The cause:
One gloomy afternoon, a very loud series of knocks outside my door startled me from where I was seated. Wen I opened my door, it was George. He told me that he has permission from the abbot to get the key of the closed pantry from me so he can get some stuffs inside it. I readily gave him the key which is in my care. Then I thought that was it. I did not know something came up at the time he was at the panty. I was unassuming, very unassuming but not complacent.
The next day, my email inbox and the inboxes of all the brothers contained the abbot's email and the issue is on pantry keys.
The effect:
1/9/08
Dear Brothers,
Blessings to you! I think that the list above is complete...(truncated). As far as I know, only you brothers have keys to the locked pantry in the kitchen. That same key unlocks the supply room across from the recreation room.
Please never give your keys to other brothers to use. Always try to go with a brother and open the pantry or the supply room, allow the brother to take what he needs, and then relock the pantry or the supply room. There may be times when that is impossible and you must give the key out--but please try not to do that. We have had problems in the past with the misuse of access to the pantry and I do not want that to happen again.
Also, please do not give the key to Roger, Fred, Rosy or George. If any of them need something, please accompany them, get the required item or items and then lock up again.
Thanks very much!
Abbot Philip
Issue #2
...the next day.....all the while everything will be fine with me but I was wrong...it's indeed true that when the lightning strikes, it strikes twice!
The cause:
In order to forget and dismiss some unpleasant thoughts on the 'pantry key' incident, I busied myself at the open pantry putting away sacks of rice and sacks of white and brown wheat flours to their bins when in one of my movements in trying to sustain my strength to carry the next sack of flour, I suddenly felt a snapping pain in my lower right abdomen (the area where my hernia was fixed three years ago), then the rest of the day was an agonizing moments for me.
I talked to the new Prior to be excused for an hour to just stretch my back on my bed hoping to feel better. Not too long after I laid down, I heard knocks outside my door. I struggled to get up and checked who was outside and i learned that it was the new prior who sent Anselmo, a Mexican non-practicing gynecologist and a new monk currently undergoing a one year probation in the community. He was sent to check on me. I allowed him to enter my cell as he reasoned out that he was sent by the prior and so, I just shrugged my shoulder and let him in though I was wondering why he was alone which is not supposed to be the case. Our customary says that a visiting monk should always have a companion monk whenever he gets into another monk's cell for whatever purpose it may be.
The next thing I knew, he was asking me to show him the region where the pain thrives and when i lowered my pants a bit to show him the exact region, he suddenly commanded me with a certain tone of authority in his voice. I told him that it is okay to check me with my pants on and i will just lower it a bit to expose my lower abdomen but he was persistent with an annoyed tone of voice. His persistence brought me a sudden surge of irritations and instead of lowering down my pants and underwear to my knees, I stood up and told him with such irritations, "Nooo, I cannot do it, I just cannot do it!" Better leave my room now before I lose my senses and beat you up and tell Paco that I don't want to undress as I can never allow myself to undress infront of a monk brother. That's it. The evening after Compline, ( I showed myself up at the abbot's office and relayed him the story of what happened, as I was already sure that the new prior has already said something to him about my resistance to get stark naked in front of anselmo.)
The effect:
another email from the abbot sent to all his monks in the community! and it says...
1/10/08
Dear Brothers,
Blessings to you! You all know that we have Brother Anselmo Vargas Castro as a monk of our community now. He is a qualified medical doctor in Mexico and thus has the knowledge to help us here in the community. Please allow him to check you when you are sick or when you may need his help.
Because we come from so many cultures and personal backgrounds, not every monk is going to feel comfortable if Brother Anselmo should have the need to examine them without their clothes on. So I write this letter to clarify that situation.
If a brother is having some problem in the area of his "private parts," that brother has the right to refuse examination from Brother Anselmo, even though that same brother might allow a medical doctor from outside of the community to examine him.
Also, before examining any more intimate part of the body, Brother Anselmo will ask your permission, so that it is clear that you are either allowing him to examine you or refusing that permission.
This will help all of us in the community respect one another in an area that could be quite delicate!
Thanks for cooperating in all of this!
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
To resolve the issue on medical check-ups, I asked the monk assigned to make doctors appointment in town for my check up with Dr Ryan, the long time medical doctor of the community.
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