St. Benedict's Rule for MonasteriesBenedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino
Religion
St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries
Benedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino
Benedictines -- Rules
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.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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