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Longer Rules

St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925

Rule 34: The Character of Those Who Administer the Necessities of Life in the Brotherhood

Among those who distribute the necessities of life within the monastery there should by all means be some in each rank who can imitate those men in the Acts who did what is there said, namely: “Distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need”¹; men who will bestow much thought to be considerate and long-suffering to all, and not to incur suspicion of favouritism or partiality towards any, according to the commandment of the apostle who said: “Doing nothing by partiality”²; nor of contentiousness, which the same writer rejects as inappropriate in Christians, saying: “But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the Churches of God.”³ The result of such conduct is that they deprive those with whom they have a contention of the necessities of life, and give an excess to those to whom they are partial. In the one case we get hatred of the brethren, in the other favouritism, which is to be specially condemned because through it the loving unity of the brotherhood is torn asunder, and in its place enter evil suspicions, jealousies, strifes, and shrinkings from work.

Wherefore on account of what has been said, and for many other similar reasons, it is essential that those who distribute necessaries to the brotherhood should be free absolutely from favouritism and contention. Indeed they ought to be conscious of such a disposition in themselves and to show such zeal—both they and those that perform the other works for the service of the brethren—as if they were serving not men but the Lord Himself, Who of His great goodness reckons as done unto Himself the honour and zeal shown to those who are dedicated to Him, and promises in return an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. For He says: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me.”⁴ And on the other hand we must recognise the peril of negligence, remembering the words: “Cursed is he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently.”⁵ Because not only are they ejected from the kingdom, but also they receive the horrible and fearful sentence of the Lord pronounced against such men: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.”⁶ But if they who give the care and service find so great gain from their zeal and expect so great condemnation from neglect, how must those who receive the service strive to prove themselves worthy of the title of brethren of the Lord? As the Lord teaches, saying: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, he is alike my brother and sister and mother.”⁷

For whoever has not made the will of God his aim all through his life, so that in health he displays the labour of love by his diligence in the works of the Lord, and in sickness he shows all patience and long-suffering with joy, he is in danger—first and foremost because he is alienated from the Lord and the lot of his brethren, having cut himself off because he does not do the will of God; and secondly, because he dares to partake unworthily of the things prepared for the Saints. Wherefore it is necessary in this also to remember the apostle’s words: “Working together with him we intreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain”⁸; and necessary too that those who have been called to be brethren of the Lord insult not such grace of God nor betray so great a dignity by neglecting the will of God, but rather hearken to the same apostle as he says: “I the prisoner in the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye were called.”⁹

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