Ritual should therefore be short and pure. -The Rule of St.

Benedict (Rule 20)

Rituals provide a powerful sense of stability in a trouble world. Benedict himself recognized the importance of purposeful ritual for a sustaining and unified community. Much of the Rule articulates the ritual of organization, the way members are to sleep, eat and work. For some, ritual may somewhat obsessive or restrictive but Benedict knew how to use ritual as an agent for developing cohesion in groups. Organizational rituals create a sense of passion and bonding and tie individuals with the shared myths and cultural history of an organization. They celebrate peoples service to the community and create a sense of organizational memory. These include: Rituals of acceptance, recognition, education, hospitality, bonding, values, history, succession and transformation, spirituality and faith, etc. Rituals must not only be effective but must be purposeful; it must be tied clearly and unambiguously to the shared common objective of the group or the specific objective to be achieved. Rituals cannot be contrived or fake because meaningless symbolism will not survive the test of time. It must be cyclical events and consistently applied because Benedict knew that following repetitive rituals creates a sense of history and organizational timelessness. In legal profession, lawyers practice rituals. They value the importance of prayer. Spiritual preparation for trial is as important as being physically and mentally prepared. However, there is no prayer that can make up for lack of preparation as the saying goes, Failing to prepare is preparation to fail. After passing the bar, lawyers are required to take an oath which is a manifestation of their allegiance to courts, clients, colleagues and legal profession, this ritual in Benedictine values is called ritual of acceptance. There are also rites that are designed to remind members of humility, this ritual of values teaches lawyers to maintain humility in dealing with clients, colleagues and courts. However, these rituals are not effective without aiming for a common goal which is administration of justice. So, with well-designed purposeful rituals, rites and ceremonies cohesion is thus created which is the glue that binds a superior organization.