Holy Rule for September 15
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St. Mary's Monastery
Sep 14, 2026, 5:23:38 PMSep 14
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 15, May 16, September 15
Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbess Ought to Be (33-40)
Above all let her not neglect or undervalue the welfare of the souls committed to her, in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable things; but let her always bear in mind that she has undertaken the government of souls and that she will have to give an account of them. And if she be tempted to allege a lack of earthly means, let her remember what is written: "First seek the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides" (Ps. 33:10). And again: "Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him." Let her know, then, that she who has undertaken the government of souls must prepare herself to render an account of them. Whatever number of sisters she knows she has under her care, she may be sure beyond doubt that on Judgment Day she will have to give the Lord an account of all these souls, as well as of her own soul. Thus the constant apprehension about her coming examination as shepherd (Ezech. 34) concerning the sheep entrusted to her, and her anxiety over the account that must be given for others, make her careful of her own record. And while by her admonitions she is helping others to amend, she herself is cleansed of her faults.
REFLECTION
The Benedictine view of property is neither complete nor correct without the principle invoked here. Yes, later on we hear that all the goods of the monastery must be regarded as if they were sacred vessels of the altar (and that includes our planet, folks!) We also hear a lot of attentive prescriptions about poverty and ownership. Either of these made dogma without the third principle will spell trouble. That third principle, described here, is "people first, things later; don't sweat the small stuff and things are ALWAYS small stuff in comparison to souls."
This adds a perfect balance to Benedictine theology of creation. Ours is the organic permaculture of souls and bodies and the planet which nourishes all three. I would be the first to sadly admit that, both corporately and individually, we have a LONG ways to go before realizing this perfect theology, even partially.
Ecology stripped of true Christian personalism is as hopelessly pathetic as a rampant materialism that sees every created thing only in terms of exploitation for profit. It often piques me to see news stories of people rushing to the beach in crowds to save beached whales, when many of those so touched seem not to care at all about the homeless who die on our streets every day. I'm no enemy of whales, but caring for humans must come first. It is not an either/or question, it must be a matter of both.
We must never support the lie that humanity is free to waste and plunder, but we must never forget, either, that humanity, warts and all, is undeniably the crown and apex and zenith of God’s creation. The feeling, loving heart of a right-minded ecology can only be found in a right-minded love of humanity. Every divorce of these two is perilous.
A good Benedictine will go to careful lengths to avoid damaging or breaking things, but will treat it lightly if someone else does by accident: "Oh, that's no big deal. I'll tend to it later." or "This I can replace, YOU I cannot. Don`t worry about it." See what I mean? We must be personally very careful of things, but we must never make others feel small, least of all in the name of mere temporal goods.
The other gem buried here is learning from teaching. Anyone who has ever taught 5th grade science will tell you that it will teach you more than the average person at a party knows about the topic. (Unless the party is given at Massachusetts Institute of Technology!) It will remind you of a great deal of basic information that you have long forgotten. Teaching, ideally, keeps one up to date on a subject. If teaching alone doesn't do that, the questions of the students usually will! Hopefully, it will be the same with any of us who are helping others on the road to spiritual growth. We will learn by teaching, by doing, by helping. Hopefully, we will also be taught - and maybe sometimes shamed - by our own words and deeds!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 15, May 16, September 15
Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbess Ought to Be (33-40)
Above all let her not neglect or undervalue the welfare of the souls committed to her, in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable things; but let her always bear in mind that she has undertaken the government of souls and that she will have to give an account of them. And if she be tempted to allege a lack of earthly means, let her remember what is written: "First seek the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides" (Ps. 33:10). And again: "Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him." Let her know, then, that she who has undertaken the government of souls must prepare herself to render an account of them. Whatever number of sisters she knows she has under her care, she may be sure beyond doubt that on Judgment Day she will have to give the Lord an account of all these souls, as well as of her own soul. Thus the constant apprehension about her coming examination as shepherd (Ezech. 34) concerning the sheep entrusted to her, and her anxiety over the account that must be given for others, make her careful of her own record. And while by her admonitions she is helping others to amend, she herself is cleansed of her faults.
REFLECTION
The Benedictine view of property is neither complete nor correct without the principle invoked here. Yes, later on we hear that all the goods of the monastery must be regarded as if they were sacred vessels of the altar (and that includes our planet, folks!) We also hear a lot of attentive prescriptions about poverty and ownership. Either of these made dogma without the third principle will spell trouble. That third principle, described here, is "people first, things later; don't sweat the small stuff and things are ALWAYS small stuff in comparison to souls."
This adds a perfect balance to Benedictine theology of creation. Ours is the organic permaculture of souls and bodies and the planet which nourishes all three. I would be the first to sadly admit that, both corporately and individually, we have a LONG ways to go before realizing this perfect theology, even partially.
Ecology stripped of true Christian personalism is as hopelessly pathetic as a rampant materialism that sees every created thing only in terms of exploitation for profit. It often piques me to see news stories of people rushing to the beach in crowds to save beached whales, when many of those so touched seem not to care at all about the homeless who die on our streets every day. I'm no enemy of whales, but caring for humans must come first. It is not an either/or question, it must be a matter of both.
We must never support the lie that humanity is free to waste and plunder, but we must never forget, either, that humanity, warts and all, is undeniably the crown and apex and zenith of God’s creation. The feeling, loving heart of a right-minded ecology can only be found in a right-minded love of humanity. Every divorce of these two is perilous.
A good Benedictine will go to careful lengths to avoid damaging or breaking things, but will treat it lightly if someone else does by accident: "Oh, that's no big deal. I'll tend to it later." or "This I can replace, YOU I cannot. Don`t worry about it." See what I mean? We must be personally very careful of things, but we must never make others feel small, least of all in the name of mere temporal goods.
The other gem buried here is learning from teaching. Anyone who has ever taught 5th grade science will tell you that it will teach you more than the average person at a party knows about the topic. (Unless the party is given at Massachusetts Institute of Technology!) It will remind you of a great deal of basic information that you have long forgotten. Teaching, ideally, keeps one up to date on a subject. If teaching alone doesn't do that, the questions of the students usually will! Hopefully, it will be the same with any of us who are helping others on the road to spiritual growth. We will learn by teaching, by doing, by helping. Hopefully, we will also be taught - and maybe sometimes shamed - by our own words and deeds!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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