he must not cause his flock to be overdriven but have consideration for those among his sheep whose progress is more painful1. The Abbot has not always to do with heroic souls. While striving to remain himself at a high level, he must know how to stoop towards souls who mount slowly, sustaining them by his example as well as by his encouragement and charity.

And what astonishing indulgence the holy Patriarch manifests in regard to delinquents! He is not scandalised, he is not angry; like a kind physician he does all he can to save them, and to console the wavering and troubled culprit "lest he be overwhelmed with excess of grief2. It is not until he has duly proved that his efforts and prayers are unavailing and that the offending brother's will is obstinately anchored in evil that St. Benedict cuts him off from the monastic flock3. Up to this point he bears with everything; he even wishes that the door of the monastery shall be re-opened to fugitives as many as three times from the moment they show sincere repentance. See too with what thoughtful tenderness, what almost maternal solicitude, he concerns himself with the weakness of children, the infirmities of the aged 5, with what ingenious love he wishes the sick to be borne with and nursed. It truly seems that no other religious rule demands such perfect patience from those who practise it.

Have we ever read elsewhere anything to compare with this for generous compassion? We might search all traditions from the end of the sixth century to this time, when ecclesiastical discipline appears most to take human weakness into account, without finding anything to surpass, or even to equal, the merciful large-mindedness shown by St. Benedict. Only perhaps to some exceptionally great soul, an Augustine or a Gregory, has it been given to share this immense_treasure of condescending charity. If it be true that the Benedictine Rule is a compendium a mysterious abridgment" of the whole Gospel — and that the Gospel itself may be reduced to the one word charity, it may be said that the Rule has found means (at least, in most cases) to epitomise still further; it is all compassion". "

The Rule is here truly the pure reflexion of the Gospel. It is remarkable that wherever St. Benedict speaks of this 1. Rule, ch. LXIV; cf. Gen. xxx, 13. 2. Ibid, ch. XXVII. — 3. Ibid. ch.xxvIII 4. Ibid. ch. xxix. 5. Ibid. ch. XXVII. 6. Ibid, ch. xxxvI. 7. D. G. Morin. The Ideal of the Monastic Life found in the Apostolic Age, ch. x. Discretion and Breadth of View, translated from the French by C. Gunning, P. 165.

charity towards our brethren, he recalls Christ to our minds 1. Our Blessed Saviour Jesus is in truth the most perfect Example of this wonderful patience. He wishes us especially to learn that He is "meek of heart 2. " The Evangelist applies to Him that beautiful text of Isaias a text that the holy Legislator repeats in order to apply it in his turn to the Abbot The bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He shall not quench 3.

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Far from extinguishing the smoking flax, He awaits the hour of grace, the hour when it will burst forth in a magnificent flame of pure love. Thus it was with Magdalen and the Samaritan woman and so many others. What indulgent loving kindness He manifested to misery under every form, including that of sin which is most hideous in His Divine sight! And what unwearied patience He shows with His disciples! He sees and hears them dispute among themselves, and express their ambitions; He sees the weakness of their faith; He witnesses their impatience: one day, they want to send little children away from Jesus 5; more than once, even after His Resurrection, He has to rebuke them for their hardness of heart, their slowness to believe in Him", despite so many miracles wrought under their eyes. He is the Model of admirable patience even so far as to endure naving near Him the one He knows is to betray Him.

Whence comes the indulgence of Christ ? From His love. He loves His disciples, because He sees in them the nucleus of that Church for which He gives His life, Dilexit Ecclesiam et seipsum tradidit pro ea?; and, because He loves them He bears with them with in finite sweetness.

Such is our Model. Let us keep our eyes ever fixed upon Him, and we shall learn, by His example, to be meek and humble of heart. Far from being scandalised at our neighbour's faults, we shall see in each of our brethren all that God has put in him that is good and noble, and we shall bear willingly, with inexhaustible patience, patientissime, all the imperfections of character, all the physical infirmities that may be found in him. We shall know how to remain in the company of our brethren, at recreation for example, even if this exercise of the common life is burdensome to us; not only shall we never take a vain pretext for dispensing 3. Ibid. XII, 20

1. Rule, ch. XXVIII, XXXVI, LIII. 2. Matth. XI, 29. Isa. XLII, 3; Rule, ch. LXIV.

4. For the further development of this idea, we refer the reader to the conference, Some Aspects of the Public Life of Jesus,

in our work: Christ in His Mysteries. 14; Luc XXIV, 24. 7. Eph. v, 25.

5. Matth. XIX, 13. 6. Marc. XVI,

ourselves from it, but we shall bring to it a spirit of cordiality: this is one of the precious occasions when fraternal charity may be manifested in its every form. Neither shall we look with a severe eye on the exceptions granted to our brethren; when one's own health does not need any special exceptions, one is easily inclined to see in the dispensations granted to others concerning rest, food or work, concessions granted to their self-indulgence, and one is tempted to criticise the conduct of the Superiors.

I would say to you with St. Paul: "Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God" as those who tend towards charity and are dear to the Lord the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience bearing with one another1." And how right St. Paul is! He who is humble does not consider himself as the only one who is perfect, he is not exacting towards others, he does not lay stress on the weaknesses of his neighbour in order to criticise them with malignity and hardness; he has not that "bitter zeal " which, arising in the soul from the sense of one's own perfection, so easily becomes imperious and intransigeant. As patience is the daughter of humility, so pride often gives birth to impatience 2.

"I therefore beseech you," St. Paul says again, “that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, with all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity, careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace 3.

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The reason the great Apostle gives for these earnest exhortations is that we are all one in Christ, that we are all members, one of another in the Mystical Body of Jesus we ought therefore to bear with one another, thus imitating our Head, the Lord Jesus, Who gave His life for each one of us; so that by this charity which makes us to be of one mind, we may, with one mouth, glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ".

Thus bearing with one another, we shall fulfil, in its plenitude, all the law of Christ: Alter alterius ONERA portate, et SIC ADIMPLEBITIS legem Christi 5.

This humble and patient charity, which is "the bond of perfection," is at the same time the source, for us, of God's gifts it brings us in abundance that most excellent gift of our common vocation the peace of Christ": Caritatem

1. Col III, 12-13. 2. This is what the Eternal Father several times repeated to St Catherine of Siena. See Dialogue, Passim and especially where it treats of Obedience. 3. Eph. IV, 2-3; Cf. 32 à I Thess. v, 14: Patientes estote ad omnes. 4. Cf. Rom. xv, 1-7. 5. Gal. vI, 2.

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habete, quod est vinculum perfectionis, et pax Christi exsultet in cordibus vestris, in qua et vocati estis in uno corpore1.

IV.

To respect and patience, St. Benedict adds promptitude in rendering mutual service; he would have emulation in this matter: Obedientiam sibi certatim impendant 2. This is the faithful echo of St. Paul's counsel: "By charity of the spirit serve one another": Per caritatem Spiritus servite invicem 3 And again: "Let every one of you please his neighbour unto good, to edification," Unusquisque vestrum proximo sua placeat in bonum 4.

Naturally, this is not a question of orders properly so called, nor demands which might be against the commands of the Superiors, but of small services of which each may have need. In such a matter, we must be very generous. God looks with pleasure upon a soul that forgets itself to think of its neighbour: this is what St. Benedict wishes. 'Let no one follow what seemeth good for himself, but what seemeth good for another": Nullus quod sibi utile judicat sequatur, sed quod magis alio 5. It is the precept of the Apostle to the Philippians: “Each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men's ": Non quae suae singuli considerantes sed ea quae aliorum. To think more of our neighbour, of his interests, his satisfaction and his joy, than of ourselves is the unequivocal sign of true charity for to act in this way, not once, not ten times, but always, under every circumstance, towards all our brethren without distinction, one must love God truly; a like love of the neighbour requires too much abnegation to be sustained for long for his own sake: it can only be so if it is born of God. Therefore charity towards the neighbour is given by Jesus in person as the special sign of God's presence in the soul. This is what St. Gregory wrote to St. Augustine of Canterbury whom he had sent to preach Christ to the pagans of Great Britain. Augustine had addressed to the holy pontiff an account of the marvels God wrought by his hands for the conversion of these pagans: Think

1. Col. III, 41-15.2. Rule, ch. LXXII. — 3. Gal. v, 13.- 4. Rom. xv, 2. 5. Rule, ch. LXXII. St Anselm wrote the same to his disciples: "Let the love that you have for one another cause you to live in peace and concord; and in order to cherish this love let each study to do the will of others rather than his own": Ad invicem pacem et concordiam per mutuam dilectionem habete, quam dilectionem sic nutrire et servare poteritis si unusquisque non ut alius suam, sed ut ipse alterius voluntatem faciat studuerit. Epistol. 49, L.III, P. L. 159, col. So-81. 6. Philip. II, 4.

that the gift of miracles is not given thee for thyself," the great Pope replied to him, "but for those whose salvation is entrusted to thee. There are miracles wrought by the reprobate, and we know not if we are of the number of the elect. God has given us only one sign whereby to recognise His elect it is that we love one another1.

What indeed is charity? It is the love of God enfolding in a single embrace God and all that is united to Him: the Humanity of Christ, and, in Christ, all the members of His Mystical Body. Christ is afflicted in the afflicted, He suffers in those who suffer, He is sad in those overwhelmed with sadness. Are not these the words of Infallible Truth: "As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me 2"? In becoming incarnate, Our Lord took upon Himself all our infirmities: Vere languores nostros ipse tulit3. In ministering to these infirmities, it is Himself to Whom we minister 4.

The lives of the Saints are full of traits verifying this teaching. St. Gregory the Great recounts to us the history of the monk Martyrius who met upon his way a leper weighed down with misery and exhaustion. Martyrius wrapped the sick man in his cloak and carried him upon his shoulders as far as the monastery. But, behold, the leper appeared as Christ Himself Who, before disappearing from the monk's gaze blessed him in saying: "Martyrius, thou hast not been ashamed of Me upon earth, and I will not be ashamed of thee in Heaven 5.

So St. Gertrude, that worthy daughter of St. Benedict, showed inexhaustible charity throughout her life. It is related that during the last days of Holy Week, her soul remained so united to Christ, Whose sorrowful mysteries were then being renewed, that it became almost impossible for her to tear away her thoughts from Jesus and apply

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1. Epistol. xxvIII, lib. XI, P. L. 77, 1140-1141. 2. Matth. xxv, 40. 3. Isa. LIII, 4. 4. 'You cannot render Me any service, God said to St Catherine of Siena, "but you can come to the help of your neighbour, and if you seek the glory and salvation of souls, it is the proof that I dwell in your heart by grace. The soul enamoured of My truth, allows itself no rest while ever seeking to succour others. It is impossible for you to render Me personally the love I exact, but I have given you your neighbour that you may be enabled to do for him what you could not do for Me: to love him disinterestedly, without looking for any gratitude or any advantage from him. I then consider as done to Myself what you do for your neighbour. Dialogue, ch. VII, LXIV, LXXXIX. Our Lord several times used the same language in speaking to St Mechtilde; cf. The Book of Special Grace, 2nd Part, ch. 41 and 4th Part, ch. 49. 5. Hom. in Evangel. lib. II homil. 39. P. L. 76, 1300. See an analogous trait in the life of St Wandrille. (D. Besse, S. Wandrille, pp. 38-40). — 6. The Herald of Divine Love, b. IV, ch. 25.