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life, according to the commandment of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, who said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. QUESTION 9. With what disposition ought the one who rebukes to rebuke? RESPONSE. Toward God, with that which was achieved by David, who said: I saw them that were without understanding, and I pined away; because they kept not your words; but toward those being rebuked, with whatever disposition a father and physician would assume, healing his own son with compassion and tenderness according to science; and especially when grief is present, and the method of therapy is painful. QUESTION 100. How shall we send away those who come from outside and beg; and whether each one who wishes ought to give bread, or whatever it may be, or whether one person should have been appointed for this. RESPONSE. Since the Lord declared that it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs; but also accepted the response, For even the little dogs eat from their masters' table; let the one appointed for the distribution do this with discernment. And let everyone who does this contrary to that one's judgment be rebuked as a corrupter of good order, until he learns to keep his own place, as the Apostle said: In whatever state each was called, brothers, in that let him remain. QUESTION 101. Does one who is entrusted with the administration of things dedicated to the Lord have the obligation to fulfill the saying, “Give to everyone who asks of you; and from one who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away”? RESPONSE. The saying, Give to everyone who asks of you, and from one who wants to borrow from you do not turn away, has the character of a test, as the sequence of the related sayings shows; and the command is directed toward the wicked, not as a primary rule, but as something that ought to happen according to circumstance. For a primary command of the Lord is, Sell your possessions, and give to the poor; and again: Sell your possessions, and give alms. And if it is not without danger to apply to others what was appointed for others, since the Lord says that I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs; why does not one judge for himself what is right? QUESTION 102. Whether one who is departing from the brotherhood for any reason whatsoever ought to be restrained by entreaty, or not; and if he ought, on what grounds. RESPONSE. Since the Lord said: The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out; and again: Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; and elsewhere: Which of you, having a hundred sheep, if one of them goes astray, does not leave the ninety-nine and go to seek the one that is straying until he finds it? By every means one must heal the one who is sick, and be zealous to set, so to speak, the dislocated member. But if he persists in any wickedness whatsoever, let him go as a stranger. For it is written that Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Leave them; they are blind. QUESTION 103. That one must be subject to the elders until death, this we have already been taught; but since it happens that in some matter even the elder himself stumbles, we need to be taught whether he should be corrected, and how, and by whom; and if he should not accept it, what must be done. RESPONSE Concerning these things it has been spoken of clearly in the longer response. QUESTION 104. How ought the responsibilities to be entrusted to the brothers; with only the superior making the assessment, or with the brothers also voting; and likewise also among the sisters. RESPONSE. If each has been taught to entrust to others the things about which he is concerned, how much more should such matters be done with the discernment of those who are suitable for this? since God's stewardship ought to be entrusted according to God to those who have already given proof of being able to manage what is entrusted to them in a manner pleasing 31.1156 to the Lord. And in general in every matter the

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ψυχὴν, κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰπόντος· Ἐντολὴν καινὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλ λήλους, καθὼς ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς. Μείζονα ταύ της ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὑτοῦ. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Θʹ. Ποταπῇ διαθέσει χρὴ ἐπιτιμᾷν τὸν ἐπιτιμῶντα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Πρὸς μὲν τὸν Θεὸν τῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ κατωρθω μένῃ, εἰπόντος· Εἶδον ἀσυνετοῦντας, καὶ ἐξ ετηκόμην· ὅτι τὰ λόγιά σου οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐπιτιμωμένους, οἵαν ἂν διάθεσιν ἀναλάβοι πατὴρ καὶ ἰατρὸς, μετὰ συμπαθείας καὶ εὐσπλαγ χνίας κατ' ἐπιστήμην θεραπεύων τὸν ἴδιον υἱόν· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν λύπη προσῇ, καὶ ἐπίπονος τῆς θεραπείας ὁ τρόπος. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ρʹ. Τοὺς ἔξωθεν ἐρχομένους καὶ προσαιτοῦντας πῶς ἀπολύσομεν· καὶ εἰ ἕκαστος τῶν βουλομένων ὀφείλει ἐπιδοῦναι ἄρτον, ἢ ὅ τι δήποτε, ἢ ἕνα χρὴ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιτετάχθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἀποφηναμένου μὲν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κα λὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων, καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις· ἀποδεξαμένου δὲ τὸ, Καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνά ρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν· ὁ τὴν μετάδοσιν ἐπιτεταγμένος μετὰ δοκιμασίας τοῦτο ποιείτω. Πᾶς δὲ ὁ παρὰ τὴν γνώμην ἐκείνου τοῦτο ποιῶν ὡς διαφθορεὺς τῆς εὐταξίας ἐπιτι μάσθω, ἕως ἂν μάθῃ φυλάσσειν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τόπον, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· Ἕκαστος ἐν ᾧ ἐκλήθη, ἀδελφοὶ, ἐν τούτῳ μενέτω. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΑʹ. Ὁ ἐγχειριζόμενος οἰκονομίαν τῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀνα τεθέντων εἰ ἀνάγκην ἔχει πληρῶσαι τὸ, «Παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου· καὶ τὸν θέλοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανείσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸ, Παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου, καὶ τὸν θέ λοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανείσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς, ὥσπερ πειρασμοῦ ἔχει τόπον, ὡς ἡ ἀκολουθία τῶν συνημμένων δείκνυσι· καὶ εἰς πονηρούς ἐστι τὸ προστεταγμένον, οὐ προηγουμένως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ περί 31.1153 στασιν γίνεσθαι ὀφεῖλον. Προηγούμενον γὰρ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ, τὸ, Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς· καὶ πάλιν· Πω λήσατε τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ὑμῶν, καὶ δότε ἐλεημοσύ νην. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἄλλοις ἀποταχθὲν εἰς ἄλλους φέρειν οὐκ ἀκίνδυνόν ἐστι, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, ὅτι Οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ· καὶ, Οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων, καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυνα ρίοις· τί καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τις οὐ κρίνει τὸ δίκαιον; ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΒʹ. Εἰ χρὴ τὸν ἐξερχόμενον ἀπὸ ἀδελφότητος καθ' οἱονδήποτε λόγον παρακλήσει κατέχεσθαι, ἢ οὔ· καὶ εἰ χρὴ, ἐπὶ τίσιν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς μὲ οὐ μὴ ἐκβαλῶ ἔξω· καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν, ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα, ἐὰν πλανηθῇ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν, οὐχὶ ἀφίησι τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα, καὶ πορευθεὶς ζητεῖ τὸ πλανώμενον, ἕως ὅτου εὕρῃ; παντὶ τρόπῳ χρὴ τὸν ἀσθενοῦντα θερα πεύειν, καὶ σπουδάζειν τὸ ἐξηρθρωμένον, ἵνα οὕτως εἴπω, μέλος ἐναρθροῦν. Ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιμένῃ τῇ κακίᾳ οἱᾳδηποτοῦν, ἀφιέναι ὡς ἀλλότριον. Γέγραπται γάρ, ὅτι Πᾶσα φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος, ἐκριζωθήσεται. Ἄφετε αὐτούς· τυφλοί εἰσιν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΓʹ. Ὅτι μὲν χρὴ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἕως θανάτου ὑπο τάσσεσθαι, τοῦτο ἤδη ἐδιδάχθημεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ συμβαίνει εἴς τινα καὶ αὐτὸν ὀλισθαίνειν τὸν πρεσβύτερον, εἰ δέοι αὐτὸν ἐλέγχεσθαι, καὶ πῶς, καὶ παρὰ τίνων, διδαχθῆναι δεόμεθα· εἰ δὲ μὴ καταδέχοιτο, τί χρὴ γενέσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Περὶ τούτων εἴρηται σαφῶς ἐν τῇ πλατυτέρᾳ ἀπο κρίσει. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ρ∆ʹ. Πῶς χρὴ τὰς φροντίδας ἐγχειρίζειν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· μόνου τοῦ προεστῶτος τὴν δοκιμασίαν ποιου μένου, ἢ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ψηφιζομένων· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Εἰ περὶ ὧν φρονεῖ ἕκαστος, ἀνατίθεσθαι ἑτέροις ἐδιδάχθη, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὰ τοιαῦτα μετὰ δοκιμασίας τῶν εἰς τοῦτο ἐπιτηδείων γίνεσθαι χρή; ὡς Θεοῦ οἰκονομίας κατὰ Θεὸν ὀφειλούσης ἐγχειρίζεσθαι τοῖς ἤδη ἀπόδειξιν δεδωκόσι τοῦ δύνασθαι εὐαρέστως 31.1156 τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ ἐγχειρισθὲν οἰκονομεῖν. Καὶ καθόλου ἐν παντὶ πράγματι τὸν