Holy Rule for April 10
8 views
Skip to first unread message
St. Mary's Monastery
Apr 9, 2026, 5:47:23 PMApr 9
to holyrule
+PAX
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
April 10, August 10, December 10
Chapter 57: On the Artisans of the Monastery
If there are artisans in the monastery, let them practice their crafts with all humility, provided the Abbot has given permission. But if any one of them becomes conceited over his skill in his craft, because he seems to be conferring a benefit on the monastery, let him be taken from his craft and no longer exercise it unless, after he has humbled himself, the Abbot again gives him permission. If any of the work of the craftsmen is to be sold, those responsible for the sale must not dare to practice any fraud. Let them always remember Ananias and Saphira, who incurred bodily death (Acts 5:1-11), lest they and all who perpetrate fraud in monastery affairs suffer spiritual death. And in the prices let not the sin of avarice creep in, but let the goods always be sold a little cheaper than they can be sold by people in the world, "that in all things God may be glorified" (1 Peter 4:11).
REFLECTION
One of my favorite quotes from G. K. Chesterton is: "The artistic temperament is a disease which afflicts amateurs." Amen!!!
The true artist is marked by humility, not because of low self- esteem, but because of a healthy dose of reality, a firm conviction that one's gift has been given by God and given with an eye to the service of all. Christian art, in any form, has no meaning at all outside of the glory of God and the betterment of the community.
For an artisan to become proud about this would be as ludicrous as a priest being proud of his ability to consecrate, or a lay person proud of their ability to baptize. Sorry, folks! Doesn't come from us. Comes from God and we have to always remember our own littleness in receiving such wonders.
A wrong attitude towards one's gift can quickly turn what God intended to be a boon to the Christian community into a very large and unmanageable human cross. Unfortunately, this sort of cross is not rare. Prima donnas of either gender are all too numerous!
Art matters in communities, it must be treasured and held dear, because it is a gift from a loving God. But art must always and everywhere matter less than the people performing or enjoying it. The brothers and sisters come first, and they do so from a theological imperative of charity, much, much more intense than any concept of art or standard of aesthetics. Dump on your brother or sister in the name of art and the result for the one dumping is pathetic, indeed.
Furthermore, in one sense, the artist must matter least of all, must disappear behind the gift, must not insist on being thrust into a foreground spotlight. When a person does liturgy correctly, they vanish behind the veil of vesture and rubric. They become icon bearers and what is seen is no longer Pat or Jason, but acolyte and priest. It ought to be so with artists, but it ought to be so with any gift or skill God has graciously given us. "He must increase, I must decrease..."
As soon as we forget that, our gift becomes a weight dragging us downwards to potentially ultimate loss, rather than helping us to ascend the heights. Good superiors can see this and stop it, but not all superiors have that knack! Let us pray that our gifts will always be focused by the wise and loving hand of some realist, to whom God has given the gift of loving truthfulness! Any artist with the humility of truth is a tremendous gift to us all!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
April 10, August 10, December 10
Chapter 57: On the Artisans of the Monastery
If there are artisans in the monastery, let them practice their crafts with all humility, provided the Abbot has given permission. But if any one of them becomes conceited over his skill in his craft, because he seems to be conferring a benefit on the monastery, let him be taken from his craft and no longer exercise it unless, after he has humbled himself, the Abbot again gives him permission. If any of the work of the craftsmen is to be sold, those responsible for the sale must not dare to practice any fraud. Let them always remember Ananias and Saphira, who incurred bodily death (Acts 5:1-11), lest they and all who perpetrate fraud in monastery affairs suffer spiritual death. And in the prices let not the sin of avarice creep in, but let the goods always be sold a little cheaper than they can be sold by people in the world, "that in all things God may be glorified" (1 Peter 4:11).
REFLECTION
One of my favorite quotes from G. K. Chesterton is: "The artistic temperament is a disease which afflicts amateurs." Amen!!!
The true artist is marked by humility, not because of low self- esteem, but because of a healthy dose of reality, a firm conviction that one's gift has been given by God and given with an eye to the service of all. Christian art, in any form, has no meaning at all outside of the glory of God and the betterment of the community.
For an artisan to become proud about this would be as ludicrous as a priest being proud of his ability to consecrate, or a lay person proud of their ability to baptize. Sorry, folks! Doesn't come from us. Comes from God and we have to always remember our own littleness in receiving such wonders.
A wrong attitude towards one's gift can quickly turn what God intended to be a boon to the Christian community into a very large and unmanageable human cross. Unfortunately, this sort of cross is not rare. Prima donnas of either gender are all too numerous!
Art matters in communities, it must be treasured and held dear, because it is a gift from a loving God. But art must always and everywhere matter less than the people performing or enjoying it. The brothers and sisters come first, and they do so from a theological imperative of charity, much, much more intense than any concept of art or standard of aesthetics. Dump on your brother or sister in the name of art and the result for the one dumping is pathetic, indeed.
Furthermore, in one sense, the artist must matter least of all, must disappear behind the gift, must not insist on being thrust into a foreground spotlight. When a person does liturgy correctly, they vanish behind the veil of vesture and rubric. They become icon bearers and what is seen is no longer Pat or Jason, but acolyte and priest. It ought to be so with artists, but it ought to be so with any gift or skill God has graciously given us. "He must increase, I must decrease..."
As soon as we forget that, our gift becomes a weight dragging us downwards to potentially ultimate loss, rather than helping us to ascend the heights. Good superiors can see this and stop it, but not all superiors have that knack! Let us pray that our gifts will always be focused by the wise and loving hand of some realist, to whom God has given the gift of loving truthfulness! Any artist with the humility of truth is a tremendous gift to us all!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages