Celebrating 900 Years!

The Virtue of Discipline

“By forbearance, a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue breaks the bone.” (Prov 25:15) It is a curious fact that discipline is not listed as one of the Templar virtues. What is mentioned and listed is the virtue of forbearance, with which discipline shares a cutting edge, hence the opening of this devotion from the book of Proverbs.

By definition, forbearance means to hold back especially in the face of intentional provocation, or it can mean showing restraint, holding back. It calls for personal restraint when the situation begs for strong, swift, relentless action. Restraint in the face of such provocation is especially important for a warrior less the warrior succumb to blood lust. Such restraint is called for by St. Augustine and the “Just War Tradition” that calls for proportionality, right cause, respect for and protection of the non-combatant (i.e. civilians, the wounded, prisoners, and those who have laid down arms). The practice of restraint is, thus, a manifestation of discipline.

The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem is a modern Christian Order of Knighthood, chivalric, charitable, and ecumenically Christian. In Romans 3:25 we read, “because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed” In our daily lives as Knights and Dames living our lives in obedience to Christ and in service to others, forbearance is indeed a virtue. No single one of us is going to usher in the peaceful kingdom, but as Knights and Dames we know from Psalm 115, “Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da Gloria”. It is never about us but about our showing our love of Christ for all as we practice the virtue of forbearance.

Ed. note: scriptural translations are from the New American Standard Bible