Becoming a Community of Disciples

Chapter 3: Legislative Teachings – Other Monastic Offices

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7 In establishing their prices the evil of avarice 4 must not creep in: 8 instead, the goods should always be sold for a little less than those living in the world are able to charge, so that in everything God may be glorified (1 Pet 4:11). The Prior of the Monastery (RBen §65) 1 Very often it happens that through the appointment of a Prior grave scandals arise in monasteries; 2 for there are some who, inflated by a malignant 5 spirit of pride and esteeming themselves to be second Abbots, assume for themselves tyrannical power, and so feed scandals and create dissensions in the community: 3 and this occurs especially in those places where it is by the same bishop or the same Abbots who ordain the Abbot that the Prior is himself ordained. 4 How absurd this may easily be seen: for as soon as he is ordained he is given an incentive to pride, 5 his thoughts suggesting to him that he is free from the authority of his Abbot 6 since he has been ordained by the very same persons. 7 Thus arise jealousies, quarrels, detractions, competitiveness, dissensions, and depositions from office. 8 And while the Abbot and Prior are opposed to one another it necessarily follows that through this dissension their souls are endangered: 9 and those who are subject to them, being flattered as followers, go to their destruction. 10 The blame for this perilous evil rests on the head of those who were the authors of such disorders.

4 Avarice – greed. 5 Malignant – evil.