Becoming a Community of Disciples

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Becoming a Community of Disciples

Qualities the Abbot Must Have (RBen §2) 1 An Abbot who is worthy to govern a monastery must always remember what he is called and fulfill the name “superior” in his deeds. 2 For it is Christ’s place that he is believed to hold in the monastery, since he is addressed by His title, 3 as the apostle said: You have received the spirit of adoption of sons by which we cry, “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). 4 Therefore the Abbot should never teach or enact or command anything contrary to the precepts of the Lord; 5 rather his commands and his teaching, like the leaven of divine justice, are to suffuse the minds of his disciples: 6 The Abbot is to remember always that his teaching and the obedience of his disciples—both of these matters—will be examined at the fearful judgment of God. 7 And the Abbot must know that the shepherd will be considered at fault if the father of the household finds that the sheep bring no profit. 8 If, on the other hand, he has exercised all pastoral diligence over a restless and disobedient flock, always striving to heal their unhealthy ways; 9 then their shepherd will be absolved at the judgment of the Lord, and will say to the Lord with the prophet: I have not hidden your justice in my heart; I have declared your truth and your salvation (Ps 40:11), but they condemned and spurned me (Isa 1:2, Ezek 20:27); 10 and then the sheep disobedient to his care will be punished by overpowering death. 11 Therefore, when anyone receives the name of Abbot he is to govern his disciples by a twofold teaching: 12 namely, all that is good and holy he must show forth more by deeds than by words; declaring to receptive disciples the commandments of the Lord in words, but to the hard- hearted and the simple-minded demonstrating the divine