In Chapter 60, St. Benedict discusses the reception of a priest who desires to entire the monastic community. Priestly ministry in a parish is very different from living as a priest in our community. The necessity for living in humility and under authority is ever before the monastic. In a parish, the priest is the spiritual father of the community where he serves. His bishop visits on occasion, but episcopal duties are demanding, and the priest is entrusted with great autonomy. This is not so in the monastic community. The Abbot is ever near, and the priest is always under that present authority. The priest is not autonomous, but merely another brother in the community. Priestly duties are practiced only through the permission of the Abbot. This is a difficult path for a parish priest. However, this chapter considers a different kind of priest. Here St. Benedict offers instruction on discerning the call to ordained ministry by one who has first practiced the disciplines of monastic living.
It is a beautiful thing when one realizes the call to ordained vocation. However, one does not choose the call. The call chooses them. Usually, the Abbot and the community discern the calling on another’s life. This is why we select brothers and sisters who are gifted in the area of discernment to walk with the candidate through prayer and conversation. That group advise the Abbot with that which they have discerned. The Abbot also walks with the aspirant to discern what God is placing on the candidate’s heart. There is great need for this period of conversation and prayer. The responsibilities being considered are insurmountable without the grace of God. The consequences are eternal for both the aspirant and those who receive his care.
Our Saint’s words offer caution to Abbot and the one who aspires to Holy Orders. He cautions against pride. The Abbot must carefully consider his recommendation of Holy Orders for anyone in the community. What motivates the aspirant toward priestly ministry? Is this an authentic calling, or prideful desire? Is the spiritual strength of the candidate sufficient to resist temptation for personal recognition and authority? These are a few things the Abbot must consider.
What about the aspirant? The concerns are the same as above. He must prayerfully discern, with a group of others, the source of this desire. Calling, from the Greek word Kaleoholds a deeper meaning than often seen in the English. Kaleodemands the complete surrender and submission of personal desires, goals, and plans to the desires, goals, and plans of the one who calls. The aspiring monastic who desires Holy Orders of deacon or priest, must discern their ability and willingness to surrender to Christ even more than they did when the first vowed to monastic life. To do less will live room in the heart for pride. St. Benedict describes the evidence of such pride as rebellion against authority, independence against the structure of the community, and ignorance of The Rule. When such behavior is seen, the priest must be warned. If there is no personal correction, then discipline must be invoked. Finally, if the priest refuses correction then he must be dismissed from the monastery. These actions are always sad, and most are avoidable by carefully discerning the heart before proceeding toward ordination.
