Holy Rule of St Benedict

Jan. 1—May 2—Sept. 1 

PROLOGUE

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, [Proverbs 1:8; 4:1, 10, 20; 6:20] that by the labor of obedience you may return to Him from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience. [Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:8]

To you, therefore, my words are now addressed, whoever you may be, who are renouncing your own will [self-will] to do battle under [fight for, militaturus] the Lord Christ, the true King, and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience. [Ephesians 6:10–17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3–4]

And first of all, whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect [complete] it, that He who has now deigned [thought worthy] 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 [Matthew 25:14-30], 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 [Matthew 18:32] 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.” [Romans 13:11] Let us open our eyes to the deifying light [deificum lumen, Transfiguration, Luke 9:32], 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.” [Psalm 94/95:7-8] And again, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [Revelation 2:7] And what does He say? “Come, My children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. [Psalm 33/34:11/12] Run while you have the light of life, lest the darkness of death overtake you.” [John 12:35]

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?” [Psalm 33/34:12/13] 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. [Psalm 33/34:13-14/14-15] 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.’” [Isaiah 58:9; 65:24]

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 [Luke 12:35], 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. [1 Thessalonians 2:12]

For if we wish to dwell in the tent [tabernacle] 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 [David], “Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent, or who shall rest upon Your holy mountain?” [Ps 14/15:1]

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 [does what is right]; 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 [does not listen] to slander against his neighbor.” [Psalm 14/15:2-3]

It is he who, under any temptation from the malicious devil, has brought him to naught [nothing; thwarted the devil] by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his heart; and who has laid hold of his [the devil’s] thoughts while they were still young and dashed them against Christ [the Rock]. [Psalm 14/15:4; 136/137:9]

It is they who, fearing the Lord, do not pride themselves on their good observance [works]; 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.” [Psalm 113:9 LXX, Vulgate; 115:1 KJV] 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.” [1 Corinthians 15:10] And again he says, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” [2 Corinthians 10:17]

Jan. 5—May 6—Sept. 5

Hence the Lord says in the Gospel, “Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them [does 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.” [Matthew 7:24-25]

Having given us these assurances, the Lord is waiting every day for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions [warnings]. 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 [Paul] says, “Do you not know that God’s patience is inviting you to repent?” [Romans 2:4] For the merciful Lord tells us, “I desire not the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live.” [Ezekiel 33:11]

Jan. 6—May 7—Sept. 6

So, brethren, we have asked the Lord who is to dwell in His tent [tabernacle], and we have heard His commands to anyone who would dwell there [heaven]; it remains for us to fulfil those duties [In Latin: “The question is: will we fulfill the duties of an inhabitant?” The sense is this: we have heard the instruction for living there (and now have a chance of making our home where the Lord lives), but only if we fulfill the obligations of those who live there, i.e., angels and saints]. 

Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies to do battle [militanda] under the [for the] holy obedience of His commands; and let us ask [pray] 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 [gehennae] 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 [balance] for the amendment [correction] of vices or the preservation of charity [love], do not be at once dismayed [frightened] and fly from the way [Acts 9:2] of salvation, whose entrance [beginning] cannot but be narrow [Matthew 7:14]. For as we advance [progress] in the religious [monastic way of] life and in faith, our hearts expand [broaden, swell] and we run the way of God’s commandments [Psalm 118/119:32] with unspeakable sweetness of love [1 Corinthians 2:9]. Thus, never departing from His school, but persevering in the monastery according to His teaching until death [Matthew 24:13; Acts 2:42; Philippians 2:8; 2 John 9; Revelation 2:10], we may by patience share [participate, participemur] in the sufferings [passionibus] of Christ and deserve to have a share [to be His companions, consortes] in His kingdom [Romans 6:8, 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:11-12: “If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him”].

Jan. 9—May 10—Sept. 9

CHAPTER 2

What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be

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 [Christ is our Father, Who does not leave us orphans, John 14:18], 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!’” [Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6]

Therefore the Abbot ought not to teach or ordain or command anything which is against the Lord’s precepts [Deuteronomy 8:3]; on the contrary, his commands and his teaching should be a leaven of divine justice kneaded [sprinkled] into the minds of his disciples. [Matthew 13:33]

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 [paterfamilias, father of the family] 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 [disobedient] flock and tried every remedy [cure] for their unhealthy [sick] 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. [Psalm 39/40:10/11] But they have despised and rejected me.” [Isaiah 1:2; Ezekiel 20:27] And then finally let death itself, irresistible [praevalens, prevailing], 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 [guilty, disqualified; 1 Corinthians 9:27], 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?” [Psalm 49/50:16-17] And again, “You were looking at the speck in your brother’s eye, and did not see the beam in your own.” [Matthew 7:3]

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 [Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 6:8] and bear [John 19:17] an equal burden [yoke] of service in the army [militiam] of the same Lord. For with God there is no respect of persons [Romans 2:11]. 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 [merita, merits].

To be continued…