CHAPTER 4
The Rule, Chapter 4 27 prepare the agenda for a chapter meeting. It may even advise the abbot against putting one of his own proposals on the agenda. The abbot asks the council's advice about assignments he has under consideration, and it gives advice on other matters that do not have to be brought to chapter.
In chapter 3, St. Benedict reminds the monks to be faithful to the Rule and the abbot. And again he warns the abbot to "keep the rule in everything he does" because he will have to give an accounting to God. The abbot must make decisions prudently so that obedience may be reasonable. "Nevertheless, just as it is proper for disciples to obey their master, so it is becoming for the master on his part to settle everything with foresight and fairness." That is why the abbot summons the brothers for counsel.
Seeking advice from others is always helpful in making the right decisions. Don't be afraid to ask. And should you be asked, express your opinion humbly, not obstinately.
CHAPTER 4
The Tools for Good Works It is not so difficult to understand chapter 4. The Rule was written for monks, but the code of behavior that St. Benedict prescribes in this chapter is no different from what is expected of every Christian. There appears to be nothing particularly monastic about chapter 4. The tools for good works are simply the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ. Monks are obliged to observe these seventy-four maxims because monks are Christians. Reading chapter 4 is an examination of one's conscience. "You are not to kill, not to commit adultery; you are not to steal nor to covet (Rom 13:9); you are not to bear false witness (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20). You must honor
28 The Rule, Chapter 4 everyone (1 Pet 2:17), and never do to another what you do not want done to yourself (Job 4:16; Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31). " There is nothing new in all of this, is there? At the head of St. Benedict's list is ''Love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt
22:37-39; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27). " All that follows in the next seventy-three tools for good works leads to that goal of love. There is no need to list all of the tools here. You learned most of them when you studied the catechism. St. Benedict sums up this chapter by saying: ' 'These, then, are the tools of the spiritual craft. When we have used them without ceasing day and night and have returned them on judgment day, our wages will be the reward the Lord has promised: What the eye has not seen nor the ear heard, God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor 2:9)/' And in loving God, we cannot fail to love our neighbor. "On these two commandments hang the whole
Law and the Prophets also" (Matt 22:40).
When we arrive at tool 44, it appears that St. Benedict is becoming rather morbid. "Live in fear of judgment day and have a great horror of hell. Yearn for everlasting life with holy desire. Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.
Hour by hour keep careful watch over all you do, aware that God's gaze is upon you, wherever you may be." Some people may be inclined to think these admonitions are for monks and nuns only. After all, there is an image of the monastic as someone whose only purpose in life is to make reparation for his or her sins. St. Benedict's admonition to remember one's sins may bolster this image. "Every day with tears and sighs confess your past sins to God in prayer." And "Do not gratify the promptings of the flesh (Gal 5:16); hate the urgings of selfwill" completes the picture of the monk who is a worm and not a man. Is it any wonder that monks are presumed to hate themselves and their lives in this world and to long to escape from their wretchedness by death?
The Rule, Chapter 4 29 St. Benedict's severity in this section of chapter 4 should not lead us to believe he wants his followers to live in a state of fear. He is not recommending scrupulosity to anyone. He is simply asking us to be realistic about our fallen nature. We can find great consolation when he tells us the final tool of good works is to "never lose hope in God's mercy."
It is in this part of the Rule that reference is made to something about which St. Benedict does appear to be unrealistic.
"Prefer moderation in speech and speak no foolish chatter, nothing just to provoke laughter; do not love immoderate or boisterous laughter." There is another stereotype of the monk as someone who is always mirthful. This is the complete opposite of the image of the monk who is digging his own grave.
Admittedly, it is probably the free-spirited Franciscan friar, rather than the sedate Benedictine, who became better known for his hilarity. In the Middle Ages, though, some Benedictines gained a reputation for being raucous and downright ribald.
I think we all know people who annoy us with their outlandish sense of humor. Some of them live in monasteries, and some of them live where you do. St. Benedict's attitude about laughter should not convince us that he was a dour old man, a prude, and a kill-joy. What he is asking here is the avoidance of buffoonery.
'The workshop where we are to toil faithfully at all these tasks is the enclosure of the monastery and stability in the community." Oblates have their own workshops, but they use the same tools for good works as we do here in the monastery.