Holy Rule for January 15
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St. Mary's Monastery
Jan 14, 2026, 5:25:45 PM (2 days ago) Jan 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
There are two beautiful lessons for us non-abbatial types in this chapter. The first is a partial Benedictine view of material goods and the second consoles us that teaching will hopefully also teach the teacher!
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. 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, enunciated here, is people first, things later; don't sweat the small stuff and material things are ALWAYS small stuff by comparison to souls, the Sacraments, and other sacred things.
A good Benedictine will go to careful lengths to avoid breaking something, but will treat it lightly if someone else does: "Oh, that's no big deal. I'll tend to it later." or "Dishes 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 in the name of temporal goods.
The other gem buried here is learning from teaching. If you do ANY vocation right, it will profit both you and those you serve. It may not always profit them in exactly the same ways, but there will always be supernatural benefits for both. If there aren't, some fine-tuning might be in order.
So, one of the ways to ensure that supernatural benefit accrues for all in a vocation is outlined here: put the souls first, put the Kingdom of God and His things first. A closely related corollary follows on that: people before things, always, always, people before things! Whatever the faults and flaws of our humanity, it shares a dignity of blessed creation that does not extend to lesser created things as such. That's one of the basic truths which makes materialism so woefully false.
Follow the priority established here and you will be well on the way to a holy and fruitful living out of any call. It is as easy as 1,2,3! First, God and His kingdom, second, people, persons, the crown of His mercy's creations, and third, things, but only insofar as they relate significantly to God, salvation and persons!
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
There are two beautiful lessons for us non-abbatial types in this chapter. The first is a partial Benedictine view of material goods and the second consoles us that teaching will hopefully also teach the teacher!
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. 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, enunciated here, is people first, things later; don't sweat the small stuff and material things are ALWAYS small stuff by comparison to souls, the Sacraments, and other sacred things.
A good Benedictine will go to careful lengths to avoid breaking something, but will treat it lightly if someone else does: "Oh, that's no big deal. I'll tend to it later." or "Dishes 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 in the name of temporal goods.
The other gem buried here is learning from teaching. If you do ANY vocation right, it will profit both you and those you serve. It may not always profit them in exactly the same ways, but there will always be supernatural benefits for both. If there aren't, some fine-tuning might be in order.
So, one of the ways to ensure that supernatural benefit accrues for all in a vocation is outlined here: put the souls first, put the Kingdom of God and His things first. A closely related corollary follows on that: people before things, always, always, people before things! Whatever the faults and flaws of our humanity, it shares a dignity of blessed creation that does not extend to lesser created things as such. That's one of the basic truths which makes materialism so woefully false.
Follow the priority established here and you will be well on the way to a holy and fruitful living out of any call. It is as easy as 1,2,3! First, God and His kingdom, second, people, persons, the crown of His mercy's creations, and third, things, but only insofar as they relate significantly to God, salvation and persons!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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