CHAPTER 65
The Rule, Chapter 65 121 Oblates are not involved in the election of an abbot or a prioress, but their prayers are sought when an election is in progress. And we all hope Oblates remember to pray for the superior the monks or nuns have chosen to lead them.
CHAPTER 65
The Prior of the Monastery Reading chapter 65 of the Rule might leave you with the impression that St. Benedict considers the prior a menace to monastic life. As St. Benedict sees it, the problems with a prior, the monk second in command, arise "especially in monasteries where the same bishop and the same abbots appoint both abbot and prior/7 In our day, the abbot is elected by the community, and he appoints his own prior. This is the arrangement St. Benedict favors. "Let him, with the advice of Godfearing brothers, choose the man he wants and himself make him his prior." The abbot may depose the prior whenever he wishes, even before the prior develops "serious faults, or is led astray by conceit and grows proud, or shows open contempt for the holy rule."
St. Benedict is fearful of priors who become "puffed up by the evil spirit of pride and thinking of themselves as second abbots, usurp tyrannical power and foster contention and discord in their communities." He does not give the prior a detailed job description. He tells the prior what to avoid but not what exactly to do. St. Benedict seems to think deans are more suitable if there has to be a chain of command in the monastery (ch. 21).
Somewhere in monastic history the prior was called "the mother of the monastery"— the abbot, of course, being the father. I can understand this analogy. A monk will go to the prior
122 The Rule, Chapter 65 asking a permission that he knows the abbot will refuse. Or a monk will approach the prior and ask, "How do you think the abbot will react if I do this?" A monk may wish to consult the prior before seeing the abbot about a personal matter, and he is free to do this. There are occasions when the prior and the monk may agree to keep secrets. The prior can be a confidant. But like all mothers, there are times when the prior has to reply, "I'm sorry. You'd better see your father about that."
St. Benedict is aware of the consequences when the abbot and prior "pursue conflicting policies."
'The appointment of a prior has been the source of serious contention in monasteries." The prior, although he may disagree with an abbatial policy or command, has to obey. He cannot organize a rebellion among the troops. St. Benedict says, "The prior for his part is to carry out respectfully what his abbot assigns to him, and do nothing contrary to the abbot's wishes or arrangements."
St. Benedict has a good deal of patience with an obstreperous prior. In the Rule, St. Benedict suggests that an ordinary monk, in order to shape up, should be admonished twice, the deans three times, and the prior four times. If the prior does not reform, "he is to be deposed from the rank of prior and replaced by someone worthy. If after all that, he is not a peaceful and obedient member of the community, he should even be expelled from the monastery." Enough is enough.
When St. Benedict moved from Subiaco to Monte Cassino, he appointed priors to assist in the governing of the monasteries he had founded. In St. Gregory's biography of St. Benedict, we learn about his appearing in the dreams of the abbot and prior of Terracina, instructing them where to construct the monastery. Although St. Benedict was fearful of what a prior could turn into, he apparently saw some usefulness in establishing the office.
Is chapter 65 of the Rule applicable only to the prior of a
The Rule, Chapter 66 123 monastery? I think anyone who is in the position of an assistant can benefit from a reading of this chapter. It's a good warning, a prevention against "envy, quarrels, slander, rivalry, factions and disorders of every kind."
CHAPTER 66
The Porter of the Monastery "At the door of the monastery, place a sensible old man who knows how to take a message and deliver a reply, and whose age keeps him from roaming about." St. Benedict wants a competent and polite monk to be at the door. An older monk seems to fit the bill, one who will always be there. "This porter will need a room near the entrance so that visitors will always find him there to answer them." An older monk is well trained in stability. He will always be there. Perhaps there is also a more pragmatic reason for giving an older monk the job of porter.
He is unable to roam about. "As soon as anyone knocks, or a poor [person] calls out, he replies, Thanks be to God' or 'Your blessing, please'; then, with all the gentleness that comes from the fear of God, he provides a prompt answer with the warmth of love." This warm greeting reminds us of what St.
Benedict writes in chapter 53: "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say:
I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35)."
St. Benedict expects not just the porter to be stable but all the other monks too. "The monastery should, if possible, be so constructed that within it all necessities, such as water, mill and garden are contained, and the various crafts are practiced.
Then there will be no need for the monks to roam outside, because this is not at all good for their souls." Throughout history Benedictine monks and nuns have adhered to the practice