The Milk Of Human Kindness

I was recently given the pleasure of commenting on Chapter 37 of the Rule of Saint Benedict. He made being kind to the elderly and children a part of the Rule for monks which is also a good guideline for living.  A former supervisor of mine said that you could tell a person with emotional maturity because that person would practice “the milk of human kindness.”  It seems that Benedict is asking us to practice the milk of human kindness, especially in our relationships with the elderly and children.  Benedict is saying that even though kindness toward the elderly and children may be human nature, we need to put it in the Rule, so that no one forgets or neglects this practice.