Chapter 3: Summoning the Brothers for Counsel

Previously, we looked at the qualities of a good abbot: he is pragmatic and situational, and he demonstrates how to be a good monk. Here in chapter three, Benedict expands upon the nature of the abbot's guidance when it comes to decision-making. 

Benedict says that, when “anything important is to be done in the monastery, ”the abbot must first“ call the whole community together ”to “hear the advice of the brothers” (3.1-2). This is surprising. We might imagine that, when making important decisions, only the leaders would be summoned, only the most senior monks. What value is there in the opinion of a newly-arrived monk? 

And yet, for Benedict, it is just the opposite. Meetings with senior monks are best left for the “less important business of the monastery” (3.12). The weightier decisions–the decisions that might affect the destiny of the monastery –must be made in consultation with all. 

There is something deep here, something supernatural. Indeed, in making decisions, it is the abbot’s responsibility to listen for the voice of the Lord. But the places Jesus says he will be heard are not among those who are senior. Rather, Jesus says that the truly important things have been hidden from the wise and made known to the “little ones” (Mt 11:25). It is in this spirit that Benedict insists that all the monks must be present: “the Lord often reveals what is better to the younger” (3.3). 

This is the classic reversal of Christianity: in Jesus’ kingdom,“the last will be first, and the first last” (Mt 20:16). This is Jesus inviting “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” rather than those who can repay him to banquet with him (Lk 14). This is Jesus’s insistence that it is the poor who are blessed, that the meek will inherit the earth (Mt 5). 

Benedict’s point is that if you want to follow the Lord, you must find him in the humble places. For Benedict, you cannot make wise decisions without humility. 

Benedict’s Rule applies outside the monastery. I think of bosses who manage their employees, of parents who guide their households, of bishops who guide their dioceses. This is not just about how abbots make good decisions. This is about how everyone makes good decisions. 

In our own lives, we might think that, when something important comes up –something that can change the destiny of the family, or the business, or the parish –we must convene with the senior figures involved. 

And that is true; of course. But, in order to be truly wise, we must also hear the little ones–those who are not normally heard. Perhaps even the very young child can show her father whether or not he should move his family, or take that job, or start that project. Perhaps even the least employee can show the CEO where she has missed the mark. 

Benedict’s point is actually quite revolutionary. It is as revolutionary as Jesus’s point. One cannot be wise without hearing from the little ones. One cannot be wise without hearing from all.