Not too long ago an employee presented me with a piece of kitchen equipment that was no longer in functioning condition. It was an electric hand-mixer with its beaters wrapped around one another, thus not allowing them to rotate independently as intended. In the moment, I had no words. It was funny and not funny at the same time. (In the back of my mind I was saying, “A blog will come out of this one day.”) Well, today is the day.
The problem-solver in me questioned, “How in the world could this happen?” Often it is true that, when one understands the cause of a situation, it is easier to deal with the problematic result in an effective way. Sure enough, one of the two beaters did not belong to this piece of equipment; rather, it belonged to a hand-mixer that had been disposed of some time ago. While the broken mixer had been put in the trash, the pair of beaters were kept and put in one of the drawers in the baking table where they stayed for years. (What a monastic thing to do! They were perfectly good beaters that might come in handy one day.) Thus, an unsuspecting employee grabbed one of the old ones along with one of the correct ones, and voila!
There are some practical lessons that can be learned from this, but there are some bits of spiritual wisdom that can be teased out as well. Who of us has ever felt like an electric hand-mixer with twisted beaters at one time or other in our lives? Life feels like this when our capacity to function is obstructed by a tangled mess of incompatible components. Those “incompatible components” could be relationships with people that are not aligned with our values and priorities. Perhaps the incompatible beater causing the dysfunction is an addiction or other disruptive behavior. It could be the case that something we are holding onto from the past is no longer compatible with who we are today. Or, it simply could be that our ego is getting in the way of our spiritual progress. More often than not, we are the ones who are contributing to the problem in one way or another.
To rescue the hand-mixer, the twisted beaters had to be separated before they could be properly ejected and a replacement set of compatible beaters inserted. Fortunately, the motor wasn’t burned up, and all is well with that in the kitchen. Our lives are not so easily repaired. Untangling the incompatible components is a difficult and painful process.
The beaters in a mixer need to be properly aligned with one another so that the protruding parts of one rotate in tandem with the open spaces of the other, thus not getting tangled up with one another. In families, in workplaces, and in community, when there is not proper alignment, entanglements and problems occur that are not easily corrected. Harsh words and insults are said. Impulsive behaviors happen. Plenty of people experience the pain either directly or indirectly as a result. Guarded hearts throw up emotional walls and distrust persists. Individuals shut down and refuse to participate or function within the whole, thus spreading the discomfort to the rest of the members. In this scenario, it takes humility, courage, and respectful dialogue in a spirit of loving care to bring about healing and reconciliation both to the individuals and to the collective.
In arranging a way of life in a monastery as he did, St. Benedict sought to keep the members of his community in proper “alignment” so that there may peace and harmony. The structure and discipline of the monastic life are meant to facilitate the optimal environment in which all the members can spiritually thrive. It is the responsibility of each member to reflect on her own contribution to this peace and harmony. When things go awry, as they are bound to do, each person is to ask, “What is my part in this?” For, as members of the Body of Christ, we all have a part to play in the life and thriving of the whole. Each one does her own spiritual homework to be wholly compatible and aligned with the Gospel, with Christ, and with one another in a spirit of loving mercy. May it be so.
By Sister Therese Haydel, OSB