from God through Christ to those with whom he shares his authority. In the Church his authority is shared with the successors of the apostles – the bishops. In the home God's authority is given to the parents since God has already shared with them the work and joy of the creative act. So as God gave Adam dominion over creation (Gen. 2.15), so God gives the man dominion within the family.
As Benedict does in today's reading, the one who holds authority must sometimes speak and act with firmness. While there is no call for the abbot or father to be tyrannical there is also no room for him to be pusillanimous. There are surely some men who err on the side of being too strict and dictatorial, but many more make the mistake of being too weak, lazy and complacent. For our homes to prosper men need to take up their God-given authority as fathers. We need to do so with maturity and humility, with good humour and without apology.
January 7
May 8
September 7
THE PROLOGUE (G)
We propose, therefore to establish a school of the Lord's service, and in setting it up we hope we shall lay down nothing that is harsh or hard to bear. But if for adequate reason, for the correction of faults or the preservation of charity, some degree of restraint is laid down, do not then and there be overcome with terror, and run away from the way of salvation, for its beginning must needs be difficult. On the contrary, through the continual practice of monastic observance and the life of faith, our hearts are opened wide, and the way of God's commandments is run in a sweetness of love that is beyond words. Let us then never withdraw from discipleship to him, but persevering in his teachings in the monastery till death, let us share the sufferings of Christ through patience, and so deserve also to share in his kingdom.
If Benedict was firm in yesterday's reading, then in today's passage he shows his gentler nature. In fact, the stricter portions of the Rule are lifted from earlier monastic rules which served as Benedict's sources. Today's reading, with its surge of tenderness and joy, is Benedict's own. Here he shows how the authority of a Christian father is properly expressed.
He does not wish to lay down anything ‘too harsh or burdensome’, and Benedict is even at pains to explain that the strict rules that do exist are there ‘for the correction of faults or the preservation of charity’. In the previous passage Benedict may have warned solemnly of the pains of hell, but here he uses a carrot, not a stick, to encourage his child in faith. If he perseveres he will ‘run in the way of God's commandments with a sweetness of love that is beyond expression’.
So God's primary way of working is to draw us with the infinite delight of his love. Instead of the fear of hell, Benedict calls us to run in the way of God's commandments because that is what is best for us. Some discipline will be required, but that is because we are being summoned to grow up and become all that God intended, and to share in the highest and best gifts of his creation (Eph. 4.13). To quote Julian of Norwich: ‘He loves us and enjoys us, and so he wills that we love him and enjoy him and firmly trust him; and all shall be well.’
The role of the Christian father is to reflect this kind of divine love to his children, so that in growing to love him they will be learning to love their heavenly Father as well. This will require discipline, but that discipline is always a servant to the higher law of love. Great wisdom is also required if we are to reflect God's love to our family. To do this Benedict will show us in his own gentle and humble way the wisdom necessary to fulfil this vocation. But he will also always remind us that ‘we must ask God to send forth the help of his grace to our aid’. Then as the love of Christ is poured into our hearts (Rom. 5.5) we will be empowered to minister that love to those whom God has entrusted to our care.
January 8
May 9
September 8
CHAPTER I
THE KINDS OF MONK (A)
It is clear that there are four kinds of monk.
The first kind are the Cenobites, that is the ‘monastery’ kind, who do battle under a Rule and an Abbot.
Then the second kind are the Anchorites or Hermits; these are they who are no longer in the first fervour of their religious life but have been tested for a long time in the monastery and have learnt, with the assistance of many brothers, how to do battle against the devil, and now, well equipped to leave the fraternal battle-line for the solitary combat of the desert, they are strong enough to do battle against the vices of the body and the mind on their own, with their own resources, relying on God's aid, but now without the support of anyone else.
In outlining four types of monks, Benedict is also pointing out four basic types of Christian. His aim is to encourage cenobitic monks, those who live in an established community in obedience to an abbot. As such he addresses all who live in an established community, whether it is the nuclear family, or some wider community.
He gives pride of place to the solitary monks who fight the spiritual battle single-handed. But he wisely observes that no one should adopt this life until they have proved themselves through a long life in a religious community.
While Benedict recognizes the high calling of the true solitary he also understands that ‘it is not good for man to be alone’ (Gen. 2.18). Benedict recognizes that being part of a ‘body’ is integral to the Christian commitment (1 Cor. 12.27). In a society where more and more people are living alone, Benedict's call to community life encourages us to be ‘joiners’ and to get involved in our local communities.
The root of the word ‘commitment’ and the word ‘community’ is the same. It means ‘with’. Benedict recognizes that the spiritual way is not easy and so calls us to run the path of perfection with others. In this way there is mutual support, faithfulness and loyalty. So the mature Christian will see the need to commit to others: first to his immediate family, then to his extended family, his local church, his workplace and his wider community. It is through his commitment to the monastic community that the monk grows spiritually, and it is through our commitment to our various communities that we learn the lessons of self-sacrificial love and construct stability in our lives.
It is important that children learn the value of commitment at an early age. This means a sense of duty should be taught from the beginning. The obnoxious wail, ‘But that's boring!’ ought to be checked at its first appearance. At that point even a young child should begin to accept that certain duties may not always be entertaining, and that commitment means being faithful in small things (Matt. 25.21). This is especially true of worship. Nothing has eroded the dignity of Christian worship more than the expectation that it must be entertaining. Regular attendance at church may not be entertaining, but that unfailing commitment establishes priorities and sets inner values that help build character and equip each child to face life's challenges with confidence.
January 9
May 10
September 9
CHAPTER I
THE KINDS OF MONK (B)
The third kind of monk is the abominable one of Sarabaites, who have not been tested by a rule, as gold is tested in a furnace, nor been taught by experience, but are like soft lead.
