Mustn’t grumble

Jo Penn March 19, 2022 0 3

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Philippians 2: 12-18 (NRSVA)

12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. 16 It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— 18 and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

Saint Benedict, one of the founders of monastic life, thought a lot about how lay brothers could live together. Within his rule for community life Benedict wrote about how there should not be grumbling — that corrosive discontent that seeks to ally others to your cause and undermine the leadership within a group, without trying to address the difficulty and make a change for the common good. This instruction not to grumble is balanced out with how the leader of the community is to look after the brothers, so that there should not be just cause for them to grumble.

Complaining and grumbling, when it enters the common language of a group, brings out all the negativity, expressed in a passive way. How can a community shine like stars when what they give out is so negative?

Yes, there are things to complain about – and there need to be safe places to formulate grievances, bring them out into the light with a trusted friend and together examine what is to be done –then to take prayerful action.

The Scargill Companion promises (the equivalent of our rule of life in the Scargill Movement) say:

‘Will you strengthen community through kindness and love, being sensible enough to keep the moaning inside and a smile on your face until the right moment arrives to honestly release your complaints? Will you aim to be consistently and constructively loving?’

When we live in a family or any sort of group of relationships, what helps the group stay together and enjoy one another are: a willingness to forgive, welcoming the voice of all, generosity of heart and mind, compassion and encouragement, seeing the funny side of things and not taking yourselves too seriously. When these are in place, then the joy of friendship can be seen and the community can begin to ‘shine like stars’.

PRAYER:

Lord God,

Help me to ‘guard my heart’ from discontent caused by my own selfish instincts. When I feel like grumbling – help me to see the cause and with You find a way forward to work for the common good.