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Title: St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries
Author: Nursia, Benedict of
Language: English
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MONASTERIES ***
ST. BENEDICT’S
RULE FOR MONASTERIES
Translated from the Latin by
Leonard J. Doyle
THE LITURGICAL PRESS
St John’s Abbey Collegeville, Minnesota
This translation of the Holy Rule of St. Benedict was made from the
third edition of the text as edited by Dom Cuthbert Butler of Downside
Abbey in England (St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1935).
_Nihil obstat:_ Basil Stegmann, O.S.B., _Censor librorum._ _Imprimi
potest:_ ✠ Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B., D.D., Abbot, St. John’s Abbey,
January 5, 1947. _Imprimatur:_ ✠ Joseph F. Busch, D.D., Bishop of St.
Cloud, January 8, 1947.
Copyright 1948 _by_ The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville,
Minnesota.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue ....................................................... 1
1. On the Kinds of Monks ....................................... 6
2. What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be ...................... 7
3. On Calling the Brethren for Counsel ......................... 12
4. What Are the Instruments of Good Works ...................... 14
5. On Obedience ................................................ 18
6. On the Spirit of Silence .................................... 20
7. On Humility ................................................. 21
8. On the Divine Office During the Night ....................... 29
9. How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at the Night Office .......... 30
10. How the Night Office Is to Be Said in Summer Time .......... 31
11. How the Night Office Is to Be Said on Sundays .............. 31
12. How the Morning Office Is to Be Said ....................... 33
13. How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays ........... 33
14. How the Night Office Is to Be Said on the Feasts of the Saints .
35
15. At What Times “Alleluia” Is to Be Said ..................... 35
16. How the Work of God Is to Be Performed During the Day ...... 36
17. How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at These Hours .............. 36
18. In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said .................... 38
19. On the Manner of Saying the Divine Office .................. 40
20. On Reverence in Prayer ..................................... 41
21. On the Deans of the Monastery .............................. 41
22. How the Monks Are to Sleep ................................. 42
23. On Excommunication for Faults .............................. 43
24. What the Measure of Excommunication Should Be .............. 44
25. On Weightier Faults ........................................ 44
26. On Those Who Without an Order Associate With the Excommunicated
45
27. How Solicitous the Abbot Should Be for the Excommunicated .. 45
28. On Those Who Will Not Amend After Repeated Corrections ..... 46
29. Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Should Be Received
Again .......................................................... 47
30. How Boys Are to Be Corrected ............................... 48
31. What Kind of Man the Cellarer of the Monastery Should Be ... 48
32. On the Tools and Property of the Monastery ................. 50
33. Whether Monks Ought to Have Anything of Their Own .......... 51
34. Whether All Should Receive in Equal Measure What Is Necessary ..
52
35. On the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen ....................... 52
36. On the Sick Brethren ....................................... 54
37. On Old Men and Children .................................... 55
38. On the Weekly Reader ....................................... 56
39. On the Measure of Food ..................................... 57
40. On the Measure of Drink .................................... 58
41. At What Hours the Meals Should Be Taken .................... 59
42. That No One Speak After Compline ........................... 60
43. On Those Who Come Late to the Work of God or to Table ...... 62
44. How the Excommunicated Are to Make Satisfaction ............ 64
45. On Those Who Make Mistakes in the Oratory .................. 65
46. On Those Who Fail in Any Other Matters ..................... 66
47. On Giving the Signal for the Time of the Work of God ....... 66
48. On the Daily Manual Labor .................................. 67
49. On the Observance of Lent .................................. 70
50. On Brethren Who Are Working Far From the Oratory or Are on a
Journey ........................................................ 71
51. On Brethren Who Go Not Very Far Away ....................... 71
52. On the Oratory of the Monastery ............................ 72
53. On the Reception of Guests ................................. 72
54. Whether a Monk Should Receive Letters or Anything Else ..... 75
55. On the Clothes and Shoes of the Brethren ................... 75
56. On the Abbot’s Table ....................................... 77
57. On the Craftsmen of the Monastery .......................... 78
58. On the Manner of Receiving Brethren ........................ 79
59. On the Sons of Nobles and of the Poor Who Are Offered ...... 82
60. On Priests Who May Wish to Live in the Monastery ........... 83
61. How Pilgrim Monks Are To Be Received ....................... 84
62. On the Priests of the Monastery ............................ 86
63. On the Order of the Community .............................. 87
64. On Constituting an Abbot ................................... 89
65. On the Prior of the Monastery .............................. 91
66. On the Porters of the Monastery ............................ 94
67. On Brethren Who Are Sent on a Journey ...................... 95
68. If a Brother Is Commanded to Do Impossible Things .......... 96
69. That the Monks Presume Not to Defend One Another ........... 96
70. That No One Venture to Punish at Random .................... 97
71. That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another ............... 97
72. On the Good Zeal Which Monks Ought to Have ................. 98
73. On the Fact That the Full Observance of Justice Is Not
Established in This Rule ....................................... 99
ST. BENEDICT’S
RULE FOR MONASTERIES
PROLOGUE
Jan. 1—May 2—Sept. 1
Listen, my son, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your
heart. Receive willingly and carry out effectively your loving father’s
advice, that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom
you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
To you, therefore, my words are now addressed, whoever you may be, who
are renouncing your own will to do battle under the Lord Christ, the
true King, and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.
And first of all, whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with
most earnest prayer to perfect it, that He who has now deigned to count
us among His sons may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds. For
we must always so serve Him with the good things He has given us, that
He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children, nor ever as a
dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions, deliver us to everlasting
punishment as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.
Jan. 2—May 3—Sept. 2
Let us arise, then, at last, for the Scripture stirs us up, saying, “Now
is the hour for us to rise from sleep.” Let us open our eyes to the
deifying light, let us hear with attentive ears the warning which the
divine voice cries daily to us, “Today if you hear His voice, harden not
your hearts.” And again, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.” And what does He say? “Come, My children,
listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Run while you have
the light of life, lest the darkness of death overtake you.”
Jan. 3—May 4—Sept. 3
And the Lord, seeking His laborer in the multitude to whom He thus cries
out, says again, “Who is the man who will have life, and desires to see
good days?” And if, hearing Him, you answer, “I am he,” God says to you,
“If you will have true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil
and your lips that they speak no guile. Turn away from evil and do good;
seek after peace and pursue it. And when you have done these things, My
eyes shall be upon you and My ears open to your prayers; and before you
call upon Me, I will say to you, ‘Behold, here I am.’”
What can be sweeter to us, dear brethren, than this voice of the Lord
inviting us? Behold, in His loving kindness the Lord shows us the way of
life.
Jan. 4—May 5—Sept. 4
Having our loins girded, therefore, with faith and the performance of
good works, let us walk in His paths by the guidance of the Gospel, that
we may deserve to see Him who has called us to His kingdom.
For if we wish to dwell in the tent of that kingdom, we must run to it
by good deeds or we shall never reach it.
But let us ask the Lord, with the Prophet, “Lord, who shall dwell in
Your tent, or who shall rest upon Your holy mountain?”
After this question, brethren, let us listen to the Lord as He answers
and shows us the way to that tent, saying, “He who walks without stain
and practices justice; he who speaks truth from his heart; he who has
not used his tongue for deceit; he who has done no evil to his neighbor;
he who has given no place to slander against his neighbor.”
It is he who, under any temptation from the malicious devil, has brought
him to naught by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his
heart; and who has laid hold of his thoughts while they were still young
and dashed them against Christ.
It is they who, fearing the Lord, do not pride themselves on their good
observance; but, convinced that the good which is in them cannot come
from themselves and must be from the Lord, glorify the Lord’s work in
them, using the words of the Prophet, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but
to Your name give the glory.” Thus also the Apostle Paul attributed
nothing of the success of his preaching to himself, but said, “By the
grace of God I am what I am.” And again he says, “He who glories, let
him glory in the Lord.”
Jan. 5—May 6—Sept. 5
Hence the Lord says in the Gospel, “Whoever listens to these words of
Mine and acts upon them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on rock. The floods came, the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on rock.”
Having given us these assurances, the Lord is waiting every day for us
to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions. And the days of this
life are lengthened and a truce granted us for this very reason, that we
may amend our evil ways. As the Apostle says, “Do you not know that
God’s patience is inviting you to repent?” For the merciful Lord tells
us, “I desire not the death of the sinner, but that he should be
converted and live.”
Jan. 6—May 7—Sept. 6
So, brethren, we have asked the Lord who is to dwell in His tent, and we
have heard His commands to anyone who would dwell there; it remains for
us to fulfil those duties.
Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies to do battle under
the holy obedience of His commands; and let us ask God that He be
pleased to give us the help of His grace for anything which our nature
finds hardly possible. And if we want to escape the pains of hell and
attain life everlasting, then, while there is still time, while we are
still in the body and are able to fulfil all these things by the light
of this life, we must hasten to do now what will profit us for eternity.
Jan. 7—May 8—Sept. 7
And so we are going to establish a school for the service of the Lord.
In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But if
a certain strictness results from the dictates of equity for the
amendment of vices or the preservation of charity, do not be at once
dismayed and fly from the way of salvation, whose entrance cannot but be
narrow. For as we advance in the religious life and in faith, our hearts
expand and we run the way of God’s commandments with unspeakable
sweetness of love. Thus, never departing from His school, but
persevering in the monastery according to His teaching until death, we
may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ and deserve to have a
share also in His kingdom.
CHAPTER 1
On the Kinds of Monks
Jan. 8—May 9—Sept. 8
It is well known that there are four kinds of monks. The first kind are
the Cenobites: those who live in monasteries and serve under a rule and
an Abbot.
The second kind are the Anchorites or Hermits: those who, no longer in
the first fervor of their reformation, but after long probation in a
monastery, having learned by the help of many brethren how to fight
against the devil, go out well armed from the ranks of the community to
the solitary combat of the desert. They are able now, with no help save
from God, to fight single-handed against the vices of the flesh and
their own evil thoughts.
The third kind of monks, a detestable kind, are the Sarabaites. These,
not having been tested, as gold in the furnace, by any rule or by the
lessons of experience, are as soft as lead. In their works they still
keep faith with the world, so that their tonsure marks them as liars
before God. They live in twos or threes, or even singly, without a
shepherd, in their own sheepfolds and not in the Lord’s. Their law is
the desire for self-gratification: whatever enters their mind or appeals
to them, that they call holy; what they dislike, they regard as
unlawful.
The fourth kind of monks are those called Gyrovagues. These spend their
whole lives tramping from province to province, staying as guests in
different monasteries for three or four days at a time. Always on the
move, with no stability, they indulge their own wills and succumb to the
allurements of gluttony, and are in every way worse than the Sarabaites.
Of the miserable conduct of all such men it is better to be silent than
to speak.
Passing these over, therefore, let us proceed, with God’s help, to lay
down a rule for the strongest kind of monks, the Cenobites.
CHAPTER 2
What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be
Jan. 9—May 10—Sept. 9
An Abbot who is worthy to be over a monastery should always remember
what he is called, and live up to the name of Superior. For he is
believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery, being called by a
name of His, which is taken from the words of the Apostle: “You have
received a Spirit of adoption as sons, by virtue of which we cry,
‘Abba—Father!’”
Therefore the Abbot ought not to teach or ordain or command anything
which is against the Lord’s precepts; on the contrary, his commands and
his teaching should be a leaven of divine justice kneaded into the minds
of his disciples.
Jan. 10—May 11—Sept. 10
Let the Abbot always bear in mind that at the dread Judgment of God
there will be an examination of these two matters: his teaching and the
obedience of his disciples. And let the Abbot be sure that any lack of
profit the master of the house may find in the sheep will be laid to the
blame of the shepherd. On the other hand, if the shepherd has bestowed
all his pastoral diligence on a restless, unruly flock and tried every
remedy for their unhealthy behavior, then he will be acquitted at the
Lord’s Judgment and may say to the Lord with the Prophet: “I have not
concealed Your justice within my heart; Your truth and Your salvation I
have declared. But they have despised and rejected me.” And then finally
let death itself, irresistible, punish those disobedient sheep under his
charge.
Jan. 11—May 12—Sept. 11
Therefore, when anyone receives the name of Abbot, he ought to govern
his disciples with a twofold teaching. That is to say, he should show
them all that is good and holy by his deeds even more than by his words,
expounding the Lord’s commandments in words to the intelligent among his
disciples, but demonstrating the divine precepts by his actions for
those of harder hearts and ruder minds. And whatever he has taught his
disciples to be contrary to God’s law, let him indicate by his example
that it is not to be done, lest, while preaching to others, he himself
be found reprobate, and lest God one day say to him in his sin, “Why do
you declare My statutes and profess My covenant with your lips, whereas
you hate discipline and have cast My words behind you?” And again, “You
were looking at the speck in your brother’s eye, and did not see the
beam in your own.”
Jan. 12—May 13—Sept. 12
Let him make no distinction of persons in the monastery. Let him not
love one more than another, unless it be one whom he finds better in
good works or in obedience. Let him not advance one of noble birth ahead
of one who was formerly a slave, unless there be some other reasonable
ground for it. But if the Abbot for just reason think fit to do so, let
him advance one of any rank whatever. Otherwise let them keep their due
places; because, whether slaves or freemen, we are all one in Christ and
bear an equal burden of service in the army of the same Lord. For with
God there is no respect of persons. Only for one reason are we preferred
in His sight: if we be found better than others in good works and
humility. Therefore let the Abbot show equal love to all and impose the
same discipline on all according to their deserts.
Jan. 13—May 14—Sept. 13
In his teaching the Abbot should always follow the Apostle’s formula:
“Reprove, entreat, rebuke”; threatening at one time and coaxing at
another as the occasion may require, showing now the stern countenance
of a master, now the loving affection of a father. That is to say, it is
the undisciplined and restless whom he must reprove rather sharply; it
is the obedient, meek and patient whom he must entreat to advance in
virtue; while as for the negligent and disdainful, these we charge him
to rebuke and correct.
And let him not shut his eyes to the faults of offenders; but, since he
has the authority, let him cut out those faults by the roots as soon as
they begin to appear, remembering the fate of Heli, the priest of Silo.
The well-disposed and those of good understanding let him correct with
verbal admonition the first and second time. But bold, hard, proud and
disobedient characters he should curb at the very beginning of their
ill-doing by stripes and other bodily punishments, knowing that it is
written, “The fool is not corrected with words,” and again, “Beat your
son with the rod and you will deliver his soul from death.”
Jan. 14—May 15—Sept. 14
The Abbot should always remember what he is and what he is called, and
should know that to whom more is committed, from him more is required.
Let him understand also what a difficult and arduous task he has
undertaken: ruling souls and adapting himself to a variety of
characters. One he must coax, another scold, another persuade, according
to each one’s character and understanding. Thus he must adjust and adapt
himself to all in such a way that he may not only suffer no loss in the
flock committed to his care, but may even rejoice in the increase of a
good flock.
Jan. 15—May 16—Sept. 15
Above all let him not neglect or undervalue the welfare of the souls
committed to him, in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable
things; but let him always bear m mind that he has undertaken the
government of souls and that he will have to give an account of them.
And if he be tempted to allege a lack of’ earthly means, let him
remember what is written: “First seek the kingdom of God and His
justice, and all these things shall be given you besides.” And again:
“Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him.”
Let him know, then, that he who has undertaken the government of souls
must prepare himself to render an account of them. Whatever number of
brethren he knows he has under his care, he may be sure beyond doubt
that on Judgment Day he will have to give the Lord an account of all
these souls, as well as of his own soul.
Thus the constant apprehension about his coming examination as shepherd
concerning the sheep entrusted to him, and his anxiety over the account
that must be given for others, make him careful of his own record. And
while by his admonitions he is helping others to amend, he himself is
cleansed of his faults.
CHAPTER 3
On Calling the Brethren for Counsel
Jan. 16—May 17—Sept. 16
Whenever any important business has to be done in the monastery, let the
Abbot call together the whole community and state the matter to be acted
upon. Then, having heard the brethren’s advice, let him turn the matter
over in his own mind and do what he shall judge to be most expedient.
The reason we have said that all should be called for counsel is that
the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.
Let the brethren give their advice with all the deference required by
humility, and not presume stubbornly to defend their opinions; but let
the decision rather depend on the Abbot’s judgment, and all submit to
whatever he shall decide for their welfare.
However, just as it is proper for the disciples to obey their master, so
also it is his function to dispose all things with prudence and justice.
Jan. 17—May 18—Sept. 17
In all things, therefore, let all follow the Rule as guide, and let no
one be so rash as to deviate from it. Let no one in the monastery follow
his own heart’s fancy; and let no one presume to contend with his Abbot
in an insolent way or even outside of the monastery. But if anyone
should presume to do so, let him undergo the discipline of the Rule. At
the same time, the Abbot himself should do all things in the fear of God
and in observance of the Rule, knowing that beyond a doubt he will have
to render an account of all his decisions to God, the most just Judge.
But if the business to be done in the interests of the monastery be of
lesser importance, let him take counsel with the seniors only. It is
written, “Do everything with counsel, and you will not repent when you
have done it.”
CHAPTER 4
What Are the Instruments of Good Works
Jan. 18—May 19—Sept. 18
1. In the first place, to love the Lord God with the whole heart, the
whole soul, the whole strength.
2. Then, one’s neighbor as oneself.
3. Then not to murder.
4. Not to commit adultery.
5. Not to steal.
6. Not to covet.
7. Not to bear false witness.
8. To respect all men.
9. And not to do to another what one would not have done to oneself.
10. To deny oneself in order to follow Christ.
11. To chastise the body.
12. Not to become attached to pleasures.
13. To love fasting.
14. To relieve the poor.
15. To clothe the naked.
16. To visit the sick.
17. To bury the dead.
18. To help in trouble.
19. To console the sorrowing.
20. To become a stranger to the world’s ways.
21. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.
Jan. 19—May 20—Sept. 19
22. Not to give way to anger.
23. Not to nurse a grudge.
24. Not to entertain deceit in one’s heart.
25. Not to give a false peace.
26. Not to forsake charity.
27. Not to swear, for fear of perjuring oneself.
28. To utter truth from heart and mouth.
29. Not to return evil for evil.
30. To do no wrong to anyone, and to bear patiently wrongs done to
oneself.
31. To love one’s enemies.
32. Not to curse those who curse us, but rather to bless them.
33. To bear persecution for justice’ sake.
34. Not to be proud.
35. Not addicted to wine.
36. Not a great eater.
37. Not drowsy.
38. Not lazy.
39. Not a grumbler.
40. Not a detractor.
41. To put one’s hope in God.
42. To attribute to God, and not to self, whatever good one sees in
oneself.
43. But to recognize always that the evil is one’s own doing, and to
impute it to oneself.
Jan. 20—May 21—Sept. 20
44. To fear the Day of Judgment.
45. To be in dread of hell.
46. To desire eternal life with all the passion of the spirit.
47. To keep death daily before one’s eyes.
48. To keep constant guard over the actions of one’s life.
49. To know for certain that God sees one everywhere.
50. When evil thoughts come into one’s heart, to dash them against
Christ immediately.
51. And to manifest them to one’s spiritual father.
52. To guard one’s tongue against evil and depraved speech.
53. Not to love much talking.
54. Not to speak useless words or words that move to laughter.
55. Not to love much or boisterous laughter.
56. To listen willingly to holy reading.
57. To devote oneself frequently to prayer.
58. Daily in one’s prayers, with tears and sighs, to confess one’s
past sins to God, and to amend them for the future.
59. Not to fulfil the desires of the flesh; to hate one’s own will.
60. To obey in all things the commands of the Abbot, even though he
himself (which God forbid) should act otherwise, mindful of the
Lord’s precept, “Do what they say, but not what they do.”
61. Not to wish to be called holy before one is holy; but first to be
holy, that one may be truly so called.
Jan. 21—May 22—Sept. 21
62. To fulfil God’s commandments daily in one’s deeds.
63. To love chastity.
64. To hate no one.
65. Not to be jealous, not to harbor envy.
66. Not to love contention.
67. To beware of haughtiness.
68. And to respect the seniors.
69. To love the juniors.
70. To pray for one’s enemies in the love of Christ.
71. To make peace with one’s adversary before the sun sets.
72. And never to despair of God’s mercy.
These, then, are the tools of the spiritual craft. If we employ them
unceasingly day and night, and return them on the Day of Judgment, our
compensation from the Lord will be that wage He has promised: “Eye has
not seen, nor ear heard, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Now the workshop in which we shall diligently execute all these tasks is
the enclosure of the monastery and stability in the community.
CHAPTER 5
On Obedience
Jan. 22—May 23—Sept. 22
The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This is the
virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who,
because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell,
and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered
by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any
delay in executing it. Of these the Lord says, “As soon as he heard, he
obeyed Me.” And again to teachers He says, “He who hears you, hears Me.”
Such as these, therefore, immediately leaving their own affairs and
forsaking their own will, dropping the work they were engaged in and
leaving it unfinished, with the ready step of obedience follow up with
their deeds the voice of him who commands. And so as it were at the same
moment the master’s command is given and the disciple’s work is
completed, the two things being speedily accomplished together in the
swiftness of the fear of God by those who are moved with the desire of
attaining life everlasting. That desire is their motive for choosing the
narrow way, of which the Lord says, “Narrow is the way that leads to
life,” so that, not living according to their own choice nor obeying
their own desires and pleasures but walking by another’s judgment and
command, they dwell in monasteries and desire to have an Abbot over
them. Assuredly such as these are living up to that maxim of the Lord in
which He says, “I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him
who sent Me.”
Jan. 23—May 24—Sept. 23
But this very obedience will be acceptable to God and pleasing to men
only if what is commanded is done without hesitation, delay,
lukewarmness, grumbling, or objection. For the obedience given to
Superiors is given to God, since He Himself has said, “He who hears you,
hears Me.” And the disciples should offer their obedience with a good
will, for “God loves a cheerful giver.” For if the disciple obeys with
an ill will and murmurs, not necessarily with his lips but simply in his
heart, then even though he fulfil the command yet his work will not be
acceptable to God, who sees that his heart is murmuring. And, far from
gaining a reward for such work as this, he will incur the punishment due
to murmurers, unless he amend and make satisfaction.
CHAPTER 6
On the Spirit of Silence
Jan. 24—May 25—Sept. 24
Let us do what the Prophet says: “I said, ‘I will guard my ways, that I
may not sin with my tongue. I have set a guard to my mouth.’ I was mute
and was humbled, and kept silence even from good things.” Here the
Prophet shows that if the spirit of silence ought to lead us at times to
refrain even from good speech, so much the more ought the punishment for
sin make us avoid evil words.
Therefore, since the spirit of silence is so important, permission to
speak should rarely be granted even to perfect disciples, even though it
be for good, holy, edifying conversation; for it is written, “In much
speaking you will not escape sin,” and in another place, “Death and life
are in the power of the tongue.”
For speaking and teaching belong to the master; the disciple’s part is
to be silent and to listen. And for that reason if anything has to be
asked of the Superior, it should be asked with all the humility and
submission inspired by reverence.
But as for coarse jests and idle words or words that move to laughter,
these we condemn everywhere with a perpetual ban, and for such
conversation we do not permit a disciple to open his mouth.
CHAPTER 7
On Humility
Jan. 25—May 26—Sept. 25
Holy Scripture, brethren, cries out to us, saying, “Everyone who exalts
himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
In saying this it shows us that all exaltation is a kind of pride,
against which the Prophet proves himself to be on guard when he says,
“Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are mine eyes lifted up; neither
have I walked in great matters, nor in wonders above me.” But how has he
acted? “Rather have I been of humble mind than exalting myself; as a
weaned child on its mother’s breast, so You solace my soul.”
Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the very highest point of humility
and to arrive speedily at that heavenly exaltation to which ascent is
made through the humility of this present life, we must by our ascending
actions erect the ladder Jacob saw in his dream, on which Angels
appeared to him descending and ascending. By that descent and ascent we
must surely understand nothing else than this, that we descend by
self-exaltation and ascend by humility. And the ladder thus set up is
our life in the world, which the Lord raises up to heaven if our heart
is humbled. For we call our body and soul the sides of the ladder, and
into these sides our divine vocation has inserted the different steps of
humility and discipline we must climb.
Jan. 26—May 27—Sept. 26
The first degree of humility, then, is that a person keep the fear of
God before his eyes and beware of ever forgetting it. Let him be ever
mindful of all that God has commanded; let his thoughts constantly recur
to the hell-fire which will burn for their sins those who despise God,
and to the life everlasting which is prepared for those who fear Him.
Let him keep himself at every moment from sins and vices, whether of the
mind, the tongue, the hands, the feet, or the self-will, and check also
the desires of the flesh.
Jan. 27—May 28—Sept. 27
Let a man consider that God is always looking at him from heaven, that
his actions are everywhere visible to the divine eyes and are constantly
being reported to God by the Angels. This is what the Prophet shows us
when he represents God as ever present within our thoughts, in the words
“Searcher of minds and hearts is God” and again in the words “The Lord
knows the thoughts of men.” Again he says, “You have read my thoughts
from afar” and “The thoughts of men will confess to You.”
In order that he may be careful about his wrongful thoughts, therefore,
let the faithful brother say constantly in his heart, “Then shall I be
spotless before Him, if I have kept myself from my iniquity.”
Jan. 28—May 29—Sept. 28
As for self-will, we are forbidden to do our own will by the Scripture,
which says to us, “Turn away from your own will,” and likewise by the
prayer in which we ask God that His will be done in us. And rightly are
we taught not to do our own will when we take heed to the warning of
Scripture: “There are ways which to men seem right, but the ends of them
plunge into the depths of hell”; and also when we tremble at what is
said of the careless: “They are corrupt and have become abominable in
their wills.”
And as for the desires of the flesh, let us believe with the Prophet
that God is ever present to us, when he says to the Lord, “Every desire
of mine is before You.”
Jan. 29—May 30—Sept. 29
We must be on our guard, therefore, against evil desires, for death lies
close by the gate of pleasure. Hence the Scripture gives this command:
“Go not after your concupiscences.”
So therefore, since the eyes of the Lord observe the good and the evil
and the Lord is always looking down from heaven on the children of men
“to see if there be anyone who understands and seeks God,” and since our
deeds are daily, day and night, reported to the Lord by the Angels
assigned to us, we must constantly beware, brethren, as the Prophet says
in the Psalm, lest at any time God see us falling into evil ways and
becoming unprofitable; and lest, having spared us for the present
because in His kindness He awaits our reformation, He say to us in the
future, “These things you did, and I held My peace.”
Jan. 30—May 31—Sept. 30
The second degree of humility is that a person love not his own will nor
take pleasure in satisfying his desires, but model his actions on the
saying of the Lord, “I have come not to do My own will, but the will of
Him who sent Me.” It is written also, “Self-will has its punishment, but
constraint wins a crown.”
Jan. 31—June 1—Oct. 1
The third degree of humility is that a person for love of God submit
himself to his Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom
the Apostle says, “He became obedient even unto death.”
Feb. 1—June 2—Oct. 2
The fourth degree of humility is that he hold fast to patience with a
silent mind when in this obedience he meets with difficulties and
contradictions and even any kind of injustice, enduring all without
growing weary or running away. For the Scripture says, “He who
perseveres to the end, he it is who shall be saved”; and again, “Let
your heart take courage, and wait for the Lord!”
And to show how those who are faithful ought to endure all things,
however contrary, for the Lord, the Scripture says in the person of the
suffering, “For Your sake we are put to death all the day long; we are
considered as sheep marked for slaughter.” Then, secure in their hope of
a divine recompense, they go on with joy to declare, “But in all these
trials we conquer, through Him who has granted us His love.” Again, in
another place the Scripture says, “You have tested us, O God; You have
tried us as silver is tried, by fire; You have brought us into a snare;
You have laid afflictions on our back.” And to show that we ought to be
under a Superior, it goes on to say, “You have set men over our heads.”
Moreover, by their patience those faithful ones fulfil the Lord’s
command in adversities and injuries: when struck on one cheek, they
offer the other; when deprived of their tunic, they surrender also their
cloak; when forced to go a mile, they go two; with the Apostle Paul they
bear with false brethren and bless those who curse them.
Feb. 2—June 3—Oct. 3
The fifth degree of humility is that he hide from his Abbot none of the
evil thoughts that enter his heart or the sins committed in secret, but
that he humbly confess them. The Scripture urges us to this when it
says, “Reveal your way to the Lord and hope in Him,” and again, “Confess
to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” And the
Prophet likewise says, “My offense I have made known to You, and my
iniquities I have not covered up. I said: ‘I will declare against myself
my iniquities to the Lord;’ and ‘You forgave the wickedness of my
heart.’”
Feb. 3—June 4—Oct. 4
The sixth degree of humility is that a monk be content with the poorest
and worst of everything, and that in every occupation assigned him he
consider himself a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet,
“I am brought to nothing and I am without understanding; I have become
as a beast of burden before You, and I am always with You.”
Feb. 4—June 5—Oct. 5
The seventh degree of humility is that he consider himself lower and of
less account than anyone else, and this not only in verbal protestation
but also with the most heartfelt inner conviction, humbling himself and
saying with the Prophet, “But I am a worm and no man, the scorn of men
and the outcast of the people. After being exalted, I have been humbled
and covered with confusion.” And again, “It is good for me that You have
humbled me, that I may learn Your commandments.”
Feb. 5—June 6—Oct. 6
The eighth degree of humility is that a monk do nothing except what is
commended by the common Rule of the monastery and the example of the
elders.
Feb. 6—June 7—Oct. 7
The ninth degree of humility is that a monk restrain his tongue and keep
silence, not speaking until he is questioned. For the Scripture shows
that “in much speaking there is no escape from sin” and that “the
talkative man is not stable on the earth.”
Feb. 7—June 8—Oct. 8
The tenth degree of humility is that he be not ready and quick to laugh,
for it is written, “The fool lifts up his voice in laughter.”
Feb. 8—June 9—Oct. 9
The eleventh degree of humility is that when a monk speaks he do so
gently and without laughter, humbly and seriously, in few and sensible
words, and that he be not noisy in his speech. It is written, “A wise
man is known by the fewness of his words.”
Feb. 9—June 10—Oct. 10
The twelfth degree of humility is that a monk not only have humility in
his heart but also by his very appearance make it always manifest to
those who see him. That is to say that whether he is at the Work of God,
in the oratory, in the monastery, in the garden, on the road, in the
fields or anywhere else, and whether sitting, walking or standing, he
should always have his head bowed and his eyes toward the ground.
Feeling the guilt of his sins at every moment, he should consider
himself already present at the dread Judgment and constantly say in his
heart what the publican in the Gospel said with his eyes fixed on the
earth: “Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up my eyes to
heaven”; and again with the Prophet: “I am bowed down and humbled
everywhere.” Having climbed all these steps of humility, therefore, the
monk will presently come to that perfect love of God which casts out
fear. And all those precepts which formerly he had not observed without
fear, he will now begin to keep by reason of that love, without any
effort, as though naturally and by habit. No longer will his motive be
the fear of hell, but rather the love of Christ, good habit and delight
in the virtues which the Lord will deign to show forth by the Holy
Spirit in His servant now cleansed from vice and sin.
CHAPTER 8
On the Divine Office During the Night
Feb. 10—June 11—Oct. 11
In winter time, that is from the Calends of November until Easter, the
brethren shall rise at what is calculated to be the eighth hour of the
night, so that they may sleep somewhat longer than half the night and
rise with their rest completed. And the time that remains after the
Night Office should be spent in study by those brethren who need a
better knowledge of the Psalter or the lessons.
From Easter to the aforesaid Calends of November, the hour of rising
should be so arranged that the Morning Office, which is to be said at
daybreak, will follow the Night Office after a very short interval,
during which the brethren may go out for the necessities of nature.
CHAPTER 9
How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at the Night Office
Feb. 11—June 12—Oct. 12
In winter time as defined above, there is first this verse to be said
three times: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your
praise.” To it is added Psalm 3 and the “Glory be to the Father,” and
after that Psalm 94 to be chanted with an antiphon or even chanted
simply. Let the Ambrosian hymn follow next, and then six Psalms with
antiphons. When these are finished and the verse said, let the Abbot
give a blessing; then, all being seated on the benches, let three
lessons be read from the book on the lectern by the brethren in their
turns, and after each lesson let a responsory be chanted. Two of the
responsories are to be said without a “Glory be to the Father”; but
after the third lesson let the chanter say the “Glory be to the Father,”
and as soon as he begins it let all rise from their seats out of honor
and reverence to the Holy Trinity.
The books to be read at the Night Office shall be those of divine
authorship, of both the Old and the New Testament, and also the
explanations of them which have been made by well known and orthodox
Catholic Fathers.
After these three lessons with their responsories let the remaining six
Psalms follow, to be chanted with “Alleluia.” After these shall follow
the lesson from the Apostle, to be recited by heart, the verse and the
petition of the litany, that is “Lord, have mercy on us.” And so let the
Night Office come to an end.
CHAPTER 10
How the Night Office Is to Be Said in Summer Time
Feb. 12—June 13—Oct. 13
From Easter until the Calends of November let the same number of Psalms
be kept as prescribed above; but no lessons are to be read from the
book, on account of the shortness of the nights. Instead of those three
lessons let one lesson from the Old Testament be said by heart and
followed by a short responsory. But all the rest should be done as has
been said, that is to say that never fewer than twelve Psalms should be
said at the Night Office, not counting Psalm 3 and Psalm 94.
CHAPTER 11
How the Night Office Is to Be Said on Sundays
Feb. 13—June 14—Oct. 14
On Sunday the hour of rising for the Night Office should be earlier. In
that Office let the measure already prescribed be kept, namely the
singing of six Psalms and a verse. Then let all be seated on the benches
in their proper order while the lessons and their responsories are read
from the book, as we said above. These shall be four in number, with the
chanter saying the “Glory be to the Father” in the fourth responsory
only, and all rising reverently as soon as he begins it.
After these lessons let six more Psalms with antiphons follow in order,
as before, and a verse; and then let four more lessons be read with
their responsories in the same way as the former.
After these let there be three canticles from the book of the Prophets,
as the Abbot shall appoint, and let these canticles be chanted with
“Alleluia.” Then when the verse has been said and the Abbot has given
the blessing, let four more lessons be read, from the New Testament, in
the manner prescribed above.
After the fourth responsory let the Abbot begin the hymn “We praise You,
O God.” When this is finished the Abbot shall read the lesson from the
book of the Gospels, while all stand in reverence and awe. At the end
let all answer “Amen,” and let the Abbot proceed at once to the hymn “To
You be praise.” After the blessing has been given, let them begin the
Morning Office.
This order for the Night Office on Sunday shall be observed the year
around, both summer and winter; unless it should happen (which God
forbid) that the brethren be late in rising, in which case the lessons
or the responsories will have to be shortened somewhat. Let every
precaution be taken, however, against such an occurrence; but if it does
happen, then the one through whose neglect it has come about should make
due satisfaction to God in the oratory.
CHAPTER 12
How the Morning Office Is to Be Said
Feb. 14—June 15—Oct. 15
The Morning Office on Sunday shall begin with Psalm 66 recited straight
through without an antiphon. After that let Psalm 50 be said with
“Alleluia,” then Psalms 117 and 62, the Canticle of Blessing and the
Psalms of praise; then a lesson from the Apocalypse to be recited by
heart, the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the verse, the canticle from
the Gospel book, the litany and so the end.
CHAPTER 13
How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays
Feb. 15—June 16—Oct. 16
On weekdays the Morning Office shall be celebrated as follows. Let Psalm
66 be said without an antiphon and somewhat slowly, as on Sunday, in
order that all may be in time for Psalm 50, which is to be said with an
antiphon. After that let two other Psalms be said according to custom,
namely: on Monday Psalms 5 and 35, on Tuesday Psalms 42 and 56, on
Wednesday Psalms 63 and 64, on Thursday Psalms 87 and 89, on Friday
Psalms 75 and 91, and on Saturday Psalm 142 and the canticle from
Deuteronomy, which is to be divided into two sections each terminated by
a “Glory be to the Father.” But on the other days let there be a
canticle from the Prophets, each on its own day as chanted by the Roman
Church. Next follow the Psalms of praise, then a lesson of the Apostle
to be recited from memory, the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the
verse, the canticle from the Gospel book, the litany, and so the end.
Feb. 16—June 17—Oct. 17
The Morning and Evening Offices should never be allowed to pass without
the Superior saying the Lord’s Prayer in its place at the end so that
all may hear it, on account of the thorns of scandal which are apt to
spring up. Thus those who hear it, being warned by the covenant which
they make in that prayer when they say, “Forgive us as we forgive,” may
cleanse themselves of faults against that covenant.
But at the other Offices let the last part only of that prayer be said
aloud, so that all may answer, “But deliver us from evil.”
CHAPTER 14
How the Night Office Is to Be Said on the Feasts of the Saints
Feb. 17—June 18—Oct. 18
On the feasts of Saints and on all festivals let the Office be performed
as we have prescribed for Sundays, except that the Psalms, the antiphons
and the lessons belonging to that particular day are to be said. Their
number, however, shall remain as we have specified above.
CHAPTER 15
At What Times “Alleluia” Is to Be Said
Feb. 18—June 19—Oct. 19
From holy Easter until Pentecost without interruption let “Alleluia” be
said both in the Psalms and in the responsories. From Pentecost to the
beginning of Lent let it be said every night with the last six Psalms of
the Night Office only. On every Sunday, however, outside of Lent, the
canticles, the Morning Office, Prime, Terce, Sext and None shall be said
with “Alleluia,” but Vespers with antiphons.
The responsories are never to be said with “Alleluia” except from Easter
to Pentecost.
CHAPTER 16
How the Work of God Is to Be Performed During the Day
Feb. 19—June 20—Oct. 20
“Seven times in the day,” says the Prophet, “I have rendered praise to
You.” Now that sacred number of seven will be fulfilled by us if we
perform the Offices of our service at the time of the Morning Office, of
Prime, of Terce, of Sext, of None, of Vespers and of Compline, since it
was of these day Hours that he said, “Seven times in the day I have
rendered praise to You.” For as to the Night Office the same Prophet
says, “In the middle of the night I arose to glorify You.”
Let us therefore bring our tribute of praise to our Creator “for the
judgments of His justice” at these times: the Morning Office, Prime,
Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; and in the night let us arise
to glorify Him.
CHAPTER 17
How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at These Hours
Feb. 20—June 21—Oct. 21
We have already arranged the order of the psalmody for the Night and
Morning Offices; let us now provide for the remaining Hours.
At Prime let three Psalms be said, separately and not under one “Glory
be to the Father.” The hymn of that Hour is to follow the verse “Incline
unto my aid, O God,” before the Psalms begin. Upon completion of the
three Psalms let one lesson be recited, then a verse, the “Lord, have
mercy on us” and the concluding prayers.
The Offices of Terce, Sext and None are to be celebrated in the same
order, that is: the “Incline unto my aid, O God,” the hymn proper to
each Hour, three Psalms, lesson and verse, “Lord, have mercy on us” and
concluding prayers.
If the community is a large one, let the Psalms be sung with antiphons;
but if small, let them be sung straight through.
Let the Psalms of the Vesper Office be limited to four, with antiphons.
After these Psalms the lesson is to be recited, then the responsory, the
Ambrosian hymn, the verse, the canticle from the Gospel book, the
litany, the Lord’s Prayer and the concluding prayers.
Let Compline be limited to the saying of three Psalms, which are to be
said straight through without antiphon, and after them the hymn of that
Hour, one lesson, a verse, the “Lord, have mercy on us,” the blessing
and the concluding prayers.
CHAPTER 18
In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said
Feb. 21—June 22—Oct. 22
Let this verse be said: “Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste
to help me,” and the “Glory be to the Father”; then the hymn proper to
each Hour.
Then at Prime on Sunday four sections of Psalm 118 are to be said; and
at each of the remaining Hours, that is Terce, Sext and None, three
sections of the same Psalm 118.
At Prime on Monday let three Psalms be said, namely Psalms 1, 2 and 6.
And so each day at Prime until Sunday let three Psalms be said in
numerical order, to Psalm 19, but with Psalms 9 and 17 each divided into
two parts. Thus it comes about that the Night Office on Sunday always
begins with Psalm 20.
Feb. 22—June 23—Oct. 23
At Terce, Sext and None on Monday let the nine remaining sections of
Psalm 118 be said, three at each of these Hours.
Psalm 118 having been completed, therefore, on two days, Sunday and
Monday, let the nine Psalms from Psalm 119 to Psalm 127 be said at
Terce, Sext and None, three at each Hour, beginning with Tuesday. And
let these same Psalms be repeated every day until Sunday at the same
Hours, while the arrangement of hymns, lessons and verses is kept the
same on all days; and thus Prime on Sunday will always begin with Psalm
118.
Feb. 23—June 24—Oct. 24
Vespers are to be sung with four Psalms every day. These shall begin
with Psalm 109 and go on to Psalm 147, omitting those which are set
apart for other Hours; that is to say that with the exception of Psalms
117 to 127 and Psalms 133 and 142, all the rest of these are to be said
at Vespers. And since there are three Psalms too few, let the longer
ones of the above number be divided, namely Psalms 138, 143 and 144. But
let Psalm 116 because of its brevity be joined to Psalm 115.
The order of the Vesper Psalms being thus settled, let the rest of the
Hour—lesson, responsory, hymn, verse and canticle—be carried out as we
prescribed above.
At Compline the same Psalms are to be repeated every day, namely Psalms
4, 90 and 133.
(Feb. 24 in leap year; otherwise added to the preceding)—June 25—Oct. 25
The order of psalmody for the day Hours being thus arranged, let all the
remaining Psalms be equally distributed among the seven Night Offices by
dividing the longer Psalms among them and assigning twelve Psalms to
each night.
We strongly recommend, however, that if this distribution of the Psalms
is displeasing to anyone, he should arrange them otherwise, in whatever
way he considers better, but taking care in any case that the Psalter
with its full number of 150 Psalms be chanted every week and begun again
every Sunday at the Night Office. For those monks show themselves too
lazy in the service to which they are vowed, who chant less than the
Psalter with the customary canticles in the course of a week, whereas we
read that our holy Fathers strenuously fulfilled that task in a single
day. May we, lukewarm that we are, perform it at least in a whole week!
CHAPTER 19
On the Manner of Saying the Divine Office
Feb. 24 (25)—June 26—Oct. 26
We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that “the eyes of
the Lord are looking on the good and the evil in every place.” But we
should believe this especially without any doubt when we are assisting
at the Work of God. To that end let us be mindful always of the
Prophet’s words, “Serve the Lord in fear” and again “Sing praises
wisely” and “In the sight of the Angels I will sing praise to You.” Let
us therefore consider how we ought to conduct ourselves in the sight of
the Godhead and of His Angels, and let us take part in the psalmody in
such a way that our mind may be in harmony with our voice.
CHAPTER 20
On Reverence in Prayer
Feb. 25 (26)—June 27—Oct. 27
When we wish to suggest our wants to men of high station, we do not
presume to do so except with humility and reverence. How much the more,
then, are complete humility and pure devotion necessary in supplication
of the Lord who is God of the universe! And let us be assured that it is
not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard, but in purity of
heart and in tears of compunction. Our prayer, therefore, ought to be
short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of
divine grace. In community, however, let prayer be very short, and when
the Superior gives the signal let all rise together.
CHAPTER 21
On the Deans of the Monastery
Feb. 26 (27)—June 28—Oct. 28
If the community is a large one, let there be chosen out of it brethren
of good repute and holy life, and let them be appointed deans. These
shall take charge of their deaneries in all things, observing the
commandments of God and the instructions of their Abbot.
Let men of such character be chosen deans that the Abbot may with
confidence share his burdens among them. Let them be chosen not by rank
but according to their worthiness of life and the wisdom of their
doctrine.
If any of these deans should become inflated with pride and found
deserving of censure, let him be corrected once, and again, and a third
time. If he will not amend, then let him be deposed and another be put
in his place who is worthy of it.
And we order the same to be done in the case of the Prior.
CHAPTER 22
How the Monks Are to Sleep
Feb. 27 (28)—June 29—Oct. 29
Let each one sleep in a separate bed. Let them receive bedding suitable
to their manner of life, according to the Abbot’s directions. If
possible let all sleep in one place; but if the number does not allow
this, let them take their rest by tens or twenties with the seniors who
have charge of them.
A candle shall be kept burning in the room until morning.
Let the monks sleep clothed and girded with belts or cords—but not with
their knives at their sides, lest they cut themselves in their sleep—and
thus be always ready to rise without delay when the signal is given and
hasten to be before one another at the Work of God, yet with all gravity
and decorum.
The younger brethren shall not have beds next to one another, but among
those of the older ones.
When they rise for the Work of God let them gently encourage one
another, that the drowsy may have no excuse.
CHAPTER 23
On Excommunication for Faults
Feb. 28 (29)—June 30—Oct. 30
If a brother is found to be obstinate, or disobedient, or proud, or
murmuring, or habitually transgressing the Holy Rule in any point and
contemptuous of the orders of his seniors, the latter shall admonish him
secretly a first and a second time, as Our Lord commands. If he fails to
amend, let him be given a public rebuke in front of the whole community.
But if even then he does not reform, let him be placed under
excommunication, provided that he understands the seriousness of that
penalty; if he is perverse, however, let him undergo corporal
punishment.
CHAPTER 24
What the Measure of Excommunication Should Be
Mar. 1—July 1—Oct. 31
The measure of excommunication or of chastisement should correspond to
the degree of fault, which degree is estimated by the Abbot’s judgment.
If a brother is found guilty of lighter faults, let him be excluded from
the common table. Now the program for one deprived of the fellowship of
the table shall be as follows: In the oratory he shall intone neither
Psalm nor antiphon nor shall he recite a lesson until he has made
satisfaction; in the refectory he shall take his food alone after the
community meal, so that if the brethren eat at the sixth hour, for
instance, that brother shall eat at the ninth, while if they eat at the
ninth hour he shall eat in the evening, until by a suitable satisfaction
he obtains pardon.
CHAPTER 25
On Weightier Faults
Mar. 2—July 2—Nov. 1
Let the brother who is guilty of a weightier fault be excluded both from
the table and from the oratory. Let none of the brethren join him either
for company or for conversation. Let him be alone at the work assigned
him, abiding in penitential sorrow and pondering that terrible sentence
of the Apostle where he says that a man of that kind is handed over for
the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of
the Lord. Let him take his meals alone in the measure and at the hour
which the Abbot shall consider suitable for him. He shall not be blessed
by those who pass by, nor shall the food that is given him be blessed.
CHAPTER 26
On Those Who Without an Order Associate With the Excommunicated
Mar. 3—July 3—Nov. 2
If any brother presumes without an order from the Abbot to associate in
any way with an excommunicated brother, or to speak with him, or to send
him a message, let him incur a similar punishment of excommunication.
CHAPTER 27
How Solicitous the Abbot Should Be for the Excommunicated
Mar. 4—July 4—Nov. 3
Let the Abbot be most solicitous in his concern for delinquent brethren,
for “it is not the healthy but the sick who need a physician.” And
therefore he ought to use every means that a wise physician would use.
Let him send “senpectae,” that is, brethren of mature years and wisdom,
who may as it were secretly console the wavering brother and induce him
to make humble satisfaction; comforting him that he may not “be
overwhelmed by excessive grief,” but that, as the Apostle says, charity
may be strengthened in him. And let everyone pray for him.
For the Abbot must have the utmost solicitude and exercise all prudence
and diligence lest he lose any of the sheep entrusted to him. Let him
know that what he has undertaken is the care of weak souls and not a
tyranny over strong ones; and let him fear the Prophet’s warning through
which God says, “What you saw to be fat you took to yourselves, and what
was feeble you cast away.” Let him rather imitate the loving example of
the Good Shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep in the mountains and
went to look for the one sheep that had gone astray, on whose weakness
He had such compassion that He deigned to place it on His own sacred
shoulders and thus carry it back to the flock.
CHAPTER 28
On Those Who Will Not Amend After Repeated Corrections
Mar. 5—July 5—Nov. 4
If a brother who has been frequently corrected for some fault, and even
excommunicated, does not amend, let a harsher correction be applied,
that is, let the punishment of the rod be administered to him.
But if he still does not reform or perhaps (which God forbid) even rises
up in pride and wants to defend his conduct, then let the Abbot do what
a wise physician would do. Having used applications, the ointments of
exhortation, the medicines of the Holy Scriptures, finally the cautery
of excommunication and of the strokes of the rod, if he sees that his
efforts are of no avail, let him apply a still greater remedy, his own
prayers and those of all the brethren, that the Lord, who can do all
things, may restore health to the sick brother.
But if he is not healed even in this way, then let the Abbot use the
knife of amputation, according to the Apostle’s words, “Expel the evil
one from your midst,” and again, “If the faithless one departs, let him
depart,” lest one diseased sheep contaminate the whole flock.
CHAPTER 29
Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Should Be Received Again
Mar. 6—July 6—Nov. 5
If a brother who through his own fault leaves the monastery should wish
to return, let him first promise full reparation for his having gone
away; and then let him be received in the lowest place, as a test of his
humility. And if he should leave again, let him be taken back again, and
so a third time; but he should understand that after this all way of
return is denied him.
CHAPTER 30
How Boys Are to Be Corrected
Mar. 7—July 7—Nov. 6
Every age and degree of understanding should have its proper measure of
discipline. With regard to boys and adolescents, therefore, or those who
cannot understand the seriousness of the penalty of excommunication,
whenever such as these are delinquent let them be subjected to severe
fasts or brought to terms by harsh beatings, that they may be cured.
CHAPTER 31
What Kind of Man the Cellarer of the Monastery Should Be
Mar. 8—July 8—Nov. 7
As cellarer of the monastery let there be chosen from the community one
who is wise, of mature character, sober, not a great eater, not haughty,
not excitable, not offensive, not slow, not wasteful, but a God-fearing
man who may be like a father to the whole community.
Let him have charge of everything. He shall do nothing without the
Abbot’s orders, but keep to his instructions. Let him not vex the
brethren. If any brother happens to make some unreasonable demand of
him, instead of vexing the brother with a contemptuous refusal he should
humbly give the reason for denying the improper request.
Let him keep guard over his own soul, mindful always of the Apostle’s
saying that “he who has ministered well acquires for himself a good
standing.”
Let him take the greatest care of the sick, of children, of guests and
of the poor, knowing without doubt that he will have to render an
account for all these on the Day of Judgment.
Let him regard all the utensils of the monastery and its whole property
as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. Let him not think that
he may neglect anything. He should be neither a miser nor a prodigal and
squanderer of the monastery’s substance, but should do all things with
measure and in accordance with the Abbot’s instructions.
Mar. 9—July 9—Nov. 8
Above all things let him have humility; and if he has nothing else to
give let him give a good word in answer, for it is written, “A good word
is above the best gift.”
Let him have under his care all that the Abbot has assigned to him, but
not presume to deal with what he has forbidden him.
Let him give the brethren their appointed allowance of food without any
arrogance or delay, that they may not be scandalized, mindful of the
Word of God as to what he deserves “who shall scandalize one of the
little ones.”
If the community is a large one, let helpers be given him, that by their
assistance he may fulfil with a quiet mind the office committed to him.
The proper times should be observed in giving the things that have to be
given and asking for the things that have to be asked for, that no one
may be troubled or vexed in the house of God.
CHAPTER 32
On the Tools and Property of the Monastery
Mar. 10—July 10—Nov. 9
For the care of the monastery’s property in tools, clothing and other
articles let the Abbot appoint brethren on whose manner of life and
character he can rely; and let him, as he shall judge to be expedient,
consign the various articles to them, to be looked after and to be
collected again. The Abbot shall keep a list of these articles, so that
as the brethren succeed one another in their assignments he may know
what he gives and what he receives back.
If anyone treats the monastery’s property in a slovenly or careless way,
let him be corrected. If he fails to amend, let him undergo the
discipline of the Rule.
CHAPTER 33
Whether Monks Ought to Have Anything of Their Own
Mar. 11—July 11—Nov. 10
This vice especially is to be cut out of the monastery by the roots. Let
no one presume to give or receive anything without the Abbot’s leave, or
to have anything as his own—anything whatever, whether book or tablets
or pen or whatever it may be—since they are not permitted to have even
their bodies or wills at their own disposal; but for all their
necessities let them look to the Father of the monastery. And let it be
unlawful to have anything which the Abbot has not given or allowed. Let
all things be common to all, as it is written, and let no one say or
assume that anything is his own.
But if anyone is caught indulging in this most wicked vice, let him be
admonished once and a second time. If he fails to amend, let him undergo
punishment.
CHAPTER 34
Whether All Should Receive in Equal Measure What Is Necessary
Mar. 12—July 12—Nov. 11
Let us follow the Scripture, “Distribution was made to each according as
anyone had need.” By this we do not mean that there should be respecting
of persons (which God forbid), but consideration for infirmities. He who
needs less should thank God and not be discontented; but he who needs
more should be humbled by the thought of his infirmity rather than
feeling important on account of the kindness shown him. Thus all the
members will be at peace.
Above all, let not the evil of murmuring appear for any reason
whatsoever in the least word or sign. If anyone is caught at it, let him
be placed under very severe discipline.
CHAPTER 35
On the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen
Mar. 13—July 13—Nov. 12
Let the brethren serve one another, and let no one be excused from the
kitchen service except by reason of sickness or occupation in some
important work. For this service brings increase of reward and of
charity. But let helpers be provided for the weak ones, that they may
not be distressed by this work; and indeed let everyone have help, as
required by the size of the community or the circumstances of the
locality. If the community is a large one, the cellarer shall be excused
from the kitchen service; and so also those whose occupations are of
greater utility, as we said above. Let the rest serve one another in
charity.
The one who is ending his week of service shall do the cleaning on
Saturday. He shall wash the towels with which the brethren wipe their
hands and feet; and this server who is ending his week, aided by the one
who is about to begin, shall wash the feet of all the brethren. He shall
return the utensils of his office to the cellarer clean and in good
condition, and the cellarer in turn shall consign them to the incoming
server, in order that he may know what he gives out and what he receives
back.
Mar. 14—July 14—Nov. 13
An hour before the meal let the weekly servers each receive a drink and
some bread, over and above the appointed allowance, in order that at the
meal time they may serve their brethren without murmuring and without
excessive fatigue. On solemn days, however, let them wait until after
Mass.
Immediately after the Morning Office on Sunday, the incoming and
outgoing servers shall prostrate themselves before all the brethren in
the oratory and ask their prayers. Let the server who is ending his week
say this verse: “Blessed are You, O Lord God, who have helped me and
consoled me.” When this has been said three times and the outgoing
server has received his blessing, then let the incoming server follow
and say, “Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help me.”
Let this also be repeated three times by all, and having received his
blessing let him enter his service.
CHAPTER 36
On the Sick Brethren
Mar. 15—July 15—Nov. 14
Before all things and above all things, care must be taken of the sick,
so that they will be served as if they were Christ in person; for He
Himself said, “I was sick, and you visited Me,” and, “What you did for
one of these least ones, you did for Me.” But let the sick on their part
consider that they are being served for the honor of God, and let them
not annoy their brethren who are serving them by their unnecessary
demands. Yet they should be patiently borne with, because from such as
these is gained a more abundant reward. Therefore the Abbot shall take
the greatest care that they suffer no neglect.
For these sick brethren let there be assigned a special room and an
attendant who is God-fearing, diligent and solicitous. Let the use of
baths be afforded the sick as often as may be expedient; but to the
healthy, and especially to the young, let them be granted more rarely.
Moreover, let the use of meat be granted to the sick who are very weak,
for the restoration of their strength; but when they are convalescent,
let all abstain from meat as usual.
The Abbot shall take the greatest care that the sick be not neglected by
the cellarers or the attendants; for he also is responsible for what is
done wrongly by his disciples.
CHAPTER 37
On Old Men and Children
Mar. 16—July 16—Nov. 15
Although human nature itself is drawn to special kindness towards these
times of life, that is towards old men and children, still the authority
of the Rule should also provide for them. Let their weakness be always
taken into account, and let them by no means be held to the rigor of the
Rule with regard to food. On the contrary, let a kind consideration be
shown to them, and let them eat before the regular hours.
CHAPTER 38
On the Weekly Reader
Mar. 17—July 17—Nov. 16
The meals of the brethren should not be without reading. Nor should the
reader be anyone who happens to take up the book; but there should be a
reader for the whole week, entering that office on Sunday. Let this
incoming reader, after Mass and Communion, ask all to pray for him that
God may keep him from the spirit of pride. And let him intone the
following verse, which shall be said three times by all in the oratory:
“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.” Then,
having received a blessing, let him enter on the reading.
And let absolute silence be kept at table, so that no whispering may be
heard nor any voice except the reader’s. As to the things they need
while they eat and drink, let the brethren pass them to one another so
that no one need ask for anything. If anything is needed, however, let
it be asked for by means of some audible sign rather than by speech. Nor
shall anyone at table presume to ask questions about the reading or
anything else, lest that give occasion for talking; except that the
Superior may perhaps wish to say something briefly for the purpose of
edification.
The brother who is reader for the week shall take a little refreshment
before he begins to read, on account of the Holy Communion and lest
perhaps the fast be hard for him to bear. He shall take his meal
afterwards with the kitchen and table servers of the week.
The brethren are not to read or chant in order, but only those who edify
their hearers.
CHAPTER 39
On the Measure of Food
Mar. 18—July 18—Nov. 17
We think it sufficient for the daily dinner, whether at the sixth or the
ninth hour, that every table have two cooked dishes, on account of
individual infirmities, so that he who for some reason cannot eat of the
one may make his meal of the other. Therefore let two cooked dishes
suffice for all the brethren; and if any fruit or fresh vegetables are
available, let a third dish be added.
Let a good pound weight of bread suffice for the day, whether there be
only one meal or both dinner and supper. If they are to have supper, the
cellarer shall reserve a third of that pound, to be given them at
supper.
But if it happens that the work was heavier, it shall lie within the
Abbot’s discretion and power, should it be expedient, to add something
to the fare. Above all things, however, over-indulgence must be avoided
and a monk must never be overtaken by indigestion; for there is nothing
so opposed to the Christian character as over-indulgence, according to
Our Lord’s words, “See to it that your hearts be not burdened with
over-indulgence.”
Young boys shall not receive the same amount of food as their elders,
but less; and frugality shall be observed in all circumstances.
Except the sick who are very weak, let all abstain entirely from eating
the flesh of four-footed animals.
CHAPTER 40
On the Measure of Drink
Mar. 19—July 19—Nov. 18
“Everyone has his own gift from God, one in this way and another in
that.” It is therefore with some misgiving that we regulate the measure
of other men’s sustenance. Nevertheless, keeping in view the needs of
weaker brethren, we believe that a hemina of wine a day is sufficient
for each. But those to whom God gives the strength to abstain should
know that they will receive a special reward.
If the circumstances of the place, or the work, or the heat of summer
require a greater measure, the Superior shall use his judgment in the
matter, taking care always that there be no occasion for surfeit or
drunkenness. We read, it is true, that wine is by no means a drink for
monks; but since the monks of our day cannot be persuaded of this, let
us at least agree to drink sparingly and not to satiety, because “wine
makes even the wise fall away.”
But where the circumstances of the place are such that not even the
measure prescribed above can be supplied, but much less or none at all,
let those who live there bless God and not murmur. Above all things do
we give this admonition, that they abstain from murmuring.
CHAPTER 41
At What Hours the Meals Should Be Taken
Mar. 20—July 20—Nov. 19
From holy Easter until Pentecost let the brethren take dinner at the
sixth hour and supper in the evening.
From Pentecost throughout the summer, unless the monks have work in the
fields or the excessive heat of summer oppresses them, let them fast on
Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour; on the other days let them
dine at the sixth hour. This dinner at the sixth hour shall be the daily
schedule if they have work in the fields or the heat of summer is
extreme; the Abbot’s foresight shall decide on this. Thus it is that he
should adapt and arrange everything in such a way that souls may be
saved and that the brethren may do their work without just cause for
murmuring.
From the Ides of September until the beginning of Lent let them always
take their dinner at the ninth hour.
In Lent until Easter let them dine in the evening. But this evening hour
shall be so determined that they will not need the light of a lamp while
eating, but everything will be accomplished while it is still daylight.
Indeed at all seasons let the hour, whether for supper or for dinner, be
so arranged that everything will be done by daylight.
CHAPTER 42
That No One Speak After Compline
Mar. 21—July 21—Nov. 20
Monks ought to be zealous for silence at all times, but especially
during the hours of the night. For every season, therefore, whether
there be fasting or two meals, let the program be as follows:
If it be a season when there are two meals, then as soon as they have
risen from supper they shall all sit together, and one of them shall
read the Conferences or the Lives of the Fathers or something else that
may edify the hearers; not the Heptateuch or the Books of Kings,
however, because it will not be expedient for weak minds to hear those
parts of Scripture at that hour; but they shall be read at other times.
If it be a day of fast, then having allowed a short interval after
Vespers they shall proceed at once to the reading of the Conferences, as
prescribed above; four or five pages being read, or as much as time
permits, so that during the delay provided by this reading all may come
together, including those who may have been occupied in some work
assigned them.
When all, therefore, are gathered together, let them say Compline; and
when they come out from Compline, no one shall be allowed to say
anything from that time on. And if anyone should be found evading this
rule of silence, let him undergo severe punishment. An exception shall
be made if the need of speaking to guests should arise or if the Abbot
should give someone an order. But even this should be done with the
utmost gravity and the most becoming restraint.
CHAPTER 43
On Those Who Come Late to the Work of God or to Table
Mar. 22—July 22—Nov. 21
At the hour for the Divine Office, as soon as the signal is heard, let
them abandon whatever they may have in hand and hasten with the greatest
speed, yet with seriousness, so that there is no excuse for levity. Let
nothing, therefore, be put before the Work of God.
If at the Night Office anyone arrives after the “Glory be to the Father”
of Psalm 94—which Psalm for this reason we wish to be said very slowly
and protractedly—let him not stand in his usual place in the choir; but
let him stand last of all, or in a place set aside by the Abbot for such
negligent ones in order that they may be seen by him and by all. He
shall remain there until the Work of God has been completed, and then do
penance by a public satisfaction. The reason why we have judged it
fitting for them to stand in the last place or in a place apart is that,
being seen by all, they may amend for very shame. For if they remain
outside of the oratory, there will perhaps be someone who will go back
to bed and sleep or at least seat himself outside and indulge in idle
talk, and thus an occasion will be provided for the evil one. But let
them go inside, that they may not lose the whole Office, and may amend
for the future.
At the day Hours anyone who does not arrive at the Work of God until
after the verse and the “Glory be to the Father” of the first Psalm
following it shall stand in the last place, according to our ruling
above. Nor shall he presume to join the choir in their chanting until he
has made satisfaction, unless the Abbot should pardon him and give him
permission; but even then the offender must make satisfaction for his
fault.
Mar. 23—July 23—Nov. 22
Anyone who does not come to table before the verse, so that all together
may say the verse and the oration and all sit down to table at the same
time—anyone who through his own carelessness or bad habit does not come
on time shall be corrected for this up to the second time. If then he
does not amend, he shall not be allowed to share in the common table,
but shall be separated from the company of all and made to eat alone,
and his portion of wine shall be taken away from him, until he has made
satisfaction and has amended. And let him suffer a like penalty who is
not present at the verse said after the meal.
And let no one presume to take any food or drink before or after the
appointed time. But if anyone is offered something by the Superior and
refuses to take it, then when the time comes that he desires what he
formerly refused or something else, let him receive nothing whatever
until he has made proper satisfaction.
CHAPTER 44
How the Excommunicated Are to Make Satisfaction
Mar. 24—July 24—Nov. 23
One who for serious faults is excommunicated from oratory and table
shall make satisfaction as follows. At the hour when the celebration of
the Work of God is concluded in the oratory, let him lie prostrate
before the door of the oratory, saying nothing, but only lying prone
with his face to the ground at the feet of all as they come out of the
oratory. And let him continue to do this until the Abbot judges that
satisfaction has been made. Then, when he has come at the Abbot’s
bidding, let him cast himself first at the Abbot’s feet and then at the
feet of all, that they may pray for him.
And next, if the Abbot so orders, let him be received into the choir, to
the place which the Abbot appoints, but with the provision that he shall
not presume to intone Psalm or lesson or anything else in the oratory
without a further order from the Abbot. Moreover, at every Hour, when
the Work of God is ended, let him cast himself on the ground in the
place where he stands. And let him continue to satisfy in this way until
the Abbot again orders him finally to cease from this satisfaction.
But those who for slight faults are excommunicated only from table shall
make satisfaction in the oratory, and continue in it till an order from
the Abbot, until he blesses them and says, “It is enough.”
CHAPTER 45
On Those Who Make Mistakes in the Oratory
Mar. 25—July 25—Nov. 24
When anyone has made a mistake while reciting a Psalm, a responsory, an
antiphon or a lesson, if he does not humble himself there before all by
making a satisfaction, let him undergo a greater punishment because he
would not correct by humility what he did wrong through carelessness.
But boys for such faults shall be whipped.
CHAPTER 46
On Those Who Fail in Any Other Matters
Mar. 26—July 26—Nov. 25
When anyone is engaged in any sort of work, whether in the kitchen, in
the cellar, in a shop, in the bakery, in the garden, while working at
some craft, or in any other place, and he commits some fault, or breaks
something, or loses something, or transgresses in any other way
whatsoever, if he does not come immediately before the Abbot and the
community of his own accord to make satisfaction and confess his fault,
then when it becomes known through another, let him be subjected to a
more severe correction.
But if the sin-sickness of the soul is a hidden one, let him reveal it
only to the Abbot or to a spiritual father, who knows how to cure his
own and others’ wounds without exposing them and making them public.
CHAPTER 47
On Giving the Signal for the Time of the Work of God
Mar. 27—July 27—Nov. 26
The indicating of the hour of the Work of God by day and by night shall
devolve upon the Abbot, either to give the signal himself or to assign
this duty to such a careful brother that everything will take place at
the proper hours.
Let the Psalms and the antiphons be intoned by those who are appointed
for it, in their order after the Abbot. And no one shall presume to sing
or read unless he can fulfil that office in such a way as to edify the
hearers. Let this function be performed with humility, gravity and
reverence, and by him whom the Abbot has appointed.
CHAPTER 48
On the Daily Manual Labor
Mar. 28—July 28—Nov. 27
Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore the brethren should be
occupied at certain times in manual labor, and again at fixed hours in
sacred reading. To that end we think that the times for each may be
prescribed as follows.
From Easter until the Calends of October, when they come out from Prime
in the morning let them labor at whatever is necessary until about the
fourth hour, and from the fourth hour until about the sixth let them
apply themselves to reading. After the sixth hour, having left the
table, let them rest on their beds in perfect silence; or if anyone may
perhaps want to read, let him read to himself in such a way as not to
disturb anyone else. Let None be said rather early, at the middle of the
eighth hour, and let them again do what work has to be done until
Vespers.
And if the circumstances of the place or their poverty should require
that they themselves do the work of gathering the harvest, let them not
be discontented; for then are they truly monks when they live by the
labor of their hands, as did our Fathers and the Apostles. Let all
things be done with moderation, however, for the sake of the
faint-hearted.
Mar. 29—July 29—Nov. 28
From the Calends of October until the beginning of Lent, let them apply
themselves to reading up to the end of the second hour. At the second
hour let Terce be said, and then let all labor at the work assigned them
until None. At the first signal for the Hour of None let everyone break
off from his work, and hold himself ready for the sounding of the second
signal. After the meal let them apply themselves to their reading or to
the Psalms.
On the days of Lent, from morning until the end of the third hour let
them apply themselves to their reading, and from then until the end of
the tenth hour let them do the work assigned them. And in these days of
Lent they shall each receive a book from the library, which they shall
read straight through from the beginning. These books are to be given
out at the beginning of Lent.
But certainly one or two of the seniors should be deputed to go about
the monastery at the hours when the brethren are occupied in reading and
see that there be no lazy brother who spends his time in idleness or
gossip and does not apply himself to the reading, so that he is not only
unprofitable to himself but also distracts others. If such a one be
found (which God forbid), let him be corrected once and a second time;
if he does not amend, let him undergo the punishment of the Rule in such
a way that the rest may take warning.
Moreover, one brother shall not associate with another at unseasonable
hours.
Mar. 30—July 30—Nov. 29
On Sundays, let all occupy themselves in reading, except those who have
been appointed to various duties. But if anyone should be so negligent
and shiftless that he will not or cannot study or read, let him be given
some work to do so that he will not be idle.
Weak or sickly brethren should be assigned a task or craft of such a
nature as to keep them from idleness and at the same time not to
overburden them or drive them away with excessive toil. Their weakness
must be taken into consideration by the Abbot.
CHAPTER 49
On the Observance of Lent
Mar. 31—July 31—Nov. 30
Although the life of a monk ought to have about it at all times the
character of a Lenten observance, yet since few have the virtue for
that, we therefore urge that during the actual days of Lent the brethren
keep their lives most pure and at the same time wash away during these
holy days all the negligences of other times. And this will be worthily
done if we restrain ourselves from all vices and give ourselves up to
prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and to
abstinence.
During these days, therefore, let us increase somewhat the usual burden
of our service, as by private prayers and by abstinence in food and
drink. Thus everyone of his own will may offer God “with joy of the Holy
Spirit” something above the measure required of him. From his body, that
is, he may withhold some food, drink, sleep, talking and jesting; and
with the joy of spiritual desire he may look forward to holy Easter.
Let each one, however, suggest to his Abbot what it is that he wants to
offer, and let it be done with his blessing and approval. For anything
done without the permission of the spiritual father will be imputed to
presumption and vainglory and will merit no reward. Therefore let
everything be done with the Abbot’s approval.
CHAPTER 50
On Brethren Who Are Working Far From the Oratory or Are on a Journey
Apr. 1—Aug. 1—Dec. 1
Those brethren who are working at a great distance and cannot get to the
oratory at the proper time—the Abbot judging that such is the case—shall
perform the Work of God in the place where they are working, bending
their knees in reverence before God.
Likewise those who have been sent on a journey shall not let the
appointed Hours pass by, but shall say the Office by themselves as well
as they can, and not neglect to render the task of their service.
CHAPTER 51
On Brethren Who Go Not Very Far Away
Apr. 2—Aug. 2—Dec. 2
A brother who is sent out on some business and is expected to return to
the monastery that same day shall not presume to eat while he is out,
even if he is urgently requested to do so by any person whomsoever,
unless he has permission from his Abbot. And if he acts otherwise, let
him be excommunicated.
CHAPTER 52
On the Oratory of the Monastery
Apr. 3—Aug. 3—Dec. 3
Let the oratory be what it is called, a place of prayer; and let nothing
else be done there or kept there. When the Work of God is ended, let all
go out in perfect silence, and let reverence for God be observed, so
that any brother who may wish to pray privately will not be hindered by
another’s misconduct. And at other times also, if anyone should want to
pray by himself, let him go in simply and pray, not in a loud voice but
with tears and fervor of heart. He who does not say his prayers in this
way, therefore, shall not be permitted to remain in the oratory when the
Work of God is ended, lest another be hindered, as we have said.
CHAPTER 53
On the Reception of Guests
Apr. 4—Aug. 4—Dec. 4
Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to
say, “I came as a guest, and you received Me.” And to all let due honor
be shown, especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims.
As soon as a guest is announced, therefore, let the Superior or the
brethren meet him with all charitable service. And first of all let them
pray together, and then exchange the kiss of peace. For the kiss of
peace should not be offered until after the prayers have been said, on
account of the devil’s deceptions.
In the salutation of all guests, whether arriving or departing, let all
humility be shown. Let the head be bowed or the whole body prostrated on
the ground in adoration of Christ, who indeed is received in their
persons.
After the guests have been received and taken to prayer, let the
Superior or someone appointed by him sit with them. Let the divine law
be read before the guest for his edification, and then let all kindness
be shown him. The Superior shall break his fast for the sake of a guest,
unless it happens to be a principal fast day which may not be violated.
The brethren, however, shall observe the customary fasts. Let the Abbot
give the guests water for their hands; and let both Abbot and community
wash the feet of all guests. After the washing of the feet let them say
this verse: “We have received Your mercy, O God, in the midst of Your
temple.”
In the reception of the poor and of pilgrims the greatest care and
solicitude should be shown, because it is especially in them that Christ
is received; for as far as the rich are concerned, the very fear which
they inspire wins respect for them.
Apr. 5—Aug. 5—Dec. 5
Let there be a separate kitchen for the Abbot and guests, that the
brethren may not be disturbed when guests, who are never lacking in a
monastery, arrive at irregular hours. Let two brethren capable of
filling the office well be appointed for a year to have charge of this
kitchen. Let them be given such help as they need, that they may serve
without murmuring. And on the other hand, when they have less to occupy
them, let them go out to whatever work is assigned them.
And not only in their case but in all the offices of the monastery let
this arrangement be observed, that when help is needed it be supplied,
and again when the workers are unoccupied they do whatever they are
bidden.
The guest house also shall be assigned to a brother whose soul is
possessed by the fear of God. Let there be a sufficient number of beds
made up in it; and let the house of God be managed by prudent men and in
a prudent manner.
On no account shall anyone who is not so ordered associate or converse
with guests. But if he should meet them or see them, let him greet them
humbly, as we have said, ask their blessing and pass on, saying that he
is not allowed to converse with a guest.
CHAPTER 54
Whether a Monk Should Receive Letters or Anything Else
Apr. 6—Aug. 6—Dec. 6
On no account shall a monk be allowed to receive letters, tokens or any
little gift whatsoever from his parents or anyone else, or from his
brethren, or to give the same, without the Abbot’s permission. But if
anything is sent him even by his parents, let him not presume to take it
before it has been shown to the Abbot. And it shall be in the Abbot’s
power to decide to whom it shall be given, if he allows it to be
received; and the brother to whom it was sent should not be grieved,
lest occasion be given to the devil.
Should anyone presume to act otherwise, let him undergo the discipline
of the Rule.
CHAPTER 55
On the Clothes and Shoes of the Brethren
Apr. 7—Aug. 7—Dec. 7
Let clothing be given to the brethren according to the nature of the
place in which they dwell and its climate; for in cold regions more will
be needed, and in warm regions less. This is to be taken into
consideration, therefore, by the Abbot.
We believe, however, that in ordinary places the following dress is
sufficient for each monk: a tunic, a cowl (thick and woolly for winter,
thin or worn for summer), a scapular for work, stockings and shoes to
cover the feet.
The monks should not complain about the color or the coarseness of any
of these things, but be content with what can be found in the district
where they live and can be purchased cheaply.
The Abbot shall see to the size of the garments, that they be not too
short for those who wear them, but of the proper fit.
Let those who receive new clothes always give back the old ones at once,
to be put away in the wardrobe for the poor. For it is sufficient if a
monk has two tunics and two cowls, to allow for night wear and for the
washing of these garments; more than that is superfluity and should be
taken away. Let them return their stockings also and anything else that
is old when they receive new ones.
Those who are sent on a journey shall receive drawers from the wardrobe,
which they shall wash and restore on their return. And let their cowls
and tunics be somewhat better than what they usually wear. These they
shall receive from the wardrobe when they set out on a journey, and
restore when they return.
Apr. 8—Aug. 8—Dec. 8
For bedding let this suffice: a mattress, a blanket, a coverlet and a
pillow.
The beds, moreover, are to be examined frequently by the Abbot, to see
if any private property be found in them. If anyone should be found to
have something that he did not receive from the Abbot, let him undergo
the most severe discipline.
And in order that this vice of private ownership may be cut out by the
roots, the Abbot should provide all the necessary articles: cowl, tunic,
stockings, shoes, girdle, knife, pen, needle, handkerchief, tablets;
that all pretext of need may be taken away. Yet the Abbot should always
keep in mind the sentence from the Acts of the Apostles that
“distribution was made to each according as anyone had need.” In this
manner, therefore, let the Abbot consider the weaknesses of the needy
and not the ill-will of the envious. But in all his decisions let him
think about the retribution of God.
CHAPTER 56
On the Abbot’s Table
Apr. 9—Aug. 9—Dec. 9
Let the Abbot’s table always be with the guests and the pilgrims. But
when there are no guests, let it be in his power to invite whom he will
of the brethren. Yet one or two seniors must always be left with the
brethren for the sake of discipline.
CHAPTER 57
On the Craftsmen of the Monastery
Apr. 10—Aug. 10—Dec. 10
If there are craftsmen in the monastery, let them practice their crafts
with all humility, provided the Abbot has given permission. But if any
one of them becomes conceited over his skill in his craft, because he
seems to be conferring a benefit on the monastery, let him be taken from
his craft and no longer exercise it unless, after he has humbled
himself, the Abbot again gives him permission.
If any of the work of the craftsmen is to be sold, let those through
whose hands the transactions pass see to it that they do not presume to
practice any fraud. Let them always remember Ananias and Saphira, lest
perhaps the death which these incurred in the body, they themselves and
any others who would deal dishonestly with the monastery’s property
should suffer in the soul. And in the prices let not the sin of avarice
creep in, but let the goods always be sold a little cheaper than they
can be sold by people in the world, “that in all things God may be
glorified.”
CHAPTER 58
On the Manner of Receiving Brethren
Apr. 11—Aug. 11—Dec. 11
When anyone is newly come for the reformation of his life, let him not
be granted an easy entrance; but, as the Apostle says, “Test the spirits
to see whether they are from God.” If the newcomer, therefore,
perseveres in his knocking, and if it is seen after four or five days
that he bears patiently the harsh treatment offered him and the
difficulty of admission, and that he persists in his petition, then let
entrance be granted him, and let him stay in the guest house for a few
days.
After that let him live in the novitiate, where the novices study, eat
and sleep. A senior shall be assigned to them who is skilled in winning
souls, to watch over them with the utmost care. Let him examine whether
the novice is truly seeking God, and whether he is zealous for the Work
of God, for obedience and for humiliations. Let the novice be told all
the hard and rugged ways by which the journey to God is made.
If he promises stability and perseverance, then at the end of two months
let this Rule be read through to him, and let him be addressed thus:
“Here is the law under which you wish to fight. If you can observe it,
enter; if you cannot, you are free to depart.” If he still stands firm,
let him be taken to the above-mentioned novitiate and again tested in
all patience. And after the lapse of six months let the Rule be read to
him, that he may know on what he is entering. And if he still remains
firm, after four months let the same Rule be read to him again.
Then, having deliberated with himself, if he promises to keep it in its
entirety and to observe everything that is commanded him, let him be
received into the community. But let him understand that, according to
the law of the Rule, from that day forward he may not leave the
monastery nor withdraw his neck from under the yoke of the Rule which he
was free to refuse or to accept during that prolonged deliberation.
Apr. 12—Aug. 12—Dec. 12
He who is to be received shall make a promise before all in the oratory
of his stability and of the reformation of his life and of obedience.
This promise he shall make before God and His Saints, so that if he
should ever act otherwise, he may know that he will be condemned by Him
whom he mocks. Of this promise of his let him draw up a petition in the
name of the Saints whose relics are there and of the Abbot who is
present. Let him write this petition with his own hand; or if he is
illiterate, let another write it at his request, and let the novice put
his mark to it. Then let him place it with his own hand upon the altar;
and when he has placed it there, let the novice at once intone this
verse: “Receive me, O Lord, according to Your word, and I shall live:
and let me not be confounded in my hope.” Let the whole community answer
this verse three times and add the “Glory be to the Father.” Then let
the novice brother prostrate himself at each one’s feet, that they may
pray for him. And from that day forward let him be counted as one of the
community.
If he has any property, let him either give it beforehand to the poor or
by solemn donation bestow it on the monastery, reserving nothing at all
for himself, as indeed he knows that from that day forward he will no
longer have power even over his own body. At once, therefore, in the
oratory, let him be divested of his own clothes which he is wearing and
dressed in the clothes of the monastery. But let the clothes of which he
was divested be put aside in the wardrobe and kept there. Then if he
should ever listen to the persuasions of the devil and decide to leave
the monastery (which God forbid), he may be divested of the monastic
clothes and cast put. His petition, however, which the Abbot has taken
from the altar, shall not be returned to him, but shall be kept in the
monastery.
CHAPTER 59
On the Sons of Nobles and of the Poor Who Are Offered
Apr. 13—Aug. 13—Dec. 13
If anyone of the nobility offers his son to God in the monastery and the
boy is very young, let his parents draw up the petition which we
mentioned above; and at the oblation let them wrap the petition and the
boy’s hand in the altar cloth and so offer him.
As regards their property, they shall promise in the same petition under
oath that they will never of themselves, or through an intermediary, or
in any way whatever, give him anything or provide him with the
opportunity of owning anything. Or else, if they are unwilling to do
this, and if they want to offer something as an alms to the monastery
for their advantage, let them make a donation of the property they wish
to give to the monastery, reserving the income to themselves if they
wish. And in this way let everything be barred, so that the boy may have
no expectations whereby (which God forbid) he might be deceived and
ruined, as we have learned by experience.
Let those who are less well-to-do make a similar offering. But those who
have nothing at all shall simply draw up the petition and offer their
son before witnesses at the oblation.
CHAPTER 60
On Priests Who May Wish to Live in the Monastery
Apr. 14—Aug. 14—Dec. 14
If anyone of the priestly order should ask to be received into the
monastery, permission shall not be granted him too readily. But if he is
quite persistent in his request, let him know that he will have to
observe the whole discipline of the Rule and that nothing will be
relaxed in his favor, that it may be as it is written: “Friend, for what
have you come?”
It shall be granted him, however, to stand next after the Abbot and to
give blessings and to celebrate Mass, but only by order of the Abbot.
Without such order let him not presume to do anything, knowing that he
is subject to the discipline of the Rule; but rather let him give an
example of humility to all.
If there happens to be question of an appointment or of some business in
the monastery, let him expect the rank due him according to the date of
his entrance into the monastery, and not the place granted him out of
reverence for the priesthood.
If any clerics, moved by the same desire, should wish to join the
monastery, let them be placed in a middle rank. But they too are to be
admitted only if they promise observance of the Rule and their own
stability.
CHAPTER 61
How Pilgrim Monks Are To Be Received
Apr. 15—Aug. 15—Dec. 15
If a pilgrim monk coming from a distant region wants to live as a guest
of the monastery, let him be received for as long a time as he desires,
provided he is content with the customs of the place as he finds them
and does not disturb the monastery by superfluous demands, but is simply
content with what he finds. If, however, he censures or points out
anything reasonably and with the humility of charity, let the Abbot
consider prudently whether perhaps it was for that very purpose that the
Lord sent him.
If afterwards he should want to bind himself to stability, his wish
should not be denied him, especially since there has been opportunity
during his stay as a guest to discover his character.
Apr. 16—Aug. 16—Dec. 16
But if as a guest he was found exacting or prone to vice, not only
should he be denied membership in the community, but he should even be
politely requested to leave, lest others be corrupted by his evil life.
If, however, he has not proved to be the kind who deserves to be put
out, he should not only on his own application be received as a member
of the community, but he should even be persuaded to stay, that the
others may be instructed by his example, and because in every place it
is the same Lord who is served, the same King for whom the battle is
fought.
Moreover, if the Abbot perceives that he is a worthy man, he may put him
in a somewhat higher rank. And not only with regard to a monk but also
with regard to those in priestly or clerical orders previously
mentioned, the Abbot may establish them in a higher rank than would be
theirs by date of entrance if he perceives that their life is deserving.
Let the Abbot take care, however, never to receive a monk from another
known monastery as a member of his community without the consent of his
Abbot or a letter of recommendation; for it is written, “Do not to
another what you would not want done to yourself.”
CHAPTER 62
On the Priests of the Monastery
Apr. 17—Aug. 17—Dec. 17
If an Abbot desire to have a priest or a deacon ordained for his
monastery, let him choose one of his monks who is worthy to exercise the
priestly office.
But let the one who is ordained beware of self-exaltation or pride; and
let him not presume to do anything except what is commanded him by the
Abbot, knowing that he is so much the more subject to the discipline of
the Rule. Nor should he by reason of his priesthood forget the obedience
and the discipline required by the Rule, but make ever more and more
progress towards God.
Let him always keep the place which he received on entering the
monastery, except in his duties at the altar or in case the choice of
the community and the will of the Abbot should promote him for the
worthiness of his life. Yet he must understand that he is to observe the
rules laid down by deans and Priors.
Should he presume to act otherwise, let him be judged not as a priest
but as a rebel. And if he does not reform after repeated admonitions,
let even the Bishop be brought in as a witness. If then he still fails
to amend, and his offenses are notorious, let him be put out of the
monastery, but only if his contumacy is such that he refuses to submit
or to obey the Rule.
CHAPTER 63
On the Order of the Community
Apr. 18—Aug. 18—Dec. 18
Let all keep their places in the monastery established by the time of
their entrance, the merit of their lives and the decision of the Abbot.
Yet the Abbot must not disturb the flock committed to him, nor by an
arbitrary use of his power ordain anything unjustly; but let him always
think of the account he will have to render to God for all his decisions
and his deeds.
Therefore in that order which he has established or which they already
had, let the brethren approach to receive the kiss of peace and
Communion, intone the Psalms and stand in choir. And in no place
whatever should age decide the order or be prejudicial to it; for Samuel
and Daniel as mere boys judged priests.
Except for those already mentioned, therefore, whom the Abbot has
promoted by a special decision or demoted for definite reasons, all the
rest shall take their order according to the time of their entrance.
Thus, for example, he who came to the monastery at the second hour of
the day, whatever be his age or his dignity, must know that he is junior
to one who came at the first hour of the day. Boys, however, are to be
kept under discipline in all matters and by everyone.
Apr. 19—Aug. 19—Dec. 19
The juniors, therefore, should honor their seniors, and the seniors love
their juniors.
In the very manner of address, let no one call another by the mere name;
but let the seniors call their juniors Brothers, and the juniors call
their seniors Fathers, by which is conveyed the reverence due to a
father. But the Abbot, since he is believed to represent Christ, shall
be called Lord and Abbot, not for any pretensions of his own but out of
honor and love for Christ. Let the Abbot himself reflect on this, and
show himself worthy of such an honor.
And wherever the brethren meet one another the junior shall ask the
senior for his blessing. When a senior passes by, a junior shall rise
and give him a place to sit, nor shall the junior presume to sit with
him unless his senior bid him, that it may be as was written, “In honor
anticipating one another.”
Boys, both small and adolescent, shall keep strictly to their rank in
oratory and at table. But outside of that, wherever they may be, let
them be under supervision and discipline, until they come to the age of
discretion.
CHAPTER 64
On Constituting an Abbot
Apr. 20—Aug. 20—Dec. 20
In the constituting of an Abbot let this plan always be followed, that
the office be conferred on the one who is chosen either by the whole
community unanimously in the fear of God or else by a part of the
community, however small, if its counsel is more wholesome.
Merit of life and wisdom of doctrine should determine the choice of the
one to be constituted, even if he be the last in the order of the
community.
But if (which God forbid) the whole community should agree to choose a
person who will acquiesce in their vices, and if those vices somehow
become known to the Bishop to whose diocese the place belongs, or to the
Abbots or the faithful of the vicinity, let them prevent the success of
this conspiracy of the wicked, and set a worthy steward over the house
of God. They may be sure that they will receive a good reward for this
action if they do it with a pure intention and out of zeal for God; as,
on the contrary, they will sin if they fail to do it.
Apr. 21—Aug. 21—Dec. 21
Once he has been constituted, let the Abbot always bear in mind what a
burden he has undertaken and to whom he will have to give an account of
his stewardship, and let him know that his duty is rather to profit his
brethren than to preside over them. He must therefore be learned in the
divine law, that he may have a treasure of knowledge from which to bring
forth new things and old. He must be chaste, sober and merciful. Let him
exalt mercy above judgment, that he himself may obtain mercy. He should
hate vices; he should love the brethren.
In administering correction he should act prudently and not go to
excess, lest in seeking too eagerly to scrape off the rust he break the
vessel. Let him keep his own frailty ever before his eyes and remember
that the bruised reed must not be broken. By this we do not mean that he
should allow vices to grow; on the contrary, as we have already said, he
should eradicate them prudently and with charity, in the way which may
seem best in each case. Let him study rather to be loved than to be
feared.
Let him not be excitable and worried, nor exacting and headstrong, nor
jealous and over-suspicious; for then he is never at rest.
In his commands let him be prudent and considerate; and whether the work
which he enjoins concerns God or the world, let him be discreet and
moderate, bearing in mind the discretion of holy Jacob, who said, “If I
cause my flocks to be overdriven, they will all die in one day.” Taking
this, then, and other examples of discretion, the mother of virtues, let
him so temper all things that the strong may have something to strive
after, and the weak may not fall back in dismay.
And especially let him keep this Rule in all its details, so that after
a good ministry he may hear from the Lord what the good servant heard
who gave his fellow-servants wheat in due season: “Indeed, I tell you,
he will set him over all his goods.”
CHAPTER 65
On the Prior of the Monastery
Apr. 22—Aug. 22—Dec. 22
It happens all too often that the constituting of a Prior gives rise to
grave scandals in monasteries. For there are some who become inflated
with the evil spirit of pride and consider themselves second Abbots. By
usurping power they foster scandals and cause dissensions in the
community. Especially does this happen in those places where the Prior
is constituted by the same Bishop or the same Abbots who constitute the
Abbot himself. What an absurd procedure this is can easily be seen; for
it gives the Prior an occasion for becoming proud from the very time of
his constitution, by putting the thought into his mind that he is freed
from the authority of his Abbot: “For,” he will say to himself, “you
were constituted by the same persons who constituted the Abbot.” From
this source are stirred up envy, quarrels, detraction, rivalry,
dissensions and disorders. For while the Abbot and the Prior are at
variance, their souls cannot but be endangered by this dissension; and
those who are under them, currying favor with one side or the other, go
to ruin. The guilt for this dangerous state of affairs rests on the
heads of those whose action brought about such disorder.
Apr. 23—Aug. 23—Dec. 23
To us, therefore, it seems expedient for the preservation of peace and
charity that the Abbot have in his hands the full administration of his
monastery. And if possible let all the affairs of the monastery, as we
have already arranged, be administered by deans according to the Abbot’s
directions. Thus, with the duties being shared by several, no one person
will become proud.
But if the circumstances of the place require it, or if the community
asks for it with reason and with humility, and the Abbot judges it to be
expedient, let the Abbot himself constitute as his Prior whomsoever he
shall choose with the counsel of God-fearing brethren.
That Prior, however, shall perform respectfully the duties enjoined on
him by his Abbot and do nothing against the Abbot’s will or direction;
for the more he is raised above the rest, the more carefully should he
observe the precepts of the Rule.
If it should be found that the Prior has serious faults, or that he is
deceived by his exaltation and yields to pride, or if he should be
proved to be a despiser of the Holy Rule, let him be admonished verbally
up to four times. If he fails to amend, let the correction of regular
discipline be applied to him. But if even then he does not reform, let
him be deposed from the office of Prior and another be appointed in his
place who is worthy of it. And if afterwards he is not quiet and
obedient in the community, let him even be expelled from the monastery.
But the Abbot, for his part, should bear in mind that he will have to
render an account to God for all his judgments, lest the flame of envy
or jealousy be kindled in his soul.
CHAPTER 66
On the Porters of the Monastery
Apr. 24—Aug. 24—Dec. 24
At the gate of the monastery let there be placed a wise old man, who
knows how to receive and to give a message, and whose maturity will
prevent him from straying about. This porter should have a room near the
gate, so that those who come may always find someone at hand to attend
to their business. And as soon as anyone knocks or a poor man hails him,
let him answer “Thanks be to God” or “A blessing!” Then let him attend
to them promptly, with all the meekness inspired by the fear of God and
with the warmth of charity.
Should the porter need help, let him have one of the younger brethren.
If it can be done, the monastery should be so established that all the
necessary things, such as water, mill, garden and various workshops, may
be within the enclosure, so that there is no necessity for the monks to
go about outside of it, since that is not at all profitable for their
souls.
We desire that this Rule be read often in the community, so that none of
the brethren may excuse himself on the ground of ignorance.
CHAPTER 67
On Brethren Who Are Sent on a Journey
Apr. 25—Aug. 25—Dec. 25
Let the brethren who are sent on a journey commend themselves to the
prayers of all the brethren and of the Abbot; and always at the last
prayer of the Work of God let a commemoration be made of all absent
brethren.
When brethren return from a journey, at the end of each canonical Hour
of the Work of God on the day they return, let them lie prostrate on the
floor of the oratory and beg the prayers of all on account of any faults
that may have surprised them on the road, through the seeing or hearing
of something evil, or through idle talk. And let no one presume to tell
another whatever he may have seen or heard outside of the monastery,
because this causes very great harm. But if anyone presumes to do so,
let him undergo the punishment of the Rule. And let him be punished
likewise who would presume to leave the enclosure of the monastery and
go anywhere or do anything, however small, without an order from the
Abbot.
CHAPTER 68
If a Brother Is Commanded to Do Impossible Things
Apr. 26—Aug. 26—Dec. 26
If it happens that difficult or impossible tasks are laid on a brother,
let him nevertheless receive the order of the one in authority with all
meekness and obedience. But if he sees that the weight of the burden
altogether exceeds the limit of his strength, let him submit the reasons
for his inability to the one who is over him in a quiet way and at an
opportune time, without pride, resistance, or contradiction. And if
after these representations the Superior still persists in his decision
and command, let the subject know that this is for his good, and let him
obey out of love, trusting in the help of God.
CHAPTER 69
That the Monks Presume Not to Defend One Another
Apr. 27—Aug. 27—Dec. 27
Care must be taken that no monk presume on any ground to defend another
monk in the monastery, or as it were to take him under his protection,
even though they be united by some tie of blood-relationship. Let not
the monks dare to do this in any way whatsoever, because it may give
rise to most serious scandals. But if anyone breaks this rule, let him
be severely punished.
CHAPTER 70
That No One Venture to Punish at Random
Apr. 28—Aug. 28—Dec. 28
Every occasion of presumption shall be avoided in the monastery, and we
decree that no one be allowed to excommunicate or to strike any of his
brethren unless the Abbot has given him the authority. Those who offend
in this matter shall be rebuked in the presence of all, that the rest
may have fear.
But boys up to 15 years of age shall be carefully controlled and watched
by all, yet this too with all moderation and discretion. Anyone,
therefore, who presumes without the Abbot’s instructions to punish those
above that age or who loses his temper with the boys, shall undergo the
discipline of the Rule; for it is written, “Do not to another what you
would not want done to yourself.”
CHAPTER 71
That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another
Apr. 29—Aug. 29—Dec. 29
Not only is the boon of obedience to be shown by all to the Abbot, but
the brethren are also to obey one another, knowing that by this road of
obedience they are going to God. Giving priority, therefore, to the
commands of the Abbot and of the Superiors appointed by him (to which we
allow no private orders to be preferred), for the rest let all the
juniors obey their seniors with all charity and solicitude. But if
anyone is found contentious, let him be corrected.
And if any brother, for however small a cause, is corrected in any way
by the Abbot or by any of his Superiors, or if he faintly perceives that
the mind of any Superior is angered or moved against him, however
little, let him at once, without delay, prostrate himself on the ground
at his feet and lie there making satisfaction until that emotion is
quieted with a blessing. But if anyone should disdain to do this, let
him undergo corporal punishment or, if he is stubborn, let him be
expelled from the monastery.
CHAPTER 72
On the Good Zeal Which Monks Ought to Have
Apr. 30—Aug. 30—Dec. 30
Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness which separates from God and
leads to hell, so there is a good zeal which separates from vices and
leads to God and to life everlasting. This zeal, therefore, the monks
should practice with the most fervent love. Thus they should anticipate
one another in honor; most patiently endure one another’s infirmities,
whether of body or of character; vie in paying obedience one to
another—no one following what he considers useful for himself, but
rather what benefits another—; tender the charity of brotherhood
chastely; fear God in love; love their Abbot with a sincere and humble
charity; prefer nothing whatever to Christ. And may He bring us all
together to life everlasting!
CHAPTER 73
On the Fact That the Full Observance of Justice Is Not Established in
This Rule
May 1—Aug. 31—Dec. 31
Now we have written this Rule in order that by its observance in
monasteries we may show that we have attained some degree of virtue and
the rudiments of the religious life.
But for him who would hasten to the perfection of that life there are
the teachings of the holy Fathers, the observance of which leads a man
to the height of perfection. For what page or what utterance of the
divinely inspired books of the Old and New Testaments is not a most
unerring rule for human life? Or what book of the holy Catholic Fathers
does not loudly proclaim how we may come by a straight course to our
Creator? Then the Conferences and the Institutes and the Lives of the
Fathers, as also the Rule of our holy Father Basil—what else are they
but tools of virtue for right-living and obedient monks? But for us who
are lazy and ill-living and negligent they are a source of shame and
confusion.
Whoever you are, therefore, who are hastening to the heavenly homeland,
fulfil with the help of Christ this minimum Rule which we have written
for beginners; and then at length under God’s protection you will attain
to the loftier heights of doctrine and virtue which we have mentioned
above.
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