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X-WR-CALDESC:For the daily meals\, whether at noon or in midafternoon\,
it is enough\, we believe\, to provide all the tables with two kinds of co
oked food because of individual weaknesses. In this way\, the person who m
ay not be able to eat one kind of food may partake of the other. Two kinds
of cooked food\, therefore\, should suffice for all\, and if fruit or fre
sh vegetables are available\, a third dish may also be added. A generous p
ound of bread is enough for a day whether for only one meal or for both di
nner and supper. In the latter case the cellarer will set aside one third
of this pound and give it to the community at supper.\n\nChapter 39 is
a chapter on generosity and trust that flies in the face of a tradition o
f stern and demanding asceticisms. Benedict of Nursia never takes food awa
y from the community. On the contrary\, he assures himself that the fare w
ill always be ample and will always be simple but pleasing. These were wor
king monastics who needed energy to toil and peace to pray. Benedict decid
es that food is not to be the penance of their lives.\n\nEverybody needs s
omething in life to make the rest of life doable and uplifting. The import
ant thing in the spiritual life is that while we are creating penances for
ourselves to build up our moral fiber we are also providing possibilities
for ourselves to build up our spiritual joy.\n\nShould it happen that
the work is heavier than usual\, the abbot and prioress may decide--and th
ey will have the authority--to grant something additional\, provided that
it is appropriate\, and that above all overindulgence is avoided\, lest an
yone experience indigestion. For nothing is so inconsistent with the life
of any Christian as overindulgence. Our God says: 'Take care that your hea
rts are not weighted down with overindulgence (Lk 21:34).'\n\nExceptio
ns. Exceptions. Exceptions. The Rule of Benedict is full of rules that are
never kept\, always shifting\, forever being stretched. Only two Benedict
ine principles are implied to be without exception: kindness and self-cont
rol. The abbot is to make exceptions always\; the monastic is never to tak
e advantage of them or to lose control\, to slip into dissipation\, to fai
l to keep trying to keep the mind in charge of the body. Soft living\, slo
uch-heartedness\, a dried up soul is not what gives life meaning. It is st
retching ourselves that keeps us supple and keeps us trim. We believe it a
bout the body. We are inclined to overlook it in the soul. Let them have w
hat they need\, the Rule says\, but let them forego what they don't so tha
t they can run through life with their bodies unburdened and their souls u
nsurfeited. It is good\, clean living that Benedictine spirituality is abo
ut\, living that keeps us young in heart and sharp of vision\, living that
has something for which to strive.\n\nThe young should not receive the
same amount as their elders\, but less\, since in all matters frugality i
s the rule. Let everyone\, except the sick who are very weak\, abstain ent
irely from eating the meat of four-footed animals.\n\nThe meat of four
-footed animals was not part of the monastic diet because it was thought t
o heighten the animal facet of human nature. In a society whose philosophy
was highly dualistic and whose world separated out neatly into things tha
t were of the spirit and things that were of the flesh\, the consideration
was a serious one. Monastic life was about higher things and nothing was
to be allowed to interfere with that.\n\nThe question for the modern world
has seldom been what effect diet has on spirit--though interest in the fi
eld is certainly growing--but we have come to some conclusions about other
things. We do know that colors\, weather\, light\, environment\, all affe
ct the spirit. Too much of anything\, we have discovered\, can weigh us do
wn. Each of us needs to fast from something to bring ourselves to the summ
it of our spiritual powers. The question is whether or not we have lost a
sense of the value of fasting or do we simply fill ourselves\, glut oursel
ves\, without limit\, without end\, with the useless and the disturbing?\n
\n
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DESCRIPTION:For the daily meals\, whether at noon or in midafternoon\, i
t is enough\, we believe\, to provide all the tables with two kinds of coo
ked food because of individual weaknesses. In this way\, the person who ma
y not be able to eat one kind of food may partake of the other. Two kinds
of cooked food\, therefore\, should suffice for all\, and if fruit or fres
h vegetables are available\, a third dish may also be added. A generous po
und of bread is enough for a day whether for only one meal or for both din
ner and supper. In the latter case the cellarer will set aside one third o
f this pound and give it to the community at supper.\n\nChapter 39 is
a chapter on generosity and trust that flies in the face of a tradition of
stern and demanding asceticisms. Benedict of Nursia never takes food away
from the community. On the contrary\, he assures himself that the fare wi
ll always be ample and will always be simple but pleasing. These were work
ing monastics who needed energy to toil and peace to pray. Benedict decide
s that food is not to be the penance of their lives.\n\nEverybody needs so
mething in life to make the rest of life doable and uplifting. The importa
nt thing in the spiritual life is that while we are creating penances for
ourselves to build up our moral fiber we are also providing possibilities
for ourselves to build up our spiritual joy.\n\nShould it happen that t
he work is heavier than usual\, the abbot and prioress may decide--and the
y will have the authority--to grant something additional\, provided that i
t is appropriate\, and that above all overindulgence is avoided\, lest any
one experience indigestion. For nothing is so inconsistent with the life o
f any Christian as overindulgence. Our God says: 'Take care that your hear
ts are not weighted down with overindulgence (Lk 21:34).'\n\nException
s. Exceptions. Exceptions. The Rule of Benedict is full of rules that are
never kept\, always shifting\, forever being stretched. Only two Benedicti
ne principles are implied to be without exception: kindness and self-contr
ol. The abbot is to make exceptions always\; the monastic is never to take
advantage of them or to lose control\, to slip into dissipation\, to fail
to keep trying to keep the mind in charge of the body. Soft living\, slou
ch-heartedness\, a dried up soul is not what gives life meaning. It is str
etching ourselves that keeps us supple and keeps us trim. We believe it ab
out the body. We are inclined to overlook it in the soul. Let them have wh
at they need\, the Rule says\, but let them forego what they don't so that
they can run through life with their bodies unburdened and their souls un
surfeited. It is good\, clean living that Benedictine spirituality is abou
t\, living that keeps us young in heart and sharp of vision\, living that
has something for which to strive.\n\nThe young should not receive the
same amount as their elders\, but less\, since in all matters frugality is
the rule. Let everyone\, except the sick who are very weak\, abstain enti
rely from eating the meat of four-footed animals.\n\nThe meat of four-
footed animals was not part of the monastic diet because it was thought to
heighten the animal facet of human nature. In a society whose philosophy
was highly dualistic and whose world separated out neatly into things that
were of the spirit and things that were of the flesh\, the consideration
was a serious one. Monastic life was about higher things and nothing was t
o be allowed to interfere with that.\n\nThe question for the modern world
has seldom been what effect diet has on spirit--though interest in the fie
ld is certainly growing--but we have come to some conclusions about other
things. We do know that colors\, weather\, light\, environment\, all affec
t the spirit. Too much of anything\, we have discovered\, can weigh us dow
n. Each of us needs to fast from something to bring ourselves to the summi
t of our spiritual powers. The question is whether or not we have lost a s
ense of the value of fasting or do we simply fill ourselves\, glut ourselv
es\, without limit\, without end\, with the useless and the disturbing?\n
\n
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251117T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251117T235900
LOCATION:Chapter 39
SUMMARY:The Proper Amount of Food
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