"It is to me, however, that you have come for a rule of life in keeping with your avowed purpose, a rule you may hold fast to henceforward; and therefore:"--The Rule, chapter 3
It seems as though there may be little to say about this chapter, and not much that could be profound. Here, seems to be a legalistic clause; a chapter that needs to be included for the sake of inclusion and not for any significant purpose in itself. It can appear that Albert is simply saying: "You asked me for a Rule, a way of life. Here it is. Follow it." Yet, if we keep in mind what he has already written, there may be a few nuggets of treasure even here.
"Many and varied are the ways..." but "it is to me, however, that you have come..."
Albert has recognized that the hermits on Mt. Carmel had an endless number of options of people and traditions to turn toward in establishing their way of life. They could have even turned toward one the "saintly forefathers," using their wisdom and foundation to perhaps draft a Rule for the brothers, or even to the small gathering of Eastern monks who lived nearby. Yet, turning to one of the others is not what the hermits of Mt. Carmel did. (This idea is a recognition that the Spiritual Directory also makes, that many are called to the vocation and work of consecrated religious life, within this call, some have chosen a particular way and path, which is a life in Carmel.)
"Many and varied are the ways..." but "it is to me, however, that you have come..."
Albert has recognized that the hermits on Mt. Carmel had an endless number of options of people and traditions to turn toward in establishing their way of life. They could have even turned toward one the "saintly forefathers," using their wisdom and foundation to perhaps draft a Rule for the brothers, or even to the small gathering of Eastern monks who lived nearby. Yet, turning to one of the others is not what the hermits of Mt. Carmel did. (This idea is a recognition that the Spiritual Directory also makes, that many are called to the vocation and work of consecrated religious life, within this call, some have chosen a particular way and path, which is a life in Carmel.)
They chose Albert, "Patriarch of the church in Jerusalem," to be the author, and so comes the expectation for any author who is sought; that his, now subjects according to their freely made choice, live and abide according to the provisions he has provided. As our Spiritual Directory describes many centuries later, none of the hermits were under any obligation to profess obedience and observe the way that Albert laid forth, but having professed vows and accepted his leadership, they became obligated to follow them. They were no longer free to continue living as they had lived, nor to come up with new ways, nor to ignore what Albert has provided. By their own choice, the brothers living near the fount of Elijah, deliberately turned toward Albert, placed themselves under his care and so became bound to the agreement to live under the rule and way of life that he provided.
This short, and seemingly insignificant chapter tells us that we too, by our choice and profession of vows, are to "hold fast" to the Rule and all of the provisions it has provided. We have no rights to pick and to choose from among the chapters; or to consider it a suggested way of living; or to call it old and antiquated, no longer meaningful to modern times (if we believed that it is as such, then we should not have professed to live in accordance with such an antiquated and out of touch way of life); or to simply ignore its precepts because after 800 years we have learned and know better. There are certainly places in these 800 years since the Rule was first written that have changed its relevance. To hold to the provision that we may own an ass does not translate literally to contemporary life in most countries, but the provision can be translated, nonetheless and should not simply be ignored. Perhaps a simple car suffices, as a basic mode of transportation, or computers and equipment that is needed to complete day-to-day work of the monastery. Whatever our translation may be, we should be as diligent and attentive as though we were translating an ancient language into a modern one. The Rule does translates and the difficulty does not exempt us from the way of life that we requested, and which Albert provided. The translation should not be something that an individual brother should proved, but for the whole order, or the most mature and capable among them to discern how these words of Albert (and Innocent) and the means of life from the 12th and 13th centuries adapt to today's modern realities and ways of day-to-day living.
This short, and seemingly insignificant chapter tells us that we too, by our choice and profession of vows, are to "hold fast" to the Rule and all of the provisions it has provided. We have no rights to pick and to choose from among the chapters; or to consider it a suggested way of living; or to call it old and antiquated, no longer meaningful to modern times (if we believed that it is as such, then we should not have professed to live in accordance with such an antiquated and out of touch way of life); or to simply ignore its precepts because after 800 years we have learned and know better. There are certainly places in these 800 years since the Rule was first written that have changed its relevance. To hold to the provision that we may own an ass does not translate literally to contemporary life in most countries, but the provision can be translated, nonetheless and should not simply be ignored. Perhaps a simple car suffices, as a basic mode of transportation, or computers and equipment that is needed to complete day-to-day work of the monastery. Whatever our translation may be, we should be as diligent and attentive as though we were translating an ancient language into a modern one. The Rule does translates and the difficulty does not exempt us from the way of life that we requested, and which Albert provided. The translation should not be something that an individual brother should proved, but for the whole order, or the most mature and capable among them to discern how these words of Albert (and Innocent) and the means of life from the 12th and 13th centuries adapt to today's modern realities and ways of day-to-day living.
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