Caput XXX. Contra eos qui rigorem abstinentiae non amplectuntur, ne corporis languorem incurrant.
The Fear That Undermines Discipline
Some abandon salutary exercises out of fear that excessive abstinence will make them a burden to others and a pain to themselves.
But some are drawn back from salutary exercises by fear — lest, that is, through excessive abstinence or immoderate vigils they fall into weakness, and so become a burden to others but a pain to themselves: this is our excuse in our sins.
The Scarcity of True Fervor
Very few today are set ablaze by such fervor.
How few there are today who've been set ablaze by such fervor!
Wisdom That Fears the Body More Than the Soul
We pride ourselves on prudence yet dread bodily illness more than the soul's weakness, preferring the flame of lust to the belly's growling.
We are all wise, all provident, all discreet: we hate war from afar, and so we dread the body's illness before it's even felt; with the result that, terrified, we neglect the weakness of the soul that we actually feel, as if it were more tolerable to endure the flame of lust than the belly's growling, or as if it were much better to avoid wantonness through constant weakness of the flesh than to be reduced to its servitude while still healthy and sound.
Preserving Chastity by Whatever Means
It matters little whether proud flesh is suppressed by abstinence or by weakness, so long as chastity is preserved.
For what does it matter whether the proud flesh is suppressed by abstinence or by weakness, so long as chastity is preserved?
The Danger of Remissness
One must guard against remissness, lest infirmity become an occasion for the allurements of pleasure.
But, you say, we must guard against remissiveness, lest through the occasion of infirmity we incur the allurements of pleasure.
When Suffering Itself Becomes a Guard
In genuine sickness, bodily delights become more burden than pleasure.
Certainly, if the body is weak, if it's sick, if its entrails are tormented, if the stomach is parched, any delights will be more of a burden than a delight.
Read the original Latin
Sed quidam a salutaribus exercitiis retrahuntur timore, ne videlicet propter nimiam abstinentiam vel vigilias immoderatas incidant in languorem, et ita efficiantur aliis oneri, sibi autem dolori: haec excusatio nostra in peccatis nostris. Quam pauci sunt hodie quos talis fervor ignivit! Omnes sapientes sumus, omnes providi, omnes discreti: procul oderamus bellum, et sic morbum corporis antequam sentiatur, formidamus; ut languorem animae quem praesentem sentimus, territi negligamus, quasi tolerabilius sit flammam libidinis, quam ventris tolerare rugitum; aut multo melius sit continuo languore carnis vitare lasciviam, quam sanum et incolumem in ejus redigi servitutem. Quid enim interest utrum abstinentia, an languore caro superbiens comprimatur, castitas conservetur? Sed remissio, inquit, cavenda est, ne forte occasione infirmitatis incurramus illecebras voluptatis. Certe si languet, si aegrotat, si torquentur viscera, si arescit stomachus, quaelibet deliciae oneri magis erunt quam delectationi.
De institutione inclusarum (A Rule of Life for a Recluse) companion
A rule only lives if you keep it daily
Chosen Portion gives your new rule its anchor: one free devotional portion every day.
Aelred built his sister's day around fixed times of prayer and meditation; Chosen Portion supplies the fixed daily portion that makes a modern rule of life keepable.
- Anchor your rule with a fixed 10-minute daily portion
- Practice Aelred's threefold meditation with guided daily prompts
- Review and adjust your one-page rule after 30 days of tracked practice