Letter 6

From: Desiderius of Cahors, bishop To: Abbot Bertrand Date: ~642 AD Context: Desiderius writes to the abbot of a monastery in his diocese on questions of monastic life and the proper interpretation of the Rule. To my beloved son in Christ, the Abbot Bertrand, greetings in the Lord, Your letter raised several questions about the Rule and its application in your community that I want to address thoughtfully rather than briefly. On the question of the balance between manual labor and divine office: the Rule of Benedict is quite clear that both are necessary components of monastic life, and that neither should be allowed to overwhelm the other. A monastery where the demands of agricultural work crowd out the canonical hours is not following the Rule; a monastery where the hours are observed but the community has no food to eat because no one is working the fields is not following it either. The abbot's job is to maintain the balance, adjusting for the specific circumstances of the community and the season. On the question of the novices who find the community life very difficult: difficulty in the early stages of monastic life is normal and should not be taken as a sign that the novice is unsuitable for monastic vocation. What matters is not whether the novice finds it hard but whether the difficulties are producing growth or simply producing misery. An honest conversation with each novice about how the life is going is essential. On the specific case of the older novice you mention: given what you describe, I think you should receive him. A man who arrives at fifty knowing what he is asking for and why is often more seriously committed than a young man who arrives at twenty with no real understanding of what he has undertaken. Your father in God, Desiderius