[1] Albert,
called by God’s favour
to be Patriarch of the Church of Jerusalem, bids
health in the Lord and
the blessing of the Holy Spirit
to his beloved sons in Christ,
B. and the other hermits under obedience to him,
who live near the spring on Mount Carmel.
[2] Many and varied are the ways
in which our saintly forefathers laid down
how everyone,
whatever his station
or the kind of religious observance he has chosen,
should live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ
— how, pure in heart and steadfast in conscience,
he must be unswerving in the service of the Master.
[3] It is to me, however,
that you have come for a rule of life
in keeping with your avowed purpose,
a rule you may hold fast to henceforward;
and therefore:
[4] The first thing I require
is for you to have a Prior, one of yourselves,
who is to be chosen for the office
by common consent,
or that of the greater and maturer part of you.
Each of the others must promise him obedience
— of which, once promised,
he must try to make his deed the true reflection —
and also
chastity and
the renunciation of ownership.
[5] If the Prior and brothers see fit,
you may have foundations in solitary places,
or where you are given a site
that is suitable and convenient
for the observance proper to your Order.
[6] Next, each one of you is
to have a separate cell,
situated as the lie of the land
you propose to occupy may dictate,
and allotted by disposition of the Prior
with the agreement of the other brothers,
or the more mature among them.
[7] However, you are to eat
whatever may have been given you
in a common refectory,
listening together meanwhile to a reading
from Holy Scripture
where that can be done without difficulty.
[8] None of the brothers is to occupy a cell
other than that allotted to him,
or to exchange cells with another,
without leave of whoever is Prior at the time.
[9] The Prior’s cell should stand
near the entrance to your property,
so that he may be the first to meet those
who approach,
and whatever has to be done in consequence
may all be carried out as he may decide or order.
[10] Each one of you is to
stay in his own cell or nearby,
pondering the Lord’s law day and night and
keeping watch at his prayers
unless attending to some other duty.
[11] Those who know
how to say the canonical hours with those in orders
should do so,
in the way those holy forefathers of ours laid down,
and according to the Church’s approved custom.
Those who do not know the hours
must say twenty-five ‘Our Fathers’
for the night office,
except on Sundays and solemnities
when that number is to be doubled
so that the ‘Our Father’ is said fifty times;
the same prayer must be said seven times
in the morning in place of Lauds,
and seven times too for each of the other hours,
except for Vespers
when it must be said fifteen times.
[12] None of the brothers must lay claim to anything
as his own,
but you are to possess everything in common;
and each one is to receive from the Prior
— that is from the brother he appoints
for the purpose —
whatever befits his age and needs.
[13] You may have as many asses and mules
as you need, however, and
may keep a certain amount of livestock or poultry.
[14] An oratory should be built
as conveniently as possible among the cells,
where, if it can be done without difficulty,
you are to gather each morning to hear Mass.
[15] On Sundays too, or other days if necessary,
you should discuss matters
of discipline and your spiritual welfare;
and on this occasion
the indiscretions and failings of the brothers,
if any be found at fault,
should be lovingly corrected.
[16] You are to fast every day, except Sunday,
from the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
until Easter Day,
unless bodily sickness or feebleness,
or some other good reason,
demand a dispensation from the fast;
for necessity overrides every law.
[17] You are to abstain from meat,
except as a remedy for sickness or feebleness.
But as, when you are on a journey,
you more often than not
have to beg your way,
outside your own houses,
you may eat foodstuffs
that have been cooked with meat,
so as to avoid giving trouble to your hosts.
At sea, however, meat may be eaten.
[18] Since man’s life on earth
is a time of trial,
and all who would live devotedly in Christ
must undergo persecution,
and the devil your foe is on the prowl
like a roaring lion
looking for prey to devour,
you must use every care
to clothe yourselves in God’s armor
so that you may be ready
to withstand the enemy’s ambush.
[19] Your loins are to be girt
with chastity,
your breast fortified
by holy meditations,
for as Scripture has it,
holy meditation will save you.
Put on holiness as your breastplate,
and it will enable you to love
the Lord your God
with all your heart and soul and strength,
and
your neighbor as yourself.
Faith must be your shield on all occasions,
and with it you will be able to quench
all the flaming missiles of the wicked one:
there can be no pleasing God without faith;
and the victory lies in this — your faith.
On your head
set the helmet of salvation,
and so be sure of deliverance
by our only Saviour,
Who sets his own
free from their sins.
The sword of the spirit,
the word of God,
must abound in your mouths and hearts.
Let all you do
have the Lord’s word for accompaniment.
[20] You must give yourselves to work of some kind,
so that the devil may always find you busy;
no idleness on your part
must give him a chance
to pierce the defences of your souls.
In this respect you have both
the teaching and the example
of Saint Paul the Apostle,
into whose mouth Christ put his own words.
God made him preacher and teacher
of faith and truth to the nations:
with him as your leader
you cannot go astray.
"We lived among you", he said,
"labouring and weary, toiling night and day
so as not to be a burden to any of you;
not because we had no power to do otherwise
but so as to give you, in our own selves,
as an example you might imitate.
For the charge we gave you
when we were with you was this:
that whoever is not willing to work
should not be allowed to eat either.
For we have heard
that there are certain restless idlers among you.
We charge people of this kind,
and implore them
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that they earn their own bread by silent toil.
This is the way of holiness and goodness:
see that you follow it.
[21] The Apostle would have us keep silence,
for in silence he tells us to work.
As the Prophet also makes known to us:
Silence is the way to foster holiness.
Elsewhere he says:
Your strength will lie in silence and hope.
For this reason I lay down
that you are to keep silence
from after Compline
until after Prime the next day.
At other times,
although you need not keep silence so strictly,
be careful not to indulge
in a great deal of talk,
for, as Scripture has it
— and experience teaches us no less —
Sin will not be wanting
where there is much talk,
and He who is careless in speech
will come to harm;
and elsewhere:
The use of many words
brings harm to the speaker’s soul.
And our Lord says in the Gospel:
Every rash word uttered
will have to be accounted for on judgment day.
Make a balance then, each of you,
to weigh his words in;
keep a tight rein on your mouths,
lest you should stumble and fall in speech,
and your fall be irreparable and prove mortal.
Like the Prophet
watch your step
lest your tongue give offence, and
employ every care in keeping silent,
which is the way to foster holiness.
[22] Your brother B.,
and whoever may succeed you as Prior,
must always keep in mind and put into practice
what our Lord said in the Gospel:
"Whoever has a mind
to become a leader among you
must make yourself servant to the rest, and
whichever of you would be first
must become your bondsman.
[23] You other brothers too,
hold your Prior in humble reverence,
your minds not on him
but on Christ
Who has placed him over you, and
Who, to those who rule the Churches,
addressed these words:
Whoever pays you heed
pays heed to Me, and
whoever treats you with dishonor
dishonors Me;
if you remain so minded
you will not be found guilty of contempt,
but will merit life eternal
as fit reward for your obedience.
[24] Here are the few points I have written down
to provide you with a standard of conduct
to live up to;
but our Lord, at His second coming,
will reward anyone
who does more than he is obliged to do.
See that the bounds of discretion
are not exceeded, however,
for discretion is the guide of the virtues.
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