by (tr) Carolinne White (Penguin Little Black Classics 122) (retail) (epub)
The abbot should exercise great care and extreme sensitivity, making every effort not to lose any of the sheep entrusted to him. He must bear in mind that he has undertaken the care of weak souls, not a tyranny over those who are strong. He should fear the threat made by God through the prophet when he says, ‘You took what you saw was fat, and you threw away what was weak’ (Eze. 34:3, 4). Let him imitate the loving example of the good shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep on the mountainside and went in search of the one sheep that had wandered off: he took such pity on its weakness that he deigned to place it on his own sacred shoulders and to carry it back to the flock in this way (Luke 15:4–5).
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Those who refuse to amend despite frequent rebuke
If a brother has been frequently reprimanded for some fault but has not amended his ways even after being excommunicated, then he should undergo more severe punishment; in other words, he should be punished with beatings. But if he still does not correct his behaviour or if he perhaps tries arrogantly to defend his behaviour (which God forbid), then the abbot should follow the procedure of an experienced doctor. If he has applied the poultices and ointments of stern encouragement, if he has administered the medicine of the holy Scriptures, if finally he has carried out the cautery of excommunication or beatings, and if he then sees that his efforts are unsuccessful, he must also apply the more powerful remedy of his prayers and those of all the brothers on behalf of this brother, so that the Lord who can do all things might cure the one who is sick.
But if even these measures fail to cure him, then the abbot must use the knife of amputation: as the Apostle said, ‘Banish the wrongdoer from among you’ (1 Cor. 5:13), and similarly, ‘If the unbeliever departs, let him depart’ (1 Cor. 7:15), to prevent a single diseased sheep infecting the whole flock.
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Readmission of brothers who leave the monastery
If a brother who leaves the monastery through his own fault wishes to return, he must first promise to make amends fully for the offence that caused him to leave. Then he may be received back – but at the lowest level, to put his humility to the test. If he leaves again, he should be received back up to three times, but he should be aware that after that he will be denied all possibility of return.
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Correction of the young
Each age and level of understanding ought to have an appropriate measure of discipline. And so when an offence is committed by boys or young people or those who are unable to understand how severe a punishment excommunication is, they should either be punished by means of severe fasting or chastised with harsh beatings to cure them.
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What kind of person the monastery’s cellarer should be
As cellarer of the monastery one ought to choose from the community a man who is wise, mature and sensible. He must not be greedy, arrogant, a trouble-maker, or someone who causes offence to others or is inefficient or wasteful; instead he must be someone who fears God and will be like a father to the whole community. Let him be in charge of everything, but he must do nothing without the abbot’s orders and must keep to his instructions. He must not upset the brothers. If a brother happens to make an unreasonable demand of him, he should not upset him by treating him with contempt but should refuse the inappropriate request in a reasonable and humble manner. He should keep watch over his own soul, always remembering the Apostle’s saying that ‘he who carries out his duties well will obtain a high standing for himself’ (1 Tim. 3:13). He should take the greatest care of the sick, of children, guests and the poor, knowing for certain that he will have to give an account of all of these on the Day of Judgement. He must treat all the monastery’s utensils and property as if they were sacred altar vessels. He must not think that he can neglect anything. He must not be greedy nor wasteful and extravagant with the monastery’s property, but should do everything with moderation and in accordance with the abbot’s orders.
Above all he must be humble and if he has nothing else to give, let him offer a kind word in reply, as it says in Scripture, ‘A kind word is of more value than the best gift’ (Sir. 18:17). He should be responsible for everything the abbot has assigned to him but should not presume to deal with things the abbot has forbidden. He should offer the brothers their portions of food promptly and without any self-importance, which might cause resentment, for he must bear in mind what the Lord says the person deserves ‘who leads astray one of these little ones’ (Matt. 18:6).
If the community is quite large, the cellarer should be given assistants, so that with their help he can calmly carry out the duties of his office. Necessary items should be requested and given at the proper times, so that no one is disturbed or distressed in the house of God.
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The monastery’s tools and property
The abbot should take care to put brothers whose behaviour and character he trusts in charge of the monastery’s property; in other words, the tools, clothing and everything else. He should entrust to them each thing, as he thinks fit, to be looked after and collected back again. The abbot should keep a list of all the items, so that when the brothers take over from each other in the duties assigned them, he may know what he is handing out and what is being returned. If anyone treats the monastery property in a slovenly or careless manner, he should be reprimanded, and if he does not correct his behaviour, he must be subjected to the discipline of the rule.
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The question of private ownership
It is vitally important to eradicate this bad practice from the monastery: no one should presume to give or receive anything without the abbot’s permission, or to possess anything of his own – nothing whatever, not a book or writing tablet or pen or anything at all, for monks should not even count their own bodies and wills as their own. They must depend on the father of the monastery to provide everything they need. They are not allowed to have anything that the abbot has not given or permitted. As Scripture says, ‘Let everything be held in common’ (Acts 4:32), so no one should dare to claim private ownership of any possession. If anyone is found to be indulging in this wicked practice he should be rebuked once and a second time, but if he does not give it up, he must be punished.
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The question of distribution according to need
We should act in accordance with Scripture when it says, ‘It was divided among them according to the needs of each’ (Acts 4:35), but by this we do not mean that there should be favouritism (which God forbid); instead, each person’s weaknesses should be taken into consideration. If someone needs less, he should thank God and not be discontented, while someone who needs more should show humility because of his weakness and not become proud because he has been shown compassion. In this way the whole community will be at peace. Above all, there must be no word or sign of grumbling for any reason at all – this is a serious offence: if anyone is guilty of it, he should be subjected to strict discipline.
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The weekly kitchen servers
The brothers should serve one another and no one should be excused from kitchen duty, unless he is sick or is busy with something particularly important, for by serving one another the brothers gain a greater reward and become more loving. But the weaker brothers should be given help, so that they do not find the task oppressive – in fact, all the brothers should have help, according to the size of the community and the local conditions. If the community is quite large, the cellarer should be excused from kitchen duty, and also those who, as we mentioned, are busy with important matters. The rest should serve one another in love. When one brother is about to finish his week’s service, he should do the washing on a Saturday. He must wash the linen the brothers use to wipe their hands and feet. And everyone’s feet should be washed by the one who is finishing his week’s duty and the one who is starting it. The one who is finishing must give back to the cellarer the utensils of his office in a clean and undamaged state; the cellarer will then give them to the brother who is starting hi
s week’s duty – this will ensure that the cellarer can keep track of what he is handing out and what is returned.
An hour before the meal the weekly servers should each receive a drink and some bread in addition to the regular allowance, so that they can serve their brothers at the meal without grumbling or hardship; but on feast-days they must wait until after Mass. On Sundays, as soon as Lauds is finished, the ingoing and outgoing servers should kneel in front of everybody in the oratory and ask for their prayers. A server who is finishing his week’s duty should recite this verse, Blessed are you, Lord God, ‘for you have helped me and consoled me’ (Ps. 86:17), and when he has said this three times, he should receive a blessing. Then the brother who is starting his period of duty should say, ‘God, come to my assistance; Lord, hasten to help me’ (Ps. 70:1), and when he has said this three times, he should receive a blessing and start upon his duties.
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Sick brothers
The care of the sick must take precedence over everything else, so that they may be served just like Christ, for Christ said, ‘I was sick and you visited me’ (Matt. 25:36) and ‘What you did for one of these, insignificant though they be, you did for me’ (Matt. 25:40). For their part the sick should consider that they are being served out of reverence for God and must not irritate the brothers who are serving them by making unreasonable demands. One must, however, put up with them patiently because greater rewards are derived from people like this. The abbot should therefore take the greatest care that no one is neglected.
A special room should be assigned to brothers who are sick, together with someone to attend to them who is God-fearing, loving and attentive. The sick should be allowed to take a bath whenever necessary, but those who are healthy, especially the younger brothers, should only be allowed a bath occasionally. Those who are very weak should be allowed to eat meat to regain their strength, but when they are better they should abstain from meat as usual. The abbot should take the greatest care that the cellarers and attendants do not neglect the sick, for he is responsible for all the failures of his disciples.
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The elderly and children
Although people naturally show compassion towards old people and children, the authority of the rule should also provide for them. One should always bear in mind their weakness and, with regard to food, the rule should certainly not be applied very strictly to them. Rather, they should be treated with loving consideration and allowed to eat before the regular hours.
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The weekly reader
The brothers’ meals should always be accompanied by reading, not by a person at random who just picks up the book, but by someone who will read for the whole week, starting on a Sunday. After Mass and Communion, the one who is starting his period of duty should ask all the brothers to pray for him, so that God may preserve him from a spirit of pride, and then everyone in the oratory should repeat this verse after him three times, ‘O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will show forth your praise’ (Ps. 51:15). Then he will receive a blessing and start reading. There must be complete silence and no whispering, so that only the reader’s voice can be heard in the room. The brothers should supply each other with what they need while they are eating and drinking, so that no one needs to ask for anything. If, however, anything is required, it should be requested by some sign rather than by words. Unless a superior wants to give a few words of explanation, no one should venture to ask any questions about the reading or anything else, in case this encourages talking. The brother who is reading for the week should receive a little to eat and drink before he begins to read, because of Holy Communion, and so that he does not find it too difficult to wait for his food. Afterwards he should take his meal with the kitchen workers and attendants of the week. Not all the brothers should take turns to read or sing – only those who are worth listening to.
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The proper amount of food
We believe it is sufficient if at the daily meals, both at the sixth and ninth hour, every table has a choice of two cooked dishes to take account of different people’s weaknesses: if someone is by chance unable to eat one of them, he can be restored by the other. And so two cooked dishes should be enough for all the brothers, and if there is any fruit or young vegetables, these may be added as a third dish. One pound of bread should be enough for the day, whether there is a single meal or both dinner and supper. If the brothers are going to have supper, the cellarer should keep a third part of the pound of bread to give them at supper. But if their workload happens to have been heavier, the abbot can decide, if he thinks it right, to use his authority to increase this allowance. Over-indulgence must be avoided above all things to prevent any monk suffering from indigestion, for there is nothing so inappropriate for a Christian as over-indulgence, as our Lord says, ‘Make sure that your hearts are not weighed down by over-indulgence’ (Luke 21:34). The younger children should not be given the same sized portions: they should receive less than their elders and frugality should be the rule in all circumstances. Everyone, apart from those who are very weak, should abstain completely from eating the meat of four-footed animals.
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The proper amount of drink
‘Each person has his own gift from God – one person has one kind of gift and the next person has a different one’ (1 Cor. 7:7). It is therefore with some uneasiness that we make rules as to how much others should eat or drink; but bearing in mind the needs of the weaker brothers, we think that half a bottle of wine a day is enough for each person. But those to whom God grants the ability to abstain should know that they will have their own reward. It is up to the superior to decide whether local conditions, the work or summer heat mean that more is required, but he must always make sure that no one over-indulges or gets drunk. We read that wine is not a suitable drink for monks, but since monks nowadays cannot be persuaded of this, let us at least agree to drink sparingly and not to excess, because wine causes even sensible people to behave foolishly. When local conditions mean that it is impossible even to have this amount but only much less or none at all, then those who live there should bless God and not grumble: above all, we urge them that there should be no grumbling.
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Meal times
From the holy feast of Easter to Pentecost, the brothers should have dinner at the sixth hour and a late supper. From Pentecost throughout the summer, if the monks have no work to do in the fields or if the summer heat is oppressive, they should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour, while on the other days they should dine at the sixth hour. The abbot may decide that eating at the sixth hour every day should be the practice, if there is work to do in the fields or if the summer heat is extreme. He must arrange and manage everything in such a way that souls may be saved and that the brothers do what they have to do without having cause to grumble. From 13 September until the beginning of Lent, the meal should always take place at the ninth hour. In Lent until Easter the meal should be in the evening. However, Vespers should be timed in such a way that the brothers do not need lamplight while they are eating, but should finish everything while it is still daylight. At all times of the year, either supper or the time of the main meal should be scheduled so that everything can be done in daylight.
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Silence after Compline
Monks should be silent at all times but especially at night. This should always be the rule, whether it is a fast day or not. If it is not a fast day, as soon as they have risen from supper they should all sit together, and one of them should read the Conferences or the Lives of the Fathers or something else that will benefit the listeners, but not the Heptateuch or the books of Kings because it will not be useful for impressionable minds to hear those parts of Scripture at that time of day: these parts should be read at other times. If it is a fast day, when Vespers is finished they should proceed after a short interval with the reading of the Conferences, as we mentioned. Four or five pages (or as many as time permits) should be read, and during
this period everyone should have had time to gather, even if they happen to be busy with some task assigned to them.
When all have gathered, let them say Compline. When they leave after Compline, no one is allowed to say anything more. If anyone is found to be breaking this rule of silence, he will be severely punished unless it was necessary to speak because of the arrival of visitors or if the abbot gave someone an order. But even in this case it should be done with the utmost seriousness and restraint.
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Latecomers to the work of God or to meals
As soon as the brothers hear the signal for the divine office, they should all stop what they are doing and hurry as fast as possible but in a dignified manner: there must be no fooling around. The work of God must take precedence over everything else. But if anyone arrives during the night office after the Gloria of Psalm 95 (which should be said very slowly and deliberately to allow everyone to arrive in time), he should not stand in his usual place in the choir but must stand right at the end or in a place apart, designated by the abbot for those who fail to do as they should. He must stand in full view of the abbot and everyone else until the work of God is finished and he can do penance in public. Our decision to make him stand at the end or apart was taken so that if he is in full view of everyone, he may be motivated by a sense of shame to correct his ways. If the culprits were to remain outside the oratory, some of them might move off and go to bed or at least sit down outside or spend their time chattering, thereby giving the devil an opportunity. They should go inside, so they do not miss the whole thing and may correct their ways for the future.