Dear Everyone,
Thank you for joining me on this year’s Lenten Readalong. I’m enjoying the reading and am grateful for your comments and reflections.
I approach Lent as an opportunity to develop spiritual discipline – to spend time daily in prayer, in the reading of Scripture, and in silent reflection. I think of Lent as a pilgrimage, where I endeavour to learn something new and important. It’s with this spirit that I approach our Lenten reading of “Three Simple Rules.”
This week, we will read the chapter, “Do No Harm.” Many of you will recognize this principle as part of the practice of medicine, but the principle is also followed by many people in their interactions with other human beings, with animals, and with the environment.
We may be tempted to think of “Do No Harm” as a rule other people should follow and quickly point fingers when they fail to do so. But as this week’s reading reminds us, the rule must be applied to ourselves first. How can we expect others to follow this rule, when we don’t?
Bishop Job also provides us with a very important reminder concerning this principle, “I must do no harm, even while I seek a common good.” Here, the Bishop challenges our tendency as human beings to do harm in the service of good. But the principle remains, despite our excuses. I must do no harm, even when trying to achieve a good common for me and my neighbours. I will be pondering this point in the coming days …
I welcome your reflections below. Thank you for joining me.
Peace be with you all,
SR.
I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {
The three ‘simple’ rules… How interesting that they are mentioned with this particular adjective, as if it suggests how easy they are to follow. But is that really the case?I don’t think so; in fact, I believe it’s quite the opposite. These short sentences are indeed grammatically simple, since they consist of only a few words, and they are therefore completely understandable to anyone. The question is whether, in different situations in life, we can clearly decide what action truly does not harm another person. Of course, in many cases, it is absolutely clear, but I have had to live through many situations where it was not. What if my action does not harm one person but harms another? What if there are two opposing sides, and I am caught in between, having to make a good decision about how to treat them? Or maybe I even have to make peace between them. I think these are very difficult questions that only the God living in us can help us resolve. And here, it is very important to underline the phrase “living in us.” As human beings, we often see situations, the people around us, and ourselves differently from the way God sees them. In order to make the right decisions, it is essential that we have a daily relationship with Him, read His Word, and pray for His guidance every day. I find that it is not easy at all, because there is always the Tempter, who tries to distract us, weaken our faith, our relationship with God, and fade our hope by causing discord and chaos in our world. So we have to be alert, because I do believe that only with God—His grace, His love—in our hearts can we live in such a way that we do not harm or wound those around us, but rather heal and build them up… Have a blessed Lenten season, and peace be with you, dear SR!
Thanks very much, Monika.
I’m glad you are reading along with me and I appreciate your reflections.
You raise a good point – what about cases where the issue isn’t doing the right thing, but identifying the right thing?
I’ve been thinking about that.
Whether it’s the challenge of doing the right thing or knowing the right thing, in both cases we as human beings are confronted with our own weaknesses and limitations. And this is the place in which we can recognize our need for grace – something the Bishop mentions in this chapter. Lent provides an opportunity to meditate on our human limitations and acknowledge our need for grace and also for the support of our community. I’m grateful to you and th other readers for joining me on this readalong and I’m looking forward to what we will learn together. Peace be with you, SR
👍👍👍What’s well said SR and Monika. See you next time friends.
Thank you, SR. Yes, Lenten meditation—especially in light of what happened on Good Friday and Easter—provides a great opportunity to reflect and become aware of our limitations and the extent of our dependence on God. For me, my current life situation also directs my focus to this. I have recently had to realize again how vulnerable, fragile, and weak I am in so many ways, and how much I need His grace. But at the same time, it has been amazing to experience that He is always with me, and that I only need to reach out to Him. Sometimes these realizations aren’t easy – sometimes painful -, but they bring incredible blessings and growth.
Re-reading this chapter, I think the sentence “…must honor each as a child of God” can help us all greatly, because when it becomes clear that it’s not just simply about another person, but about another child and creature of God, something changes. I believe that when we can think of someone this way—when we can see her/him as someone who belongs to God in any way— it puts us on some kind of common ground, which brings us closer together despite our disagreements. Obviously, this is not the final solution in a conflict situation, for example, but by changing our basic attitude toward each other, it provides a good foundation for a peaceful, non-harmful outcome… Have a blessed weekend!