Chapter Thirty-Six
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
On the Sick Brethren
CARE must be taken of the sick before all other things and above all other things, for truly when they are served, Christ is served, just as he said, “I was sick and you visited Me.” (Matt. 25:36). And “As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matt. 25:40). But let the sick themselves also consider that they are served for the honor of God, and let them not annoy their brethren who serve them with excessive demands. Yet they must be patiently borne with, because from such as these a more bountiful reward is gained. Let the Abbot’s greatest care be, therefore, that they suffer no neglect.
Let a room be set apart for the sick brethren, and a God-fearing, diligent, and careful attendant be appointed to serve them. Let the use of the bath be offered to the sick as often as it is useful, but let it be granted more rarely to the healthy and especially the young. Also, let the use of meat be granted to the sick and to the very weak for their recovery. But when they have been restored let them all abstain from meat in the usual manner.
But let the Abbot exercise the utmost care so that the sick are not neglected by the Cellarer or the attendants, because whatever his disciples do amiss is his responsibility.