Second in the "Hard Sayings of St. Benedict" series of conference. This presentation was given by Sister Paule Pierre Barbeau

1. Benedictine Oblates
St. Scholastica Monastery
Duluth, Minnesota
9 October 2016
Hard Sayings of Benedict:
Errant Yet Redeemable

2. Agenda
• Introductions
• Mid-Day Prayer
– Luke 15:11-24
• Announcements
• Conference
• Discussion
• Closing Prayer
• Refreshments

3. Announcements
• Retreat: Praying in Color, Oct. 22, Monastery
• Retreat: Mary Within Us, Oct. 22, McCabe
• Transcultural Healthcare among Diverse
Cultures, Oct. 27-28, Mitchell
• The Diary of Anne Frank, Oct. 28-30,
Nov. 3-6, Little Theatre
• Emeritus College on Oct. 31: S. Amata
• Growing Up Black in Urban America with
James Forman, Jr., Nov. 15, Mitchell
• David Haas in Concert, Nov. 18, Mitchell
• NAABOD Oblate Conference this summer!

4. THE MIDDLE AGES
Putting Things in Perspective

5. The “Civil” Side of Things
• One of the most violent eras in
history
• 6th C Italy – Rome was disintegrating
– Benedict c. 480-547
• Only way to keep order was for
people to be scared of punishment –
fines, shaming, mutilation, death
• Methods of punishment/torture were
particularly barbaric and incredibly
varied
Brazen Bull by Pierre Woeiriot - Unknown, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=562613

6. Types of Punishment
• Fines
• Shaming
– Stocks
– (Partial) Crucifixion
• Torture
– Wheel
– Burning
– Crucifixion
– Rack
– Flagellation
• Ordeals
– Fire
– Water
– Combat
By Unknown - Internet Archive, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46968208

7. http://www.zmescience.com/other/crime-and-punishment-through-the-ages/

8. http://www.zmescience.com/other/crime-and-punishment-through-the-ages/

9. The Church
3rd C.
Sacrament can be
received multiple times
Degrees of Penitents
- Weeping
- Listeners
- Prostrate
- Standing
EAST
Readmission into Church
on Recommendation of martyrs (monks)
Private Forms of Penance
3rd C.
Uniform Practice of
Public Penance
WEST
4th C.
Decline
- Too harsh
- Serious sins forgivable
only once after Baptism
Penitents were looked upon as monks*
5th C.
Barbarian Invasions
- Further stimulated detailed & stringent
penal Codes because Church was more
to be able to bring about law and order
* Conversi – pious laypersons who associated themselves with
a monastery and continued to live their own life
• Precursor to lay brothers and oblates

10. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT
Corrective Legislation

11. Benedict’s “Penal Code”
• RB 23-30 and 44 (28 other throughout)
• Main motivation was spiritual
– Not concerned with civil law and order
– The Christian life lived in the monastery and founded in
Scripture
• What page, what passage of the inspired books of the Old and
New Testaments is not based on the truest of guides for human
life? What book of the holy catholic Fathers does not
resoundingly summon us along the true way to reach the Creator?
(RB 73.3-4)
• No canonical status

12. Theology of Excommunication
• RB 23.2 Monastic discipline should be “in
accord with our Lord’s injunction.”
– “as a gentile and tax collector.” (Mt 18:15-17)
• Admonitions (2 in secret, 4 for priors)
• Degrees of Excommunication
– Common table (lighter faults)
– Participation in Divine Office (RB 24)
– Oratory and associating with community
members (serious faults – RB 25)
– Expulsion from community
• May return and be expulsed three times

13. Excommunicated Monk
• RM - not a brother, but a heretic, not
a son of God, but a demon’s
workman
• RB – delinquent brother, never a
heretic
– Moral rather than dogmatic view
– Sinner but not necessarily a heretic
– Loving concern for the sinner is
foremost duty of Christian (Prol. 36-38)
– Isolation from community hopefully
leads to repentance and serves as a
reminder of the final judgment
(RB 25.3)

14. Table and Prayer
• His parents said this because they
were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews
had already agreed that anyone who
confessed Jesus to be the
Messiah would be put out of the
synagogue. (Jn 9:22)
• Do not even eat with such a one.
(1 Cor 5:11)
• Excommunication is foretaste of
eternal exclusion from community of
saved

15. Corporal Punishment
Warnings
Excommunication
Corporal Punishment
Wise Physician Prayers
Expulsion from Monastery
Boys <15 y

16. Specific Faults
• Eating
– Timely
• Priest-monk
– Canonical status – under Bishop
• Good order/conduct
– More severe than chastisement
– Not anyone can do this
• Satisfaction & amendment
– Interior & exterior attitude of humility

17. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT
Care and Concern

18. Theology of Caring
• RB 27.2-3 He ought to use every skill
of a wise physician and send in
senpectae… under under the cloak of
secrecy, may support the wavering
brother… and console him lest he be
overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
(2 Cor 2:7)
• RB 27.4 Rather… let love for him be
reaffirmed (2 Cor 2:8) and let all pray
for him.

19. Caring Abbot
• For excommunicated and sick RB 27
– He should realize that he has
undertaken care of the sick, not tyranny
over the healthy. (RB 27.6)

20. Caring Cellarer
• For brothers (RB 31.6-7)
– He should not annoy the brothers.
• For sick, children, guests, and poor
(RB 31.9)
• For poor and pilgrims (RB 53.15)

21. The Good Shepherd
• Goes beyond charity
• Repentance of the offender
– With genuine conversion of heart
• Forgiveness by the community
– Promote the salvation of “weak” brother
• It is the image of the Good Shepherd
who wants and needs to save the one
lost sheep
The Good Shepherd by Bernhard Plockhorst - public domain,
originally published before 1923 in UK and USA., Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15815736

23. The Return of the Prodigal Son
by Pompeo Batoni - [1], Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.
php?curid=4628046