Abstract
“In the great love with which We have always loved Our monastic vocation, We have written these pages as the outpouring of a heart that, even on the pontifical chair, feels all the homesickness for the cloister” (p. 317). Thus does Blessed Cardinal Schuster sum up his sentiments in writing this commentary on the Rule that he followed for so many years and which was published in Italian in 1945. Schuster was born in 1880 and entered the Benedictine Abbey of St Paul Outside the Walls in 1898, becoming Abbot in 1918 and appointed Archbishop of Milan in 1929 by Pope Pius XI, who also made him a Cardinal. He died in 1954 and was beatified by St John Paul II in 1996. These biographical details are lacking in the otherwise good, but brief, introduction by the translator, who has succeeded in translating the Italian text into a very similar English style. The biblical translations are taken from the Douay-Rheims version, and other Latin texts are translated by the translator himself. He retains Schuster’s reading of the text of the Rule, even where it differs from modern scholarly editions, which makes perfect sense, since the focus here is Schuster’s commentary on the text of the Rule he knew. The Translator notes that on occasion he uses more unconventional translations to convey the connotations of the Latin original.
The commentary begins with an introduction by Cardinal Schuster, the chapter list (in Latin only) and then the actual commentary begins. Each chapter starts with the Rule in Latin and English translation, followed by Schuster’s commentary, which deals with each chapter as a whole rather than in the traditional divisions. The original readers could be assumed to have an ease with Latin that is no longer the case, and so the Latin quotations are translated either in the text itself (where they would benefit from a little more physical distance from the Latin) or in the footnotes. The author’s commentary is both scientific in an approachable way, with a particular focus on what he calls the “archaeology” of the text, seeking to expound the way in which it was lived in its original setting and in particular to consider the sources that influenced St Benedict. In this Schuster has an unusual theory of the origin of the Rule, suggesting that it was completed on behalf of the Holy See. Pope Vigilius and/or other popes had invited Benedict to establish a monastery in the shadow of the Lateran and then tasked him with writing a Rule for Western monasticism, the Popes seeing the significance of Benedictine monasticism for the future. Thus he posits that the first draft was written in Subiaco, before it was redacted in Rome and finished at Monte Cassino. In addition, the commentary contains Schuster’s own reflections on the Rule and the way Benedictine life should be lived, as well as recollections of monks and abbots from a variety of Italian monasteries. There are a number of humorous anecdotes, such as St Paulinus employing a bad cook in order to curb the gluttony of some of his monks, or those who sing badly being called “lacerator[s] of well-constructed ears,” as well as those telling of encounters with edifying monks. He also includes references to liturgical practice in Milan.
Some readers will find the style and some of the content off-putting, and perhaps even no longer suitable for novices in the 21st century, yet others will find that the enduring principles of monastic life are amply demonstrated here by one whom the Church has declared Blessed. Schuster is very clear, for example, that the Divine Office is at the heart of the monastic life, and exhorts monasteries to ensure that they maintain the traditional breviary; one wonders what he would make of the variety we find in monasteries today. In connection with this, he also emphasizes the importance of proper training in the singing of the chant, which will be music to the ears of many a monastic choirmaster! It is perhaps a little strange that he shows no objection to the frequent pre-conciliar practice of grouping Offices together, in order to allow for the whole Office to be recited, whilst still allowing monks to engage in pastoral and other works in schools, parishes and elsewhere. He has no objection to these works provided that they are works of the community. This would certainly contrast with views expressed in commentaries by monks or nuns of other Congregations. Hospitality remains at the heart of the work of all Benedictine monasteries, and he emphasizes the profound effect that monastic life can exercise on guests, even in those monasteries where actual contact with the monks is more limited.
In his writing, Schuster also displays a certain rigorist tendency that some may even characterize as verging on what we might call “regular fundamentalism,” and so he speaks with praise of the Abbot of Monte Cassino allowing him and three other monks to go on a day trip, but who forbade them from eating anything except the small packed lunch they took with them. As a result Schuster developed a very bad headache, but “better a headache than to disregard the Rule with an unnecessary dispensation. That is how characters are formed!” (p. 219). In this sense, we may say that the commentary is “of its time.” Yet it must be admitted that this can be said of every commentary and, indeed, every book in some sense, including the Rule itself.
The Translator has done a very good job in translating this text, since it reads very naturally in English. Occasionally he has also quoted the Italian, where a turn of phrase may seem odd in English and a brief explanation is also included. Many monasteries will surely wish to add this to their collection of commentaries on the Rule. Although parts of it may seem old-fashioned, it is nonetheless worth reading and there is much for consideration in the 21st century, especially since it comes from the lived experience of the Rule, before Schuster was appointed to Milan.