Obey your superior as your mother, showing her all respect and honour, lest God be offended in her. But much more is this due to the bishop or priest, who has the care of you all.
Obedience is a virtue that of its own efficacy implants the other virtues in the soul and safely preserves them when they are established. “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (i Kings xv. 22), because by sacrifice the flesh of animals is immolated, but by obedience the noble faculty of the will is surrendered to God. Solomon says : ” The obedient man shall speak of victories,” because when we submit to the word of another out of humility, we internally gain a victory over ourselves. And this obedience is imposed upon us even unto death.
Evil must never be done under obedience — but it sometimes happens that by obedience we may be called upon to forego some good deed of our own choice. Now as, on some occasions, that which obedience ordains us is in no sense
distasteful to us, we must take notice that our obedience is sometimes without any merit if there be anything of self in it. And even if there be nothing agreeable to self-love our obedience may be but of small value. For if some matter of external advantage be commanded, as when a post of honour is allotted to us, we forfeit all the merit of obedience, if we expend ourselves upon this merely from our natural inclination towards this duty. Or, again, supposing that some lowly position be imposed upon us, wherein there is little externally but hardship and contempt, then obedience will have but little merit unless the will sets itself to embrace all these difficulties cheerfully. For otherwise it will discharge the duty heartlessly and only under constraint. Hence we may say that in circumstances difficult to nature, our obedience calls for an exercise of self-will, and, on the contrary, in duties that are pleasant it must exclude self altogether. The reason is because in painful duties obedience is the more praiseworthy as it is subjected to the will of God — and in easy matters it counts for less in proportion as it is counterbalanced by the actual pleasure or honour attached to its performance. Obedience is the ornament that graces innocent souls according to our Lord’s words : 11 My sheep hear my voice ; and I know them, and they follow me” (John x. 27).
Indeed the soul that is without sin cannot but delight in following its Redeemer. And on the
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other hand, none can remain innocent and refuse to obey that divine voice.
In order that all rules may be duly observed, if any point is not well kept it shall not be negligently passed over, but the superior, whose business chiefly it is, shall take care to see it amended and corrected. But if there should happen anything exceeding her power and judgment, it ought to be referred to the priest or bishop, who has a superior charge over you.
Naturally, these precepts of the rule are set before us that they be observed, and if any of them may have been overlooked, that they be speedily attended to. For we cannot continue to neglect any of these matters without harm to our souls — since we vowed that we would observe all these things in detail and promised to regulate our lives by this rule.
We can apply to ourselves the words of the Psalm : ” Thou hast commanded thy commandments to be kept most diligently ” (Ps. cxviii. 4) ; and those of St James : ” Now whosoever shall keep the whole law but offend in one point is become guilty of all ” (James ii. 10).
Therefore it is the duty of the superior and whoever is responsible for regular observance to refer to the bishop or priest who may hold the higher power such points as she is not able to decide regarding the rule of the community. For if any house of the Canonical Order be subject
to the bishop, it is he who is to be understood by the term Presbyter in the rule.
All superiors are appointed in the Church to maintain the established order of things, to correct irregularities, to direct the life and occupations of their subjects by word and example, carrying out the direction of the Apostle : ” Be instant in season, and out of season : reprove, entreat, rebuke” (2 Tim. iv. 2).
Taking into consideration all kinds of circumstances, superiors must exhort their subjects with words, now of encouragement, and now of warning. The unruly and troublesome they must reprove with severity. They must exhort the obedient, the meek, and the patient to make yet higher progress in virtue.
It is their duty to reprove or to punish the neglectful and the proud. And they must beware of passing over any serious offences. As soon as such are brought to notice they must use all their influence to root them out entirely, mindful of that punishment that the priest Heli incurred on account of the offences of his sons. A word of admonition, repeated if needful, will suffice with those that are ordinarily of good will and disposition. But it is necessary to inflict some form of external punishment on those that show signs of malice, of self-will, of pride, or of insubordination. In these cases the words of Solomon apply : ” A fool receiveth not the words of prudence” (Prov. xviii. 2)… . “Thou shalt beat
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the child with a rod and deliver his soul from hell” (xxiii. 14).
She who is your superior must not think herself happy in having- authority to govern, but rather in being able to exercise charity by serving others.
They that discharge their duties as superiors with sentiments of pride on account of their authority are not true shepherds, but hirelings. Their object is rather to command than to be of service. They do not look to the advantage of the souls of their subjects, but for some temporal gain. Their desire is for worldly honour, not heavenly glory. Our Lord said of such in the Gospel : ” Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matt. vi. 16).
But those that rejoice to be of service to others in charity copy the example of the Good Shepherd who ” came to minister and not to be ministered unto, and to give His life a redemption for many” (Matt. xx. 28).
Those superiors are worthy of their position and carry out their charge according to the design of God who have only these ends in view, namely, to draw others with themselves to God, to take delight rather in the burdens than in the distinctions of their office, to regard their opportunities of exercising charity rather than authority, to look for occasions of doing service to others rather than receiving service from them. This was the spirit of St Paul,
who wrote : ” For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more” (i Cor. ix. 19).
At the same time, superiors are to be respected by their subjects for the authority vested in them, and consequently the rule says : —
She shall be respected and honoured by you as your superior.
The superior must be respected as holding the place of Christ Himself in the community, as our Lord said to the Pastors of the Church : ” He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth me” (Luke x. 16).
Therefore the servants of God united in community must show respect to the one who holds the place of their Master, bearing in mind that they have become her subjects for the love of God.
And the good superior, the more she is honoured externally, will fear all the more for herself. She will endeavour to have a lowly opinion of herself, and in her thoughts the first place will be given to those who show her this deference. In this sense the rule continues.
But in the sight of God let her prostrate at your feet.
“The greater thou art,” says Holy Writ, “the more humble thyself in all things ” (Eccles. iii. 20). ” Have they made thee a ruler ? be not lifted up ; be among them as one of them “(Eccles. xxxii. 1).
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Our Lord also says : ” Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and every one that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke xviii. 14). Here we learn that a soul is the greater before God as it is lowlier in its own estimation. The rule further indicates what the superior should be in her external life : —
She should be a pattern to all.
As she is placed above others in honour, dignity, and rank, so should she excel all in holiness, that her subjects may find a model for their own lives in her example.
The restless she must correct, the dejected she must comfort, she must bear with the weak, and be patient with all.
She who holds the place of authority must not inflict evils upon others, but be ready to endure them herself, using her meekness as an instrument to train the unruly. A physician of souls must adopt the healing power of virtue to counteract the ills of vice. For this purpose the superior should first study carefully the dispositions of her subjects that she may know what help to offer to each.
Let her be strict with herself in the observance of religious discipline, and prudent in exacting it of others ; and although both love and fear be necessary, yet she must seek rather to be beloved than feared, ever remembering that she must account to God for all.
It is necessary that one who has to teach others in religious life possess the necessary knowledge and be thoroughly trained in the rule herself. For she can only expect discipline amongst her subjects when she practises it herself. She can only instruct her subjects according to what she has learned herself. St Paul’s words to the Hebrews illustrate this : ” Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons, for what son is there whom the father doth not correct” (Heb. xii. 7).
Now the one who is appointed to govern others must be able to exercise a twofold influence : she must inspire with a salutary fear those that are proud, disobedient, and obstinate ; she must attract by a spirit of love those that offer to their Divine Master a willing, humble, and devoted service.
And although both love and fear be necessary, yet she must seek rather to be loved than feared.
It is clear that the more the superior is loved the more readily will her words be attended to. And it is also plain that God is better pleased with service that is given cheerfully from motives of love than that which proceeds from fear. So our Lord said to His disciples : ” I will not now call you servants but friends” (John xv. 15). Indeed our Lord does not wish us to fear Him as a stern Master, but rather to love Him as children love their father : He would have us
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observe His Law for the love of what is right, rather than for fear of punishment. The superior who exercises a certain measure of judgment over souls, must recollect that there is a higher Judge, namely, God Himself. This thought will animate her to discharge her duties of government with all the more solicitude as she realises what a strict account she will have to render to the all-just Judge for those whose welfare is entrusted to her. For every one should remember the final account to be rendered in order to be ever most diligent in every good work : ” In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin” (Eccles. vii. 40).
Therefore you should be the more obedient, having compassion not only on yourselves, but also on her, who is the more in danger the higher she is placed in authority over you.
Every one who is raised to the position of superior over others is exposed to great danger. The higher the grade of superiority, so much the more disastrous would a fall be. ” Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required” (Luke xii. 48).
There is great danger in having to attend to the lives of others as well as to one’s own : in having to give one’s thoughts to temporal as well as to spiritual matters.
A superior has to study her own welfare and yet be careful not to neglect that of her subjects : she must give her attention to others, and yet
not be forgetful of her own needs. She must provide for temporal needs without becoming indifferent to the spiritual. She ought to be most zealous for the spiritual estate of her community and yet be diligent in the management of its temporal affairs.
Hence the members of the community should be all the more ready to obey the superior as they see that she has to labour so constantly for them. And thereby they show consideration both for themselves and for the superior ; for themselves because it is to their spiritual benefit — ” Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God ” (Eccles. xxx. 24) ; and for the superior who is over them, because they lighten her burden by their willing obedience. Holy Scripture says : “A wise son maketh the father glad” (Prov. x. 1). Spiritual parents are glad and encouraged to greater interest in their children as they see them give heed to spiritual instructions.
May our Lord grant that you, as lovers of spiritual beauty, may observe all these things through a motive of love, and become fragrant with the sweet odour of Christ by a holy conversation, not as slaves under the servitude of the law, but as free children under the liberty of grace.
This prayer of our Holy Legislator is most opportune after the reading of the rule. Reading and preaching are like sowing a field with seed,
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and the prayer that follows is as the covering of the seed in the earth. The birds come and devour all the seed that was scattered unless it sink into the soil. So they that sow the seed of God’s Word in their hearts at the time of psalmody or reading or preaching must afterwards bury or hide this seed in their hearts lest empty, light, and fitful thoughts of the world come and devour the good seed that was sown. Hence it is always advisable to have recourse to prayer after reading or preaching that the good influence of the Word of God may be kept in the soul, and spiritual fruit be produced in good works.
As lovers of spiritual beauty.
The religious will not be able to fulfil all these precepts of the rule unless they have a real desire of justice, which constitutes the spiritual beauty of the soul. For no one does well in a spiritual sense without willing it, even though an action may in itself be good.
And become fragrant with the sweet odour of Christ by a holy conversation.
These words clearly refer to the holy life and good name of religious. As the Apostle says : ” We are the good odour of Christ unto God ” (2 Cor. ii. 15).
” Slaves under the law ” are they that serve God merely from motives of fear ; ” children in grace” are those that serve Him in love.
This grace of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. By this grace we fulfil the law. Not that the just soul feels the yoke of the law, because where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty. But we freely run along the way of God’s commandments if our heart be filled with the Charity of God.
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