The Weekly Service in the East

So that we may not seem to leave out any of the institutes of the coenobia, I think it should be mentioned briefly that in other countries as well a daily service is undertaken by the brothers. For throughout the whole of Mesopotamia, Palestine and Cappadocia, and all the East, the brothers take turns, one after another, every week, in performing certain duties. The number serving is assigned according to the whole number of monks in the coenobium. They hurry to carry out these duties with a zeal and humility such as no slave gives to his service, even under the harshest and most powerful master. Not satisfied with the services rendered by the fixed rule, they actually get up at night in their zeal and relieve those whose particular duty it is; secretly getting ahead of them, they try to finish the tasks the others would have had to do. [a]

Each one who takes on these weeks is on duty and must serve until supper on Sunday. When that is done, his duty for the whole week is finished. Then, when all the brothers come together to chant the psalms, which by custom they sing before going to bed, those whose turn is over wash the feet of everyone in turn. In return for their work through the whole week, they faithfully ask of the brothers this blessing as their reward: that the prayers offered by all of them together may go with them as they fulfill the command of Christ. They mean the prayer that intercedes for their sins of ignorance and for the sins they have committed through human frailty, and that may commend to God the complete service of their devotion like some rich offering. So on Monday, after the morning hymns, they hand over to those who take their place the vessels and utensils with which they have served. These receive them and keep them with the greatest care and concern, so that none of them may be damaged or destroyed. For they believe that they must give an account even for the smallest vessels, as sacred things, not only to the steward now in charge, but to the Lord, if by chance any of them is damaged through their carelessness.

How far this discipline goes, and what faithfulness and care they show in keeping it up, you may see from one instance which I will give as an example. For while we are eager to satisfy that fervor of yours, which asks for a full account of everything and wants even what you know perfectly well repeated to you in this treatise, we are also afraid of going beyond the limits of brevity.