Rule of St Benedict for the day

When anyone newly cometh to be a monk, let him not be granted an easy admittance; but, as the apostle saith: Try the spirits, if they be of God.¹ If such a one, therefore, persevere in his knocking, and if it be seen after four or five days that he bears patiently his harsh treatment and the difficulty of admission and persists in his petition, then let admittance be granted to him, and let him stay in the guest house for a few days. After that let him dwell in the noviciate, where the novices work, eat and sleep. And let a senior be assigned to them who is skilled in winning souls, that he may watch over them with the utmost care. Let him examine whether the novice truly seeks God, and whether he is zealous for the Work of God, for obedience and for humiliations. Let him be told all the hardships and trials through which we travel to God.