Klaus Hart Brasilientexte

For nine months the novice walked along steep escarpments, narrow crevices amongst trees and hanging vines and dangerous swamps confronting all sorts of poisonous insects and venomous things. He was prepared to find patience and free himself from the anxiety which enslaved him, to the point of swallowing his food without chewing it, being rough with those under him and talking more than he should.

The master called him nine months later and gave him the following exercise: to fill a barrel with water and carry it in his arms every morning for the five kilometres which separated the river from the spring which supplied the monastery. The novice couldn™t understand the second exercise but, believing his mistrust to be a symptom of impatience; he resigned himself and assumed the task for nine months.

The day for the third and last exercise arrived: it was to cross over, blindfolded, on the rope which was a bridge between the precipice where the monastery was imbedded and the mountain which rose on the other side. With much reverence, because he feared he was still full of impatience, the novice asked the master if he was allowed to ask a question. The old monk acquiesced. ”Master, how are the three exercises related?

The master smiled and his countenance took on a radiant expression. ”When you walked through the forest you learned to lose the fear of patience. You were able to meticulously overcome each of the obstacles and were not intimidated by threats. Now you know that in life the important thing is not to argue about who wins. What is important is to finish, even if it takes a thousand years. You also observed the diversity in nature and from it you learned that not everything is the way we want it to be.

When you brought the water up from the river you strengthened your muscles and learned to serve. Impatience is the raw material of intolerance, of fundamentalism, of disrespect, of segregation. Patience demands humility, generosity, solidarity.

The novice understood but a doubt remained in his mind. The master noticed this. ”Now you want to know the purpose of walking blindfolded along the rope which serves as a bridge, don™t you? the old monk asked. He added: ”With patience steeped in your feet which walked through the hostile forest, strength steeped in your arms which learned to serve; now you will do the exercise of faith. You will not be able to see, but you will trust that the rope will remain under your feet. You will not be able to hold onto anything, but you will give yourself to the certainty that your body is like the water you carried: it moves, but it does not fall. You will not be able to escape the precipice which opens below, but you will walk with the conviction that, on the other side, there is a solid mountain waiting for you and ready to shelter you. That is how the Father of Love is when you decide, in the darkness of faith, to move towards an encounter with Him.

After a silent pause, the master said ”Without faith there is no tolerance, without tolerance it is impossible to have patience. The novice™s eyes opened wide as if in fear. ”What is it? asked the old monk. ”Master, are fundamentalists not people with a lot of faith, and are they not known for their intolerance?

The master smiled sweetly and replied: ”Fundamentalists do not have faith, which means to trust unconditionally in Someone. What they have is presumption, they only trust themselves. They are the objects of their own faith. While crossing the precipice you will be following the route from your old man towards your new man. You will do it for the good of others. Trust – Someone will lead you by the hand, freeing you from every risk.

*Frei Betto is a writer, author of ”Mística e Espiritualidade (Mystique and Spirituality) (Garamond) in partnership with Leonardo Boff.

ABOUT THE AUTOR

He is a Brazilian Dominican with an international reputation as a liberation theologian.
Within Brazil he is equally famous as a writer, with over 52 books to his name.  In 1985 he won Brazil™s most important literary prize, the Jabuti, and was elected Intellectual of the Year by the members of the Brazilian Writers™ Union.