology that glorifies suffering in any way, or applies some sort of salvific effect to it. Suffering, these voices rightly remind us, is not good, and should be desired. Because, too often, those telling us that to suffer will earn us God’s favor are profiting off of or otherwise benefitting from the suffering of others while surreptitiously avoiding it themselves. This move is at the heart of much religious abuse, and should be uncovered and called out at every opportunity.

At the same time, it cannot be denied that the One we are called to emulate in our lives is one who willing suffered and died for the sake of others, and the Scriptures call us multiple times to embrace our suffering and count it as nothing if done out of our love for others. This is the Biblical foundation St. Benedict finds in this fourth step, and it sets up a pretty narrow tightrope to walk in our faith. How do we imitate the One who suffered and died for us in our service of others, without at the same time coming to prescribe that suffering as necessary for salvation (social or personal)?

I think understanding suffering within the context of humility can be an important check on the toxic tendencies identified above. Humility requires a radical emptying of ego and of self, to de-center our need for glorification or recognition in our actions. The truly humble person serves others not for the praise they will receive for doing so, but for the sake of the act of service itself. Jesus confirms this, as when he commands that those he heals tell no one he has done so, or when he commands that when we pray, we do so in private. Humility is central to how Jesus lived and moved through the world, and in how he commanded his disciples to live and move.

So must it be in our suffering. For too many people, the suffering they encounter becomes a tool to receive sympathy and recognition, or to gain praise for their hardiness or fortitude. But, in a spirit of humility, suffering remains, simply, suffering, endured because it is inevitable and must be endured, not because we achieve some reward from others. This kind of quiet endurance can at times be taken on to achieve some goal or outcome that benefits others, but does so without expectation of reward. As St. Benedict says, the humble heart “embraces suffering, and endures it without weakening or seeking escape.”

This doesn’t make suffering good, or something we should seek out. And it certainly doesn’t change the fact that much suffering is unjust and benefits those in power. But the point of all of Jesus’ life, which St. Benedict was trying to shape his followers to emulate, was to turn the structures of the world on their heads in the service of raising up the lowly and glorifying God. So, too, with suffering. There are those who want to inflict suffering on others as a form of power and control, which comes into existence when we resist or we debase ourselves for the sake of pity. To resist this is to suffer quietly, and thus break the power it holds. And this resistance requires a heart committed to humility.

The third step of humility is that a man submits to his superior in all obedience to the love of God, imitating the Lord of whom the Apostle says: He becomes obedient even to death (Phil 2:8).

The Rule of St. Benedict, 7:34

I want to point something out here, as we move further into these steps. St. Benedict mentions here the “superior”, and so this is a good place to have a reminder that these steps were written in the context of a rule for an order of monks. This will become even more evident in some of the language of the later steps. But, I don’t think this is at all disqualifying or minimizing for how we, as people who don’t live in an abbey or monastery, understand and can take guidance from this passage of the Rule, or really any part of it. The enduring power of the text is that it contains truths and guidance that have found meaning for people in all walks of life for a millenium and a half.

So, when St. Benedict calls for obedience to the Superior (the head of the order or monastery), we can understand that the call to obedience is good for any and all of us, in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Now, this also contains a challenge for Christians in the 21st century West as well. Because, as a people, we don’t much like to be told to obey. Obedience strikes at the heart of liberal individualism, which tells us each that we are our own master and only have a duty to our own will and desires. This, of course, is anathema to the ancient Christian understanding of the human and our place in a community of believers called the Church. It is also in contrast to the example of Christ, who was obedient to God, as the Scripture above reminds us, both in his willingness to go to his death for the sake of others, and also in his willingness to submit and serve others because of his fealty to God. Obedience to God means submission of our own wills and desires to the needs of others, especially those who are hurting or weak. In order to become pursue humility, we must train our will and desires to submit to obedience, in order that a larger will can be done.