Your clothes shall be kept in a fixed place under the custody of one or two persons, or of as many as may be sufficient to look well to them and preserve them from the moths; and as you all receive food out of one common cellary, so you shall all receive clothes out of one common wardrobe.
There would seem to be two good reasons for prescribing that the clothing should be kept in the charge of one or more persons : —
Firstly, lest through want of attention they should be destroyed by the moths.
Secondly, a sister might come to think that the clothes she uses are her own property, if she kept them in a place apart for herself.
The following words of the rule agree with this idea : —
Moreover, as far as possible, you must not be particular about what is given you to wear
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at different seasons, whether you receive what you left off or what another has worn before, provided what is necessary for you is not refused.
The phrase ” as far as possible ” leaves it to be inferred that if any one should find it hard to carry out this point of the rule, the garments she had left off may be given to her again. Still, it indicates a greater degree of virtue to have attained so thorough a contempt of self as to be satisfied so long as there is forthcoming all that the body needs. ” Having food,” as the Apostle says, ” and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content ” (i Tim. vi. 8). St Paul does not speak of how much or of what kind, but requires only what is of necessity — a lesson to the imperfect that they often make demands from desire of comfort rather than from need. Our Holy Father, St Augustine, says elsewhere on this matter : ” Human nature can content itself with little, but habit increases its needs, and so sensuality leads the will to require more.”
If we loved God perfectly, and had altogether renounced carnal desires, we could dispense with many superfluous things that we now look upon as really necessary. Let us then try to love God with all our heart, so as to be led for love of Him to content ourselves with necessaries and to set aside the superfluous. Then, provided that which is of real necessity is not denied us, we should not look for what is over and above. Charity seeks not her
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own : sets the common interests first ; makes us humble in the house of God. If the religious possesses this charity in a high degree, she will know how to be sparing even in things that are necessary.
But if hereupon contentions or murmurings arise among- you, or any one should complain that she has received worse than she had before, or thinks it hard not to be so well clothed as some other sister, you at once see how much you want of the interior holy clothing of the soul, who thus contend about bodily raiment.
The clothing of the soul is holiness through the grace of God. This is bestowed upon us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through whom we possess also peace, charity, goodness, humility, patience, concord, meekness, and the like. These form our interior store of riches, to which we are always adding by good deeds and the practice of virtues. But if we are in the habit of bickering, murmuring, or quarrelling, we deprive ourselves of these good things, since virtues cannot exist with their contraries. ” A little leaven corrupteth the whole lump” (Gal. v. 9). So each one must examine herself and carefully consider how much is wanting to her, if she indulge in these faults. Let her think what a loss she sustains if she forfeits these elements of true blessedness for the sake of matters of so little moment.
We must then be warned against all strife and
contention. These are the promptings of the flesh, and “they who do such things,” says the Apostle, ” shall not obtain the Kingdom of God ” (Gal. v. 21). St Paul also gives us this admonition : ” Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vainglory : but in humility let each esteem others better than themselves. Each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s ” (Phil. ii. 3, 4).
Here are two exercises that avail much to stifle all contention and to promote concord: — (1) To think ourselves inferior to all ; and (2) to set more importance on the things of our neighbour than on our own. Humility and charity, as thus recommended, not only go well together themselves, but have the virtue of uniting interests that threaten to cause dispute and discord.
What has been said applies to the more perfect. In the next passage St Augustine modifies his command a little for the less advanced religious.
However, though in consideration of your frailty, you receive the same which you had worn before, yet what you leave off shall be delivered up into the common wardrobe, under the custody of the persons appointed thereunto.
Though an object has been allotted jj to our personal use, we shall understand, when it is put into the common store, that, in reality, it is not our own, but belongs to the community.
This is to be observed to the end that
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nobody may work for herself what belongs to her clothing-, bedding, or other things of the sort. But let all work be done in common, with greater care and diligence and cheerfulness than if you worked for yourselves only.
St Augustine then quotes and explains a saying of the Apostle : —
For it is written of charity that “she seeketh not her own” (i Cor. xiii. 5), which gives us to understand that charity prefers the common good to private convenience, and not private advantage to the common good.
St Augustine indicates the reason why no one should work privately for herself, but in common, and with greater care, diligence, and cheerfulness than if the work were only for personal gain. The reason is because chanty does not ” seek her own,” but prefers the common good to private convenience. As the charity of Christ did not allow Him to work for Himself, neither should any of us do so ; as the charity of Christ set the good of others before His own convenience, so we also should show more care, diligence, and cheerfulness in working for the community than for ourselves. The fruit of charity is worth more than the product of any labour of ours : ” Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
Wherefore the more you give attention to the common good rather than your own, so much the more you may know you advance
in perfection : that charity which always remains may shine forth in all the circumstances of passing necessity.
The passing needs of life must be met with temporal things, with temporal attentions, but, in all and above all, charity must shine forth, since without it no one can please God. In all that we do, charity, the mother of all virtues and the root of all spiritual good, must appear. The practice of charity constitutes that higher way of approaching Heaven of which the Apostle, St Paul, speaks : ” I show unto you a yet more excellent way” (i Cor. xii. 31). Whosoever, for God’s sake, contemns this world’s goods, desires to keep nothing for self, and places all at the disposal of the community, such a one makes great progress in this charity. She proceeds along a truly exalted way, who treads underfoot earthly advantages, and is raised by thought and desire towards heavenly rewards.
Now this charity consists of the love of God and of our neighbour.
As regards the love of God — it must have within us a threefold expression, so that nothing remains in us that is not given over to God. We are commanded first to love God with all our heart. This means that we must refer all our thoughts to God. We must love Him with our whole mind) and this we do when we direct our reason, with which we judge and understand, to the service of God. Then we are bidden to love
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God with our whole soul; that is, we must make all the affections of our soul tend to Him.
To carry out the love of our neighbour we must observe two maxims : —
First : ” See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another” (Tobias iv. 16).
Second : ” All things, therefore, whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them” (Matt. vii. 12).
Out of this twofold love of our neighbour spring all those virtues that inspire us to seek what is to our benefit, and make us shun what is to our hurt. Observing these two directions, we shall at the same time procure for our neighbour all the advantages we can, and guard against any malice towards him. In this way charity will ever shine forth in all the circumstances of passing necessity. For whatever we do or say must in some manner regard the love of God or our neighbour, and thus in all our conduct our chief intention shall be grounded in charity.
“On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets ” (Matt. xxii. 40).
If any persons give their daughters, relations, or friends in the convent garments or any other needful articles, they shall not be received secretly ; but it shall ever be in the power of the superior to put them into the common stock, thence to give them out when they are wanted.
At no time in our life is it allowed to receive
or retain any object secretly. But everything must be handed over to the superior, who is free to assign it to those that need it. In this way covetousness is totally destroyed from our midst, and all superfluous possessions are given up. Hereby charity is promoted and holy poverty observed, and whilst the soul is not allowed to attach itself to any earthly goods, it can freely direct its aspirations towards the things of heaven.
But there are some who become very much upset if they are not allowed to retain what has been bestowed upon them by their friends. They value their little presents and find a certain pleasure in keeping these little objects to themselves. And then it may happen that their attachment to these small and trivial things becomes an occasion of disturbing the peace of the community. There is no doubt that the tempter avails himself of such an opportunity. This cunning enemy of ours knows the inclinations and character of us all. He sees our affections and he plies his arts where he sees that he is most likely to prevail. He minds not whether his deception is in matters trivial or important, so long as he is able to disturb fraternal charity. We must be cautious and vigilant against this insidious foe, and at all times beware of his snares. We must trample underfoot with generous resolution all those earthly things that he can make use of to
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deceive us that we may sing with the Psalmist : ” The snare is broken and we are delivered ” (Ps. cxxiii. 7). As there is danger of some being caught in this snare of the Evil One, the rule adds : —
And if any one hides what is given to her, she shall be corrected with such punishment as belongs to theft.
As the Apostle says, those that steal and are unjust shall not possess the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. vi.) — for theft is a grievous sin, expressly forbidden in God’s law : ” Thou shalt not commit adultery ; thou shalt not steal ; thou shalt not bear false witness” (Exod. xx. 14, 15, 16). As, then, theft is ranked among the greater sins in God’s law and in the canons of the Church, it is to be judged in the same way as other prohibitions of the ten commandments — as adultery, as murder, as false witness. The religious who conceals what she has received is like Judas the traitor. He was a thief and a robber, and having charge of the purse and the money that belonged to our Lord, he concealed it, and then made away with it. He was overcome by such a degree of covetousness and avarice that the devil could put it in his heart to betray and sell his Master. But just where he sought gain he found death. ” Dum sitit lucrum pervenit ad laqueum.” Such is the result of avarice. Let the sisters then guard against coveting gain in any material form, lest
in this spirit they be tempted to conceal things, and under the suggestion of the devil commit some grave fault that might incur the penalty of death and everlasting privation in the just judgment of Almighty God.
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