The Rule of St Benedict Chapter 71
That the brothers be obedient to each other
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Obedience is a good which is not only to be shown to the Abbot by all, but the brothers must also be obedient to each other, knowing that through this path of obedience they are to go to God.
Obedientiæ bonum non solum Abbati exhibendum est ab omnibus, sed etiam sibi invicem ita obedient fratres, scientes se per hanc obedientiæ viam ituros ad Deum.
The commands of the Abbot or the superiors appointed by him are put first (we do not permit personal orders to be preferred to these), for the rest let all the juniors obey the seniors with all charity and care.
Præmisso ergo Abbatis, aut præpositorum qui ab eo constituuntur imperio (cui non permittimus privata imperia præponi), de cetero omnes juniores prioribus suis omni caritate et sollicitudine obediant.
Should anyone be found to contradict this, let him be corrected.
Quod si quis contentiosus reperitur, corripiatur.
But if anyone is corrected by the Abbot or another superior in any way, even for a small thing, or if he feels even slightly that the mind of a superior is turned against him in anger or emotion, however little, let him immediately, without delay, throw himself on the ground at his feet, making satisfaction, until the disturbance is healed by his blessing.
Si quis autem pro quavis minima causa, ab Abbate vel a quocumque priore suo corripiatur quolibet modo: vel si leviter senserit animum prioris cujuscumque contra se iratum vel commotum, quamvis modice, mox sine mora tamdiu prostratus in terra ante pedes ejus jaceat satisfaciens, usque dum benedictione sanetur illa commotio.
But if he is disdainful or stubborn, let him be expelled from the Monastery.
Quod si quis contempserit facere, aut si contumax fuerit, de Monasterio expellatur.
In these posts I take a chapter of St Benedict’s Rule for monks, translate it and add some comments from monastic writers or from my own experience.
Comment
I find this a curious chapter; St Benedict spends a lot of time talking about obedience to superiors, so why does he then talk about obedience to other brothers?
Perhaps the clue is in the mention of “seniors” and “juniors”. How are these defined? Not at all! Are seniors elderly monks or those who have been in the monastic life a long time? Or simply professed monks? Are juniors defined as those under 20, novices, or is there some other meaning?
Perhaps I am being too pedantic and rigid about this. Are we talking about politeness and manners? St Benedict talks about charity and care (sometimes translated solicitude) so perhaps what he is explaining is a level of behaviour which goes beyond the mere duty of obedience to superiors; instead submission to the will of others, in the love of Christ.
The last section of this chapter covers how a monk should receive correction; if a monk perceives that he has upset someone, he must make amends for his act. It’s not clear if this is connected to the previous paragraph or is an extra injunction. Being corrected for wrongdoing is an integral part of monastic life; at the start a person has to adapt to a brand new way of life, with its own rules which would not apply outside the monastery. They may be corrected often at the start, until they learn what is required of them and acquiesce to it freely. But in the spiritual life, as we grow, we may have to be corrected for faults which are less practical and perhaps more spiritual. Do we react with anger to what we are asked to do or do we take it as God’s will?
A monk who refuses to carry out the duties of his station through self-will has no place in the monastery and is to be expelled. Likewise, if we resist the teaching of the Church in key fundamentals, we are no longer Catholic. It is perhaps more difficult for us to discern this kind of thing than it is for a monk, who has made a vow of obedience to his superior, but the same principle does apply.
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