The Holy Rule of St. Benedict Author(s): Benedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino Verheyen, Rev. Boniface (1844-1923) (Translator) Publisher: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Grand Rapids, MI Description: St. Benedict originally intended this text for use in monaster- ies. St. Benedict highlights the importance of peace, prayer, work, sacrifice, humility, frugality, and obedience. His guidelines are to aid those in the pursuit of godliness, and he shares how individuals should relate to each other, author- ity, and guests. St. Benedict explains the responsibilities of the Abbott, or community leader, in whose care rests the welfare of the community's members.The Rule of St. Bene- dict provides tangible advice regarding how a community of Christians can cultivate contented souls that are modest and free from want.This book contains a thorough set of prin- ciples for those who wish to grow in God's love by commun- ally engaging in Christ-like disciplines. Emmalon Davis CCEL Staff Writer Subjects: Christian Denominations Roman Catholic Church Monasticism. Religious orders Religious orders of men i Contents The Holy Rule of St. Benedict 1 Prologue 2 Chapter I. Of the Kinds or the Life of Monks 5 Chapter II. What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be 6 Chapter III. Of Calling the Brethren for Counsel 8 Chapter IV. The Instruments of Good Works 9 Chapter V. Of Obedience 11 Chapter VI. Of Silence 12 Chapter VII. Of Humility 13 Chapter VIII. Of the Divine Office during the Night 17 Chapter IX. How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at the Night Office 18 Chapter X. How the Office Is to Be Said during the Summer Season 19 Chapter XI. How the Night Office Is to Be Said on Sundays 20 Chapter XII. How Lauds Are to Be Said 21 Chapter XIII. How Lauds Are to Be Said on Week Days 22 Chapter XIV. How the Night Office Is to Be Said on the Feasts of the Saints 23 Chapter XV. At What Times the Alleluia Is to Be Said 24 Chapter XVI. How the Work of God Is to Be Performed during the Day 25 Chapter XVII. How Many Psalms Are to Be Sung at These Hours 26 Chapter XVIII. In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said 27 Chapter XIX. Of the Manner of Reciting the Psalter 29 Chapter XX. Of Reverence at Prayer 30 Chapter XXI. Of the Deans of the Monastery 31 Chapter XXII. How the Monks Are to Sleep 32 Chapter XXIII. Of Excommunication for Faults 33 Chapter XXIV. What the Manner of Excommunication Should Be 34 ii Chapter XXV. Of Graver Faults 35 Chapter XXVI. Of Those Who without the Command of the Abbot Associate with 36 the Excommunicated Chapter XXVII. How Concerned the Abbot Should Be about the Excommunicated 37 Chapter XXVIII. Of Those Who Having Often Been Corrected Do Not Amend 38 Chapter XXIX. Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Ought to Be Received 39 Again Chapter XXX. How Young Boys Are to Be Corrected 40 Chapter XXXI. The Kind of Man the Cellarer of the Monastery Ought to Be 41 Chapter XXXII. Of the Tools and Goods of the Monastery 42 Chapter XXXIII. Whether Monks Ought to Have Anything of Their Own 43 Chapter XXXIV. Whether All Should Receive in Equal Measure What Is Necessary 44 Chapter XXXV. Of the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen 45 Chapter XXXVI. Of the Sick Brethren 46 Chapter XXXVII. Of the Aged and Children 47 Chapter XXXVIII. Of the Weekly Reader 48 Chapter XXXIX. Of the Quantity of Food 49 Chapter XL. Of the Quantity of Drink 50 Chapter XLI. At What Times the Brethren Should Take Their Refection 51 Chapter XLII. That No One Speak after Complin 52 Chapter XLIII. Of Those Who Are Tardy in Coming to the Work of God or to Table 53 Chapter XLIV. Of Those Who Are Excommunicated—How They Make Satisfaction 54 Chapter XLV. Of Those Who Commit a Fault in the Oratory 55 Chapter XLVI. Of Those Who Fail in Any Other Matters 56 Chapter XLVII. Of Giving the Signal for the Time of the Work of God 57 Chapter XLVIII. Of the Daily Work 58 Chapter XLIX. On the Keeping of Lent 60 Chapter L. Of Brethren Who Work a Long Distance from the Oratory or Are on a 61 Journey Chapter LI. Of the Brethren Who Do Not Go Very Far Away 62 Chapter LII. Of the Oratory of the Monastery 63 Chapter LIII. Of the Reception of Guests 64 iii Chapter LIV. Whether a Monk Should Receive Letters or Anything Else 65 Chapter LV. Of the Clothing and the Footgear of the Brethren 66 Chapter LVI. Of the Abbot's Table 67 Chapter LVII. Of the Artists of the Monastery 68 Chapter LVIII. Of the Manner of Admitting Brethren 69 Chapter LIX. Of the Children of the Noble and of the Poor Who Are Offered 71 Chapter LX. Of Priests Who May Wish to Live in the Monastery 72 Chapter LXI. How Stranger Monks Are to Be Received 73 Chapter LXII. Of the Priests of the Monastery 74 Chapter LXIII. Of the Order in the Monastery 75 Chapter LXIV. Of the Election of the Abbot 76 Chapter LXV. Of the Prior of the Monastery 77 Chapter LXVI. Of the Porter of the Monastery 78 Chapter LXVII. Of the Brethren Who Are Sent on a Journey 79 Chapter LXVIII. If a Brother Is Commanded to Do Impossible Things 80 Chapter LXIX. That in the Monastery No One Presume to Defend Another 81 Chapter LXX. That No One Presume to Strike Another 82 Chapter LXXI. That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another 83 Chapter LXXII. Of the Virtuous Zeal Which the Monks Ought to Have 84 Chapter LXXIII. Of This, that Not the Whole Observance of Righteousness Is Laid 85 Down in this Rule Indexes 86 Index of Scripture References 87 iv This PDF file is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org. The mission of the CCEL is to make classic Christian books available to the world. • This book is available in PDF, HTML, ePub, Kindle, and other formats. See http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule.html. • A free audio narration is available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule/mp3. • Discuss this book online at http://www.ccel.org/node/3176. The CCEL makes CDs of classic Christian literature available around the world through the Web and through CDs. We have distributed thousands of such CDs free in developing countries. If you are in a developing country and would like to receive a free CD, please send a request by email to [email protected]. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a self supporting non-profit organization at Calvin College. If you wish to give of your time or money to support the CCEL, please visit http://www.ccel.org/give. This PDF file is copyrighted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It may be freely copied for non-commercial purposes as long as it is not modified. All other rights are re- served. Written permission is required for commercial use. v The Holy Rule of St. Benedict The Holy Rule of St. Benedict The Holy Rule of St. Benedict The 1949 Edition Translated by Rev. Boniface Verheyen, OSB of St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison, Kansas Electronic text (with added scripture references) 1 Prologue Prologue PROLOGUE Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him from whom by the sloth of disobedience thou hast gone away. To thee, therefore, my speech is now directed, who, giving up thine own will, takest up the strong and most excellent arms of obedience, to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King. In the first place, beg of Him by most earnest prayer, that He perfect whatever good thou dost begin, in order that He who hath been pleased to count us in the number of His children, need never be grieved at our evil deeds. For we ought at all times so to serve Him with the good things which He hath given us, that He may not, like an angry father, disin- herit his children, nor, like a dread lord, enraged at our evil deeds, hand us over to everlasting punishment as most wicked servants, who would not follow Him to glory. Let us then rise at length, since the Scripture arouseth us, saying: "It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom 13:11); and having opened our eyes to the deifying light, let us hear with awestruck ears what the divine voice, crying out daily, doth admonish us, saying: "Today, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts" (Ps 94[95]:8). And again: "He that hath ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" (Rev 2:7). And what doth He say?—"Come, children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps 33[34]:12). "Run whilst you have the light of life, that the darkness of death overtake you not" (Jn 12:35). And the Lord seeking His workman in the multitude of the people, to whom He pro- claimeth these words, saith again: "Who is the man that desireth life and loveth to see good days" (Ps 33[34]:13)? If hearing this thou answerest, "I am he," God saith to thee: "If thou wilt have true and everlasting life, keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile; turn away from evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it" (Ps 33[34]:14-15). And when you shall have done these things, my eyes shall be upon you, and my ears unto your prayers. And before you shall call upon me I will say: "Behold, I am here" (Is 58:9). What, dearest brethren, can be sweeter to us than this voice of the Lord inviting us? See, in His loving kindness, the Lord showeth us the way of life. Therefore, having our loins girt with faith and the performance of good works, let us walk His ways under the guidance of the Gospel, that we may be found worthy of seeing Him who hath called us to His kingdom (cf 1 Thes 2:12). If we desire to dwell in the tabernacle of His kingdom, we cannot reach it in any way, unless we run thither by good works. But let us ask the Lord with the Prophet, saying to 2 Prologue Him: "Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle, or who shall rest in Thy holy hill" (Ps 14[15]:1)? After this question, brethren, let us listen to the Lord answering and showing us the way to this tabernacle, saying: "He that walketh without blemish and worketh justice; he that speaketh truth in his heart; who hath not used deceit in his tongue, nor hath done evil to his neighbor, nor hath taken up a reproach against his neighbor" (Ps 14[15]:2-3), who hath brought to naught the foul demon tempting him, casting him out of his heart with his temptation, and hath taken his evil thoughts whilst they were yet weak and hath dashed them against Christ (cfPs 14[15]:4; Ps 136[137]:9); who fearing the Lord are not puffed up by their goodness of life, but holding that the actual good which is in them cannot be done by themselves, but by the Lord, they praise the Lord working in them (cf Ps 14[15]:4), saying with the Prophet: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us; by to Thy name give glory" (Ps 113[115:1]:9). Thus also the Apostle Paul hath not taken to himself any credit for his preaching, saying: "By the grace of God, I am what I am" (1 Cor 15:10). And again he saith: "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor 10:17). Hence, the Lord also saith in the Gospel: "He that heareth these my words and doeth them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock; the floods came, the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock" (Mt 7:24-25). The Lord fulfilling these words waiteth for us from day to day, that we respond to His holy admonitions by our works. Therefore, our days are lengthened to a truce for the amendment of the misdeeds of our present life; as the Apostle saith: "Knowest thou not that the patience of God leadeth thee to penance" (Rom 2:4)? For the good Lord saith: "I will not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live" (Ezek 33:11). Now, brethren, that we have asked the Lord who it is that shall dwell in His tabernacle, we have heard the conditions for dwelling there; and if we fulfil the duties of tenants, we shall be heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Our hearts and our bodies must, therefore, be ready to do battle under the biddings of holy obedience; and let us ask the Lord that He supply by the help of His grace what is impossible to us by nature. And if, flying from the pains of hell, we desire to reach life everlasting, then, while there is yet time, and we are still in the flesh, and are able during the present life to fulfil all these things, we must make haste to do now what will profit us forever. We are, therefore, about to found a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But even if, to correct vices or to preserve charity, sound reason dictateth anything that turneth out somewhat stringent, do not at once fly in dismay from the way of salvation, the beginning of which cannot but be narrow. But as we advance in the religious life and faith, we shall run the way of God's commandments with expanded hearts and unspeakable sweetness of love; so that never departing from His guidance and persevering in the monastery in His doctrine till death, we may by patience 3 Prologue share in the sufferings of Christ, and be found worthy to be coheirs with Him of His kingdom. 4