Benedict of Nursia: His Message for Today 2001011078

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B e n e d ic t o f N u r s ia His Message for Today

BENEDICT OF NURSIA

Benedict of Nursia His Message for 7'oday

A n s e lm G r u n , c' . s . k .

Translated by Linda M . M aloney

LITUR GICA L PRESS

Co Ilegevilit, Minnesota www litpress.orR

Cover design l>\ Paviil Manalian. n. Ulnstratson: Fresco t't Hmc-virtut bv rielro Annigsmi at Monte C js s ih o . Itulv

Ortpjtuilly pnbJislicd as Ibnatikt uvi Ntiusiu: seine JM&'ha/f /iiMrfr- no 7 in Hu* series Ministersc)iwur/rnIicr kleinvhrilten. edited In the mutiks. ot llif Abbey of Miinstersr1nvaiv.»ii h. i; by Vrcr-Ttmtic limbi t. Verl.ij*. U-driS)3 Ministers* hwarzavh Abler. All rights reserved transl.rteil lj‘o:!i Use seventh revised .uni updated edition of 2004 ■ €• 200& by Order ol >aiut Benedict. Collegcvnle. Minnesota. Ml 1 ighls reserved No pml ol' tins book may be reproduced in any form by print imej-ofllm microfiche mechanical recording.. photocopy-mi*, translation or i>v am otlier means, known or yet unknown, tor any purpose except brief quotations in reviews without I he previ­ ous written permission of itmgKnl Press, Saint lolm's Ahbcv. l’.O. Him* 7500 Colkgevillv Minnesota ">63 2 1-7500. Printed in tin* United States of America. ISbNi orts-o-d 146- 5077-1 Ie-book I I'hr Library oi Congress bus cataloged Uie printed edition as lollows;

Library of I'ottgress Cot alog-in Publication Data Grim. Anselm |HcnediM von Niitsia f |Q7dt Fngbshl benedict ot Ntirsu : ins message tor to*My Ansel::'. Grim ; trans­ lated by I uula \1, \1.tk'nf\ p. cm. bn Judes biliJiojiraphk al reJcreiucs

ISbN -ij- 0 7tf-0-it14(>-20 JO-9 ipbk. . alk paper) LSHN-IO. 0-HV5 ipbk. : alk. paper) L benedict. Saint. Abbot ol' Monte Cassini' AbK*t o: Monlc C v«**u k ' - llc^ula I. Idle. PRI72l>.^4SC.7?l i 27 V U>2—vii'22

2 Benedict. .Spirit.

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2001011078

Contents Introduction

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l Benedict Himself

7

.......................................................

'(1

II. Benedict’s Message I iving in the Presence ul God

............................. 21

Ora cl labors—Prayer and W o r k ........................................... 30 Dift'rvffo—TJie Gil l oJ Discernment................................... 35 Pax bencdictinf \nr$i,]

in which God speak* Id rue now. concretcJv, in my present situation. The distance in time between God's speaking in the Bible and . un-selves does not exist, for Benedict The words of Script un- are words spoken to us by the God who is present to us today. It is a question of living with and from God's word. With this word God means to illuminate for us tin- concrete events and problems o f the day and to let us experience the di­ vine presence again and again in the course of our daily lives. When, fur example, wc are in a meeting in which the emo­ tions and aggressions o f the participants get in the way o f a substantial conversation, and we remember the words Benedict cites in the Prologue: ’Here | am " (Isa God's very self will be present in the midst of this hopelessly derailed conver­ sation God brings another dimension into the poisoned rttitin sphere of the meeting, changing the situation by letting us. through the experience of’ divine presence, believe in a solution, in spite of the stubbornness and narrowmindedness of the par­ ticipants clod's presence relativizes the present state of things and enables us to see the situation from a higher point o f view God's presence is not something that is always the same; it is not like an impersonal space that sill rounds us. Instead, it is like j trusted person who addresses us in ever now ways. O f course. fin benedict, Gnd is also the Spirit who dwells within us and is ever-present to us^But we do not melt into God. We are not dissolved in uod Instead, God always approaches us as a partner, as someone who cfiallenges us. Depending on the situation and the word with which God addresses us. God 3l' ways encounters us in a new and often surprising ivay~jVVhen we sit silently, alone in our mom we find God in the words "Here 1 am ” differently than when wc recall thosi words in the midst of a quarrel with another person, but we never ex­ perience God as .1 vague atmosphere of (tie divine, we encoun­ ter God always as a person who confronts and challenges us. God wauls to change us through the word; God wants to free us from our wrong attitudes and. in the divine word, to rill us with Ihe divine Spirit

J in?vJ

the JYcsrm enf £»•(/ 35

In the c hapter on ’"Humility** Benedict shows that the in­ ternal purification process o f the monastic is put in motion by the weird of God f le describes the monastic's spiritual path in terms of twelve stages of humility, bach stage of this path is hencled by a saying from Scripture. The monastic is to practice each of the attitudes demanded bv this stepwise path to God by repenting o passage from the word o f God. Thus at the second stage she or he is to keep in mind the words: "f have come not to do m y own will, but the will of him who sent me" (John 6:38). At the sixth stage she or lie is to say to everything that is assigned: 1 was stupid and ignorant; I was like j brute beast toward you Nevertheless I am Continually with you - (Ps 72|7:J|:22-J.t) The word of God does not simply tell me what 1am to do: if transforms me. working in me what d says When Benedict has the monastic say m the face of what is hard and unfavor­ able: J^No. in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved usjfR om 8.37: KB 7 39). these words help him or her to cope with the excessive demand not Id Inbroken or embittered by- it. but to overcome it. trusting in the Lord and his presence, for benedict, spiritual life is essentially life in the presence o f Cod, living out of the word of God. Those who again and again allow themselves to be addressed by the word of God will be transformed more and more into what the word expresses: they will be freed from their narrowness and self-love and filled with God's Spirit, rhe monastic's asceticism consists m permitting oneself to be transformed by the present God and God's- word, and thus to grow more and more deeply into the love of Christ. 1he idea of living in the presence o f God shapes Benedict's instructions on prayei. Because God is the one who speaks lo us. we must fitst open ourselves to clod's word, allow our­

20

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selves lo he addressed. f'liis happens wlu*n God s word is read Nowadays wc are in danger nf avoiding this stance c>f bring addressed, we think we must ourselves constantly produce prayers and do not notice how wordy our prayers have he­ roine. Or we retreat into silence, fleeing from word into word­ lessness, thinking that enjoyment ot silence is the same thing as encounter with God. I irst comes the word ol God that addresses me. touches me, tails me into question, wounds and judges me, hut also heals and trees me. Roth prayer and silence can only he an answer lo God's word and rna\ not precede it thus IVnedict requires that prayer should be frequent, blit short. In it the monastu is lo respond to the word o f God and express his or her readiness to follow God's demands with deeds. Thus wt find in Benedict's Rule no teaching nil mystical prayer, but very sober instruction lo open one's daily life to God again and again ill every situation. What is crucial is not our doing, but living before Liv'd, m God's presence, listening to God's word that addresses us and show's ns llie way. In prayer the monastic responds that she or he lias heard God's word atid is now ready to follow it hill living in the presence ot God does not mean constantly thinking about God. That would split us internally and be too much for us. Rather, it is a matter o f opening oneself to a reality, surrendering outsell u> the God who surrounds one. Thus practicing the presence o f God does not consist of lrain­ ing in concentration, but on the contrary, ol relaxing, letting oneself rest in the reality of God, in whom we move and are. Therefore t his practice must be carried out not so much in the head as in the body. Our hearts arc to rest in the God who is present: our behav­ ior. our posture, our way o f speaking, standing, and walking, our internal collectedness m everything we do should witness to the experience ot the God who is present. Benedict does not hesitate to write even about how to speak and to give concrete instructions for posture:

Lii ing in the Vrtstnee of'liod

27

Tiic eleventh Step of lumiilirv is that a monk sprjks gently and without laughter sernnisH aiut with becoming modesty, bridlv and reasonably. but will tout raising his voice as it is written: "A wise man is known lie his tow words."1

The experience of the presence nt CnkJ affects even thr voile and the attitude of body: llie twelfth step of humility is that a monk always manifests humility in tiis bearing no less chan in Ins heart, so liial it is evident al the Work of Cod in tlu*•oratory. Die monastery or the garden, on a journey or in the held. 01 anywhere else. Whether lie sits walks or stands, his head must br bowed and his ev es cost down '

Living in the presence of God, according to Benedict, shapes l all realms of human life, prayer, work, interaction with crea­ tion. and relationships to other people. Telkncsliip/' that great slogam if our tinny was for Benedict no* out radict ion toTTQevout love of God Tile Social dimension is always already reli giou.s, for in the brother as in tile sister we encounter Christ 11 imsi-lf Faith in God is maJe l oncrcle for Renetlui in a be]jc| in the good yore o f the fellow humanjieiug. 1 hcreforc faith is expressed iu a.new wn\ of being with one .mother. Thai, for Benedict, is the basis o f true humanity.- It is not an uplifting ideal, but reality that confronts us again and again in dailysituations. Thus Benedict says in the chapter on the monastic counsel that the abbot is to call all the brothers to counsel be­ cause "tlie Lord often reveals what is better to the younger”1' For Benedict, then, it is dear that the Lord speaks to us through people, that he can speak to us through anyone, even a younger person who may have less experience and knowledge. Benedict did not write any uplifting thoughts about the encounter with Christ in the brother; he simply lakes it for * Rb 7.60-61. ' Kit 7.62-6i ••RH A.A

2B

itah'iiu'i of \nr$iU\i /mi*r.Vlatt 1~t K>i .iiiil. t-V'/rdf run did for one of these /r.isf ismihi»5_u»f drd/iv me i\litt 23:*H>i.r

The tact that the instructions in tin1Rrhe, vvJnch for long stretches are very down-to-earUi. arc* repeatedly interrupted In such reasoning shows that Benedict lives entirely through faith in the presence of Christ in tin- brother anti sister. It is a faith that is not reserved for unusual .situations, but is to he lived m daily life, a laith that marks our ordinary dealings with one another This is still clearer when Benedict speaks of the reception of guests: .Ml guests ivIn.' present themselves aiv to he welcomed as Christ, tor lie himself will say: I teas a stranger ami mu uvfm/wd ciecMalt 23:J.r>) *

Indeed., one ought to how the head before them or throw oneself on Ihe ground "Christ is to be adored because lie is indeed welcomed in them.'"' When Benedict writes that guests should never be absent from the monastery. Ilia! it is thus an ordinary daily affair that guests should come, it is dear how iailli in the presence o f Christ in the brother and sister shapes the monastic's whole life.,It is true that today we can also tie inspired by this idea lo some edifying actions, hot for the most part it stops w ill• edifying ideas. Fur Benedict, in con­ trast. the presence ofctirisl in the brother and sister is reality, just as real as the fact that work in the kitchen, where food is prepared for and served to the guests, is too much for a single brother Benedict describes the attitude to the guest, in whom Christ encounters us. just as soberly as he does the work in ‘ UK

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Lt\ ing in tin- Presence a/ (rmf 2 d

lhi* guests' kitchen Tlius Benedict could help 1 1 s to be serious about our faith in the presence of Christ in the brother and sister, to approach each other in amt out of tins faith, and to approach interpersonal problems tensions, antipathies, and aggressions out of that faith in the reality o f Christ in the other. We sense that sim­ ply insuperable harriers are built up within us at this point. .And with a good deal o f reason and logic we then always find adequate reasons for not seeing things so simply, for making distinctions, and so on. Benedict speaks out of Ins faith in the presentc o f Cod as if it were the most natural tiling ill the world. And perhaps that can help us to dare, beyond uurclear reasoning, beyond our excuses, to take a step toward reality and to lake the presence of Christ in our brother and sister so seriously that it will shape our attitudes, our behavior, our words, and our views.

ORA ET LABORA— PRAYER AN D W ORK he link between prayer and work—the management of work in light o f prayer—as described by Benedict in his KuL‘ is dn import tint message especially for people today, because many people feel themselves simply overbur­ dened by work. I;vrrvivlien you go. you hear complaints about the stress imposed by work Work appears to alien­ ate people, to irritate them In a countercurrent against over­ work, it seems that many people are trying to leave the work world In their search Cor an alternative lifestyle they are not trying just k> live more simply, but frequently also to work less, sometimes so little that they cannot even earn enough to support their simpler lifestyle. It is especially groups that are seeking a deeper religious experience that frequently believe lhey can only do so 1>v reducing their workload. Benedict sees no contradiction between work and prayer. I Te has the monastics work about five hours a day in winter ami eight hours in summer, enough so that they can earn their own living Blii more crucial than a balanced partner­ ship o f prayer and work is (heir internal connection. Work is to help us to pray well, and prayer is In help us to do our work well. And in the end work, rightly understood, should itself become prayer. Work helps us to pray. In the chapter on manual labor Benedict writes "Idleness is the enemy of the soul- "Therefore. Hie brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as lor pray erful reading ‘ ‘ Work. then, defends against idleness. Thai does nol appear to be much help (o praving, 1XVMli.l

Ora « labora—Pnnrr ami Utvfc

J 1

• and yet behind it lies the following experience: In lheir ntI tempt to live in the presence ot\Wid. monastics contimially rind th.il they attempt to flee from Uiat reality by withdrawing, through imagination, into an illusory world In the world of fantasy it is not God, blit one’s own ego ttiat is in the fore­ ground. .And so Pope Gregory sees il as a sign o f pride when someone "goes walking alone with himself in the broad places of his imagination."- Insofar as work demands my whole at­ tention and ties my thoughts to what 1am doing right now it keeps me from tiering into the illusory world of imagination and helps me to maintain my status as one bound to God The collected state into which a concent rated effort, done without . I haste, brings me thus also deepens my collect edness in prayer, For Benedict prayer lias the lir>t place and only out or prayer can I manage niy work in such a way that it has a posi­ tive effect on my religions life. Prayer relieves us from the load of work Many people never stop working because they see it as too important They ponder over and over whether they have done every tiling correctly, whether they have forgotten any thing, what others would say. whether they will get a good evaluation, and so on. These musings cramp ns internally and put crushing demands on us. In prayer we let go ol work. We hove tried our best while working, but now eve leave it to God to make something o f it. Prayer frees us from too much con­ cern about our work It makes us free to live entirely m the present to be wholly presenl to our work hu.t then to put aside our work so that it no longer occupies us internally Pray er also clarifies the molives that impel us to work. Many problems with our work an.se from the fact that ive have not clarified our molives Feelings of displeasure, feel­ ings of being exploited and overloaded, often have their roots in undnrified motives. When ive hare these feelings before God in prayer wc will discover what is wrong with us. where ivf are refusing to accept something God i*> offering us VVr -1 K M i # ik \ fil.,

r.nrafogM t.Hm.M.Ml'l 11Turn knit Brepols. :0f*7| 7o:74Su

32 Ikmxiu l i>( Stirsiii n il) somel imes realize that we do not want to let ourselves In* challenged by God: instead, vve compare ourselves to oth­ ers and feel disadvantaged instead of surrendering ourselves to what God Jins planned for us. Benedict puts great value on working for pure motives. For him. motivation for work is more important than suc­ cess 1(e writes: It there jrc artisaiw in the monastery, they are to praecii c their craft sv;t?i ml humility. 'nit only with the abbot's permission, fr one of them becomes puffed up b\ ins \lsi Creator. In our work we are it) make the world transparent to the Creator. That only happens when we lis­ ten to Cod's word in tilings to Cod's purpose lor the world, and when we regard the world not as our property, tint as something entrusted to us by God. I he tilings of the world proclaim tlu-jr Creator, and they point to the end-time when everything will hr holy and belong to the Lord It seems to me that benedict's joining of prayer and work is crucially important especially for people today. We cannot simply withdraw from the work world, hut work is also more than a necessary evil without which we could not earn our living When we join prayer and work, then work will also he tor us a place of spiritual life, a place that does not separate us from God but in which we can practice the right attitude toward God: obedience, patience, confidence, trust, selflessness, amt love. 1or many, a flight from work is also a flight from the realities o f life and therefore a flight from God. benedict could teach us to manage our work on the basis of prayer and to see work itself as prayer, in which, ns we work, we place our­ selves before the God who is present to us and permit ourselves to be supported by God even in lhe tiredness of our bodies. When we work mil o f prayer we will si ill gel tired, but we will not tie exhausted. II is a good tiredness. We have the feeling of having done something for God and other people. Lxhaustion, on the other luind c reates emptiness, dissatisfac­ tion. restlessness. In prayer we tome into contact with Hie inner source of the Holy Spirit, which is inexhaustible because it comes forth from God.

DISCRETIO

—

THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT nother of Benedict's characteristics is hL> high esteem tor (/ism'fui, tor the correct assessment, the gift ot diseerninent of spirits. Today liu* religious situation is marked by the tivo pedes o f laxity and rigorism. Hu* many sectarian youth groups, gruesome reports of mass murders of fanatic ad­ herents of sects -these are as alarming as the rapid breakdown of traditions in families and congregations. On the one extreme, many are enthused by rigorous demands and manifestations of religions living, hi contrast. Benedict's discretio con be dismissed as mediocrity. It is true that Benedict's message is hardly likely to evoke waves of enthusiasm. It refrains from exalted ideals in order, through wise moderation, to meet the needs of human beings The preaching of high ideals always runs the risk of ot­ tering peopled way o f identification thal is. at the same time, an invitation to ilee from oneself, since it suggests (light troni one's own negative side Young people especially. who already' suffer from feelings ot infenoritv. expect b\ identifying with a high ideal to achieve an increased sense of sell-worth. In Ihe short run it can even be helpful to identify with a high ideal. It can give stability tu those who are fragile But in the long run it will not lead to maturity, instead, it trill narrow their lives in such a way that they' arc kept m a state of immaturity or are shaUered. In their brokenness, many then throw all ideals overboard and refuse to be inspired by anything again. Benedict did not need to use psychological tricks to bring people into his com m unity. He describes his hopes for mo­ nastic Lite in very sober terms:

A

There fire ivc intend to establish a school for the lord's service, in draivjng up its regulations, we hope in set down nothing

U> Hmedict o f Nursia

harsh, nothing burdensome The good of all eoueerncd how­ ever may prompt us to a little strictness in order lo ciincnd faults oicscl lo safeguard love. Do not be ikmiHcrl immediately' by tear anil nut aivav Irum the road Ih.H leads lo salvation It is hound to In* narrow at tlu* outset What is to lx* souglil after is neither an ideal nor an achieve­ ment; all the instruc tions arc lor Ihe sake ol human bein.es and l heir salvation, for Benedict I hi* locus is oil human be­ ings. They are to hr made whole and find the path to life. Ihe human being is not functionalixrd or subjected to the dictates o f achievement not even religious achievement. Benedict does not call his members to the service ol hod or other people by trumpeting the great works the monastery will achieve. For benedict, such an advertisement would be an orientation to the external, a self-subjection to the standards of achievement. Benedict wants to he fair to human bongs, including and es­ pecially l tie weaker ones. I le accepts people ns they are. includ­ ing the weak. He does not preach a religion of the .strong tie avoids the enthusiasm that can he evoked by exaggeration of demands. He reckons with human weaknesses and wants to lead the weak, also, to life. That requires a jwtli of wise modera­ tion, measured not on self-concocted ideals, but on concrete men and women, but for this very reason Benedic t's instruc­ tion is .in offer of life for very many Benedict does not frighten: he gives courage, he offers a hand up Despite his realism—for tie knows all human weaknesses from his own experience—he remains an optimist who promises especially to the weak, the difficult types, the average, those who are irritated by banal conflicts, that they will find ttie path of life However, diseretio is by no means a simple adaptation to I tie current lifestyle, to the standards and maxims of our so­ ciety It would he a fatal misunderstanding o f Benedict’s in­ tentions to misuse t/ism'lio tojuslify n middle-i lass lifestyle in

Kb Prologw . -»5 48

Hiscretio—7fi* Oil) o f Wxrmmeni J7 lilt* monastery. At any rale, a bourgeois moiiasticism cannot *sjjjH-iil to Benedict tor justification Rather, Benedict sees t/iscrelio as the virtue o f arranging all things in such .1 wa\ that the strong arc attracted and the weak are not frightened aw ay tel'. R8 (vt Id) The strung are not simply to adapt to the level o f the weak, instead, they are to be supported in l heir efforts hut in such a way thot the weak art* not discouraged thereby, but rather are encouraged Tin- strong must carry the weak along with them. For the ancient monastics that is the sign o f real strength. And psychology U*J)s us the same thing today Only those who are strung enough to accept their ow n weaknesses can hear with and support the weak. We get so annoyed about the weak because, in the best case they remind us o f our own weaknesses, so painfully overcome, that we would prefer in have nothing more to do with. Benedict challenges Ihe strung m his co m m u n ity to hear w ilh Ihe weak w ithout setting themselves above them , bul instead out o f lheir knowledge o f their ow n weakness and in gratitude fur God's help, whit h Ls alw ays received i*nh so lhal we can hand it on to others Thus Benedict is not interested m reducing the challenges, but in encourage men l and motivation lor both weak and strong. This prevents a splitting of' the community into "solid achiev­ ers" and "lesser achievers,‘ and binds all within the grace ol ood. which thev know is their true support. i>i>crt7k>. as the gilt of discernment, is especially a virtue o f the abbot, the virtue o f each of those who are to lead and guide, instruct and educate other*. Thus Benedict demands of the abbot: . tie must show lorethouglu and consideration in Ids or­ ders, jnd tvhefhei flu* task lie assigns concerns God or the world he should tie discerning and moderate hearing in mind the discretion of holy Jacob who said: If I drive mv nv third. f/ltV ufff ad di« hi a sing/e d.-n (Gen Sd:* o.-

Kliol 17-It*

Ab

Kettcih>. o f \u /■ >•# tffHa/fVr of'XursLi Hum feared ii\dl;ible. anxious, extreme obstinate, ?cak'irs or OWMispifioiij. lie must not be. Mull conc rete people. Sometimes one gels the impression that students are being pressed into the mold of pedagogical concepts instead of having their real needs heard. Many of the things the various Departments o f Uducatioti propound as pedagogical guidelines sound good hut often these concepts did not arise from listening to young people. Ihey were, rather, produced out of scholarly reason­ ing Unit sounds entirely plausible, but loo often has tu» ap­ plication to concrete human beings hi accompanying young people through courses and retreats 1 myself have discovered how. by listening to these young men and women, 1 have re­ ceived a different message than 1got from reading soc k'logical books about teenagers mid young adults but above all. Benedictine ift-screfto could help us to he more humane with one another. Nowadays we are running the risk of judging other people according to psvchological criteria and then always wanting to change them if they do not corre­ spond to the criteria. Wr no longer notice how we subject each other to externa) standards, how we think we know exact I\ what is normal and what is good for other people. IVc can learn from Benedict to let go of all our psychological theories, which toe' often muddy our vision ol concrete human beings, m order to encounter individuals openly and impartially and to welcome the unique character of each.

PAX BENEDICTINA— BENEDICTINE PEACE he Benedidiur ideal of lhe human hang is not that of one who achieves and accomplishes things, not a per­ son with an unusual religious gift, not a great ascetic, hut the wise and mature person who knows how to bring people together, who creates around herself or himsell an at­ mosphere of peace and mutual understanding. Behind this ideal image stands a high demand. No one can simply' resolve to become a peacemaker. Only those who have created peace within themselves can make pence, only those vvlio have_becotnc rcam yilrdJcvilli themselves, their own weaknesses and faults, their_needs.and desires, their contradictory leiidrncies and aml>ilions Making peace is not a program o f action thal one could write on one's banners; rather, it must arise from inner peace. And inner peace is achieved only through a hard and unremitting struggle for inner purity and through prayer, in which one seeks to accept everything God presents, whether one's own weaknesses or those of oilier? Benedict demands especially of Hie abbot or abbess that hr or she should tie able to make peace. Tin* most important pre­ condition tor this is the ability to heal flic abbot or abbess must prove above all. to be a good physician in dealing with weak and sick brother? and sisters. Thus Benedict writes;

T

The abbot rum*, exercise Die utmost care and concern tor way­ ward brothers herrtiiM* ft not Abe luallhy iv/io /toy/ a p/iysic\iui: but ihi'su'k (.Vlutt lii Tberefove. lie ought to use every skill of a wise physician anti send in .ser?/nvtoe. that is. mature and »vi*e brothers who. under the cloak ol secm\ may sup­ port Die wavering brother. urge him to lie li;md>jc as a way of 12

I’itx brnedicrina—Benedictim fra»v

}.5

making satisfaction, jncl ovi.srtr Jnw k*t /k />< tuYnWh'bwii * excessive viim>iv 12 l or 2.7) Rather, .r> the Aposl V ttl$o says: L'f low for him be reaffirmed < 2 cor 2:8), and Irr nil pray tor him It jsthe aHn’I's responsibility to have great concern arid in act with all speed. discernment .iru.1 diligencem order not to lose any ol the sheep entrusted to him. He should realize lli