Two Stout Monks

In his Rule for monasteries, St. Benedict considered grumbling a serious offense against community life. He wrote, “If a disciple grumbles, not only aloud but in his heart … his action will not be accepted with favor by God, who sees that he is grumbling in his heart.” Indicating his fierce opposition to this behavior, he added, “First and foremost, there must be no word or sign of grumbling, no manifestation of it for any reason at all. If, however, anyone is caught grumbling, let him undergo more severe discipline” (chapter 34). 

In my mind, the most wonderful line in Benedict’s Rule describes the appropriate response to a “contumacious monk” who is creating discord in the monastic community. “Let Father Abbot send two stout monks to explain the matter to him” (chapter 20, italics mine). The saintly founder of Western monasticism implies that a left jab to the solar plexus and a right hook to the jaw would swiftly clear the grousing brother’s mind.